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Why Y/C?

You don't have to go far into the realm of the high-quality consumer video formats before you run across the terms Y/C or S-video. Manufacturers love to tout the benefits of this special video connector, and well-meaning salespeople will give you an earful on the topic if they learn you're in the market for a VCR or camcorder.

Unfortunately, this deluge of helpful information may take you no closer to understanding the real benefits of that little 4-pin jack. In spite of what you may have heard, plugging in a Y/C cable will not miraculously correct errant white balance, make your sixth-generation tape look like a first-generation master or make your Hi8 decks outperform a digital Betacam setup. Truth be known, the advantages of Y/C cabling--which carries brightness and color information on separate conductors--are subtle in certain setups and nonexistent in others.

Which may prompt the question, "Why even bother with Y/C?" The answer lies in what Y/C cabling will do for your image quality, which is to offer cleaner copies with better color accuracy. In many video setups, this benefit lies just a single cabl…

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Loren Alldrin | January 1998

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