[g7mzh]

Morning all,

Are there any Freeview boxes with a second SCART socket (still usually marked "VCR"!) where this can be selected manually?

All the ones I've got rely on the 12v switching line to select, but I've got so much equipment that doesn't generate this (and my new DVD player hasn't even got a SCART socket!), I need to select it by pressing a button.

Any reccommendations? (A modulator wouild be nice too, so I can watch it in the kitchen, but not essential).

Thanks
LAurence

[gomezz]

Perhaps you are using a SCART lead with no Pin 8? All the Freeview boxes I have used will raise Pin 8 when turned on.

[N.Dean]

On our old Philips Freeview box, there is a button which switches between Freeview and SCART input. It also switches manually, when it detects a signal on the SCART input.
That box is over 5 years old. I would imagine that boxes with this feature are still available.
Can you go into a shop and look at the remote controls?

[Luis Essex]

Originally Posted by gomezz

All the Freeview boxes I have used will raise Pin 8 when turned on.

On the twin scart Freeview boxes that I have used this happens on the scart marked 'TV' or 'AUX1' or 'Out' but not on the output of the scart socket marked 'VCR' or 'AUX2' or 'In/Out'

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Luis Essex

On the twin scart Freeview boxes that I have used this happens on the scart marked 'TV' or 'AUX1' or 'Out' but not on the output of the scart socket marked 'VCR' or 'AUX2' or 'In/Out'

That's because the TV SCART is an output, and the VCR one an input - when you press play on your VCR pin 8 is set high, and this feeds IN to the VCR SCART socket. The box detects this high level, and switches the VCR SCART through to the TV SCART to feed to the TV.

It's a very simple process.

[Luis Essex]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

That's because the TV SCART is an output, and the VCR one an input - when you press play on your VCR pin 8 is set high, and this feeds IN to the VCR SCART socket. The box detects this high level, and switches the VCR SCART through to the TV SCART to feed to the TV.

The VCR socket on all my equipament has always been for either input or output. There use to be people who would not dream of connecting the 'VCR' socket to their VCR/DVD recorder as the TV signal outputs RG, and therefore connected the TV socket to the VCR/DVD recorder for improved recording quality.

What ever the historical reason for only outputting the pin 8 signal to one of a twin scart STB's sockets, the point I was trying to make (albeit very badly) was that some of g7mzh apparent failures for his boxes to switch may be because he is using the VCR socket to output to the TV instead of the TV socket.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Luis Essex

The VCR socket on all my equipament has always been for either input or output.

It has inputs and outputs for video and audio (so you can both record and play), but it's essentially an 'input' as all signalling on the socket is input only - which incidentally is EXACTLY the same as a full SCART on a TV set.

There use to be people who would not dream of connecting the 'VCR' socket to their VCR/DVD recorder as the TV signal outputs RG, and therefore connected the TV socket to the VCR/DVD recorder for improved recording quality.

Not much point on a VCR as there's no RGB on a VCR

But for DVD recorders (that accept RGB inputs - and only some do) it's a VERY worthwhile improvement.

Obviously you lose the pass through capability though, as you're using an output only (the TV SCART).

What ever the historical reason for only outputting the pin 8 signal to one of a twin scart STB's sockets, the point I was trying to make (albeit very badly) was that some of g7mzh apparent failures for his boxes to switch may be because he is using the VCR socket to output to the TV instead of the TV socket.

It's not really 'historical', it's the absolutely obvious (and carefully designed) way for it to work. To be fair to the French (not something I do very often ) it was pretty well thought out, even if the mechanics of it are rather weak. It pre-dates VCR and set-top boxes, and it's original design use was for adding an external teletext decoder, hence it having RGB inputs and fast RGB blanking.

His failure to switch is because his DVD player doesn't have a SCART socket - not because he's using the wrong socket - which is why he's looking for a Freeview box with a button on the handset.

[g7mzh]

His failure to switch is because his DVD player doesn't have a SCART socket - not because he's using the wrong socket - which is why he's looking for a Freeview box with a button on the handset.

Thanks Nigel, yes, I need a manual switch because my sources don't provide the switching signal. The only handset with an "A/V" button doesn't in fact control the box, it's to be programmed to work the input select on the TV.

