# Alternatives to SCART.....



## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

I'm looking to buy a new TV imminently, and the ones I am considering (mostly Sony) have a "deficiency" of SCART inputs!

What alternatives are there for connecting the outputs of Tivo to a TV NOT using SCART. eg, I see mentions in brochures for "component input", "RGB input", "s-Vidion input" (amongst others) - are any of these any use to Tivo without buying anything else??

Otherwise, what's the cheapest (APART from UHF!) non-SCART connectivity to an LCD TV (and, as I am using Tivo, of course I'm not bothered about HD for now)

Thanks

Phil G


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

You can use a SCART to phono converter for TiVo to the TiVo - but for RGB you have to use SCART.

Can you not chain you RGB devices - I currently have four devices chained into a single RGB input.


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## Fred Smith (Oct 5, 2002)

Why not use a Scart switcher £9.99:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5342361.htm

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=33166&criteria=scart switcher&doy=20m8

Or if you want remote control, a Holdan HSR-1000

http://www.holdan.co.uk/acatalog/Holdan_HSR1000_Scart_Router.html

I use the Holdan on my main TV and the other (Argos) on a bedroom TV.


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## kitschcamp (May 18, 2001)

You have to be careful buying SCART switches, there are still a lot out there that do not have the wiring for RGB, only composite!


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## Fred Smith (Oct 5, 2002)

Agreed but alll three listed above support RGB.


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

PhilG said:


> I'm looking to buy a new TV imminently, and the ones I am considering (mostly Sony) have a "deficiency" of SCART inputs!


How many do you think you need? And why?


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

I'm currently using FOUR!

1 for Tivo
1 for Sky
1 for non-Sky satellite
1 for my trusty VCR

......


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

PhilG said:


> I'm currently using FOUR!
> 
> 1 for Tivo
> 1 for Sky
> ...


You only need two scarts on your TV for these.


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## kitschcamp (May 18, 2001)

Not necessarily; it depends on what is connected to what and how they handle RGB pass through.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

frogster - could you expand on your answer please?


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

The Tivo acts as a two-way RGB scart switch so:

Connect the Sky box to the aux scart on the Tivo.
Connect the VCR (or your DVD recorder/player or any other RGB device) to the VCR socket on the Tivo.
Connect the Tivo to scart 1 on the TV.
Connect the non-Sky sat box to scart 2 on the TV.

This works perfectly well. I do it.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

I must be missing something - how would I watch a video with these connections??


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

Just push the play button. Try it: you'll like it.

The Tivo is an *excellent* 2-way RGB scart switch.


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

I should add that another option is to connect the VCR to the VCR scart socket on the Sky box. Again, just pushing play on the VCR remote will start playback. All switching is automatic.

That leaves the VCR scart socket on the Tivo free and you could connect the non-Sky satellite box to that, thus using just one scart socket on the TV and retaining full RGB and W/S functionality.

The Tivo will still record from Sky whilst you are watching a sat channel on the non-Sky box.


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## stevelup (Jun 4, 2002)

Hi

That last option is not a good choice as it will interfere with any recording the TiVo is currently attempting to make if you use the VCR at the same time.

I'd strongly recommend against plugging anything into the VCR socket on the TiVo controlled Sky box unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing.

Steve


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

If the non-sky Sat has 2 SCARTs you could go

TV RGB SCART <=Tivo TV SCART 
Tivo AUX SCART <= Sky Sat
Tivo VCR SCART <=Non Sky Sat <= VCR

It's unlikely that a VCR has an RGB output as only composite is recorded - S-VHS decks record S-Video.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

I call up the Tivo channel on my TV, I see the Tivo main screen
I hit "play" on my VCR and.....

Nothing happens???? I'm still looking at a Tivo menu

Thought it was too good to be true??


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## RWILTS (Apr 21, 2006)

In defence of Frogster I have my cable box and dvd recorder connected to Tivo as he first suggests and it works for me. Press play or menu on dvd -r and it replaces Tivo picture. Press VCR button on Tivo remote to go back to Tivo picture.


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## aerialplug (Oct 20, 2000)

Fred Smith said:


> Agreed but alll three listed above support RGB.


Not really. I have one of the Argos listed ones and the FAQ for the Maplin one confirms that they both work the same.

Only one of the three choices is wired for RGB (labeled Game). The other two are only composite and quite useless for what I originally wanted the unit for (as a switching device for 3 RGB sources).

I suspect the more expensive unit may be compatible - but a friend bought an IR switcher a few years ago and found that this too only supported a single RGB through service.

Incidentally, by default a SCART that's RGB compatible is also S-Video compatible since S-Video came after the SCART standard was specified and shares the red pin with the SCART plug (thus also preventing RGB and S-Video being used at the same time).


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

PhilG said:


> I call up the Tivo channel on my TV, I see the Tivo main screen
> I hit "play" on my VCR and.....
> 
> Nothing happens???? I'm still looking at a Tivo menu
> ...


There must be something wrong with your connections. You don't say which of the various possibilities you are trying.

We'll assume that you are trying the first one I suggested.

For a start you should be using *only* scart. There should be no "Tivo channel" on the TV, unless by this you mean AV1. Switching to this should be entirely automatic.

