What is "composite video"

n. A format of analog television signal before the addition of sound and modulation

Composite video (one channel) is an analog video transmission (without audio) that carries standard definition video typically at 480i or 576i resolution. Video information is encoded on one channel, unlike the higher-quality S-video (two channels) and the even higher-quality component video (three or more channels).

Composite video is usually in standard formats such as NTSC, PAL, and SECAM and is often designated by the CVBS initialism, for color, video, blanking and sync, or simply as video.