Q: What are Mini DIN Connectors used for?

A: Mini DIN Connectors are most commonly used for electronic devices such as computers, peripherals, and video equipment.

Q: What does S-Video stand for?

A: S-Video stands for separate video because it separates the luminance and chrominance video signals for a better picture. S-Video is also incorrectly referred to as “Super video”

Q: Can an S-Video cable transfer sound?

A: No, S-Video cables by definition are strictly video cables. The four pins carry two circuits of video signal. They do not carry audio.

Q: What is the difference between S-Video and Composite video?

A: S-video cable differs from composite in that it carries the brightness (luminance, or Y) and color (chrominance, or C) signals on separate lines within the same cable. S Video is better than a Composite Video connection. The real benefit of an S-video connection is that it can reduce dot crawl, hanging dots, and crawling edges that appear on the vertical and horizontal edges of some colored objects in the picture.

Q: Will a 4 pin S-Video cable work in my 7 pin S-Video port?

A: There is not a 100% answer to that question but mostly likely yes. The use of the extra three pins varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but commonly includes a composite video output which is available using the manufacturer's proprietary adapter. Alternatively an YPbPr signal may be provided. Later Dell laptops provide an SPDIF audio signal.

Q: What is the maximum length for an S-Video cable?

A: There are a lot of issues that can develop when running long lengths of S-Video cable. A safe length for S-Video is 150ft. This length is subject to signal strength from the source unit and being run in an area that is relatively free from interference.

    If you need to increase this length, you can use a device called an S-Video Balun. The S-Video Balun is a standalone device that transforms a single S-Video channel to and from CAT-5 twisted pair cabling. CAT-5 cable is much cheaper than S-Video and can be run up to a maximum of 650 ft.