How to calculate compound interest

Compound interest is the amount that a dollar invested now will be worth in a given number of periods at a given compounded interest rate per period.

Although Microsoft Excel or most calculators does not include a function for determining compound interest, you can use the following formula for this calculation

FV=PV*(1+R)^N

where PV is present value, R is the interest rate over the period N, and N is the number of investment periods, and FV is the future value of the investment in N periods.

In this example, let's assume we have $100,000 and expect an 8% rate of return for 10 years. We also assume the interest will compound (interest is reinvested and we get interest on interest).

FV = 100000 * (1 + .08) ^ 10
FV = 215892.50

This means that in 10 years our $100,000 investment growing at 8% will have grown to $215,892.50. That is not taking inflation into account which would likely reduce the buying power of that money, but nonetheless, the balance would be as calculated.

If the interest was not compounded, the FV would have been $180,000. The calculation would have been essentially FV = (PV * R * N) + PV

A tribute to my best friend Casey

Casey was born on November 29, 1995 and died today, May 2, 2008. For those of you who don't know Casey he was my best friend for all of his seemingly short life. He lived a full life though. We have always been the best of friends from the time we met. We met in a pet store down the street from my mom's old house called Jungle Park. We were both looking for a companion for life. It seemed so natural, but we had a connection from the moment we saw each other.

It is hard to describe what Casey meant to me. He was so much more than a friend or even a best friend. He never had an unkind word to say, and he was always there to listen to me. He always new just the right thing to say. He got me through so many hard times and we have been together for so many years now it is hard to imagine a life without Casey. Some might say we have soul connections to each other. I would say they are right. It is just one of those things you can't describe, but that you only feel and know in your heart.

One of my earliest memories of Casey is when he first came home to my mom's house and we played in the backyard of my mom's house. It was great. I would throw or kick a large ball and Casey would run after it. The ball was just about as big as he was and sometimes he would run so fast he would sort of run / roll over it. I think he even once did a somersault over it. I knew from that day on that I had a friend that would bring the best out in me and help me remember to play more.

One of my most memorable times is when Casey and I went to Lake Pleasant. I think I was in college when we went. We had some free time and I want to do something special together that was an adventure for both of us and something that we had never done without the protection of adults. So we got in my white Chevy S10 pickup and headed to the lake. We had some food and water, but not much else other than a blanket and an inter-tube. We walked along the shoreline for a while before we got in the inter-tube and floated around the lake for quite some time. It seemed like hours, it was probably much less like 45 minutes or maybe an hour and half. The inter-tube became more of a floating chair than an inter-tube. I don't think it was made for two bodies that weighed probably a total of 215 pounds when wet. After floating in the lake, we hudled together beside the truck to have some shade from the intense sun. Casey doesn't tolerate heat very well, so we ate some lunch and headed home. This trip was a sign of independence and adventure, and was a heartfelt adventure that brought us closer together. We did something that we had only done with adult supervision prior to this.

I was 19, going on 20 when Casey and I met. We were both young at that point. Neither of us had experienced much without the protection and guidance of our parents. Since then Casey has been there through so many things. He was there when I moved out of my mom's house and into a condo I was renting at the Point in North Phoenix. He was there when I got my first real programming job (before I graduated college) at Desert Sky Software. He was there when I moved back to my mom's house to finish my last year of college, and finally graduation of ASU. After graduation it seemed only natural to buy a house of my own. Of course, Casey was my roommate. We had the whole house to our selves. I went to work every day and Casey stayed at home and took care of things. He was tireless at watching the neighborhood. He knew everyone in the neighborhood, or at least he new who should be hanging around and who should not be. He was the first to tell them to move along unless they wanted trouble from him. He was a great protector of our house.

Up to this point in both of our lives things had gone pretty smoothly. No real surprises. Every since then, it has been one thing after another it seems. I think the first encounter with reality and the fact that sometimes difficult things happen to good people was when my dad died in 2000. I found it incomprehensible that my dad could die when I was only 24. My mom was in the hospital at the same time as my dad, but I never figured either of them would actually die. The only thing I could think about prior to this turn of events was that I had graduated college and it was time to move on with my plan of college, girl, marriage, kids, live happily ever after. This was the first thing that rocked my world, and would not the last.

