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Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV For the last six years, I have answered many thousands of personal emails that you have sent to UK Free TV.
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Help with TV/radio stations?
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Sunday, 12 January 2014
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Chris4:45 PM
Thanks for this Mike - Unfortunately only the one scart on the TV (though somwhere I think I have an old scart switcher but would have no idea how to hook it up now). For one brief moment it looked as if the Toshiba was coming through on Scart RGB instead of Scart AV (which is what used to happen on the Pioneer - the DVR had to me on to watch TV but ovbiously the PVR could be off to watch DVD). What I find really strange is that the Toshiba menu screen showed for about 2 minutes on this setting then having not identified any channels, just switched to standby in VHS mode and then off completely (not a promising start) - I suspect what I have to do first is at least set it up WITHOUT the Humax to see that it works at all.
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MikeB4:53 PM
Chris: If I understand correctly your intention, you are continuing to use the Humax as your main PVR, with the Toshiba as your backup, with the chance to record to DVD via the HDD and play DVD's. By the look of the PDF, it only has one DVB tuner, which makes sense considering the general spec (Panasonic did something very similar).
Personally, I'd think about using it as a 'digibox' as well, since if you've got two scarts on the back of your TV (and yes, the RCA's would work as well), you've got one box - one connection, which will make life easier.
Ok, you can daisy chain everything, but for my old CRT (I might sell new TV's, but...!), I just split the signal, so that one went to the digibox, and one went to the PVR. A good metal splitter (about £2 on Amazon or Ebay), and aerial leads joined together via the splitter in a 'Y' formation is the easiest (mine are connected via F fittings, but whatever works). And then scart to each AV imput (the most used one first) from each box. If you have an RCA input, you could use that as well, but scart is easier.
If you are going to daisy chain, then obviously make sure the RF loop through operates while in standby (they should both do that) - I'm wondering if the Humax isn't doing that, so have a look. If it isn't, then either make it, or if thats just isn't happening, try the Toshiba first.
Just think of them as two boxes, and connect them in the easiest way possible. Daisy-chaining is neat, but has the problem that like any chain, its only as strong as the weakest link, and the more links, the more there is to go wrong. The advantage with splitting th signal is that the chain is very short, and so its easier to see any problem. If your really short of scarts (and pretty much any CRT should have two scarts plus RCA's), then I'd use a scart switching box - less than a tenner on Amazon.
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MikeB5:04 PM
Chris: Your info sort of made part of my post obsolete before I could finish typing!
What TV do you have? You should have RCA's somewhere (you've got RGB, so you could get an adapter ), so you can use two devices - if you have a make/model no., we could look up the spec.
At worst, find your scart splitter - and then either add one bit to your system at a time (via aerial), or just split the aerial feed as I discribed.
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Chris5:07 PM
Thanks Mike - the TV is a Logik 23" flat screen - couldn't tell you what model without fishing out the manual - about 7 or 8 yrs old. Only has one SCART socket but refers to the two options on the source menu.
Forgive my lack of comprehension but how do I make the RF loop operate while its in standby? If I put the Toshiba in first is there a way I can record from the PVR to DVD? The splitter sounds a good idea but I have a project I need to complete sooner rather than later so I wanted to try something tonight.
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Chris5:29 PM
MikeB: Its LCXW23NT4 Manual is at :
http://documents.knowhow.….pdf
I really appreciate this.
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MikeB6:12 PM
Chris: Logik....that explains a lot! BTW - it makes no mention of a Freeview tuner - does it have one?
Ok - Start with connections that your existing equipment has. You Humax will have scart, probably RCA's (the Yellow, Red and White ones), and possible HDMI (depending on its age). Use the scart, and connect it to the back of the TV in the scart connection AV1.
Your Toshiba has lots of niceish connections on the back (I wouldn't have recommended it, but thats another matter). It has something called Component connections on the rear of it, which will look like this: Component video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - they are often called RGB (Red, Green, Blue) because...they are. Your TV also has these connections, so thats what I'd use (its sounds like you've used them with the Pioneer). You might have some kicking about (Xbox's etc still use them if needed), and also you'll need a pair of Red/White phono leads (RGB is video only), which your TV/Recorder will also have.
