S-Video, going the way of the Dodo

I’m presently reviewing the new Yamaha RX-V2065 home theatre receiver. One of the first things I do, before even plugging in a receiver, is put it on my desk and count up the inputs and outputs and other connections. I’ve just noticed the absence of one kind: S-Video. It has none.

I’ve noticed this over the last year or so in sub-$1,000 receivers. It has been part of a general re-design of them to take into account the increasing dominance of HDMI as the connection standard. This receiver is no exception, with five HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs. But it is a premium model, selling for nearly $2,500.

I think that this truly does mark the beginning of the end for S-Video.