If I can't find one, I'll have to take it apart and run the input select off the "Radio" LED - since radio won't be needed in this position.

rgds
LAurence

[gomezz]

Sounds like the kind of problem an activity-based universal remote control is good at handling.

[librarian]

Originally Posted by g7mzh

Morning all,

Are there any Freeview boxes with a second SCART socket (still usually marked "VCR"!) where this can be selected manually?

All the ones I've got rely on the 12v switching line to select, but I've got so much equipment that doesn't generate this (and my new DVD player hasn't even got a SCART socket!), I need to select it by pressing a button.

Any reccommendations? (A modulator wouild be nice too, so I can watch it in the kitchen, but not essential).

Thanks
LAurence

my STBHDSI201 has two scarts and has a tv/vcr button on the remote, i have connected it to an external rf modulator so i can watch it around the house, and i have attached a play station 2 to it, by selecting tv/vcr on the remote, the unit routes the playstation through the box, so should be ideal

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by g7mzh

If I can't find one, I'll have to take it apart and run the input select off the "Radio" LED - since radio won't be needed in this position.

Nice plan

Assuming your box has a radio LED of course, which presumably it has?.

[StoppingService]

Hi

Originally Posted by g7mzh

Are there any Freeview boxes with a second SCART socket where this can be selected manually?

Doesn't putting the Freeview box into Standby have the desired effect?

Regards

[g7mzh]

Originally Posted by StoppingService

Doesn't putting the Freeview box into Standby have the desired effect?

Not on the one I've got here; it also turns off the modulator, so I can't watch it elsewhere in the house.

rgds

[gomezz]

There could be a Power Saving setting that lets you put the box into standby with the modulator still turned on?

[StoppingService]

Hi

Originally Posted by g7mzh

Not on the one I've got here; it also turns off the modulator, so I can't watch it elsewhere in the house.

Here's a combination of accessories which works with a FV STB of mine and satisfies your requirements:

Get an accessory separate RF modulator.
Get two Scart to Scart couplers with 3 Phono break-out [eBay].
Get a 3 Phono to 3 Phono lead [eBay] [eBay]

For best (RGB) quality viewing from the FV STB to its local/adjacent TV, connect from its "TV Scart" to the TV's "Scart".

Wire the modulator's "Aerial In" and "Aerial Out" connections into your aerial feed to the distant TVs.

Connect a Scart-Scart lead from the AV device whose signal you want to pass-through the FV STB to the first Scart coupler. Connect one end of the 3 Phono lead to the break-out connections of the first Scart coupler, set the coupler's Direction switch to OUT, plug the coupler into the FV STB's "VCR Scart".

Connect the other end of the 3 Phono lead to the modulator's 3 Phono input (if it's Scart input only, use the break-out/in connections of the second Scart coupler to achieve this).

Provided you have/can find, a FV STB which (in Standby) regurgitates from its "VCR Scart" OUTPUT pins any signals put on that socket's INPUT pins, the above allows RGB signals from the FV STB and all upstream devices connected to its "VCR Scart" to reach the local TV, modulates the composite video signal from the FV STB to the distant TVs and (when its in Standby) does so for all your other upstream devices. The non-Pin 8 devices require "AV" to be manually selected on the local TV.

I use my FV STB which behaves as above, to play Freeview radio stations and the audio from VCRs/DVDs/PVRs in another room, from the micro-hifi in my kitchen!

Regards

[g7mzh]

Get an accessory separate RF modulator.
Get two Scart to Scart couplers with 3 Phono break-out [eBay].
Get a 3 Phono to 3 Phono lead [eBay] [eBay]

Yes ... I was rather hoping to avoid having to do that!

The next problem is to check whether the SCART switching input will will work with only 5v up it (because the DVD player has no SCART socket, it has no switching line - it does, however, have a USB socket!)

Much experimenting to follow, I think.

rgds

[SteveMcK]

Originally Posted by g7mzh

Yes ... I was rather hoping to avoid having to do that!

The next problem is to check whether the SCART switching input will will work with only 5v up it (because the DVD player has no SCART socket, it has no switching line - it does, however, have a USB socket!)

Many modern TVs take 6v on the SCART pin 8 as a "16:9 source" signal, they'll switch to SCART but go to widescreen mode. That's probably what you need, so hopefully it will be OK.

Much experimenting to follow, I think.

Have fun