Needle responded to my forum response via email. Here is that exchange (edited a bit) so everyone can share and enjoy --

In a message dated 1/8/2003 10:31:15 PM Pacific Standard Time, nnf@tpg.com.au writes: Thanks for the reply - so out of interest, what devices would have use for an optical to s-vid cable?
Regards
Neil


As far as I know, there is no such cable. It is kind of like a color to stereo adaptor. Apples and oranges. Apples and lunch boxes. Do you walk to work, or carry your lunch? As different as night and tangerines. In the same industry, but not something that exists.

UNLESS --

It is something that costs on the order of a thousand dollars; here's what it could be. Suppose (because I have never heard of anybody bothering to make this happen) somebody decided to send video over an optical cable. They could take the two signals present on an s video cable, chrominance and luminance, and convert these into two optical signals modulated at different frequencies so they could be mixed onto a single optical cable and then separated at the other end. The Other End would have to have a device which would detect these two optical signals and convert them into two electrical signals which would then go to an s video connector.

whoops -- you defined this as an optical to s-vid CABLE; this device would be a chassis that had to be plugged into the wall or otherwise powered. Definitely not a cable.

So who makes this "optical to s-vid cable" that you are asking about?