Scart sockets, aren't they a drag?

Saturlight

I have a big Philips 28 inch TV - not a plasma, anything like that. Just the normal "old" type screen, that "curves" - anyway, you get my drift. I bought this is 2004.

It's a good telly apart from the two scart sockets at the back. They irritate me something rotton!

This is my set-up: two sat receivers, pointing at Hotbird, with a dual LNB, two video recorders, connected via the black cable which goes into the aerial socket, and two DVD recorders, one connected via the yellow/white/red socket on the side of the TV, the other through the scart socket of one of my VCRs, so I watch it through that.

Oh yes, and I have a Freeview box, which is connected to both my other VCR, AND at the back of the TV.

The problem is, whilst I can sometimes get a clear picture from scart A, which is connected to the Freeview box, sometimes this picture goes snowy, like a poor TV aerial reception, akin to a bad Channel 5 pick-up signal.

Sometimes the picture is clear as a bell, sometimes not.

The other problem is scart B on the TV. I cannot connect another device to that without suffering from the same snowy effect. Either A or B has the snowy effect, but sometimes they both have, and VERY RARELY, NEITHER DO!

So as experts, guys what the heck is going on? Any help appreciated - I am sure I cannot be the only one...

Like the Scottish guy who lays the stuff on the road says: "Ta, mac!"

streetlighter

I to have the same problem when connecting a DVD recorder through the sky box . I can see a faint image of whats on either deivce when watching one i reckon its the cheap scart leads that have poor quality screens, Im using the posilock scarts from Homebase and they are slightly better than the cheap give away ones. Been tempted to buy a really expensive Scart lead jsut to see what difference does it make.

Saturlight

Yeah, I was told gold scart leads help improve on this problem. Like you said, with me I get a picture from another device coming through the scart of another device, and they're not directly connected, only that they're plugged in at the back of the telly.

And as you said, it's like a ghosting effect.

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PaulR

I don't think you need to buy really expensive scart leads, just ones that have the signal cables individually screened inside the outer sheath.

The unscreened lead tends to be about the thickness of a pencil whilst screened cable leads are about 3/8" (10mm) or more diameter.

TVs output the signal from whatever channel the internal tuner is set to even when a DVD or satellite receiver is in control so you could snip the video signal out lead in the plug end in the TV. I can't remember which pin number that is though, so beware!

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PaulR

As I get older I find myself thinking about the hereafter - I go into a room and then wonder what I'm here after.

Caned Toad

pinouts.ru has most stuff: http://pinouts.ru/Home/Scart_pinout.shtml

The thing thats always annoyed me about scart is how difficult it is to convince the damn thing to plug in. Now I've moved to HTPC + DVI my massive collection of analog cables are practally useless though, as are the VCR, dvd player ect in the cupboard though...

Batman

RGB is the only good thing that comes out of a scart

Llew

... or component video with my Triple Dragon

Llew

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Saturlight

Thanks for the replies.

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They say life is what you make it, then how come I haven't made it! YET!

spiney

Well, the actual SCART plug could have been better designed! However, the other stuff is "general problems" in inter-connecting baseband (and UHF modulated) video, nothing especially to do with SCART, would equally apply to any other connector type.

canine

The main thing that I find annoying about scart plugs is how difficult it is to insert them without being able to see the socket. Pity there isn't a funnel type outer on the scart socket to make it easier to align the plug with the socket.
canine