If you can't put your hands on them tonight, then any Maplin will do RGB's, and RCA's (try a poundstore for the latter as well).
OK - start with the aerial lead to the Humax, and check that RF loop (or something similar - hopefully a Humax owner will tell you exactly what to look for) is enabled during standby. Try looping the Tosh through, and make sure its hasn't got some sort of strange standby thing going on. If it doesn't work one way, try it the other.
Hopefully that should work, but if not, just get a splitter from Maplin tomorrow, and an extra aerial lead and split the signal. Check that the Tosh is actually working properly, since it really should not turn itself off like that, but it could be the aerial feed is loose or something.
Speaking professionally, I wouldn't have recommended the Tosh - its spec is very 3 years ago, and if you paid the internet price for it (£350ish), you could have got a Smart 32in TV with Freeview HH & Full HD from LG, Sony, Panasonic or Samsung with wifi, with 3 HDMI's, scart and RGB, and a £50 smart Blu-Ray would have done for the DVD's, etc.
Good luck, and let us know if it works.
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Chris6:54 PM
MikeB: Thanks - will give this a go - wish I'd known about the Blu-Ray (should have come to this site BEFORE worrying about getting a replaccement) - didn't realise it would do the DVDs as well - it was less than the internet price you mentioned though. The TV doesn't have a freeview tuner - it was just a little bit too old (probably why it was on offer at the tim - the new model that replaced it probably did!).
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MikeB7:41 PM
Chris: Dont worry - if you got a good price for the Tosh, then thats fine, as long as it does what you want. A blu-ray only has HDMI anyway, so your TV wouldn't be compatable.
Its just that I often have customers trying to graft old kit onto newish kit. Sometimes its worth sitting down and looking at what you want to do long term, and when you add up the alternatives, it could well be buying new makes more sense.
You'll get modern connections, tuners, features, etc, and its just easier than spending about the same amount of cash on stuff that doesn't get them much further than where they already are.
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jb388:11 PM
Chris: It would also have been of assistance as far as the signal level expected at your location is concerned if your posting had included a post code, as the level of the signal being received determines whether or not its advisable to purchase a powered splitter rather than the passive type referred to.
You can of course get a rough idea of whether the signal level received is high enough or not by checking the undermentioned Freeview programme guide number channels one at a time via the Humax, noting if any glitches are seen.
EPG channels referred to being: 1 (BBC1) - 3 (ITV1) - 10 (ITV3) - 11 (Pick TV) - 18 (4 Music)
You then bring the Toshiba into the equation by removing the aerial from the Humax and connecting it directly into the Toshiba's aerial input socket, a coax jumper lead being connected from the Toshiba's aerial out socket being connected into the Humax's aerial input, do NOT alter the scart connection between the Humax and the TV as this test does not require any connections to be made on the Toshiba other than its aerial in / out.
Power up the Toshiba to ensure that the loop through is working then carry out the EPG channel number check on the Humax in exactly the same way as was previously done, once again observing for evidence of any glitches that may have cropped up since the previous test, if none are observed then the signal level being received at your location is of a sufficiently high enough level not to cause any problems.
By the way, what is the model number of the Humax in question?
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Steve P8:19 PM
Wrexham
I recently needed to add a DVD to my TV which currently uses its two SCARTS for Freeview and FreeSky and its single HDMI for t'internet.
Looking at the boxes the DVD and TV both had YPbPr and the DVD came with a 3 way cable
Worked fine but no sound so I used just the Y for b/w and the other two for sound; then ordered a double RCA cable from Amazon. All now perfick.
I think I have one TV connection left!
Re SCART switches - obviously a manual switch will work. In theory you should be able to just string extra sources live but SCART is a very old much abused standard so it may not work!
GHASTLY design. And no retaining screws!
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Steve's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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