TV Drive and VCR Scart quality

Simon George · 16-03-2006, 17:40

I just got my TV Drive and after initial hiccups, it is installed and working well. The picture quality in HDMI 720 mode is superb. It is way better than anything else I have tried (in broadcast TV terms)

However when I used HDMI out, the RGB/TV Scart is disabled (

). This means I can not use this to route to my DVDR (and Tivo)

Therefore I have to use the VCR Scart. The problem being that the image quality from the VCR scart is not RGB and I am not even sure it is normal composite, as the image quality is very poor even after running the picture through scalars and component converters (and I do not mean in comparison to HDMI, I mean in comparison to what one would expect of a composite vieo signal)

Hence my query - Is there another configuration to get a decent feed to a DVDR?

Stuart · 16-03-2006, 18:09

to CableForum.

I haven't used a TV Drive before, so I could be wrong, but it sounds like the box is disabling the TV scart because you are using HDMI. Presumably the reasoning being that if you are watching a HDMI output, you won't want the lower-quality RGB output. It may also be that the box uses some of the same hardware to drive both sockets, and as HDMI is encrypted, anything attached to an RGB scart wouldn't work.

One thing confuses me though. I can understand why you would need the DVD-R, but why use the Tivo?

Simon George · 17-03-2006, 09:11

Yes, my TV drive is exactly doing what you describe - i.e the output signal is EITHER RGB Scart, Component or HDMI, and not any combination.

I could run the HDMI though a HDMI/DVI distributor, then run one output through a DVI/RGB converter of some kind, but that is going to be expensive and I was hoping there was another way.

As to Tivo, although the picture is of a lower standard (and is once channel record only), it has a better programme guide, better recording, search and scheduling tools, and a much better user interface at the moment. TV drive has a long way to go in development terms.

TV drive is wonderful

In picture terms it is so good that you can see the flaws in the source material being shown (e.g. news shot on DV tape).

More to the point however - I can store 300 hours of programming on my Tivo

... TV drive is 80 hours max.

nuffmon · 19-03-2006, 20:00

I understand what you mean and i use a standard TV. I'm totally confused as how you should set the box up and the support are non the wiser. Support say, and this is the way the old box was setup, connect video to tvdrive, and the tvdrive to the tv. Idea being that you turn on the video and the cable box allows it to bypass whilst still sending the pictures from the box to the video. TVdrive does nothing like this. For this to happen it needs to be plugged into the TV scart socket on the video so that a signal is sent to the cable box. Do this and the video pops up as it should. Change to the channel on the video and it is blank. It seems to me, if TVDrive detects a signal coming down the line it stops sending images down to the vcr socket. Absolutely useless, as if i plug it into the decoder socket on the video it doesn't bypass the TVDrive. I can't see the OSD of the video to see what the hell i am recording! Asked support....i got a long pause.
Ok, so i plug tv out on TVDrive to decoder socket on video and tv out on video to tv. Right, now it works but we get the menus and everything but not to worry. My first video (i actually mean dvdr/video combo) didn't like it, for some reason the signal to change the tv from 4:3 to 16:9 etc didn't work anymore. Either with video on or off....curious. So i back the video as i had only just bought it and get a Sony. Much better, now it works!.......but when i switch the video off the picture has horizontal blur. I change to composite on the TVDrive and everything is fine but slightly crap. At least it works.
The only real way to get around this is to connect the the TVdrive and video to the two scarts on the tv. Then connect the vcr socket on the TVDrive to the decoder socket on the video. This seems to work but im using an awful lot of scart to do the job.
Another strange thing about the vcr socket, the picture comes out without any changes to the aspect ratio on the tv. Struggled with this for ages then realised that my dvd recorder actually records everything in 4:3 so this arrangement seems to work with my setup, although it does seem a little strange.
Saying all this i love my TVDrive and wouldn't be without it. I think there are some improvements to be made on the tv guide which is just a bit of programming i suppose.