# Fight between DVD and Tivo - DVD wins :(



## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Hi folks

This may not be the ideal setup (but it mostly works for me so I don't really want to change it, especially since it's taken two days of crawling around to get all the cables in place)

My Tivo SCART connections are:

TV -> Television
AUX <- Sky box
VCR <-> DVD recorder (for archiving to DVD)

Snag is, when Tivo is recording, if I play a DVD then Tivo immediately switches it's recording from whatever it was supposed to be doing to recording off the VCR SCART!!!

I really DON'T want it doing this....

I tried turning off Automatic VCR bypass in the Tivo menus, but that didn't make any difference (assuming I don't need to restart after making that change anyway)

My current thinking is a manual SCART switch so that I can connect/disconnect the DVD from the Tivo when I am not archiving. Seems a shame to go down that route though so I am open to other thoughts

Thanks


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

Most DVD recorders have scart in and a scart out and thus are connected between tivo and tv

TIVO > DVD IN - DVD OUT -> TV

Also you then record rgb and can watch a dvd when u want.

automan


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Look in your dvd settings to see if you have an auto-scart-switch or tv-control setting to turn off.

Otherwise you can cut pin 8 of the scart to stop the auto switch function:
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analoguesat/scart.html


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Hmm

Perhaps I can pull pin 8 out of one end of the SCART - there's no way into the plugs

Also, Automans suggestion doesn't fly as I have component from the DVD to the TV, so both DVD SCARTs are actually being fed to/from other equipment (Tivo and Sky)

I knew this wouldn't be easy


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## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

No need to go cutting or pulling pins. Just follow automan's advice and put the DVDR between Tivo and the TV. To watch Tivo, just put your DVDR in standby. To watch a DVD, just fire up your DVDR (Tivo will be unaffected and will keep recording). To record from Tivo to DVD just do what you do at the moment (set your DVDR to record from the SCART IN socket). DVD recorders plugged into the Tivo VCR scart can cause problems. So,

Digibox -> Tivo -> DVDR -> TV

The best way


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## dvdfever (Jun 2, 2002)

johala_reewi said:


> No need to go cutting or pulling pins. Just follow automan's advice and put the DVDR between Tivo and the TV. To watch Tivo, just put your DVDR in standby. To watch a DVD, just fire up your DVDR (Tivo will be unaffected and will keep recording). To record from Tivo to DVD just do what you do at the moment (set your DVDR to record from the SCART IN socket). DVD recorders plugged into the Tivo VCR scart can cause problems. So,
> 
> Digibox -> Tivo -> DVDR -> TV
> 
> The best way


I have my Sky box going into the TiVo (the AUX SCART), but the SCART into the DVD recorder is coming from the TiVo VCR SCART. I haven't heard of it causing problems as I thought that was the point of it. What problems does it cause? Ta.

I use the other SCART on the DVD recorder for another input - recording straight from Freeview as and when the need arises so that doesn't connect direct to the TV. When I need to use the recorder I press the VCR button on the TiVo remote and switch the recorder on.


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

PhilG said:


> HSnag is, when Tivo is recording, if I play a DVD then Tivo immediately switches it's recording from whatever it was supposed to be doing to recording off the VCR SCART!!!


Er, no it doesn't. TiVo CAN'T record from the VCR SCART under any circumstances...

The TV output will switch to the DVD (presumably what you want), but TiVo will record from the AUX SCART.


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## Pugwash (May 23, 2003)

I have a separate DVD player to watch normal discs. This has a better collection of connections to the Amp. The DVD recorder is just for archiving, although with 2-way SCART leads I have magically managed to copy old VCR's to DVD too somehow, as well as allowing VCR playback through the DVD-R and TiVo.


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

Hi,

Automan's setup is the right way to go depending on your dvdr. I run a scart from source (SKY) to TiVo then a scart to dvdr and then component to the tv. It may just be a function of my dvdr (liteon) but if you set the dvdr to output component then I don't see why it won't work. Have you tried it? That way you get the all important facility to record rgb. I'm assuming you have a plasma/lcd due to your component connection so you will see huge benefits in not having to record composite.

You also won't need to feed the dvdr with a Sky source and a Tivo source. because your Tivo recordings will now (rgb) be good enough to archive.

Martin


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

OK, I went for the REALLY simple alternative (and no idea why I didn't think of it sooner!)

As the "traffic" from the Tivo VCR SCART is "one way" (TO the DVD) a SCART lead is overkill.

Enter one SCART -> 3xphono from the Tivo into a 3xphono/SCART connector on the DVD. After all, this is composite video (and sound) only anyway!


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

PhilG said:


> OK, I went for the REALLY simple alternative (and no idea why I didn't think of it sooner!)
> 
> As the "traffic" from the Tivo VCR SCART is "one way" (TO the DVD) a SCART lead is overkill.
> 
> Enter one SCART -> 3xphono from the Tivo into a 3xphono/SCART connector on the DVD. After all, this is composite video (and sound) only anyway!


I'm still completely bemused by your problem. A TiVo CANNOT record from the VCR SCART. It just doesn't have the wiring in there to do it. Not possible. Can't happen.

Can you describe again exactly what the problem is, and what your wiring is/was?

Stuart


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## ajf_hodgson (Aug 26, 2001)

FWIW, I got an LG DVD Recorder for Christmas, and set it up just like PhilG, with TiVo's VCR scart connected to the DVD recorder's AV1.

I had the same bizarre behaviour, ie when the DVD was playing, TiVo's listeing to Aux (my NTL cable box) was interfered with. I got some odd behavour, sometimes loss of horizontal hold, sometimes seeing on TiVo's output the DVD output (impossible or not!)

