Attempts to keep using Hitachi screen after media box died

[NorthernBoy]

Good afternoon, all. I'm afraid that my first question may well turn out to be a composite one, as so many avenues seem possible.

I have a Hitachi plasma screen, which takes a DVI-style input from its own media box (Hitachi AV3000E). The media box takes the scart/composite etc inputs, and then sends the selected source up the DVI (And S-video) wire to the display. This was all fine (if a bit old-tech, not having any HDMI inputs) until the media box died. It turns out that a new one is prohibitively expensive, so I thought that I was looking at a new TV, before it occurred to me to buy an HDMI to DVI adaptor, and to use that to run the display from my Tiscali box's HDMI output. Switching between different sources (PS3, Apple TV, DVD player, tiscali box) was to be an issue for later.

So, off I went, bought the adaptor, screwed it to my DVI cable, and immediately got apple TV working fine. Unfortunately, the DVD player (A TEAC stereo and DVD box) seemed unwilling to play ball, and I got nothing on the screen. Similarly with my Tiscali TV box. The HDMI output was selected in the menu (difficult, when my screen was blank), but it would not display anything on the Hitachi screen (nor on my Panasonic portable LCD TV that I borrowed to allow me to actually see the Tiscali menus while making the change).

So, I seem to have a nice screen, but an inability to display any TV on it. I read a comment somewhere that the "DVI" input on the screen is actually not wired up as DVI normally is, (but that rather, Hitachi use the DVI style of connection with different wiring), but if this is so, it is strange that I could drive the screen directly from my computer, or (using the HDMI to DVI adaptor) from the Apple TV.

Can anyone think of a solution that would let me drive it any other way? For example, is there an AV receiver that will take SCART and HDMI inputs, and output DVI (or HDMI) in a way that the Hitachi will recognise (remembering that Hitachi screen only has DVI style input, no HDMI)?

My other option is to buy a new screen, or TV, and to get rid of what is a very nice Hitachi display. If I do this, I really like the look of the new Hitachis with a single HDMI input, but I then come back to the problem that my Tiscali box seems only happy to do SCART out, so I'd still need a box to take this (presumably via a SCART to three lead composite adaptor) and to output HDMI.

As I said above, sorry, this is a bit more of a composite question rather than a simple "will X work" that I'd prefer to ask, but I seem to be a bit stuck between several partial solutions right now, facing either throwing out a working display, having to buy a receiver that I'd not intended to, or buying a TV for more money than I'd hoped, and which looks less good, just to get all of the inputs on the TV itself.

Cheers in advance for anyone who's read this far, and is willing to comment. Any ideas/alternatives gratefully accepted.

 

[davepuma]

As the issue appears to be with the TV, I would use the search function using your TV's model number. I think the TV forum (Plasma?) would be more appropriate for this question.

Did you connect up the box to the LCD using SCART? I would connect it up using SCART and then check the resolution settings.

Some AV Receivers are able to take an analogue input e.g. composite video (yellow), s-video and component video and convert this to HDMI. However, not all amps are compatible with DVI and will not pass anything (Sony springs to mind) or shut off audio altogether. RGB SCART can be converted to component video, which AV Receivers can accept using a suitable converter e.g. JS-Technology or QED.

 

[NorthernBoy]

Thanks for your reply.

The Tiscali box runs the portable LCD via scart fine, but as there is no SCART input on the plasma, I can't check that one out. When I try my HDMI-DVI cable from the Tiscali box into it, it just drops into power saving mode, suggesting that it can see no input at all.

My plan of action is next to buy a cheap AV teceiver, and see if that will run the plasma screen. If so, the Tiscali box can go via that. If not, I'll use it in lieu of the HDMI switch that I'd need with the new screen anyway, so will not be too far out of pocket (the new screen has only 1 input, a single HDMI.

It is a bit frustrating, as my HDMI-DVI cable lets my PS3 and my apple TV run the plasma fine, but my TEAC DVD player and Tiscali box seem to leave it completely unmoved.

 

[neil68]

Hi Northern Boy,
I have the same problem. I have asked around and I've been told it might be a analogue/digital problem? Apparently, there is a converter available! Check out these sites:
Component to DVI Converter Adapter
or CYP Europe - CP-260D YUV TO DVI-I Converter or
CM3-48ST, Convert RGB Scart, YUV, SV or CV to DVI
Hope this helps?
Cheers, Neil.