Problem with Quintro+

Chris Simon · 05-05-2006, 18:27

I have taken the plunge and bought a Quintro+ SCART router from Keene, however I've got a problem with it.

I can't get it to do widescreen switching on SCARTs 2, 3, and 4. Only SCART 5 seems to do it. With only a TV SCART plugged in, I can plug in a SCART lead from a Sky box (from its TV output) into SCART 5 and the TV switches to 16:9, but if I take it out and plug it into 2, 3 or 4 the TV switches to 4:3. Plugging it back into 5 forces the TV back to 16:9.

Can any other owners confirm that it's supposed to do switching on all inputs and can you verify that you're getting switching on 2, 3 and 4?

Chris Simon · 05-05-2006, 22:28

After thinking about this logically, I wonder if indeed there are any auto-switches at all that deal with widescreen switching correctly...

SCART 5 is the only one that has parallel phono sockets next to it, which are also wired into the front phonos. It can auto-switch whenever a camcorder is plugged into it so I suspect the signal-sensing of SCART 5 is different from the other sockets, i.e. it looks at a signal arriving at the video pins rather than Pin 8.

An auto-switch unit would normally use Pin 8 to detect which unit is powered on. This pin is also used for the widescreen switching signal. Perhaps the auto-switches simply put their own "I'm here" signal onto Pin 8 rather than passing through what comes in on the input...either that or the circuitry to sense the Pin 8 signal drains too much power from it and causes the wrong widescreen command to be passed through.

Does anyone have the Tristar AV Control Centre from Argos - does that handle widescreen switching correctly?

Cobson · 08-05-2006, 09:23

The link mentioned towards the end of our last thread on this subject:

http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/...hlight=quintro

shows how one guy solved this problem by replacing some of the resistors inside the switch so that the pin-8 voltage doesn't drop so much.

Maybe the different circuitry on port 5 results in a smaller voltage drop.

It is only really a problem with Sky as it relies solely on pin-8 for ws switching. Most other devices use line-23 wss as well as pin-8, and so work fine. I have NTL and freeview boxes on ports 2 and 3 which switch aspect correctly.

Cobson · 08-05-2006, 09:55

Thinking about that resistor mod, and how it would invalidate your warranty, maybe you could just modify a scart lead by soldering a resistor onto the pin-8 wire, i.e. so that it is in series with the one in the switch ?

Chris Simon · 08-05-2006, 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobson

It is only really a problem with Sky as it relies solely on pin-8 for ws switching.

It was the same whether I used the Sky box or playhing back a recording from the DVDR/HDD recorder.

I knew about the previous posts mentioning WS problems but had to take a chance really as it seemed pot luck as to whether your particular combination of equipment will work with the box - and this is the only box that has multiple, independant RGB outputs.

My problem seems to be the other way around actually. Other people have had problems with the TV going to 16:9 (6v on pin 8) when it should be 4:3 (12v). What mine did was to show 4:3 (12v) when it should be 16:9 (6v), which doesn't sound like the same problem of current drain.

Anyway - I've now sent it back. It may well be a faulty unit that I've got, but there's no guarantee that Keene will find the same fault, and if they send me a different box, that it will work with my equipment. It's all a bit messy.

I's a bit more expensive and the cabling will be a bit more 'extensive', but I've decided to try the "amplified splitter" approach to achieve SCART routing...

Using just the TV output from each unit (so that I get full RGB output), the output will go into a 2-way amplified splitter/distributor, so I can then send the output to both a TV (via a 4-way remote control switch that I've just bought from Argos

) and to the HDD/DVDR via a 3-way switch. This will allow flexibility of being able to do one thing in the background while doing something else, e.g. transferring a 4-hour VHS tape to HDD, or a HDD recording to DVD in real time, while viewing a Sky box or a DVD.