I don't want to make this all about me, because it isn't. Casey's life revolved around mine, so much of his life is also part of his life. I have had some hard times and Casey has stuck by my side and been my best friend every single day he was alive. That is a tall order for anyone to fill. Casey is truly a remarkable friend and companion.

To continue the story, soon after, I met my first wife Jennie. About the same time I developed menieres disease. My mom's health began to worsen over the next several years until. Life was taking a turn I had not expected. All of this was so overwhelming and Casey was there when I was dizzy from menieres disease, he was there when my mom was sick, and even there when Jennie asked for a divorce after only one year of marriage. I soon after that met my second wife Amanda who I love with all my heart. A few years after that my mom died. This was so difficult to lose my guiding light. I felt so lost.

I remember thinking that at least I have Casey still, he has been through all these rough times with me and will get me through many more. I believe his soul contract with my soul was to help me through these difficult times. The reason I say that is because he is an absolutely selfless friend. I don't know how else to explain why else Casey would be in my life for these difficult years. You see, Casey came into my life when I needed a friend to carry me through, and ended when I married Amanda. I believe in my heart that Amanda and I are soul mates and that we will get through anything that comes our way. I think Casey knows that she is the one I will be with and have a wonderful family with. He wants to be a part of the family said a very in touch Dr. Brandy. He wants to help raise and protect the baby. She said Katelyn is a name that Casey told her over and over again, but wouldn't disclose who it was. I don't know, but it sounds like the name of our child yet to be born. No promises, but I like that name. It only seems appropriate for a crystal child (one that can talk to animals) to be named by a dog. Yes, Casey is my best friend and a dog. He is not really my pet because that implies that I own him. That is not the case, we live together and support each other as companions in the journey of life.

I believe Casey chose this time to leave so that he could be right there in the next chapter of my life. What a perfect and exciting time in my life for Casey to come back. I want to take this moment to openly invite Casey back into my life. I can't wait to see him again (Dr. Brandy said he would be right back probably weeks, but maybe a year before we meet him again).

Casey has given me so many gifts in my life. It is so easy to forget all the details, I don't want to forget some of them, so I will explain them here.

Casey decided to stay with us a few weeks longer than I believe he was going to initially. After he talked and worked things through with Dr. Brandy, she said he decided to stay for a while. This was a gift to us. It has brought Amanda and I together spiritually and helped Amanda use her Reiki training to help Casey. It has given us time to accept that Casey would be dying. We didn't know he was sick prior to a few coughs that started us looking into his health in the first place. So, this was very nice to be able to say our peace and hear his peace through Dr. Brandy. It also gave us a chance to reconcile our thoughts so that we could more easily live with our actions.

Casey had so many things to say to us. Some of the very important things were that he would be right back, that Katelyn was important to him, that he lost a couple babies in previous lifetimes and he wants a chance to protect a baby in the next lifetime. He wants to come back as a medium or large dog. He doesn't like small dogs much. It is important also that we get our lungs and probably our hearts checked since sometimes dogs take on ailments of humans so we don't have to. It was also important to know that we have a long term contract together and that we will be together again, and that he will find me again. He really wants to be here for the married-ness.

The last couple days before he died we stayed by him all the time. He was working so hard to let go. Even then he gave us giant gifts. He didn't decide to let go in the night when we were asleep. He didn't do it at the end of the day. One of the most profound things we noticed is that he stayed quiet and was "okay" while we watched our wedding video. As soon as it was over, he started having trouble. He chose to go the next morning after letting us sleep in a little after a late night looking after him, and after we had spent time with him, and connected with him. By this time I think it was clear that he had made the decision to die, but he had not decided on the exact moment yet. By this time, we were praying to god, and telling him that we were here to support him, and that we want him to go when he decides, and that we don't want him to suffer. Later after he new I was staying with him instead of going to a company lunch to say goodbye to Michael, he decided it was time.