Then you need to ensure that your VCR AVI scart output is connected to the Tivo VCR scart input. Make sure that you are viewing "liveTV" via your Tivo ie *not* the Tivo menu.

Then push play on the VCR remote.

It *will * work. If it doesn't then you may have pushed the TV/VCR button on the VCR remote by mistake. Try pushing it again.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

One last question if I may

I doubt if I still have my Tivo instructions (hey, it's too easy to use - why have instructions!)

Do both output SCARTS carry RGB?

Thanks

Phil G


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

RGB from TV scart when selected and composite from VCR scart. But the VCR scart will pass RGB through.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Oh rats

So my plan to connect the DVDR to the VCR socket means any archived DVDs will be using composite

Ah well, I record in low quality anyway so I guess it doesn't matter a lot

Thanks for the info


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

Ask Santa to bring you a Quintro and then you wouldn't have any scart problems


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## Benedict (Jun 8, 2002)

PhilG said:


> I call up the Tivo channel on my TV, I see the Tivo main screen
> I hit "play" on my VCR and.....
> 
> Nothing happens???? I'm still looking at a Tivo menu
> ...


You need to check your VCR scart setting in the TiVo setup menu. (Can't remember how to get to it.) Basically there's an option in there to either force TiVo to switch your VCR signal to the TiVo scart whenever your VCR is playing/active or to ignore it completely. Sounds like yours is set up to ignore it.

See page 8/9 here: http://www.tivo.co.uk/Chapter5.pdf

You could also hit the VCR bypass button on the TiVo remote which will force anything connected on the VCR scart onto the TV scart.


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

Phil,

I run SCART from Sky+ > TiVo Aux Socket. From TiVo TV Socket > DVDR SCART In. From DVDR SCART Out > TV SCART 1. I connect the VCR/Camcorder to the front inputs on the DVDR (this is only composite but that fine for video). This setup allows you to watch any source you choose. You need to make sure that the DVDR has RGB enabled on the In & Out sockets. It's surprising how many (especially the early ones or the cheap ones) only have the SCART Out RGB enabled. 

This way you get RGB from Sky+ through TiVo's RGB pass through, through the DVDR to the TV. You can then watch your VCR by switching the source on the DVDR.

This (depending on the DVDR) also has the added bonus of taking an RGB picture from the component outputs on the DVDR to the TV. With Mode0 enabled, I swear that this gives a superior picture to RGB on SCART. It's probably only subjective although I would love someone on here to explain to me why it looks better or why it doesn't. 

In summary, all sources outputting RGB to the TV, plus you can watch your VCR without any extra switches. (I do use a switcher to run a standalone DvD player to the DVDR to enable me to do certain things!?)

Regards,

Martin


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## OrangeDrink (Feb 10, 2004)

ozsat said:


> You can use a SCART to phono converter for TiVo to the TiVo - but for RGB you have to use SCART.


You shouldn't have to, granted I'm 12,000 miles from the UK but I've got a couple of SCART to RGB(Plus Audio LR) cables. I use em to put a COmponent Signal from my Sky+ equivalent into my TV. Sky+ will output a COmponent signal on the RGB pins of it's SCART socket but if my TV took in RGB I could just as soon hook it up that way, that's what the cable is more intended to do. It did take me a lot of shopping around down here to get that cable though.

Think I read some thread here about outputting a Component signal from your Tivo as well via a hack.


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## The Obo (Feb 22, 2005)

OrangeDrink said:


> Sky+ will output a COmponent signal on the RGB pins of it's SCART socket


Oh no it won't. This can't be done - Component and RGB are completely different signals. (although you can get converters to convert between them).


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## OrangeDrink (Feb 10, 2004)

The Obo said:


> Oh no it won't. This can't be done - Component and RGB are completely different signals. (although you can get converters to convert between them).


Yes they're completely different signals but it just borrows the pins and outputs Y on the Green pin Cb on blue and Cr on Red. You still have to plug it into a Component capable display, obviously it's not going to work if you plug it into RGB ports on your TV.

MySky in New Zealand does this exactly as I stated, that's how I'm watching it. Seeing as the MySky box iis the Sky+ box with a different badge on the front I suspect Sky+ in the UK will also do it. And there is a Tivo hack to output Component signals, also over the RGB pins of a SCART socket, somewhere on this site.


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

Many modern devices that output video use a one-size-fits-all chip that will indeed do RGB, component, composite, S-Video, Morse, Braille and who knows what else. But if there isn't a menu option to control the output and select between RGB and component (and there isn't on the UK Sky+) then the function just isn't available to the normal end user.


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## OrangeDrink (Feb 10, 2004)

frogster said:


> But if there isn't a menu option to control the output and select between RGB and component (and there isn't on the UK Sky+)


Wow really?? The Sky+ box down here (known as MySky) is identical to the Sky+ box in the UK, it's even got SCART sockets on it when hardly anything else down here does. Sky in NZ did a software update a couple of months ago to do Component over SCART. I'd figured the software was borrowed from the UK... it's clearly technologically possible for Sky in the UK to do it. If you get a few people to hassle them about it maybe they'll update it in the UK too. That's the only reason it happened here, end users bugged them til they did it.


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