Sky+ help please

TCP/IP

Hello Everybody,

Does the Sky+ box have S-Video out or do any of the other Sky boxes have it. And the last question does the NTL digibox have S-Video as well.

Many thanks,
Leigh

the_viper2kie

Why do you want S-Video out? i was under the impression that RGB was superior in quality. Correct me if i'm wrong someone. And as for a sky+ box it does have an RGB output.

HK

TCP/IP

my plasma does not have a scart connector so i need to use an RGB to S-Video scart connector at the moment so it would be Ideal for me if the Sky+ had an S-Video connection

the_viper2kie

ah ok...sorry bout that, me and my cheap setup!!
http://www.avforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-136804.html
have a look here, the seem to suggest an RGB to VGA converter, i presume you've got VGA on your plasma?

HK

the_viper2kie

To be more specific there was a grundig Sky+ box that did have an S-video out...that was some time ago so i dont know if todays models have them. Hope this helps


HK

pH

My Sky+ (PACE V2) has a s-video socket.

However the one time I went to use it I could only get a Black & White picture on my Sony TV

Since I use the RGB output it hasn't really bothered me.

pH

TCP/IP

cool i wonder is there a site that gives the full specs of the latest sky+ boxes

the_viper2kie

I do remember when i got sky for the first time with their freebox offer, just ordinary skydigital now, they wouldn't let me specify the box i wanted. They just said i had to take whatever the engineer had with him on the day. Turns out i went to a smallish installer and he let me choose. But then seeing as you are paying for the Sky+ box i cant see why they wouldn't let you pick and choose the one you want. You are paying for it afterall. It might be a good idea to contact your local dealer and ask what box's they're installing at the moment or others they have at their disposal and then google to see if you can get the spec for that piece of hardware.

HK

byte

The only digiboxes to have S-Video was indeed the Grundig series. I think the last Grundig models were the GDS 300/310 models. Grundig have been taken over by Thomson though, and I don't think the new Thomson digiboxes have S-Video.

zilog_jones

Originally posted by pH
My Sky+ (PACE V2) has a s-video socket.

However the one time I went to use it I could only get a Black & White picture on my Sony TV

Yeah, that's because either the SCART socket on your TV couldn't take S-video signals and was taking it as a composite video signal, or you had your TV set on the wrong AV input (if there are multiple AV input channels, that is - if there aren't, then your TV can *only* take composite and RGB video).

And just to clear up things as to which is best, here's all the main types of analogue TV connections from worst to best quality:

- RF (i.e. an aerial)
- Composite or CVBS (the single yellow RCA plugs) - all video in one connection
- S-video or Y/C - Luminance and chromiance separated into two connections (connected with a mini-DIN or SCART plug)
- Component, Colour Difference, YUV, Y/Pb/Pr or Y/Cb/Cr (three RCA jacks) - weird separation of colours into 3 connections; native colour format of MPEG2 video (like on DVDs and digital TV)
- RGB(S) (through a SCART lead, or even better 4 BNC connections) - signal separated into red, green, blue and composite sync; native colour format of any TV tube or LCD/plasma screen or whatever.

The only thing better than that kind of RGB is RGB with separate horizontal and vertical sync lines, like that used with analogue VGA monitors.

pH

Yeah, that's because either the SCART socket on your TV couldn't take S-video signals and was taking it as a composite video signal, or you had your TV set on the wrong AV input (if there are multiple AV input channels, that is - if there aren't, then your TV can *only* take composite and RGB video).

Nope - this was using a s-video cable direct into the front s-video port on the SONY TV. I've had no problems using this cable and port for s-video out on various laptops, the black and white picture was produced by the s-video output on my sky+.

pH

zilog_jones

Oh. Well then maybe your Sky box wasn't set properly for S-video out, or it was doing something very silly like outputting the video in NTSC which would have made absolutely no sense at all, but still could have happened.

Greenman

cool i wonder is there a site that gives the full specs of the latest sky+ boxes

This might be the link that you are looking for!!!