UPC: HDMI, SCART leads & dvd

Dionysus

Just a quick question.

I'm trying to play a dvd on this new tv. I have the HDMI cable going from the tv (Sony Bravia) to the UPC box. Then I have the scart lead going from the UPC box to the dvd. As the tv is up on the wall the scart lead isn't able to physically connect directly to the tv at present.

I have tried the tv on both HDMI 3 and AVI 1(both of which register the HDMI cable and Scart cable respectively) but neither work. My question, therefore: is it possible to watch a dvd through connecting the cables as above, and if so how? If not, is my only option to get a scart lead long enough to connect directly from the dvd player to the tv?

Thanks.

Paulw

To watch a DVD, you need to connect the DVD player to the TV (directly).

To watch UPC, you connect the UPC box to the TV.

coylemj

Dionysus wrote: »

Then I have the scart lead going from the UPC box to the dvd.

Both of those SCART interfaces are outputs so the UPC box and DVD player are throwing signals at each other and they're going nowhere.

The SCART output on the UPC box is for use if you don't have HDMI on the TV i.e. if it's an older TV that doesn't support HD. You are using the HDMI port on the UPC box to send the TV signal to the TV so the SCART port on the UPC box is redundant, the only use you could make of it would be to send a signal to a DVD recorder to record a program.

The SCART port on the DVD is used to send the signal to the TV, you need to connect that port direct to the TV using a SCART cable and select that AV port using the TV remote though it should switch over automatically as soon as you start the DVD player.

Dionysus wrote: »

is my only option to get a scart lead long enough to connect directly from the dvd player to the tv?

Yes, and as it's an analogue signal you'll need to buy a good quality cable given that it's longer than the normal run.

But as you're obviously a big spender (Sony Bravia), maybe it's time to upgrade to a Blu-Ray player and use a HDMI cable instead? I'd recommend the Sony S480 or S580. You don't need to spend mad money on the HDMI cable, just buy one that's long enough but it does not need to cost more than 20 or 30 euros.

Dionysus

Thanks lads. As I suspected. It's working fine when the scart is put directly into the tv. As for Blu-ray, I bought this Qriocity model partly because of the Qriocity feature which is supposed to allow me to watch all the latest movies from the tv's internet access. If that were true, I might not need a bluray. At present it doesn't seem like the Qriocity service will be coming to Ireland any time soon.

I watched a Blu-ray through the tv last week by playing it on my (Sony) laptop and connecting it to the tv. It worked fine, although I'd imagine the sound might be better if I played it through a free-standing Blu-ray player rather than the in-built one in this laptop.

ted1

A hdmi cable should only cost 5 euro max anything else and the sales guy is having a laugh.

coylemj

That link points to a boards discussion but doesn't say which model you bought. I have a Sony S480 Blu-Ray player and I can see a Qriocity logo on the Blu-Ray menus but as is pointed out elsewhere there's no VOD available yet, just music which holds no interest for me.

I doubt that a laptop can do justice to a Blu-Ray movie, you'd need a PS3 or a Blu-Ray player to see the full HD.

coylemj

ted1 wrote: »

A hdmi cable should only cost 5 euro max anything else and the sales guy is having a laugh.

I agree with the gist of what you're saying but by the sound of it the standard (1.5 or 2m) cable won't reach the TV on the wall so he'll have to go for a longer cable which is probably going to cost a little more than €5.