05-05-2006, 18:27	#1
Chris Simon Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Snowdonia Posts: 2,725	Problem with Quintro+ I have taken the plunge and bought a Quintro+ SCART router from Keene, however I've got a problem with it. I can't get it to do widescreen switching on SCARTs 2, 3, and 4. Only SCART 5 seems to do it. With only a TV SCART plugged in, I can plug in a SCART lead from a Sky box (from its TV output) into SCART 5 and the TV switches to 16:9, but if I take it out and plug it into 2, 3 or 4 the TV switches to 4:3. Plugging it back into 5 forces the TV back to 16:9. Can any other owners confirm that it's supposed to do switching on all inputs and can you verify that you're getting switching on 2, 3 and 4?

05-05-2006, 22:28	#2
Chris Simon Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Snowdonia Posts: 2,725	After thinking about this logically, I wonder if indeed there are any auto-switches at all that deal with widescreen switching correctly... SCART 5 is the only one that has parallel phono sockets next to it, which are also wired into the front phonos. It can auto-switch whenever a camcorder is plugged into it so I suspect the signal-sensing of SCART 5 is different from the other sockets, i.e. it looks at a signal arriving at the video pins rather than Pin 8. An auto-switch unit would normally use Pin 8 to detect which unit is powered on. This pin is also used for the widescreen switching signal. Perhaps the auto-switches simply put their own "I'm here" signal onto Pin 8 rather than passing through what comes in on the input...either that or the circuitry to sense the Pin 8 signal drains too much power from it and causes the wrong widescreen command to be passed through. Does anyone have the Tristar AV Control Centre from Argos - does that handle widescreen switching correctly?

08-05-2006, 09:23	#3
Cobson Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 578	The link mentioned towards the end of our last thread on this subject: http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/...hlight=quintro shows how one guy solved this problem by replacing some of the resistors inside the switch so that the pin-8 voltage doesn't drop so much. Maybe the different circuitry on port 5 results in a smaller voltage drop. It is only really a problem with Sky as it relies solely on pin-8 for ws switching. Most other devices use line-23 wss as well as pin-8, and so work fine. I have NTL and freeview boxes on ports 2 and 3 which switch aspect correctly.

08-05-2006, 09:55	#4
Cobson Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 578	Thinking about that resistor mod, and how it would invalidate your warranty, maybe you could just modify a scart lead by soldering a resistor onto the pin-8 wire, i.e. so that it is in series with the one in the switch ?

08-05-2006, 10:17	#5
Chris Simon Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Snowdonia Posts: 2,725	Quote: Originally Posted by Cobson It is only really a problem with Sky as it relies solely on pin-8 for ws switching. It was the same whether I used the Sky box or playhing back a recording from the DVDR/HDD recorder. I knew about the previous posts mentioning WS problems but had to take a chance really as it seemed pot luck as to whether your particular combination of equipment will work with the box - and this is the only box that has multiple, independant RGB outputs. My problem seems to be the other way around actually. Other people have had problems with the TV going to 16:9 (6v on pin 8) when it should be 4:3 (12v). What mine did was to show 4:3 (12v) when it should be 16:9 (6v), which doesn't sound like the same problem of current drain. Anyway - I've now sent it back. It may well be a faulty unit that I've got, but there's no guarantee that Keene will find the same fault, and if they send me a different box, that it will work with my equipment. It's all a bit messy. I's a bit more expensive and the cabling will be a bit more 'extensive', but I've decided to try the "amplified splitter" approach to achieve SCART routing... Using just the TV output from each unit (so that I get full RGB output), the output will go into a 2-way amplified splitter/distributor, so I can then send the output to both a TV (via a 4-way remote control switch that I've just bought from Argos ) and to the HDD/DVDR via a 3-way switch. This will allow flexibility of being able to do one thing in the background while doing something else, e.g. transferring a 4-hour VHS tape to HDD, or a HDD recording to DVD in real time, while viewing a Sky box or a DVD.

DS Forums

Problem with Quintro+