Is it possible to improve a video signal?

[agdex]

The video signal that I would like to improve has the following path:
Cable box HDMI out > HDMI to S-video converter > S-video to Video Distribution Amplifier > S-video input of Magnavox MDR557 > Component out of Magnavox > Component input of Samsung TV.
The picture on the Samsung has a ghost, which if eliminated would be a very god picture, almost as a HDMI.
Is there any adjustable filter that can remove the ghost?

[newpball]

Why do you convert the HDMI signal to S-video?

[mazinz]

Why do you convert the HDMI signal to S-video?

it is probable his tv set does not have HDMI nor SVHS in and it seems like his cable box might not have component out, going by his chain listing. Though I think it is a bit overkill.

Does your cable box have SVHS out or HDMI out only?

[usually_quiet]

The video signal that I would like to improve has the following path:
Cable box HDMI out > HDMI to S-video converter > S-video to Video Distribution Amplifier > S-video input of Magnavox MDR557 > Component out of Magnavox > Component input of Samsung TV.
The picture on the Samsung has a ghost, which if eliminated would be a very god picture, almost as a HDMI.
Is there any adjustable filter that can remove the ghost?

If there are anti-ghost filters for S-Video, I have not seen any.

Try to find out where the problem originates. Since HDMI to S-Video/composite converters often have picture quality issues, especially when down-scaling from HD, I'd start there. First, connect the DVD recorder directly to the HDMI to S-Video converter, and see if the picture improves or stays the same.

Very few cable boxes have S-Video out. Assuming the cable box has composite out or coax out, you may need to give up on the HDMI to S-Video converter and use one of them for the DVD recorder instead, with only the TV connected to the cable box via component or HDMI. That always worked for me, although recordings of 16:9 channels were letterboxed in a 4:3 frame, and not anamorphic widescreen.

[LMotlow]

it is probable his tv set does not have HDMI nor SVHS in and it seems like his cable box might not have component out, going by his chain listing. Though I think it is a bit overkill.

Does your cable box have SVHS out or HDMI out only?

Seem to be confused about SVHS and s-video. No cable box has "SVHS" output or input. SVHS is an analog tape format. s-video is a type of signal transmission and its associated cables and circuitry, not a video storage or recording format.
http://hometheater.about.com/od/hometheatervideobasics/qt/svideovssvhs.htm

[pandy]

The video signal that I would like to improve has the following path:
Cable box HDMI out > HDMI to S-video converter > S-video to Video Distribution Amplifier > S-video input of Magnavox MDR557 > Component out of Magnavox > Component input of Samsung TV.
The picture on the Samsung has a ghost, which if eliminated would be a very god picture, almost as a HDMI.
Is there any adjustable filter that can remove the ghost?

You need deconvolution filter or something like this http://avisynth.nl/index.php/External_filters#Ghost_Removal

Consider to modify your signal path - currently is simply wrong (however not sure what is environment limitation).

[mazinz]

it is probable his tv set does not have HDMI nor SVHS in and it seems like his cable box might not have component out, going by his chain listing. Though I think it is a bit overkill.

Does your cable box have SVHS out or HDMI out only?

Seem to be confused about SVHS and s-video. No cable box has "SVHS" output or input. SVHS is an analog tape format. s-video is a type of signal transmission and its associated cables and circuitry, not a video storage or recording format.
http://hometheater.about.com/od/hometheatervideobasics/qt/svideovssvhs.htm

No confusion at all, I think you are just being petty. It is still usually referenced to to the same thing. When someone refers to it as svhs output/input or svhs cable it is usually taken and assumed s-video cable. The whole point being (wrong or right) when it is mentioned as output/input or cable most of everyone knows exactly what it is (since it is more commonly associated with super vhs, it has the unofficial svhs name attached with it) and most things online still refer to it as this also.

My Verizon Fios box still offers this output option, however we still have yet to hear anything back from the original poster

[LMotlow]

No confusion at all, I think you are just being petty. It is still usually referenced to to the same thing. When someone refers to it as svhs output/input or svhs cable it is usually taken and assumed s-video cable. The whole point being (wrong or right) when it is mentioned as output/input or cable most of everyone knows exactly what it is (since it is more commonly associated with super vhs, it has the unofficial svhs name attached with it) and most things online still refer to it as this also.

Maybe they do it that way on your planet, but here on the planet Earth what you've just posted is hogwash. Those other websites you refer to are misleading you.

[Cornucopia]

+1.

S-VHS is a tape format.
S-Video is a cable/connection format.

Those who conflate the 2 are novices who are just adding to the confusion and entropy. It's not petty at all to expect clarity in things scientific.
Same thing with 4k & UHD: sure there are people who already understand the difference and know, according to the context in which it was brought up, which one is actually being referred to, but there are PLENTY of people who do not, and it can be quite problematic for them (and others with whom they communicate), unless one nails down the exact definition.
Same thing with bad grammar.

