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Connecting it all up

Why are there so many sorts of connecting cables? Find out with this quick guide.

Why are there so many sorts of connecting cables?  Find out wit
published on UK Free TV

Why are there so many sorts of connecting cables? Find out with this quick guide.

The connectors on each cable are called plugs (and are also called male) and they will usually fit only into one sort of socket (or female connector).

Most cables you will come across are male to male. Occasionally you will find leads with a socket on one end and a plug on the other, and these are called "extension cables".

SCART



The SCART cable is used to connect a set-top box to a television set, or to a video recorder. This can only be a short cable. The SCART cable carries all of these types of signal:

  • analogue stereo sound
  • a single RGB television picture
  • a single composite video picture
  • a single S-Video video picture
  • widescreen picture signal


As stereo sound, RGB picture and widescreen signal is the best possible combination for digital television viewing, it is vital to use a SCART lead between any set-top box and the main television.

The composite video picture with stereo sound is the best combination for a VHS video recorder. If your set-top box has two SCART sockets, it is likely that the one marked TV will carry RGB picture information and the other will not.

If your television has more than one SCART input, you may need to choose a special one (marked RGB) if you want to use RGB from the SCART cable.

On most set-top boxes it is possible to turn the RGB output on and off. This can be used to test the RGB input function on the television ? the picture quality appears blurred when it is disabled.

If have a DVD player, rather than a VHS recorder, you can attach this to the set-top boxes second SCART connector. The signal from the set-top box will normally be overridden by the DVD player when it is on, usually in high-quality RGB.

Some very cheap SCART cables do not have all the pins connected. They may not provide RGB and widescreen picture signals. SCART cables are normally no more than three metres in length.

UHF lead



The UHF lead is a lead that you would traditionally associate with television signals. They can carry:

  • up to 45 (but normally only five) analogue television channels
  • a single picture from a set-top box
  • around 50 analogue cable TV channels
  • mono sound
  • NICAM stereo sound
  • Teletext services (for example, Ceefax)


You can't avoid these cables if you are going to use Freeview, as these cables are the only ones that you can use to distribute Freeview signals around the house.

Where you have an integrated digital television (an idTV) you just need to get the signal from the aerial to the television with one of these cables.

If you are using a Freeview set-top box, you will need to get the signal from the aerial to the set-top box using this aerial lead, but for best results connect the TV to the box with a SCART cable.

You can also use a UHF lead to connect a set-top box to a television somewhere in the house. Your set-top box will require a RF (radio frequency) modulator. Note that "RF passthough" is another way of saying there is no modulator. You will be able to "tune" the second television into the picture showing on the set-top box.

Some boxes (all Sky boxes) have the ability to connect a remote control receiver to the second TV end of the interconnecting cable, so you can change channels.

The set-top boxes, whilst providing a reasonable quality picture to the second TV, will always provide only mono sound via a UHF lead.

The step-change in picture quality obtained by switching to RGB on a SCART is far greater than any obtained though spending any more on a gold-plated SCART cable.

Satellite or cable TV cable



These cables are usually very stiff, and have a very basic screw connector on the end. Usually they will provide an unbroken link to the satellite dish. At the dish end they plug into the device on the end of the arm, the LNB.

Don't try to disconnect these cables when the set-top box is on. