Composite and S-Video connections

I have read that if you connect a DVD player, S-VHS player, TiVo, or any other device to your Pre/Pro with an S-Video cable then you must connect your Pre/Pro to your TV with an S-Video cable. Is this true?

What if I connect my DVD player with an S-Video cable and my VCR with a composite cable to my Pre/Pro and then use an S-Video cable from the Pre/Pro to the TV. Will this be a problem with the VCR? Will I get a picture when using the VCR?

I just want to make sure before I spend money on cables to connect everything.

Thanks!

Because s-video and composite video are fairly different signal formats, it depends entirely on the video switching provided with your receiver or pre/pro. Some will convert between s-video and composite, while others provide nothing more than basic switching, in which case the s-video inputs are not passed to the composite video output. Also, if your receiver or pre/pro does include conversion, you may see some image quality degradation due to the conversion process. For the most critical sources (such as DVD), I would recommend carrying the same format all the way through no matter what. If the receiver will convert composite to s-video, it might be worthwhile to try connecting the VCR as you are describing to see how it looks.

------------------
gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links