[wokeye]

My parents just bought an expensive Sony 40" LCD TV. At the moment it just has a regular Sky box connected to it via scart, and a VHS recorder connected via a scart. The TV only has 2 scarts but I want to connect their cheapo DVD player to it. The DVD player has a few different connections, one scart, one S-Video and a yellow coloured phono plug type thing. I have tried to tell them that they would be better off buying a decent quality DVD player and a good cable to get more out of the TV. But they are not really bothered. So I was wondering do the S-Video cables just send picture and no sound? I have feeling that that is what the yellow phono type connection does. Just cannot use Scart as previously mentioned the TV just has 2 Scart sockets that are being used. Thanks for any help.

[Brogan]

S-Video is video only.
The yellow phono is for composite video only.

If you connect the DVD player to the TV using S-Video, you will also need audio, usually via the L/R (Red/White) phono connections.

You have a few options.

1. Connect the DVD player to TV via S-Video and L/R Phono.
2. Use SCART loop through to connect DVD player to Sky to TV.
3. Buy a cheap SCART switch box allowing all devices to be connected to the TV via SCART.

[njp]

Originally Posted by wokeye

So I was wondering do the S-Video cables just send picture and no sound? I have feeling that that is what the yellow phono type connection does. Just cannot use Scart as previously mentioned the TV just has 2 Scart sockets that are being used. Thanks for any help.

S-video is just a video signal. You will need to connect the audio seperately - there will probably be red and white phono connectors for this. The yellow phono will be composite video, which is much lower quality than s-video. Avoid using this!

If the DVD Scart delivers RGB, you would be better off using this. It's possible that the VCR or SKy box has RGB pass-through, in which case you could connect via those. Or you could buy an external Scart switcher.

[wokeye]

Ok sounds great mate will try that out, I had a feeling S-Video was video only but wasn't sure.

So is composite video the same as component video or is that something else? Just I was thinking of getting a half decent component cable and trying my Toshiba SD330E DVD player via progressive scan on this TV to show them the difference between a cheap player and a half decent one to my parents, although there are probably better players available now for £70 ish than the SD330E. Just that the component cables look like a phono cable like composite. Sorry for the dumb questions

[njp]

Originally Posted by wokeye

So is composite video the same as component video or is that something else?

They are very different. Component is arguably the highest quality signal format available. RGB should be equally good - but only component can support progressive scan. Whether progressive scan will give better results than using the deinterlacer inside your TV is yet another imponderable, I'm afraid...

Just I was thinking of getting a half decent component cable and trying my Toshiba SD330E DVD player via progressive scan on this TV to show them

Good idea. You don't have to spend much to get a decent component cable, and you would be able to quickly compare results.

[wokeye]

Originally Posted by njp

Good idea. You don't have to spend much to get a decent component cable, and you would be able to quickly compare results.

Have you any idea how makes a decent priced component cable by any chance please? I assume better quality component cables do alter video quality, as I have read a lot on here that HDMI cables offer no difference whatsover, but I am guessing that component is analogue?

[njp]

Originally Posted by wokeye

Have you any idea how makes a decent priced component cable by any chance please? I assume better quality component cables do alter video quality, as I have read a lot on here that HDMI cables offer no difference whatsover, but I am guessing that component is analogue?

It is analogue, and so is prone to different types of signal degradation than a digital signal. But the engineering requirements are well understood, and easy to achieve. You can probably tell that I am not a cable mystic!

IIRC, I paid around £20 for a perfectly good 15m component cable for use with my projector, so I would expect to pay rather less than that for a short one. Say £10 or less for a 1.5m one.

[wokeye]

Ok cheers mate thanks for the great advice