Sayonara, S-video

Let's face it: if you have a home theater, you're going to hook up the majority of your components via HDMI. It looks best, supports 1080p, and gives you all of the audio and video information you need in one handy little plug. If your gadget doesn't have an HDMI port, then you can still use component connections for high-def, or the ages-old composite jacks for standard video. Now that HDMI is the king of the one-cable video connection, there doesn't seem to be any room for S-video.

CNET's Matthew Moskovciak noted an increasing trend among A/V receivers: they're phasing out S-video ports. The Sony STR-DG810 and DG920, the Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K, and now Yamaha's entire upcoming RX-V65 series are all sans S-video. Plenty of receivers still offer the older connection, but that number will probably dwindle in the coming years.

Legacy support is important for many products, but S-video really is losing its relevance. Virtually every A/V gadget out there can use a composite hook-up, and if you want higher quality input you're probably going to be using a more modern component or HDMI-compatible device anyway. S-video was a step up from composite, but since it came out there have been entire leaps in the form of high-def-capable connections. S-video just doesn't seem to have much of a place anymore.

Will Greenwald

[Photo: Wikimedia Commons]

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