I am looking for some technical assistance in regards to converting analog VHS video tapes to digital media. I purchased a Pinnacle device (Dazzle to Go) with Pinnacle Studio 10 software. Pinnacle does not clarify which connections are necessary between the USB device, the VCR, and the PC.

I have an S-video cable. Do I need to connect an audio cable in addition to S-video, or does S-video transfer audio data as well as video data?

The USB device has only one audio port, so I am confused about how to connect left and right audio outputs on my VCR to it.

Perhaps someone knowledgeable could clarify this for me.

Are your tapes VHS or S-VHS (higher quality)? If they are all VHS then using the S-Video cable is pointless as the S-Video will only give the better picture quality connected to an S-VHS video deck and you use S-VHS tapes. Plug the video out from the VCR into the video in on the Dazzle and connect the audio out from the VCR to the single audio in socket on the Dazzle using a two into one convertor plug (you can purchase these in a TV/VIDEO store). It will have two sockets on one end and one plug on the other end, this end is put into the single audio socket on the Dazzle. Then plug the USB cable on the Dazzle into a spare USB port on your computer. If the single audio connection on the Dazzle is only left channel mono, then you need to connect the audio out from the VCR into the soundcard to get left and right channel sound (it might be stereo but that depends on whether the original soundtrack was recorded in stereo). Again you will need a convertor plug called a 3.5mm stereo convertor. It will have two sockets at one end and a single 3.5mm plug at the other end, plug this end into the soundcard. You will also need a stereo audio cable with two phono sockets on either end, you may have this already.

__________________
Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...

Sorry to disagree but a S-Vhs deck and S-Video cable do not have anything to do with one another.

An S-VHS deck records in higher quality because of enhanced circuitry and processing and a different bandwidth on the TAPE. (and a better tape to handle t)

S-Video signals on a S-Video cable utiliize a seperate luminance signal and chroma signal in TWO different sets of wires. By not mixing the luma and chroma signals together, which will later on need to be filtered to get them seperate, the outcome is better with less artifacts.

An S-Video method of sending a signal can make a composite signal look better.... and an S-VHS tape system can look better on a standard composite system. To get the best you should use a S-Video cable with a S-VHS deck but NOT manitory. And obviously using an S-Video cable even when working with standard composite is better. Audio in both cases travels on it's own pipeline.

In order to get the full benefits of the superior S-VHS signal and it's 400 lines resolution, you have to use an S-Video cable with an S-VHS tape and deck as I can't see how using an RCA composite cable will benefit. One is designed for the higher quailty signal and the other is designed for the lower quality signal (230 lines). If the original tape is recorded with 230 lines resolution how can outputting it through an S-Video cable make it better, surely the resolution is locked at 230 lines and will remain a composite signal (maybe I'm missing something here)? And how is 'using an S-Video cable even when working with standard composite is better', in what way?

__________________
Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...

What you are missing is that a s-video cable has everything to do with keeping the chroma and luma signals seperate. (no mixing, no artifacts) That is the big advantage. No filtering is needed to provide a chroma signal for the color circuits in the monitor or display device. A unit that does not have the extended definition of S-VHS will still benefit by using s-video cables if that kind of output is avaiable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video
http://www.vidgames.com/ps/hints/svideo.html