What connections are used from set top box to TV (such as SCART) ?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV You can use the following ways to connect a set-top box to a TV:
1. SCART on STB to SCART on TV. This provides the best possible connection, with stereo sound and "RGB" highest quality connection;
2. SCART on STB to composite on TV. Older TVs without SCART connections usually have "composite" inputs, usually three "phono" sockets (often red, white and yellow). This offers stereo sound and good picture quality. You will need a special cable from a high-street retailer.
3. UHF ("aerial lead") box to TV. This requires that the STB you choose (all Sky, MOST Freeview) has a UHF output. You will need to "tune" the TV into the box, and you will get OK pictures and only mono sound.
If you are stuck with mono or poor quality sound on the TV, you can still use the SCART output (and the same cable as 2) to a separate amplifier to listen in stereo.
All questions
In this section
Friday, 26 July 2013
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shaun11:32 AM
Hi , I bought a Samsung smart tv , the trouble is the scart port on the back clashes with the wall bracket , is there any sort of lead I can buy that will go elsewhere in the tv , any help appreciated, thanks
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MikeB2:54 PM
shaun: Without knowning the model of the TV and the type of wall bracket your using, its difficult to come up with an exact solution, but I can make a guess.
Out of the thrre wall bracket types, I assume your using either a movable bar type
30-63 Inch TFT Flat Panel Wall Mount : TV Mounts : Maplin Electronics
for example, or a 'spider' type'
Cantilever LCD Black Wall Mount 21"- 37" : Tripods & Accessories : Maplin Electronics
. Your certainly not using the Samsung hanging mount, since that only attaches by the two top screws, and therefore would be no problem.
Spider brackets usually have 'spacers' in the box, to allow you to have a gap bettween the back of the TV and the bracket - normally to a maximum of about 2in. I dont know if the other type has spacers as well, but I suspect you could use them. But since the 'bar' type are adjustable anyway, hopefully you can avoid using them. If you don't have any (they should have been in the box), then Ebay is a good way to get some Wall mount screw washer spacer kit TV / Monitor 15" to 65" any make. Full kit | eBay
Assuming you can't make that work, then look at the TV manual. Samsungs for 2013 (F) don't seem to have Phono/RCA ports any longer, but an E model might. These are yellow (video) white and red (audio), and you can use these (they are cheap) to attach to a scart convertor (again, try ebay). You will still get RGB's this year, but since that is video only, your going to have to find some way to add the audio. Unfortunately, nobody seems to do a 'flat' scart, so thats out.
The third option (and probably the easiest in a way) is to stand back, and look at what your connecting it to. You Samsung (depending on the model) has three/four HDMI's and only one scart. Thats because HDMI is the new standard, and pretty much every box for the past five years tends to have scart and HDMI. The exceptions to this would be old/cheap DVD's, old videos, really cheap PVR's and Sky/Sky plus boxes.
I always ask customers what equipment they already have - with only one scart there is a good chance something might not fit, but all too often they have not looked at the back of the boxes they have got, and dont realise that there is as HDMI in the back as well.
If you can attach the other boxes by HDMI, do it. Its a better connection, you have more of them, and you'll avoid much of the hassle you currently have (at least one/two will be side mounted). HDMI cables are not even expensive. I would avoid buying one for a pound, since a better build quality means less hassle, but 7dayshop will do decent ones for £3, and Aldi have an offer next week for ones with bendy connections for £4.99
If its an old DVD player with just a scart, think about upgrading it to a blu-ray (and if its a video, do you even still use it?). They use HDMI, plays everything, as smart as your TV, and is about £70 for the cheapest Samsung one. Since you have a full HD TV anyway, you'll get more from it.
Good luck. (PE12QN)
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shaun3:14 PM
Thanks Mike for your very knowledgeable answer , much appreciated , the model is a Samsung UE46F6320 , i'm not sure of the bracket model it's about 7 year old , it was already in place
I did manage to get hold of a flat 90 scart but it's still not right , but not far off ,I will have a look into the spacer sets
I think that may well do it
thanks
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Friday, 2 August 2013
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shaun7:46 PM
Hi , I have an old analogue tv box , it isn't HD or anything like that , If I bought some sort of recorder i.e a freeview box , would the freeview box be able to record programmes from my old analogue box or just the channels that are on the freeview box
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shaun9:09 PM
It's an old ntl box that I just plug in to the virgin media cable
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jb3811:58 PM
shaun: I was of the belief that the only place in the UK that analogue was still operational via cable was Milton Keynes.
Should you reside in this area and are still able to use the analogue system then its not a Freeview PVR type recorder you require but a Freeview HDD recorder.
The difference being that a Freeview PVR can only record from its inbuilt tuners and not from any external devices connected to it, as any sockets seen on these devices are for "output only" purposes.
On the other hand Freeview HDD recorders are much more versatile devices by being able to record from not only their inbuilt tuners but also from an external sources, this including analogue devices connected via a scart lead into the recorders EXT1 or 2 inputs such as applies in the case of your analogue box.
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Thursday, 8 August 2013
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shaun9:22 PM
Thanks for your reply jb , it was very useful
thanks again
shaun
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Monday, 12 August 2013
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Louise Currie11:02 PM
I have a freeview tv, sky box, freeview
hard drive recorder, dvd player and vcr.
Is there anyway to connect all these together, the tv only has one scart connection.
Can you send a diagram on how to connect all these.
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Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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MikeB12:00 AM
Louise Currie: I'd start with looking at the back of what you have (if you have the make and model numbers, thats a real help).
Most flat screen TV's will have 2-4 HDMI's on the back (one scart has been standard for a couple of years), and if your HDD recorder is 5 years old or less, there will almost certainly be an HDMI as well as a scart.
If there is an HDMI, use it - the cable itself is fairly cheap (I would spend more than a pound though!). The DVD also might have one, its not impossible. The Sky box will only use scart. As for the VCR - do you use it? If not, then put it to one side, unless it connected to the Sky box.
There are ways to daisy chain scart machines together, which someone cleverer than me will explain, but the wiki for 'scart' would be a good place to start.
Although you have one scart, until this year it was still very likely that you had what are called RCA's or phono ports as well. These will be yellow, red and white. The red/white ones are for sound, and the yelloow is for video. Although not as good as scart, they can be easily hooked up to a scart connection via some thing like this:
Switched Adapter 3 RCA Phono to Scart Plug socket IN/OUT Stereo Audio Video: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
You can buy the cables for it very cheaply as well, and are often sold together. In effect you have two scarts, you just need an adapter, and some of your equipment might have similar ports on the back, in which case you just need the cables.
Assuming your HDD recorder has an HDMI, use that first. Next, the sky box in the scart, and the DVD or VCR using the RCA/phonos (which one you want to sacrifice?, or see below).
On the other hand, you can buy those 3-into-one scart adapters:
Skytronic Scart switch box 3 SCART in, 1 SCART out plus 6 RCA phono sockets: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Thats a fancy one, this is more basic - SCART Splitter - 2 Way, Non-Switched, RGB Support: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
The problem is that they don't always work very well, so I'd use them for the stuff you use least.
Start with HDMI, then scart, and work you way down. If you are buying a blu-ray player, it will not only replace your DVD (and allow you to have 'smart' functions'), it will also have an HDMI, which will be easier to connect to your newer TV.
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