After sitting outside for a couple hours that morning and having a good connection with us, he decided like he had done before that it was time to get up. He walked like a drunken sailor because is back legs were so weak the last few days. I watched were he was walking to, then I told him to wait and I would carry him. I carried him inside and asked him were he wanted to go. He just to a few steps, then plopped down slamming hard on his bones. He then panted for about 15 seconds trying to catch his breathe after his strenuous walk which has been typical in the last couple days. Then he put it head down for about 4 seconds and stopped breathing hard, then popped his head back up. He took a few breaths if I recall, then one big one breath, and a look came over his face like he was possessed, but in this case I believe his soul started to leave, and then his head collapsed on the floor like a line of dominoes or vertebraes in this case until his head lay sideways on the floor. It was as though someone pulled the plug and he no longer had any life in him. Or so it seemed for a few seconds then his tongue moved a little it seemed, and then he opened his mouth a little as to get a breath in, but I don't think got anything. After a second or two his tongue moved yet a little more, then he opened his mouth like he was giving the biggest yawn he had ever done; trying to get one last big of air but I don't believe his lungs had the energy to inhale one more time. Throughout this he had a pulse still, so I believe he was gone when I thought I saw it go, but I think the brain was still functioning, trying to keep the body alive. I begged him to not hold on for fear he would feel himself suffocate. I believe he felt no pain and very brief discomfort when he took his last breathe. At some point I noticed he no longer had a pulse. That was it. He was officially gone from his body. I said thank you many times to god, the universe, and Casey for not making him suffer. I just wanted him to go peacefully. I was so thankful he did not suffer. I was so thankful Amanda was there the whole time doing Reiki on him, helping him through the process. I believe this made such a large difference. She had been doing Reiki on Casey for nearly a day straight. A dog or human should be so lucky.

I could not have asked for much more of a perfect way to die for him given his condition. He made it easy for us by telling Dr. Brandy that he wanted to die naturally and not be forced to die. We left it up to him whether he would stay or go, and when he would go once he decided to go. He told Dr. Brandy he was not in pain the last couple days, and she told us. After carefully watching his behavior through the dying process I believe he was not in any pain except occasionally for a few seconds at a time. This made it so much easier to help him through the process.

I just can't say enough about Casey. There are so many things I will miss. I will definitely miss him greeting me at the door when I come home from work everyday or a night out. I will miss waking up in the morning to a warm greeting from him. I will miss the walks with him night after night. I will miss the endless kisses, hugs, affection, and unconditional love he shows me without regard for anything else other than I am his dad, and he loves me. I truly feel the same way about him. I would do anything to make him happy and feel loved. That is all I can ask anyone.

I will miss talking to Casey every chance I get about *everything*. He is such a good listener and always knows just what to say. He is always there to support me. He adds such life to an otherwise lifeless house. He has the best personality. Who could not love him.

I will miss the little things also. Like him coming over to us just when a movie or show ends because it is past time for his walk. Or him sniffing the ground to find little treats. His great tricks he would do all before I said anything, just to get the treat he wanted so much. Or when I come home his loved to sniff my crotch. I guess it smelled like me. :) I know there are an infinite number of other things that will pop into my head over the next few days, months, and even years. I promise to remember him, and never forget him. He has changed my life forever.

I write these words on paper not to mark the end of Casey's life, but to help me remember and never forget what a wonderful friend Casey has been to me. I believe we all have contracts with other souls. I believe that the two of us have a long term contract that is meant to last many lifetimes. I sincerely love him with all my heart, and I feel so fortune that I was able to give him a good life and love him, and give him the chance to talk through Dr. Brandy. He is my baby and I would do anything for him. I bless and release Casey. I look forward to the next time we meet again.

New Entry:
It has been a couple days since he passed on. I don't really want to change the house too much right now. I feel like I would just be saying, "Okay, Casey is gone, time to change everything." That seems disrespectful, and I don't want to disrespect Casey. I know eventually we will change things, and sooner than later we will clean up the house.

