Connection Types

RCA or Composite Cables

 Used for SD Set Top Boxes, VCR's and stereo equipment.

Often color-coded.

Yellow for video, Red right channel audio, White left channel audio.
 

SCART

 As used on many foxtex boxes, if your box doesn't have an S-Video output (Austar often do) you may need a SCART to S-Video adapter.

SCART = Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs and is a [French] standard for connecting audio and video equipment. Also called Peritel and Euroconnector.
 

S-Video/SVHS or Y/C Cables

 
Differ from composite cables in that they split video signal into two different components: luminance and chrominance.

The S-video cable will offer marked improvement over a composite cable.

Component Cables

 Component cables carry split signals via three channels.

This connection normally gives a superior image over composite or S-video connections.

The signal is normally referred to as Y,Cr,Cb, or Y,Pb,Pr.

Note RGB is also known as component and is just as good as the other component standards. All cameras use RGB.

Conversion to Y,Pb,Pr is done to compress the signal not increase quality. RGB is as good as it gets.

NOTE: There are "High End component cables however you'd be lucky to spot an improvement.
"..we also compared Monster Cable GameLink component cables against a set from MadCatz.."

RGBHV Cables

 RGBHV is a five-cable BNC connector system that splits the video signal for color into red, green, and blue, and then has two more cables to carry the sync for the signal (horizontal and vertical sync).

RGB H/V
Is a four-cable system that splits the color the same way, but has the horizontal and vertical sync on a single fourth cable.

Straight RGB
Video cables split the color signal in three, and carry the additional sync signal on the green (called RGB sync on green).
 

VGA/SVGA

 15-pin VGA cables (as used on your PC) are RGBHV.
Many HDTV decoders use this output.

DVI

 
Digital Video Interface (DVI) cables look a bit like a standard VGA cable.

There is no universal standard for the DVI cable.

Designed for "Digital to Digital connections"