HDMI socket vs SCART socket

[All Seeing Eye]

I'm buying a new 50 inch TV and it has 3 HDMI sockets and 2 SCART sockets. Now i've never had a TV with HDMI sockets before because my old TV has been fine for years so only just decided to buy a new TV. When it comes to HD i'm not very knowledgable so I was wondering if someone could help:

Are HDMI sockets the same shape as a Scart socket on the TV?
Can I connect my (none HD) DVD player to the HDMI socket with a scart lead? I know I won't be getting High Defintion but i'm wanting to know, if I use my other two scart sockets on other devices can I then use one of the HDMI sockets as an extra scart so to speak? if i can use a HDMI socket to connect a none HD device to the TV that would be great, I can then run 3 different scart devices.

HELP PLEASE.

 

[USS KG5]

Are HDMI sockets the same shape as a Scart socket on the TV?

Very much no - they are small trapezoidal sockets slighly larger than a USB port.

Can I connect my (none HD) DVD player to the HDMI socket with a scart lead? I know I won't be getting High Defintion but i'm wanting to know

You might be able to buy a converter but basically, no. In fact if you are talking composite scart you will have truly horrific quality on a TV that size, RGB is better but really for a big TV you need progressive scan and either composite or HDMI output IMHO.

For multiple scarts you are better buying a splitter, and save your HDMI sockets for the HD games console or upscaling DVD player you may later buy!

 

[All Seeing Eye]

For multiple scarts you are better buying a splitter, and save your HDMI sockets for the HD games console or upscaling DVD player you may later buy!

Thanks!, yeh i'm going to be getting a more up to date DVD player and hopefully a DVD recorder.

On another note the TV has inbuilt freeview but i'm not sure if it records or not (I doubt it) and the Digital box I currently have can record the TV when i'm out so i'd be loosing a good feature that I use daily. Can I still connect my Digital box to the TV even though the TV has inbuilt freeview?

 

[USS KG5]

On another note the TV has inbuilt freeview but i'm not sure if it records or not (I doubt it) and the Digital box I currently have can record the TV when i'm out so i'd be loosing a good feature that I use daily. Can I still connect my Digital box to the TV even though the TV has inbuilt freeview?

I can't see why not.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Some Freeview TVs have an RF out, so that you can record the picture that's on screen, others have a loop through so that you can take the signal from the aerial and loop it in to another box. You may want to check see if the TV has either of those.
Yes you can hook up another set top box regardless of the fact it has a digital tuner.

 

[Sean Aaron]

You might be able to buy a converter but basically, no. In fact if you are talking composite scart you will have truly horrific quality on a TV that size, RGB is better but really for a big TV you need progressive scan and either composite or HDMI output IMHO.

For multiple scarts you are better buying a splitter, and save your HDMI sockets for the HD games console or upscaling DVD player you may later buy!

Slight correction: on the prog-scan DVD player I think you meant to say component rather than composite there.

With regard to a splitter, if you do go that route I'd be sure to pay a bit extra and go with a push-button selector one; the auto-detect ones aren't usually that well made and you can get some interference with some devices. I tried one with a DVD player and Freeview box; if the DVD player was just in standby the Freeview box had only 50 volume output because the stupid adapter regarded the DVD player as having signal.

Yes you can hook up another set top box regardless of the fact it has a digital tuner.

Yep, that's what I'm doing with mine.

I would suggest checking out the manual for the TV before purchasing. You can usually download .pdf files of the manuals from the manufacturer website. It's a good way to make sure the tv has the features and usability you want. I ended up compromising with my set. The built-in Freeview tuner menu interface is just shit compared to my Goodmans box: no channel preview function, so if you go to the guide you cut away from the channel you're watching -- not even audio. Pity as I'd like to not have a SCART switchbox, given that I only have the Freeview box and a 2nd DVD player hooked up to it, but I didn't see a reason to compromise TV watching that much.

 

[USS KG5]

Slight correction: on the prog-scan DVD player I think you meant to say component rather than composite there.