My solution was simple - instead of piping the TiVo output into the DVD-R's AV1, I put it into AV2, with the NTL's other output going into AV1 instead of AV2.

Then everything behaved itself as expected. I put this down to the DVD Recorder activating its play pin only on AV1, and not on AV2.


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## ajf_hodgson (Aug 26, 2001)

Please ignore this post - in order to make a post with a url (or anything that looks like a url) in it, the forum requires me to have reached 5 posts. So here's my second...


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## ajf_hodgson (Aug 26, 2001)

and here's my third...


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

ajf_hodgson said:


> and here's my third...


And your _actual post_ is....?


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## ajf_hodgson (Aug 26, 2001)

blindlemon said:


> And your _actual post_ is....?


the long and boring one you kindly replied to about *nic_config_tivo *and gateways...

Many, many thanks for your help, sorry to pollute a different thread... :up: :up:


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

PhilG - are you sure your DVD recorder is only connected to Tivo?
It occurs to me that if it is also connected to your Sky box, the Sky box may notice the signal when you play a DVD and pipe it through to it's TV ouput (connected to your Tivo not your TV)?


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## ptruman (Jan 8, 2003)

I've had some fun with my new LG DVD recorder.

I have Cable -> Tivo -> DVDRW -> TV

The LG replaced an ailing Philips recorder, which was happily blind to Macrovision, but the LG isn't. My fun was initially with loose SCARTS, but so far I can now watch TV, TiVo, or DVDs correctly.

The fun is I try to record certain things from TiVo to DVD, using the RGB cable on EXT2 on the DVD - I get a Macrovision block. But if I use EXT1 (which picks up a looping SCART run) it works.

The 'fun' was where the sound coming to the DVD on EXT1 was choppy, randomly. Bizarrely, I have cured this by adding an RF channel on the LG, to pick up the TiVo RF output channel, and then setting the "DECODER" option on that channel to "ON". That way it uses the decoder, but loses the sound dropping. Odd, but it works...


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Hmm

My Sky box IS also connected to another SCART on the DVD-R

So, if we are SURE that Tivo VCR SCART is "out only" then it MUST be the DVD telling the SKY box to switch


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Pretty clever eh?


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Yes, that sounds reasonable, both TiVo and the Sky box are set up so that if they get an INCOMING signal on their VCR SCARTs they pass it directly to their TV SCART. That would explain what you see. Nice lateral thinking AMc.


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## Graham V (Jun 26, 2002)

The Sky box theory sounds good to me.
I have a Panasonic DVD-R connected to my TV via HDMI.
The AV2 scart on the DVD-R is connected to my Sky box.
There is nothing connected to the AV1 scart on the DVD-R.

The Tivo has no direct connection to the DVD-R.
Yet if I watch something I recorded on the DVD-R whilst I am recording something on my Tivo, the tivo records the DVD-R pictures???


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Yes, it's the same thing. Incoming video on the Sky VCR SCART is automatically routed to the TV SCART, and it's the TV SCART which TiVo is recording.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

I'll find out for sure this weekend - I'll stick with my "SCART to 3xphono" plan, but on the SKY <-> DVD connection instead of the TiVo<->DVD one!!

Thanks for the info folks - I really didn't want to have to pull all my cabling apart more than once more


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

OK, I have taken the drastic step of "reading instructions" (I know, wimpy eh?)

Anyway, in my Panasonic Sky box booklet, on the subject of the VCR SCART it lists
Composite video in/out
RGB in
Audio left/right in/out
Function switching (pin 8) in/out

So it did sound like this was where my problem lay - output from the DVD causing the Sky box to switch to the VCR SCART

BUT (and this is a BIG but)

My Tivo instruction booklet, on page 85, says

"VCR SCART: The VCR SCART connects your existing VCR to the Recorder. From this connector, output from the Recorder is sent to the VCR, in addition the Recorder receives input from the VCR" 

This seems totally at odds with what TCM2007 said earlier "I'm still completely bemused by your problem. A TiVo CANNOT record from the VCR SCART. It just doesn't have the wiring in there to do it. Not possible. Can't happen."

So who is right

I know it'd be easy to just "try it and see" but you don't know the contortions I have to get involved in to change my cabling and how long it takes. I really envy those of you who can actually get BEHIND your kit - I can't 

My setup was to allow recording to the DCD-R from both Sky and Tivo, but I think I'll leave Sky out of it for now and just connect Tivo to the DVD-R via compsite video phonos


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PhilG said:


> BUT (and this is a BIG but)
> 
> My Tivo instruction booklet, on page 85, says
> 
> ...


The Tivo box receives input from the VCR purely so as to shunt it through to the Tv out Scart socket on the box so you can watch what is recorded on your VCR on the Tv. This involves some kind of Bypass process and does not involve the Tivo hard drives or encoder and decoder in any way. There is therefore no possibility to record any VCR output sent to the Tivo VCR Scart socket.


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

OK - I am (nearly) convinced

When I get chance tomorrow, I'll leave the Tivo connected via SCART and change the Sky/DVD connection to composite/phono and report back


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Whoopeee!

Final (I hope) update to this

I now have Tivo connected to DVD-R with fully wired SCART lead, from Tivos VCR socket
AND
Sky box connected to DVD-R with composite-only (3x phono) lead from Skys Aux socket

All works as I wanted - no forced recording of DVDs when Tivo thinks it's recording the Sky box, so as surmised qhite a few posts ago, it IS the Sky box that is switching to play the DVD signal - nothing (really) to do with Tivo at all

Thanks for all the help and suggestions

Phil G


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