what's the difference with these composite/s-video cables?

[Knightmessenger]

So I use a Belkin s-video cable as it looked better than a thx monster s-video on a dv capture off the Phantom Menace thx test pattern. Since no stores seem to stock any name brand cables other than HDMI, I went on amazon to see if maybe there was a good price on composite cables that weren't the basic kind that came with your camcorder/vcr/dvd player.

Then I noticed the Belkin brand has mulitple kinds of the same cables.
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Master-Audio-Composite-Video/dp/B001UP2VRE/

https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-PureAV-AV22102-06-6-Foot-Composite/dp/B0001XGQVI/

Is one of these supposed to be higher end or better than the other?

This is my s-video cable
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-PureAV-S-Video-Cable-12ft/dp/B0001VWHSQ/

which is different from this belkin s-video cable
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-PureAV-S-Video-Cable-ft/dp/B00069G964/

I do have monster thx composite cables that I use for the audio from my S-vhs decks. (they have s-video so I use the belkin cable for that) However, the RCA inputs on my Hi8 camcorder are too close together for both audio cables to fit in. The cables are simply too thick at the ends.

I'm thinking that for hi8 camcorder recordings to dvd (yes I use s-video here too), I should use some RCA audio cables better than the basic ones but I don't want them to be too thick to fit alongside each other. Belkin seems like a good brand so I just wanted to know if there was any consensus on which design of the cable is better or not.

[Vidd]

The cables you linked to might actually be the same or very similar. Over the years manufacturers change the design or color of the cable. The first link, the Pure AV cable is from 2009 while the second link is the 2004 Pure AV model.

A general rule of thumb for analog cables is shorter is better, since there is more chance of signal loss and interference with longer cables. For capture I would recommend 3 foot cables.

The cables you link to should be much better than the free cables that come bundled in the box. But a fancy design or a thick cable does not always mean it is better than another cable. It is hard to compare the cables since Amazon does not really give a signal specification in the description.

[Knightmessenger]

Right, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether a Belkin cable is better than a Monster THX cable even though Monster tended to be twice as much. But you are pretty sure that any high end brand should be at least better than the ones included in the box? That's what I wanted to determine, if I would likely get a significant improvement over what I had, not worry so much about splitting hairs between the high end brands.

[jagabo]

But you are pretty sure that any high end brand should be at least better than the ones included in the box?

No. Cheap composite/s-video cables can work as well as $100 high end cables. Especially with low resolution (S)VHS and lengths under ~15 feet. That's not to say there aren't crappy cables around. But decent cables can be had for as little as $1. More expensive cables may hold up better if you are constantly plugging and unplugging devices.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/221249-Test-Caps-various-composite-and-s-video-cables