Quite right I did, thanks.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

OMG OMG OMG I need help

I've got the TV and it's awesome, unfortunately I tried hucking up my old digibox to record something (it works) but the picture quality is absolutely atrocious! it's a pixel nightmare.
I've been reading site after site, forum after forum and it seems that even if I bought a DVD recorder I can only record from the channel i'm watching, and if I turn the TV off it will stop recording. Now apparently there is a recorder available that apparently has twin digital tuners allowing you to tape one channel and watch another, has anyone heard of these types of devices?
I know my TV can apparently be recorded from because the TV itself has a timer record, when you set it it tells you to make sure your recording device is also set up to record at the same time, anyone heard of that? is that supposed to allow you to record with the TV off?

God i've never been so confused.

If it helps my TV is an LG 50PG3000 50IN 100HZ Digital Plasma.

Television Picture Quality.

• High Definition Ready.
• Intergrated digital.
• 50in (127cm) widescreen TV with 127cm visible screen size.
• Resolution 1366x 768.
• Brightness 1,500 cd/m2.
• Contrast ratio 20000:1.
• Progressive scan.

Connectivity.

• 3 HDMI sockets.
• 2 SCART socket.
• PC input socket.
• Component socket.
• S-Video socket.
• AV socket (side).
• DC socket (rear).

Sound Quality.

• Dolby digital.
• 2 x 10w RMS output.
• Digital sound processor.

Freeview Features.

• Digitally interactive.
• Digital text.
• Digital video broadcasting DVB subtitles available.
• Auto setup.
• Auto scan for new channels.
• Now and Next electronic programme.
• 8 days electronic programme guide.
• Top up TV compatible.

Additional Features.

• Teletext.
• Fastext.
• Auto setup.
• Auto search tuner.
• Auto search sorting.
• Auto search labelling.
• Sleep timer.
• Child lock.
• Remote control requires 2 xAAA batteries (supplied).
• 230v AC mains operated.
• Complete with tabletop stand.
• Size of TV (H)79.3, (W)123.6, (D)8.0cm.
• Size of TV with stand (H)84.9, (W)123.6, (D)36.4cm.
• weight of TV 39.7kg.
• Weight of TV with stand 43.7kg.
• Suitable for wall mounting (brackets not supplied).

 

[Bob The Skutter]

A 50" screen, with SD TV, especially if it's one lower quality digital channels will look pretty bad hence HD TV.
It sounds like your TV has an RF output/Scart output on the TV, I'm not sure if the TV has to stay on, or if it works in stand-by, I guess it depends on the TV.
It sounds like you have out input/output set out wrong. You want the aerial in to the digital box, the scart in to your recorder, and then a scart from the recorder in to the TV, so the TV is the last in the chain so nothing you do to the TV affects the recording.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

It sounds like you have out input/output set out wrong. You want the aerial in to the digital box, the scart in to your recorder, and then a scart from the recorder in to the TV, so the TV is the last in the chain so nothing you do to the TV affects the recording.

My digi box has an inbuilt recorder with dual tuners allowing me to record one channel and watch another which was always great for me but now i've tried connecting it to my new TV it's terrible. I put the aerial in the digi box and then connected the digi box to the TV. When I turned on the digi there was a signal and all but the quality was completely rubbish, when I tried it the other way, putting the aerial in the TV and then connecting the digibox via scart there wasn't even a signal getting to the digibox. I'm thinking maybe I need to buy some kind of seperate recorder and not bother with my old digibox, but it seems from what i've read you can only record the channel you're watching.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

It sounds like you have out input/output set out wrong. You want the aerial in to the digital box, the scart in to your recorder, and then a scart from the recorder in to the TV, so the TV is the last in the chain so nothing you do to the TV affects the recording.

My digi box has an inbuilt recorder with dual tuners allowing me to record one channel and watch another which was always great for me but now i've tried connecting it to my new TV it's terrible. I put the aerial in the digi box and then connected the digi box to the TV. When I turned on the digi there was a signal and all but the quality was completely rubbish, when I tried it the other way, putting the aerial in the TV and then connecting the digibox via scart there wasn't even a signal getting to the digibox.

Of course there wasn't. There has to be a signal going to the digital tuner in the recorder for it to get a picture. Unless you can switch to the scart on the recorder, but then you'll be stuck with just recording off the scart and what you've got on.
Does the picture look better with the aerial directly in to the TV? If so, then it could be that your signal isn't good enough to supply both tuners, and you may want to get a signal booster, or something.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

It sounds like you have out input/output set out wrong. You want the aerial in to the digital box, the scart in to your recorder, and then a scart from the recorder in to the TV, so the TV is the last in the chain so nothing you do to the TV affects the recording.

