Hi Folks,
Interesting to come across this thread just as I was about to write one very similar myself. At least I am not alone!
(This is actually my second attempt, as I just spent half an hour writing it out, then lost the lot when I clicked on preview and it asked me to log in again. Seems I will never learn never to trust these thigs
!)
Anyhow, we have a Virgin basic account/Samsung cable box, and a RDR-HXD870 as per this thread. They are plugged side by side into the dual scart sockets of out oldish Hitachi hire TV.
I have been puzzled for some time by this vertical travelling wave phenomenon, and by the fact that the cable box line direct to the TV gives a sharp and dense picture with a good solid black and a bright sound; whereas viewing the same thing via the DVDR gives a rather diffuse snowy black, a less solid picture, and a rather muffled sound.
I've spent a long time trying numerous cabling arrangements and internal settings, but all I have managed to do is to reverse the direction of the waves: to the left with DVDR/Cable at the TV sockets, to the right with Cable/DVDR...
Otherwise, the best that I have been able to do is to use a scart to video converter to feed the cable box output into the front Line2 in of the recorder. This gives a less wavy picture but it is still not perfect, and not as good as the direct feed to the TV from the cable box.
Would I be right in assuming that the 'IN/Out' switch on this converter lead acts to cut off your the 'Pin 19' discussed here?
If so, is there a 'normal' scart lead that incorporates such a switch, so that I don't have a lead that might cause confusion later on if I start cutting pins out?
If I do try cutting pin 19, I presume this means I won't be able to record direct from the TV any more?
Are there any other things I might miss if I do cut this pin?
It does sound like the ideas discussed here might help me sort this problem, as I did at first think it was a stray signal effect (we used to get similar things on our old VCR when it happened to have its carrier signal tuned a tad too close to Channel5).
However, when I unplug the aerial feed to the DVDR or the cable's direct scart to TV, the problem persists.
Also when I tried using the scart-video converter lead, from the DVDR output to the front video sockets on the TV the waves are instantly produced as the white plug makes contact. This seems to imply it is a signal from the DVDR itself which is causing the problem.
And, if this is a feedback problem from the tv itself, why is only the Cable source affected: the normal output from the DVDR's internal tuners is fine?
The normal output from the DVDR's internal tuners is fine so it seems to be the Samsung box or Virgin cable itself, and DVDR that donÂ’t get on, but possibly I have missed something.
All a tad confusing to me, but I am no technician!
Any further thoughts anyone?
Cheers
S