DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

When I was a young lad, electronic equipment had 2 inputs, mains and an aerial and no outputs. Nowadays, let's say I'm confused.

My new DVD has 4 sets of outputs, Composite Video, S-Video, Component Video and SCART. Can anyone briefly explain the differences between these, in particular, which would give the best final picture on the screen?

My elderly TV has 4 sets of inputs; Video input (phono jack) + Audio inputs (phono jacks), S-Video (4 pin DIN) and 2 SCART sockets (1 RGB/video input, TV output and 2 S-video/video input, TV output).

This gives 4 x 3 = 12 different types of connecting cable. Now, I'm sure not all of these are available, so what are the combinations commonly found in the shops and which would be the best one? At the moment I am using a completely unoriginal SCART to SCART one. Also, as there's also the ntl STB and a VCR to take into account, I assume that I'm going to need some sort of switch if I carry on just using the SCART connections.

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

s-video and phono audio for you methinks , leaves the scart's free for ntl and video :)

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

I was going to say that too:)

- some info on the standards in the following link, Theo...

http://www.datapro.net/videodoc.html

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

2 heads better than 1 my mate :tu: :)

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

too right, nice one Paul:) :tu:

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Personally i would say it depends what you want to see in the best quality. I dont have digital TV yet, so only having 1 RGB scart on our sony widescreen TV isnt a problem.

Do you want kick ass RGB quality NTL or DVD. (you could get a scart switch of course.) The difference in quality between RGB and composite video is noticeable.

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bearing in mind Theodoric's ' elderly tv ' i would reckon he would be more than happy with s-video :) , i am more than happy with it :tu:

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His TV cant be too elderly to have RGB scart on it, and he also did ask which would give him the best quality. Having said that you wont notice the difference unless your using half decent leads. (im using the second up cambridge audio lead from richer sounds)

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fair comments , mind you i still stick by my first opinion :)

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Nothing like learning on the fly, is there. So, I now know that s-video is video only and that I need to connect the audio separately. The DVD has a 'Mixed audio out' which has 2 sockets marked left and right. The TV also has 2 audio sockets, marked beneath the grime, as left and right.

Now, quality of cables. PC World has a BELKIN PRO GOLD SERIES S-VIDEO CABLE, 3.6 m, at £10. A bit of quick googling gives me Cable Universe with a S-Video Plug - S-Video Plug (Gold plated) 3 metre at £1.88 (ex VAT?). I know which one appeals to me, but is price everything? However, using TV speakers do I really need gold plated, oxygen-free copper at hundreds of pounds per metre?

PS Thanks for all the replies.

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My DVD is a Cambridge Audio purchased from Richer Sounds. Does this mean that I am moving in the same circles as people who know something about audio, DVDs etc. Cor! :)

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

personally i would go for the middle ground as regards cables , from this seat your setup doesnt warrant ' oxygen-free copper at hundreds of pounds per metre? ' , same as mine doesnt , glad to be of help btw :)

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

I have Chord RGB DVD cables from the DVD player to RGB on TV
I have cheapish IXOS (£20 tops) Scart from Sky+ to AV2 on TV - No longer have a video...
I have a scart cable into my 2nd AV socket on DVD player for Xbox giving me a RGB passthru when I want Dolby digital sound (Not through same cable before someone notes this!)

Richer sounds will give you free advice on cables and won't rip you off unless you have a dodgy outlet.

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

I'm currently a student, so cant afford much myself at the moment, (no job (at the moment), or decent room).

Personally i would go back to Richer sounds, and get some cables for your DVD player. A note for next time is that Richer sounds have a habit (in my local store) of knocking money off (i got some Ixos 6003 speaker cable for 99p/meter, and got £10 of some speaker stands this time last year, cos they were silver!). Out of interest what TV are you using?

Jeremy

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

The TV is a Sony Trinitron Colour TV, either KV-X2552U or KV-X2952U. It's now quite elderly, early 90s IIRC. A little while ago it stopped working and my wife, who believes in the principle "If it's broken, buy a new one" got quite excited at the prospect of a new (and suitably expensive) TV. Unfortunately for her my grandson cleaned out the aerial socket and got it working again. :)

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Personally I'd go with scart for everything and get one of them multi-auto switching scart box thingies which'll automatically flick over to whatever connection is active.

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

Before I throw in the towel and move to a SCART switch box, perhaps someone can advise me on the S-video route. I've got hold of an S-video cable and a dual RCA plug lead for the audio. I've used them to connect the DVD player to the TV but there is no sign of the DVD menu appearing on the TV (the DVD player says that the disk is playing).

Attached below is a diagram of all the other leads between the STB, the VCR and the TV; I've had these for years and now I've examined them more closely there seems to be an awful lot of complication here; it partly goes back to what the ntl engineer (I think) set up and we've had no problems with it. Any suggestions?

EDIT All of the rectangular boxes in the diagram are SCART connections.

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have you tried it with the telly in 'A/V' mode?

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Possibly, possibly. Following your lead, I've just looked through the TV manual and there is a section about selecting the input mode. When I get a chance to have a free run at it I'll give it a try; in our house there always seems to be someone who wants to video record something or other. I suspect that messing up a recording of Eastenders could well qualify as a hanging offence. :)

Re: DVD outputs and TV Inputs
 

Thanks, homealone, it works. The fact that the necessary info is buried on page 16 of the TV manual means that I probably would never have found it without someone giving me a hint.

PS One further, possibly insuperable, problem. My wife says that cables coming out of the front of the TV look unsightly! :)

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unplug them then you wont have a problem , nah seriously , could you get some black or whatever colour shrink sleeve and disguise them a bit :)

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glad you got it working Theodoric.:)

not sure what to suggest about the aesthetics of the cables, though - arguing for a triumph of function over form is one possibility, but depends on the tolerance of your wife. - or only watch dvds in the dark?;)

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It's the economics that appealed to me. I bought a 3m S-Video Plug (gold plated) cable and a 1.2m 2xRCA plug cable from a firm called Cable Universe for £6.51 (and this included £2.99 p&P). So why, when you check sites like PC World or Dixons, does the cost far exceed this?

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that's a good price, I'd expect to pay more than that for the S-Video cable, alone. Cable Universe eh, I'll keep an eye out for them - thanks Theodoric.:)

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Because specialist places like cable universe know that the people who go to them know what they're doing and so they can't over charge them like high street stores do :)

Thanks for letting us know about them :)

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And they were quick. I emailed the order on Saturday and received the goods on Tuesday.