Connecting a VCR, Freeview Box, and TV

bazsal

Ok. Here Goes.

I have just bought my in laws a freeview box for Xmas. They have a TV with 2 scart sockets, the freeview has two and the vcr 1. I also bought a SCART extension thingy which has 1 input and two outputs. (its a manual one where you have to flick a button to change which SCART its going to. It says the TV needs to go to the input, but I thought it would be the VCR given that is the one with only one SCART)

What is the best and easiest way of connecting all three so they can tape terrestrial and digital (presumably the digital is like sky and you can only tape the channel you are wathing) and do everything they need to?

I've managed to get everything connected, and it all seems OK, but swithcing between devices seems a bit awkward and there must be a better way

I think have confused myself, because the instructions in the Freeview box, the VCR is only connected to the box and not the telly via SCART - which presumably means you can only tape digital?

robnye

i think it shoudl work like this

tv socket 1 + 2

freview scocket 1 + 2

vcr scoket 1

connect vcr scokect to scoket 2 of freeview

connect freeview socket 1 to scoket 1 on tv

you should be able to tape freeview on the vcr using channel av1

from the tv watch the video on av1

do you have normal tv aerial?

if so connect aerial from wall to video then video to tv

that way you should be able to tape bbc1/bbc2/itv/ch4/ch5 (if you get it) on vcr as normal

Woby_Tide

robnye is correct. Using the scart extension seemingly gains nothing, to record terrestrial you just use a standard RF lead from your wall aerial to your VCR, a scart won't help on that part ofthe equation

MarkyMarkD

thanks for that -does that mean the tv is connected to the video via the rf lead rather than scart though?  

the reason i bought the scart extension thing is so I cculd connect everything by scart or am i misuderstanding it?

Robyne isn't correct. You can't watch the video on the TV using AV1 as you no longer have a SCART connection from the video to the TV. Instead you'll have to watch the TV on a tuned-in RF channel.

And that will only work, in turn, if the video generates an RF signal - my Ferguson one doesn't, for example.

Joe_Bloggs

Some dual scart devices will route signals between their scarts whan they are in standby mode. Hence you might be able to view the scart output of your video recorder through the second scart of the freeview box routed through to the first scart of the freeview box via a single AV scart on your TV.

You can only view what the video recorder is receiving via its scart lead from the freeview box or aerial input by tuning into the video recorders RF output. You will have to do this to see on screen graphics from the video eg tape counter situation etc.

If your freeview box does not route through on its scarts then switching the video scart to the second freeview scart for recording and back to the second TV scart will for playback will work as well.

Where possible turn of the RF outputs of devices that are going unused they may cause interference with analogue TV and much weaker digital terrestrial signals.
J_B.

robnye

Robyne isn't correct.  You can't watch the video on the TV using AV1 as you no longer have a SCART connection from the video to the TV.  Instead you'll have to watch the TV on a tuned-in RF channel.

And that will only work, in turn, if the video generates an RF signal - my Ferguson one doesn't, for example.

my goodmans can, i share pass the dvd through the goodmans video and can watch either on AV2, my other video uses AV1 which also the same as direct cable box

slight mistake, you can change the scart lead from the video to the freeview to video to tv to allow for improved picture from video