I am novice here, as my question no doubt reveals: what is the value of using the s-video pass through on the receiver?? Wouldn't direct connection between the DVD player and the TV be the strongest way to send the signal??
mike
Posted on
yes, a direct connection is always going to give you the best signal quality. The purpose of routing it through your receiver though is because that way whenever your dvd player or what ever other source is turned on, your receiver will automatically switch itself to the correct mode. Its called "video switching." If you dont mind switching it manually then go with the direct connection.
In other words, when I activate the device -- say slap a disc into my DVD player -- the receiver automatically changes to the DVD source?? Otherwise, I'd have to select the DVD source either from the remote or the controls on the reciever??
If you have the DVD's audio going to the receiver and the s-video going directly to the TV, then you have two different switches--the receiver and the TV. Therefore, you must pick your source component on the receiver (DVD) and the input source (DVD) on your TV. Not a huge deal, but you'll always be doing two different things, plus the audio could be mismatched. (That is, say you switch to "DVD" on your receiver without changing the input on your TV... you'll hear the DVD audio, but the picture will be from a different source.)
If you route S-video through your receiver, you only have ONE switch--when you choose DVD on your receiver, the DVD video routes to the TV.
The 2nd option is MUCH easier aa less confusing, and there's no way the audio won't match the source. I've found that pass-through s-video is very good, designed specifically to keep signal loss and noise introduction to a bare minimum. In the systems I've set up, I've tried to standardize on s-video so that all components use it--DVD, VCR, cable box, satellite, etc. That way, the receiver does all the switching--audio and video--with no possibility for mismatches. Makes things easier, especially for the technologically impaired.
That said, the purest way to connect is with a direct connection to the TV.
If you want the ultimate solution, do BOTH: Run the DVD player's s-video output through the receiver for easy day-to-day convenience (which still offers excellent quality) and also run the component cables directly to the TV for the best possible quality.