Connect Sky box with HDMI cable

deko43

Hi
I bought a HDMI cable and want to hook it into my sky box.
My TV has a HDMI port but the SKY box (Panasonic) does not.
It has a 9 pin connector. Does anyone know if there is an adapter available that will solve my problem.

ethernet

I don't recall Panasonic manufacturing any HD boxes for Sky with HDMI connections. It sounds like you have a standard definition box with the bog standard scart connections. These boxes only have analogue outputs so it wouldn't be wise to use any adapter (if there were one) as you'd be converting digital to analogue (STB) and then analogue back to digital for the TV.

paulm17781

Your 9-pin connector is probably the serial for programming the box. You don't want to connect that to HDMI. As above, it's most likely an SD box. Get the HD box to use HDMI.

deko43

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I need to try and get a more up to date box out of Sky.. wishful thinking but I'll try anything once.

artful_codger

hi, is there any benefit to using a HDMI cable from sky box -> HD LCD TV if my sky box is only the normal non-HD one, or will it be the same quality picture as the scart connection for both DVD's and TV picture ?

thanks

watty

None at all and not possible.

HDMI is a HD digital interface. Only some PCs, HD satellite receivers (inc. Sky HD, but NOT Sky+ or regular Sky) and Blu Ray (BD).

There is no value to a regular DVD player with built in upscaling and HDMI as the TV can do it just as well via RGB SCART.

Do make sure you set the Sky Digibox to RGB in Services Setup Picture.
Do ensure you have the fat SCART cable (individual screens inside) and all the pins. Gold is not important.

gtg60

watty wrote: »

None at all and not possible.

Sorry watty but I have to disagree, if a Video source has HDMI and Scart, HDMI is always better. I have a Sky HD box but no (paid for) HD channels and there is a superior picture over HDMI than Scart.

Why? Well, a Scart connection is Analogue and HDMI is Digital and this is the purest form of signal a HD TV can take, by using the Scart connection it will have undergone a D/A conversion to Scart and then when your TV gets it's hands on it it will have to undergo an A/D conversion, this ALWAYS affects the quality of the picture.

Also, in SOME cases the scaler inside the Sky HD box is actually better than the scaler inside your TV and will produce a better picture even on SD material when output is set at 1080i.

erie

yap gtg60... you're right... HDMI is a interface for digital channel or HD format like RGB Scart for analog interface... but in digital format there most concern about bandwitdh of linkage... means now the limition is the HDMI cable be in used. Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

fat-tony

erie wrote: »

yap gtg60... you're right... HDMI is a interface for digital channel or HD format like RGB Scart for analog interface... but in digital format there most concern about bandwitdh of linkage... means now the limition is the HDMI cable be in used. Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

O God - what have you started:eek: HDMI with copper wires can only give 720p resolution:eek: You need gold (or au which is the chemical symbol for gold) for 1080p:eek:

Go google some more .....

gtg60

erie wrote: »

Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

Have to agree with fat-tony, you're way off the mark there.

andy1249

yap gtg60... you're right... HDMI is a interface for digital channel or HD format like RGB Scart for analog interface... but in digital format there most concern about bandwitdh of linkage... means now the limition is the HDMI cable be in used. Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

Nonsense !

http://www.avforums.com/forums/hdmi-cables-switches/831330-hdmi-cables-just-facts.html

snaps

Ive got a £1.99 hdmi cable i got from the market. It works no problem at all and to be honest i cant see any difference in pic/sound quality that i get out of a gold hdmi cable running a TM6900.

watty

gtg60 wrote: »

Sorry watty but I have to disagree, if a Video source has HDMI and Scart, HDMI is always better. I have a Sky HD box but no (paid for) HD channels and there is a superior picture over HDMI than Scart.

Why? Well, a Scart connection is Analogue and HDMI is Digital and this is the purest form of signal a HD TV can take, by using the Scart connection it will have undergone a D/A conversion to Scart and then when your TV gets it's hands on it it will have to undergo an A/D conversion, this ALWAYS affects the quality of the picture.

Also, in SOME cases the scaler inside the Sky HD box is actually better than the scaler inside your TV and will produce a better picture even on SD material when output is set at 1080i.

We are talking about non-HD box.

VGA is analogue and very similar to SCART in signal type. VGA actually handles higher resolution than a single DVI.

If the RGB scart is poor or the TV upscaler is worse than a SKY-HD box for SD transmissions then it's non-coax single screen SCART cable or a rubbish HD set.

All of which is irrelevant for OP as it's not an HD skybox.

watty

erie wrote: »

yap gtg60... you're right... HDMI is a interface for digital channel or HD format like RGB Scart for analog interface... but in digital format there most concern about bandwitdh of linkage... means now the limition is the HDMI cable be in used. Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

Absolute garbage.

Even analogue VGA separate coax in single cable will do 2048 x 1536 perfectly on ordinary copper.

SCART is limited to Analogue RGB 576 lines by design. It will do that perfectly as well as VGA for 1024 x 768.

If you have a Sky HD box using an HDMI cable may be better. For a regular Sky or Sky+ then RGB SCART is best option as HDMI is not possible.

The 9 pin connector is RS232 serial port.

Gold (aka Au) is only of value as anti-corrosion. If there is any damp and one half of the connector is not gold the non-gold part corrodes faster. Gold isn't even the best conductor. Copper is better and Silver better still.

Popeleo

erie wrote: »

yap gtg60... you're right... HDMI is a interface for digital channel or HD format like RGB Scart for analog interface... but in digital format there most concern about bandwitdh of linkage... means now the limition is the HDMI cable be in used. Maximum copper HDMI std cable only give you 720p of resolution... go for au or gold to get most of it digital quality pictures & sound 1080p...

So what branch of Currys do you work in?

gtg60

gtg60 wrote: »

Also, in SOME cases the scaler inside the Sky HD box is actually better than the scaler inside your TV and will produce a better picture even on SD material when output is set at 1080i.

This is true with my parents' 42" Philips. The problem with it is that the aspect ratio is stuck at 16:9 and can't be changed, even for 4:3 material.

newballsplease

just a simple question im clueless with this thing. My parents have a sky+ hd box, but theres no hd cable connecting to the tv. does it make a big difference to picture on normal stations like rte/sky 1 etc...or is it only for use with HD channels?, as i thought.

gtg60

newballsplease wrote: »

just a simple question im clueless with this thing. My parents have a sky+ hd box, but theres no hd cable connecting to the tv. does it make a big difference to picture on normal stations like rte/sky 1 etc...or is it only for use with HD channels?, as i thought.

As I stated earlier, I find an improved picture quality on even the SD channels, surely if they have a HD box they have HD channels anyway?
How is it connected, the earlier Thompson boxes have Component out too and this is capable of carrying a HD signal.

newballsplease

gtg60 wrote: »

As I stated earlier, I find an improved picture quality on even the SD channels, surely if they have a HD box they have HD channels anyway?
How is it connected, the earlier Thompson boxes have Component out too and this is capable of carrying a HD signal.

connected as normal?? no, you have to pay extra for HD stations.

gtg60

newballsplease wrote: »

connected as normal?? no, you have to pay extra for HD stations.

Sorry, I don't understand your response, please re-read what I have written.