TV/Freeview/DVD/Video SCART - Help!
TV/Freeview/DVD/Video SCART - Help!
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Discussion

zcacogp

Original Poster:

11,239 posts

274 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
Chaps,

I am aware that an ability to wire up a complex hi-fi system, video and other such things are linked to a chap's manliness in some cultures, in which case I guess I'll just have to admit to being a big girls blouse right now ...

... OK, so when you have all finished laughing, I'll ask my question. All quiet? Good.

The last couple of days have seen the arrival of a new DVD player and freeview box in zcacogp towers. But I am having difficulty in connecting them up.*

Sitch is thus:

TV has one scart socket.

DVD player has one scart socket.

Freeview box has two scart sockets ("VCR" and "TV".

Video has two scart sockets("Euro AV2 Decoder" and "Euro AV1 Audio/Video".

I have 3 Scart leads, but these don't have 'Male' and 'Female' ends, so they will all fit into any socket on any of the machines. I have managed to wire the freeview box into the TV directly to ensure it works, and also to wire the DVD player into the TV to make sure that works, and both are fine.

But what do I plug into which to make the whole schebang work together? I would like to be able to watch DVD's, Video's and plain old TV (via freeview) without having to disconnect things and reconnect other things. I would also like to be able to record from the freeview system, but am not sure if this is possible.

(I *think* I am OK with wiring up the aerial connections - these go aerial-to-Freeview in, Freeview out-to-Video in and Video out-to-TV. Is this correct?)

All help gratefully received ...


Oli.

 • I'll say in my defence that I do have a degree in electronics engineering, so this is obviously a really difficult question ...

pies

13,116 posts

286 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
Freeview to video to tv on scart one

DVD to tv on scart no2

I think

zcacogp

Original Poster:

11,239 posts

274 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
pies said:
DVD to tv on scart no2
TV only has one scart.

pies

13,116 posts

286 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
I read that as well

pies

13,116 posts

286 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
www.solihull-online.com/elec-main.htm

scroll down to about halfway and there is a piccy

HTH

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
You need a SCART extender (a box that will take all the SCART inputs and feed tehm to teh TV. You can get them at any electrical retailer or online.

pmanson

13,388 posts

283 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
Get one of those 3 into 1 connector boxes that places like Argos sell.

I use one at uni for the DVD/Sky seems to work just fine.

dilbert

7,741 posts

261 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
Setup the freeview box as you would normally, i.e. one cable from each socket to the video and tv respectively.

Then wire the DVD player into the second socket on the video.

If you're lucky then the freeview box will allow you to watch the video or the DVD on the tv through the freeview box, like on my setup. Alternatively you can watch the DVD through the video and the modulated (aerial) feed from it.

Doing it the first way depends on one scart socket on the video being bi-directional, and the freeview box offering a passthrough mode.

Edited to add;

On my video, only one of the scart sockets is bidirectional. This is the one that must be connected to the freeview box.

>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 28th December 18:25

>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 28th December 18:28

john_p

7,073 posts

280 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
Might be worth trying:

DVD Player to Freeview box "VCR"
Freeview box "TV" to VCR "Decoder"
VCR "Audio/Video" to TV

In theory the DVD player will "take over" from the Freeview box when you turn it on. By passing it through the VCR you can record from Freeview via SCART or record from Freeview on the aerial connection while watching a DVD through SCART..


mcflurry

9,191 posts

283 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
www.maplin.co.uk

item L07BB (or L08BB for future proofing)

Job done


catso

16,525 posts

297 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
dilbert said:
Setup the freeview box as you would normally, i.e. one cable from each socket to the video and tv respectively.

Then wire the DVD player into the second socket on the video.



Like Dibert says - should work, well it does with a Sky box so I would imagine the Freeview is similar.

Mikey G

4,899 posts

270 months

Wednesday 28th December 2005
quotequote all
catso said:
dilbert said:
Setup the freeview box as you would normally, i.e. one cable from each socket to the video and tv respectively.

Then wire the DVD player into the second socket on the video.



Like Dibert says - should work, well it does with a Sky box so I would imagine the Freeview is similar.


Same as how i did mine exept my PS2 was in the second video scart as opposed to a DVD, my DVD went straight into the TV

But now i have a DVD recorder i have wired it (without a VCR) with the digibox output into the DVDR and DVDR output into the TV, the PS2 will have to plug into the front AV inputs in the DVDR. meanwhile my HIFI DVD player is still connected into the second scart in the TV as it has a better sound than the TV.

zcacogp

Original Poster:

11,239 posts

274 months

Thursday 29th December 2005
quotequote all
pies said:
www.solihull-online.com/elec-main.htm

scroll down to about halfway and there is a piccy

HTH
Pies,

Thanks again. Not a DVD-recorder, but useful nonetheless.

I hooked it up, and it works (after a fashion. You need to have the video on to get a signal from the DVD player to go through it to be played on the TV.)

Thanks for everyone's input - greatly appreciated!

Here's a supplementary question.

In the future, I may link up the audio outputs from these devices to the HiFi system. The DVD, the Video Player and the freeview box all have Audio outputs. Do I need to hook them all up to the amplifier to be sure of getting a signal, or is there just one that needs to be hooked up? (The freeview box, for instance?)


Oli.

dilbert

7,741 posts

261 months

Thursday 29th December 2005
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
pies said:
www.solihull-online.com/elec-main.htm

scroll down to about halfway and there is a piccy

HTH
Pies,

Thanks again. Not a DVD-recorder, but useful nonetheless.

I hooked it up, and it works (after a fashion. You need to have the video on to get a signal from the DVD player to go through it to be played on the TV.)

Thanks for everyone's input - greatly appreciated!

Here's a supplementary question.

In the future, I may link up the audio outputs from these devices to the HiFi system. The DVD, the Video Player and the freeview box all have Audio outputs. Do I need to hook them all up to the amplifier to be sure of getting a signal, or is there just one that needs to be hooked up? (The freeview box, for instance?)


Oli.


I'd take the pair from the telly. That way, what you see on screen, is what comes out of the stereo.

>> Edited by dilbert on Thursday 29th December 14:55

telecat

8,528 posts

271 months

Thursday 29th December 2005
quotequote all
TV on Freeview to TV Scart in.

VCR On Freeview to TV on Video

DVD to Decoder on VCR.

You may need to very it slightly IE DVD to TV on VCR and Freeview into Decoder on VCR.

catretriever

2,090 posts

272 months

Thursday 29th December 2005
quotequote all
Throw all your videos away...



Job done!

Ian_S

1,074 posts

274 months

Thursday 29th December 2005
quotequote all
Can I just hijack this a second. When i run an s-video cable from pc to tv i have to unplug my scarts and aerial to get a clear picture because of lines and ghosting, any experts know a way to fix this?