The house feels so empty when I come home, and when I leave I feel like I am forgetting something. I am so used to giving Casey a treat, and giving him my shirt to make sure he knows I'll be back, and telling him I'll be back, I love him, protect the house, or take care of Amanda. Walks just seem strange with no bag in my hand or pocket, and no leash in hand. No waiting for Casey to get excited, get a drink of water, eat a last minute snack, and put the collar and / or leash on Casey. It seems to strange on the walk to not be stopping at every bush, or to be reminding Casey that he should go potty now because the trashcan is near.

When I wake from sleeping sleeping, I fight the urge to look in the hall to see if Casey is there and okay. Every time I hear a noise in the house I think it is Casey, but then I realize it is not. I get out of bed and check to make sure he is not under my feet and realize he can't be anymore.

There have been so many times when we are out and I think, oh we better be getting home to feed Casey or to check on him. He has been on our minds so much the last month, it is hard to stop thinking about him every minute of the day. The truth is I don't ever want to forget him. It is a bit painful right now though to think of him. It nearly brings tears to my eyes every time. It is amazing how many times a day I think about Casey. It seems I am constantly catching myself when I realize that he is not hear in physical form anymore. It is still a bit of a stretch for my to accept he is gone, but I logically know he is not here in physical form. I do believe he is here spiritually though. He will always have a special place in my heart. I love you Casey dog! You are my baby boy! I will forever miss you! I can't wait to meet you again Casey baby.

Celebrate Earth Day 2008 by making a difference

Ways You Can Make a Difference
These actions may seem to be simple and insignificant, but when joined by the efforts of everyone - we can make a difference.

Don't leave the water running. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or washing the car. Fresh water is one of our most precious natural resources.

Flick off the light when you leave the room. Power plants burn fuels to create energy for your light bulb. Burning fuel makes smog that pollutes the atmosphere and adds to global warming. The less energy you use the less they need to make, and you'll save on your energy bill.

Print on both sides of the page at work. It's easy to change your printer settings - you'll use half the paper and save trees. Way to go! This should save money along with the trees.

Wash your clothes in warm or cold water. It works just as well as hot in your washing machine and cuts back on energy use.

Ditch the disposable cups. Bring in a glass or mug to keep at work instead of using the disposable ones by the coffee pots or water cooler.

Use the right settings on your appliances. Many appliances, like your dishwasher and refrigerator, come with energy-saving settings. Make sure they're turned on.

Turn off your computer at the end of the day. A monitor left on overnight uses enough energy to print 5,300 copies.

Join the paperless society, use e-mail.

Send electronic greetings for special events and you can save money and paper.

If you do not need to make a paper copy, don't. And get off the junk mail lists.

Use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper napkins and paper towels to save natural resources, reduce waste, and save money!

Look at the labels. Take the paper items with the "recycled" emblem over the ones without or look for the Energy Star symbol when buying new appliances.

Bring natural sunlight into your home. Turn off unneeded lights when it is feasible. Turn all lights off before you leave work.

Properly inflate your tires. Once a month can help improve your gas mileage ... and with the price of gas, this should be a regular routine.

Take shorter showers. You can save water and energy.

Tune up your household heating system. You can save energy and reduce your heating costs by 10% Good Recycling Starts at Home.

Recycled materials are processed and used to make new products. One big problem is that paper, plastic, and other commodities are easily contaminated. Be careful to sort your materials appropriately, or the whole load may wind up in the landfill instead of at a recycling manufacturer. What can you do? Flatten your cardboard boxes for curbside pickup. Don't put plastic bags inside paper bags, and don't leave paper receipts inside plastic bags. Make sure you take those sticky notes off of white paper. Remove the caps before you recycle milk jugs. And please wash out recyclables so they don't attract bugs, mold, and mice.

DID YOU KNOW?
Throwing trash in a trash bin and recyclables in their proper container seems to be a very simple concept, yet some of us cannot comprehend the efficiency of this system. Perhaps some alarming facts will make you reconsider where your trash goes.