My digi box has an inbuilt recorder with dual tuners allowing me to record one channel and watch another which was always great for me but now i've tried connecting it to my new TV it's terrible. I put the aerial in the digi box and then connected the digi box to the TV. When I turned on the digi there was a signal and all but the quality was completely rubbish, when I tried it the other way, putting the aerial in the TV and then connecting the digibox via scart there wasn't even a signal getting to the digibox.

Of course there wasn't. There has to be a signal going to the digital tuner in the recorder for it to get a picture. Unless you can switch to the scart on the recorder, but then you'll be stuck with just recording off the scart and what you've got on.
Does the picture look better with the aerial directly in to the TV? If so, then it could be that your signal isn't good enough to supply both tuners, and you may want to get a signal booster, or something.

The TV freeview without my old digi connected is completely perfect, great signal and quality, but when the digibox is connected and turned on the digibox quality is very bad, but I doubt it's the signal because when I played previously recorded programs the quality of those is just as poor.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Are there actually any DVD recorders out there that can record freeview but don't actually have freeview built into them? because I can't seem to find any and I do not need another digital box with a recording feature, i've already bleeding got one.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

My digi box has an inbuilt recorder with dual tuners allowing me to record one channel and watch another which was always great for me but now i've tried connecting it to my new TV it's terrible. I put the aerial in the digi box and then connected the digi box to the TV. When I turned on the digi there was a signal and all but the quality was completely rubbish, when I tried it the other way, putting the aerial in the TV and then connecting the digibox via scart there wasn't even a signal getting to the digibox.

Of course there wasn't. There has to be a signal going to the digital tuner in the recorder for it to get a picture. Unless you can switch to the scart on the recorder, but then you'll be stuck with just recording off the scart and what you've got on.
Does the picture look better with the aerial directly in to the TV? If so, then it could be that your signal isn't good enough to supply both tuners, and you may want to get a signal booster, or something.

The TV freeview without my old digi connected is completely perfect, great signal and quality, but when the digibox is connected and turned on the digibox quality is very bad, but I doubt it's the signal because when I played previously recorded programs the quality of those is just as poor.

Have you checked the settings on your recorder? Is it set to RBG on the scart?
Maybe you have some settings wrong, or maybe the recorder is just crappy at processing the picture.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Are there actually any DVD recorders out there that can record freeview but don't actually have freeview built into them? because I can't seem to find any and I do not need another digital box with a recording feature, i've already bleeding got one.

Any DVD recorder will record off the scart connector, just set it up like a video recorder.

 

[Sean Aaron]

In addition to making sure your digibox is set to RGB out (that may be your problem right there as suggested), it's worth checking your picture settings for the input.

On my plasma there are separate tv settings for every input, so if you've calibrated the built-in freeview, that doesn't mean the same settings will apply to your SCART input. DVD Video Essentials is something I highly recommend investing in to help you calibrate the set. The default settings on many TVs have the brightness, sharpness and contrast set way too high which will introduce noise into the picture; it's definitely worth checking that out as well.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

The default settings on many TVs have the brightness, sharpness and contrast set way too high which will introduce noise into the picture; it's definitely worth checking that out as well.

You sir are an absolute flipping genius! Thankyou thankyou thankyou!
I altered the 'sharpness' to a lower setting and the pixel problem disapeared, I altered some of the other stuff too and now I have a perfect picture for my digibox! I also had a bit of a problem with my DVD player but altering the settings cleared that up too! I now have perfect picture quality on everything and I can watch whichever freeview I choose and can record whilst watching another channel.

YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE STAR!

 

[USS KG5]

It took me over a week to get my Samsung TV looking right when I got it, there are so many little enhancements that are best left turned off!

There is a "Dynamic" function which makes everything look very weird, "Movie" is usually the best.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

There is a "Dynamic" function which makes everything look very weird, "Movie" is usually the best.

I have mine on "sport" because it makes the colours a lot better, I was watching a simpsons episode the other day and the colours wern't very good so I flicked through the different options (like cinema/sport/game) to see if I could improve it and when it was put on sport the colours just looked awesome.

 

[Sean Aaron]

You can get DVD Video Essentials for a tenner from amazon.co.uk -- highly worth it. Informative and will help you get the best out of your set. My plasma is on the low-end specification-wise and it really helped.

Glad my advice was of use!