Scott

[agdex]

Thank you to all members of the forum that took their time to answer my question.
Newpball: The conversion from HDMI is done because if the S-video signal from the Cable box is connected to the TV, it is distorted (black bands on top and bottom) and CP. It would need another filter to remove the CP and the signal is further deteriorated.
Mazinz: Correct, newer TVs do not have S-video inputs.
Usually_quiet: The EmpireStateFilterCo.,www,empirefilter.com lists five (5) s-video filters. The filters reduce the "hum" of the S-video signal. I do not know what this means. Also the KJMann s-video upgrade, in the UK, also exists. Per your suggestion, I connected directly from the HDMI to S-video converter to the recorder. The ghost still there. But the gosh maybe coming from the Recorder itself, when it converts the S-video to Component to be displayed in the TV. Notice that the TV has no S-video input, only one (1) component, five (5) HDMIs, one(1) composite and three (3) USBs. The Composite signal from the Cable box, when connected directly to the Recorder, is very degraded. Could you recommend a higher grade of HDMI to S-video converter?. Mine is a ViewHD.
Pandy: The software that you recommend could be useful when archiving a recorded video to a DVD disk. This is not the case here. The path is not wrong as my current signal is close to an HDMI when viewed in a 50" TV from 8 ft.away. This TV is located 85 ft from the Cable box using a S-video cable of course.
General notes:
- The S-video distribution amp is used because it sends the signal to a remote TV and other recorders.
- The S-video cables are of high quality, very well shielded.
- I believe that the ghosting comes from the DAC (Digital-to-Analog converter) niside the HDMI to S-video Converter.

[jagabo]

I think you need to clarify what you mean by ghost. Are you talking about over sharpening halos (a lot of people call it ghosting) or true multipath ghosting?

Clean, over sharpening halos, multipath ghosting:


You might be able to clean up over sharpening halos by turning down any sharpening filters in the devices in question. Multipath ghosting could be caused by bad cables or one of the intermediate devices.

[agdex]

Jagabo:
The center picture distortion (ghosting) is what I am experience with my set up, however not that bad. The small lettering (1/2" in a 40" screen) is difficult to read.

[usually_quiet]

The conversion from HDMI is done because if the S-video signal from the Cable box is connected to the TV, it is distorted (black bands on top and bottom) and CP. It would need another filter to remove the CP and the signal is further deteriorated.

This is an high-definition channel and the cable box is set up for a 16:9 TV? If so, what you are describing as distortion is typical of the way cable boxes output HD channels (which always have a 16:9 aspect ratio) to a standard definition video connection (composite, coax, or S-Video). The black bars are padding added to create a frame with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Some standard definition channels are formatted the same way. I also discovered some cable programming is simply badly formatted, and there is no easy way to fix it.

I eventually stopped using DVD recorder to record from cable, and now use it only for recording off an antenna. I switched to an HDMI PC capture device for recording from my cable box in high definition, which was OK, although I found I wanted to record too many things. I now use a CableCARD tuner, which unfortunately won't work well for you an account of the copy protection you say is present.

Usually_quiet: The EmpireStateFilterCo.,www,empirefilter.com lists five (5) s-video filters. The filters reduce the "hum" of the S-video signal. I do not know what this means. Also the KJMann s-video upgrade, in the UK, also exists.

Hum is a symptom of a ground loop, and looks like a faint bar that travels up the TV screen. A device which corrects hum won't correct ghosting. Ghosting results from reflections in the signal, as jagabo wrote. It can be caused by a bad cable, a faulty device, or a loose connection somewhere.

Per your suggestion, I connected directly from the HDMI to S-video converter to the recorder. The ghost still there. But the gosh maybe coming from the Recorder itself, when it converts the S-video to Component to be displayed in the TV.

I don't think the DVD recorder is responsible for the ghosting. If it were, you would see it when you connected the DVD recorder directly to the cable box's S-Video connection.

Notice that the TV has no S-video input, only one (1) component, five (5) HDMIs, one(1) composite and three (3) USBs. The Composite signal from the Cable box, when connected directly to the Recorder, is very degraded. Could you recommend a higher grade of HDMI to S-video converter?. Mine is a ViewHD.

I don't know what to suggest. I never used one. It seems like every model has some customer reviews indicating an unsatisfactory experience with the device.

[jagabo]

The center picture distortion (ghosting) is what I am experience with my set up

Then you have over sharpening halos, not ghosting.

however not that bad

I went way overboard to make the problems very obvious.

The small lettering (1/2" in a 40" screen) is difficult to read.

NTSC S-video has an effective resolution of about 480x480. So of course small text is hard to read, no matter how big you view it. Here's an example what to expect when converting a high resolution source to s-video or composite:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/283861-VGA-to-S-video?p=1756748&viewfull=1#post1756748

To reduce over sharpening halos you have to turn down the sharpening filters of devices in the chain. The DVD recorder almost certainly has such a filter because they are designed to accommodate VHS sources where the video is especially blurry to start with. You'll have to find a compromise between apparent sharpness and halos. But you're never going to get a sharp high definition picture from s-video.