According to SKS Bottle & Packaging, Inc., if you throw your plastic soda bottle on the ground today and come back 700 years from now, you will find it looks almost exactly same! But if you recycle your plastic soda bottle, you will help make a variety of products such as Rubbermaid, Rollerblades, car bumpers and other common products. Recycling one ton of paper saves the equivalent of 17 trees, according to the Illinois Recycling Association. It saves enough energy to power an average home for six months. It saves 7,000 gallons of water and keeps 60 pounds of pollutants out of the air.

Americans throw away enough paper each year to build a wall 12 feet high stretching from New York City to Los Angeles. Think of how much energy and natural resources we could be saving when, according to the NIU recycling program, we recycle only 22 percent of all the paper used in America in a year. There is vast room for improvement.

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours. It results in 95 percent less air pollution and 97 percent less water pollution than producing aluminum from natural resources. Think of all the beer cans thrown away in a party's aftermath. If we recycled these beer cans, then you might say partying helps the environment. Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy it would take to mine the raw materials needed to manufacturer aluminum, according to the NIU Recycling Program.

Glass can be recycled over and over again; it never wears out. Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.

Recycling saves enough energy each year to provide heat and light for 400,000 homes, according to the Illinois Recycling Association. According to the Environmental Protection Agency in 1999, recycling and compost activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 28 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years. But there is always room for improvement. Recycling is the easiest thing we can do to improve our environment. It saves energy and natural resources, diminishes pollution and reduces our growing landfills. For recycling to succeed we all need to check the labels and to buy products made with recycled content. Everything from clothes to carpeting, cans to comic books are made from recycled materials.You are doing your part when you help close the recycling loop.

For more information, here are a few website:

http://www.zerowaste.ca.gov/

http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/shortest.html

http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page525.aspx

Walking to Stay Sharp

Walking each day may sharpen your memory and help you juggle mental tasks. In one study reviewed by the National Institutes of Health, MRI was used to track the brain activity of healthy adults age 58 - 78. After a 6-month walking program, brain function, attention span, and focus on goals improved. Light exercise increases blood-flow to the brain and jump starts hormones necessary for nerve cell production. Boost your brain and stay sharp by walking each day! -- United Healthcare

Multitasking

A study at the University of Michigan suggests multitasking could actually be doing us more harm than good. People who spent time stopping and starting tasks took 2 to 4 times longer to complete them. In addition, brain scans showed juggling t6asks reduces the brain power available for each. Over time, stress hormones from multitasking can damage memory centers in the brain. Focus on one task at a time for better efficiency and memory. -- United Healthcare

A little change can make a big different if you think green

Here's some more "Green Numbers"

Two Birds With One Stone - If one 20-mile trip per week was cut out (by combining errands) for every registered vehicle in the United States, 145 million fewer tons of greenhouse gases would be released into the air each year. That's equal to the annual carbon dioxide emissions from 36 coal-fired power plants.

Use a Rake, for Goodness Sake! - One hour of using a gas-operated leaf blower produces the same amount of greenhouse gases as a car driving 4,400 miles - that's a round trip from Salt Lake City to New York City.

Paint by Numbers - If 1 quart of leftover paint was recycled from every renovation project in America this year (10 percent of all the house paint purchased in the United States is typically thrown out), it would reclaim 2.5 million gallons - enough to paint the outside of the White House every year from the next 43 centuries, or to paint San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge 250 times.

We tied the knot

I would like to take this moment to announce that Amanda and I got married on Saturday April 12, 2008. We are so happy to start our life together.

Super 8 vs. Standard 8 film

One big question when looking at old 8mm film is whether it is Super 8 (production started in 1965) or Regular or Standard 8.

