[Franglais]

Anybody know what's the performance difference between the two? Is one better than the other?

Thanks

[chrisjr]

HDMI is digital.
SCART is analogue

HDMI can handle HD resolution video
SCART cannot handle HD resolution video

So if you have a HD source device (eg Blu-Ray Freeview HD or satellite HD box) and a HD telly then the only option out of the two if you want to enjoy HD viewing is HDMI. So the relative merits of the two don't really apply in that context.

[soulboy77]

...And HDMI cables are neater, don't look hideous and do not come unseated easily like Scart cables!

[Roush]

Totally agree, HDMI is the only sensible choice for connecting modern home entertainment equipment. You should only consider analogue connections if you still have early HD equipment that does not have digital interconnects.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

SCART cannot handle HD resolution video

Here we go again How do you think HDTV's worked before HDMI came along?

SCART can handle HD video. A component YPbPr colourspace signal can be transmitted on pins 7, 11 and 15.

As a practicle example, my cable STB can output an analogue HD signal via SCART.

The only reason analogue HD has become redundant so quickly is because the industry would much prefer we used digital standards where DRM can be imposed on us.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Totally agree, HDMI is the only sensible choice for connecting modern home entertainment equipment. You should only consider analogue connections if you still have early HD equipment that does not have digital interconnects.

Quality wise you need HDMI for HD, that's all - RGB SCART is just as good with SD signals, and often people find it better.

Quote:

Here we go again How do you think HDTV's worked before HDMI came along?

Sorry, but you're talking nonsense. They used the American Component system, NOT RGB SCART.

Quote:

SCART can handle HD video. A component YPbPr colourspace signal can be transmitted on pins 7, 11 and 15.

There's nothing mentioned about SCART in that PDF, as you would expect for an American document - where SCART was never used. SCART also has never supported Component, but the higher quality RGB instead.

Quote:

As a practicle example, my cable STB can output an analogue HD signal via SCART.

I would suggest it simply outputs a downscaled SD version of the HD signal, as all SCART sockets on HD boxes do.

Quote:

The only reason analogue HD has become redundant so quickly is because the industry would much prefer we used digital standards where DRM can be imposed on us.

It's Component which has been replaced, but you've got the reason correct Not a problem in the UK though, as we never really used it much, we used SCART instead.

But the world has changed, SCART is pretty well obselete now, with TV's only having a single SCART and multiple HDMI's.

[pocatello]

Modern tv's are digital, there are fixed pixels, feeding them an analog signal is not optimal or necessary in any way. Hdmi cables/devices are cheap now, there is little reason to use anything else if you care about image quality.

[captainkremmen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Totally agree, HDMI is the only sensible choice for connecting modern home entertainment equipment. You should only consider analogue connections if you still have early HD equipment that does not have digital interconnects.



Here we go again How do you think HDTV's worked before HDMI came along?

SCART can handle HD video. A component YPbPr colourspace signal can be transmitted on pins 7, 11 and 15.

As a practicle example, my cable STB can output an analogue HD signal via SCART.

The only reason analogue HD has become redundant so quickly is because the industry would much prefer we used digital standards where DRM can be imposed on us.

SCART has never supported HD resolutions, at least not that I am aware of. In the US Component Video was used to provide analogue HD prior to HDMI, and is also present on some European equipment too. The US never used SCART connectors at all. There's no real reason why the SCART specifications could not have been upgraded to support component video analogue signals, it was just never upgraded to do so. We used RGB for the highest quality via SCART, and I would presume adding a spec to support component video HD would probably have meant that equipment would no longer support RGB or S-Video, pissing off European consumers who didn't have HD at the time.

[pavier]

Also scart signals are prone to interference and degradation from nearby electrical equipment and cabling and as such it's worth spending a little extra for a scart cable with proper shielding, where as a £1.50 HDMI cable should work just as well as a £50 cable, unless one is faulty.

[spiney2]

No reason in principle Y you can't send the 30/15 MHz analogue video components HD video via scart, but you'd need to be careful about reflections and crosstalk.

A digital connection avoids such issues, of course. However, HDMI is mainly about HDCP - protecting copyright - not consumer convenience.

Since ANY digital format is converted to analogue beofre displaying, at some point, exactly where this happens is the issue!

[Roush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiney2

No reason in principle Y you can't send the 30/15 MHz analogue video components HD video via scart, but you'd need to be careful about reflections and crosstalk.

Exactly. SCART != RGB / S-Video. It was revised some time ago to allow for analogue HD and component YPbPr colurspace can and often is transmitted via SCART.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I would suggest it simply outputs a downscaled SD version of the HD signal, as all SCART sockets on HD boxes do.

Nope, it's a native 1080i HD YPbPr signal transmitted via SCART. I use this setup sometimes with an early HD projector that only has analogue inputs. There's a second SCART output for a VCR connection that only outputs an SD RGB signal but the TV out SCART definitely transmitts HD YPbPr.

[pocatello]

Well in practice how many actually support any analog hd. In the us even bluray players are nerfed to 480i for component. You have to use hdmi.

[alan_m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pavier

Also scart signals are prone to interference and degradation from nearby electrical equipment and cabling and as such it's worth spending a little extra for a scart cable with proper shielding, where as a £1.50 HDMI cable should work just as well as a £50 cable, unless one is faulty.

You can buy all screened lead SCARTs for a couple of quid. Price is not necessarily an indication of quality.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Exactly. SCART != RGB / S-Video. It was revised some time ago to allow for analogue HD and component YPbPr colurspace can and often is transmitted via SCART.

I've never heard any such suggestion, can you offer any examples of sets that do it? - I can't believe there are any?.

Quote:

Nope, it's a native 1080i HD YPbPr signal transmitted via SCART. I use this setup sometimes with an early HD projector that only has analogue inputs. There's a second SCART output for a VCR connection that only outputs an SD RGB signal but the TV out SCART definitely transmitts HD YPbPr.

Your cable box 'may' have a completely non-standard use of the socket, simply switching it to use pins for Component - to save having Component sockets on the box. Sharp did something similar, a completely non-standard use of a VGA socket to use a Component/VGA lead on the set, saving fitting the sockets.

[grahamlthompson]

The topfield 5800 can output YCrPb component or RGB from it's TV scart. It's not of course in HD.

In my case it's very handy since it's connected to a AV amplfier which acts as a switching hub. AV amplifiers generally only talk component not RGB.

[Franglais]

many thanks everybody for your helpful comments!