S Video Transfer Cable vs. Composite Video Transfer Cable???

Question

I am double checking here after importing some footage. During review; I am not satisfied with the quality. Of course these are old and weren't stored well so I expect the actual footage to be deteriorating.
The thing that's bugging me is that the tracking seems fine on the T.V. but looks horribly off in iMovie during import and playback. Would the cable cause this?
I am wondering if I should purchase a $10 S-Video Transfer Cable and re-import the footage?
My little consumer digi-cam (Canon ZR40) only came with the RCA Composite type transfer cable.
Is the actual difference noticable to the human eye?
Thanks

Answer 1

"..During review; I am not satisfied with the quality.." ..iMovie doesn't display as sharply as a TV ..this is really a "cut'n'paste" editing program, not really a viewing program, so you won't really see the full quality till you export back to tape, or to a DVD, and view that on a good screen ..so don't worry needlessly.
"..the tracking seems fine on the T.V. but looks horribly off in iMovie.." ..A TV doesn't normally show the extreme edges of a picture; they're intentionally cut off to avoid showing any 'raggedness' around the edges ..this is known as 'overscan'.
What you may be seeing - which won't be visible once you've edited, exported back to tape or DVD and are viewing on a similar TV - is probably the overlap or 'handover' between the video heads on the original recorder, giving an extra few lines of 'garbage' at the top or bottom of the screen.
This is normal ..that's how VCRs work ..it's just that you usually don't see it, except, perhaps, on a plasma or other flat-screen TV which scans right to the edges (..i.e; has no 'overscan').
"..purchase a $10 S-Video Transfer Cable and re-import the footage.." ..It'll probably make no difference.
Edit some of what you've imported ..say three minutes' worth. Export that back to the Canon, then play that from the Canon into your TV. Compare that with the original which you imported into the Canon.
I expect you'll see no difference ..maybe the imported, edited and exported looks slightly better, if a 'timebase corrector' inside the Canon gave a more sharply synchronised capture onto tape than the simple playback from your original VCR (..it does happen..)