Can I use a Freeview box if there is no SCART connector on my TV?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Very few of the current Freeview boxes have both SCART and UHF outputs, but you will have to check.
This is done mainly to keep the costs down, but it saves any possible interference from the box itself with the incoming Freeview signals.
So with the a few boxes - often PVRs - you can watch (and record) Freeview channels via a UHF channel.
However, the best possible picture quality is obtained using the "RGB" output on the SCART connector, so if you switch the box to a new TV at some point, you should use the SCART then.
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Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Claire Nicholls: Your options are ... limited.
You may be able to cable (from Virgin Media) or Freesat - but not having a SCART input to your set limits your options.
For the cost of buying a "modulator" you can almost get a new LCD television set.
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Thursday, 16 June 2011
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Nick11:28 PM
Woodbridge
I have a set top box and cannot get it to come through on a tv with no scart, box is called Digilogic. This switchover thing really does seem to be a rip off. How do I locate a box that WILL work via the aerial socket, short of asking the shop who tend to tell you what you want to hear?
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Nick's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Nick11:32 PM
Woodbridge
Sky gives a sharper picture via the aerial connections than Scart on a crt tv, so even if the tv has a scart, I would prefer a box that delivers via the aerial.
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Nick's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 17 June 2011
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jb387:27 AM
Nick: Any set top box that's intended to be used to feed a TV via its aerial socket has to be the type with a built in RF modulator, many of them have this facility built in as standard, although its not always immediately obvious whether or not they do without checking the specification in the devices operating manual, it has to be said that many of the lower end price ranges don't have them for obvious reasons, this also applying to lower priced PVR's.
Separate RF modulator boxes are obtainable from places such as Maplins etc, these being about £20.00 or so.
As far as sharpness of picture is concerned via an aerial socket, it depends entirely on the devices being used, as the picture on some TV's (even LCD's) can appear as being sharper via its aerial over the scart socket input, likewise scart RGB inputs being used (which is technically the best) doesn't unfortunately always give the best picture over the standard composite (CVBS) video input even although its technically inferior.
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Nick10:15 AM
Woodbridge
Nick: Thanks JB. Is the modulator box also a freeview box, or do I have to add a ninth socket to those already in use for the tv and hi fi?
Do you know why the picture is also a bit smaller as well as noticeably clearer via the aerial on Sky? Thanks.
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Nick's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Sunday, 19 June 2011
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Anne2:18 PM
Hi I have sky+ and am trying to connect multi room sky to an hitachi tv that is a monitor only and only has 1 hdmi output. I am trying to connect using a philips dvdr
Any help?
Thanks. Anne
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jb388:27 PM
Nick: No, the RF modulator referred to is simply an external box that takes the place of an internal modulator.
These external modulators usually being fed from either the scart or composite video (CVBS) output sockets on the device that doesn't have the modulator, or anything else if it comes to it, like a DVD etc.
Pictures can sometimes appear better via an aerial socket (on some sets) for another reason, this being because anything fed into a TV via the aerial socket goes through a lot more processing than what it does via the same devices scart input, the auto gain circuitry etc associated with aerial sourced inputs resulting in a more consistently evenly balanced picture that doesn't suffer from the same level of variations in brilliance / contrast on changing scenes, this unlike what is sometimes witnessed via scart connections, or even worse using RGB connections.
All said though totally dependant on the particular type of analogue TV being used, and whether or not the CRT has started to go downhill emission wise.
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Monday, 20 June 2011
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Nick8:34 AM
Woodbridge
Nick: Thanks JB, but do you know why the pic is smaller on the aerial connection too? Still fills the screen. Wish there were an easy way to get the freeview box to go through the aerial too, as that picture is also big, and less clear.
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Nick's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Mike Dimmick1:25 PM
Nick: When you say the picture is smaller, how does it compare? Does it have black bars at top and bottom? At left and right?
It could simply be that the modulated output only carries 4:3 picture information and not full widescreen, and also possibly that the channel is broadcast in the compromise 14:9 ratio. See More than just a pretty face... , which mentions (scroll down to 'Wot no AFDs?') that Sky digiboxes do not send the Active Format Descriptor to the set.
SCART can signal that a picture is widescreen using the status/aspect ratio pin 8.
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Nick11:23 PM
Woodbridge
Nick: No black bars Mike, when tv and Sky set to widescreen, just a little smaller, correct shape, and altogether sharper via aerial connections, but only sharper because the smaller pics are always so, through scart it is ok, but better the other way.
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Nick's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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