The easy way to tell is to look at the holes in the film and hold the film up to the light. Unwind anywhere from a foot to a few feet until you get past the actual leader (the white or clear part of the film). If it is Super 8, when you hold the film up to the light, you will see one hole that is centered adjacent to each frame. If it isn't, then you don't have Super 8. Sometimes it is difficult to see where the frame starts. I recommend holding the film about chest level and moving the film around until you get the light to reflect just right and show the lines between the frames. Another way to tell is by the first frame on the strip (where the film leader is connected). One last way is the holes are bigger on Std 8mm than the Super 8, and Std 8mm the hole and space around it take up about a quarter of the width of the film. Oh wait, here is one more way. As far as I can tell Std 8mm reels have a smaller circle in the center of the reel. It is about half the size of Super 8. Super 8 appears to be about 1/2 in in diameter. After you look at a dozen or so, you'll get the idea. ;)

Another big question is when looking at that same film, how do I know if it has sound or not. Basically, if you have sound there will be a copper or silver stripe on one or both edges of the film on the bottom of the film (flip it over you will see it if it is there. It will be obvious).

If you want more information, check out:

For a simple and great explanation with real picture (examples): http://www.film-to-video.com/faq.html

For exceptions see: http://www.kolumbus.fi/puistot/S8Manual.htm#Sprocket%20holes

Converting VHS to DVD or Computer Media

General Tidbits I learned

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-91509.html

Use s-video instead of standard composite (RCA) when possible. S-video will give you the best possible quality and less loss of signal. Well, see below for this debate. :)

VHS or VHS-C is 330×480 (250 lines)
DVD is 720×480 (520 lines)
8mm film (including Super 8 film) is about 1000 lines (I don't know how many pixels that is)
HDV (MiniDV) is: 1440×1080 (810 lines) NOTE: This file format uncompressed is enormous (like 50GB per hour!!!!)

DV, AVI, and MPEG-2 have a max resolution of 720x480 pixels

It is best to store video from film as AVI uncompressed on hard drive (Windows) or store on MiniDV. DVD has the resolution to hold it, but really we are talking about the MPEG-2 standard when we talk about DVDs. This is a lossy technology and not good for frame based film.

This means VHS can safely be archived on MiniDV or AVI. MPEG-2 / DVD may be good enough also. If it is good enough for DVD, it is probably good enough for VHS sourced video. MPEG-2 has a great resolution than VHS, so only issue is the lossy algorithm, but again, it is usually not noticed. Look at all the DVD's we accept as great. However, with High Definition TVs now, some DVDs don't look as good as they used to. It is hard to say if VHS as an uncompressed file would look any better than MPEG-2. Theoretically it is, but will anybody every see it, that is the question. I think the answer is: maybe. ;)

Recording Formats:
http://dvr.about.com/od/dvrs/f/ancamform.htm

Good Overview of different formats used in video records (i.e. camcorders)
http://www.high-techproductions.com/formats.htm

File Formats
NOTE: The following table shows the data rates and file sizes of various compression schemes and their most likely application. Formats were converted from a 30-second DV file. Unless otherwise noted, all formats were produced at a frame rate of 30 frames per second (fps), with CD-quality audio (44.1 kHz, 16-bit sample rate).

File format
Frame size
File size (MB)
Data rate (KB/s)
Application/comments

DV
720x480
103
3527
Excellent quality. DV captured with IEEE 1394 card. Output back to DV, Hi-8 or S-VHS.

AVI uncompressed
720x480
893
30519
Excellent quality but file size and data rates are too high for convenient storage and playback.

MPEG-2 (high data rate)
720x480
39
1336
Excellent quality. Suitable for output to DV, Hi-8 or S-VHS.

MPEG-2 (medium data rate)
720x480
19
657
Excellent quality, but under some conditions compression artifacts may occur. Suitable for output to DV, Hi-8 or S-VHS.

MPEG-2 (low data rate)
720x480
3.6
123
Quality ranges from fair to good, due to obvious compression artifacts. Suitable if large frame size is required, where quality is less important.

MPEG-2 (medium data rate)
640x480
18.5
631
Excellent quality. Suitable for output to Hi-8, S-VHS, or full-screen computer video.

AVI compressed (Indeo video 5.06 compression)
640x480
47
1622
Quality ranges from good to excellent, depending on the compression codec and setting.

AVI compressed (Cinepak compression)
320x240
25
860
Good quality. Suitable for output to standard VHS or video in a window.

MPEG-1 (medium data rate)
320x240
7.2
246
Good quality. Suitable for output to standard VHS or video in a window.

WMV (ASF, MPEG-4)
320x240 Audio: 16 kHz mono
0.39
13
Fair quality. Extremely low file size and data rates make this format ideal for Internet e-mail or posting to the Web.

REAL Video
320x240 Audio: 16 kHz mono
0.39
13
Fair quality. Extremely low file size and data rates make this format ideal for Internet e-mail or posting to the Web.

Copied from: http://www.techimo.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-5551.html

Analog and Digital Signals
Excellent breakdown of each of the types of signals and if they are digital or analog. S-Video and component video are analog.
http://www.rivercable.com/cable3.html

Computer Formats:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_codecs

Different Media and Resolutions:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-VHS

Analog:

• 350×240 (260 lines): Video CD
• 330×480 (250 lines): Umatic, Betamax, VHS, Video8
• 400×480 (300 lines): Super Betamax, Betacam (pro)
• 440×480 (330 lines): analog broadcast
• 560×480 (420 lines): LaserDisc, Super VHS, Hi8
• 670×480 (500 lines): Enhanced Definition Betamax

Digital:

• 720×480 (520 lines): D-VHS, DVD, miniDV, Digital8, Digital Betacam (pro)
• 720×480 (400 lines): Widescreen DVD (anamorphic)
• 1280×720 (720 lines): D-VHS, HD DVD, Blu-ray, HDV (miniDV)
• 1440×1080 (810 lines): HDV (miniDV)
• 1920×1080 (1080 lines): D-VHS, HD DVD, Blu-ray, HDCAM SR (pro)

Cable to use
Source: http://dvr.about.com/od/howtos/ht/a2dvdr.htm
In short use the best possible that your player has. For example if your camcorder has s-video then use s-video. If it or your vcr only have composite (RCA) then use that. According to about.com, you don't need s-video unless your source is something better than vhs such as s-vhs.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video
Here is one way I thought about it. Theoretically since S-Video is a signal, not a format it is best to always use s-video over composite because it eliminates the dot crawl and other less desirable "features" of composite signal. The way I understand it is that VHS cassette is a medium, and audio and video information is written on it using magnetic encoding. This is analog, not digital. I can output that video information using composite or s-video signal. In this case, I am not using all the resolution possible in s-video, but I still get the other benefits of it. This is similar to plugging your dvd player into your tv using composite or s-video, but reserve logic. In this example, the video is at a hight resolution than s-video and composite. Using composite is still limiting my output to the constraints of composite. A digital example of this would be watching a video you download off the internet that is at a low resolution. Your Monitor can display high resolution video, but it doesn't have to if the source is not high.

Wikipedia says:
"The situation with VCRs is a bit unusual; the common S-Video connector was designed for Super VHS and Hi8 VCRs as a high-bandwidth video connection, and has been used for the same purpose on a great number of other consumer devices, coming into greatest prominence with the rise of the DVD format. Many digital, and all Hi-8, and S-VHS-C camcorders support S-Video out as well. Standard VHS VCRs do not put out a high enough resolution signal to saturate an S-Video connection, and therefore most such units, even those in combination units with DVD players (which commonly use S-Video or component outputs), require the output from the VHS deck to go through a composite video or RF connection."

I have read in forums of people stating that they DVD / Combo unit does output VHS via s-video, so I don't know who to believe. If the people in the forum are right, how is this being done by the manufacturers?

I also read from a person in another forum that you should not convert back in forth unless a good reason. For example if source was originally recording using composite then transfer to DVD using composite. I'm not sure that makes sense to me. S-video is a signal used to transmit the video information over the cable, not an encoding of information on the tape itself.

Here, someone else says the opposite: "Composite i/o will subject the signal to much more processing (and quality degradation) than S-video will. A copy made via composite i/o will always look worse than a copy made via S-Video i/o no matter what the source format is. Also, the copy will always be inferior to the master (source) tape in terms of quality. All you can do is limit the amount of damage you do to the signal.

I have no clear proof of whether s-video is better to use for analog camcorders that didn't have s-video output, but it makes sense to me that s-video should always be used when possible. However, I have found some hard evidence and reasoning to use s-video. (My logic was right). I think I found the best reason and clear explanation of why to use s-video over composite. The answer is dot crawl and it is only in composite, not video. It basically makes the picture not as clear. It is recommended to use S-Video to transmit analog video (which is what vhs is). Check out the info here.

The real question is what is the best and most cost effective way of getting VHS to be transmitted on s-video. There are three options.
1. Get a S-VHS vcr. They seem to be extremely expensive and for the most part professional equipment (with a couple of exceptions). I think I found a consumer model for around $500 if I remember correctly. The rest where professional line and cost in the thousands typically. I can't see this as being very economically feasible for the difference between composite and s-video.

2. Get a VCR/DVD combo. Most of them seem to have s-video built into them. The only question is which of them run the vhs out on them. I have read that some of them only use the s-video for DVD, and not the VCR. So, this may be trial and error until the right unit is found that uses s-video for vcr also. Do NOT worry about the up-conversion features even the ones that say they do it for VHS also. It just doesn't matter since it is display only. Meaning you have to use the HDMI connection and connect it to you tv. I don't know of any computer that accepts HDMI as a source for video capture.

The second part of this choice is whether to get the DVD Recorder instead of just a DVD player. This is a nice option if you want to not use a computer and just burn to the DVD directory from the tape. Please be advised that DVD's have a relatively short shelf life and will need to be recopied every 2-5 years or so. The source for this is: http://www.film-to-video.com/dirty_little_secrets.html and http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/303864 or just do a google search for dvd shelf life and you will see. The manufacturers of DVD's (the ones we burn with our dvd burners on our computers, not commercially produced ones) clain much longer shelf lives, but user experience and physics say differently. Some people have experiences issues with DVDs only 6 months old. This may be because of cheaper quality DVDs, but this is unknown. Play it safe, if you are going to buy a DVD or CD for that matter, make sure it is a high quality disk. The easiest way to do that is to stick with name brands. MiniDV is still one of the best archive mediums as they can last between 30 and 100 years. No medium is forever though. A quality Hard drive is a good choice also.

So, this is why I am choosing Hard Drive and a backup of that drive also that will be stored offsite for all my family archives. DVD's are nice for convenience, but not for archiving.

whether or not to buy a dvd/vcr combo just to get s-video output that may or may not work on a particular model and if it does, is it really helping the quality of the signal. I guess one way of looking at it is if I buy a combo unit that has a dvd writer built in, I don't really have to think about it, and just hope they chose the best way to do so. If I do this, I can also try the s-video out port with vcr to see if it works. Hey, I can even compare the the machine vs. computer made dvds. :)

It hit me after looking for s-video vcrs. Why not go to component video, it is analog as well and provides superior quality to any other analog medium! Unfortunately, my capture card does have connectivity for it. And I don't think I want to mess with component video given the less than industry standards that exist. I think I will be able to get much more consistent results with s-video.

Regardless of whether you choose s-video or component video, I have found that http://www.crutchfield.com is an EXCELLENT place to research the connections each DVD/VCR combo unit has and if they work for VCR or DVD or both. So far, I have found the following units that they say have s-video and / or component video for the vcr portion of the unit.

LG RC797T $299
LG RC700N $199 (may work, it doesn't say for sure)
Sony RDR-VX555 $229
Toshiba D-VR650 $250 (My guess is that it will work, but it is not clear Crutchfield or other Toshiba manuals). Toshiba also seems to have bad reviews in general, especially for their low end models. I can't really recommend this one based on that.
Panasonic makes a model that has "DVD priority" output like the Toshiba (no bad reputation though that I know of), but again, I don't know exactly what that means. This product was not on Crutchfield though.

Analog to Digital Capture Cards and USB devices for computers
http://www.videoguys.com/vidcap.htm

Good article on how to convert VHS to DVD
http://www.signvideo.com/conv-v-to-d.htm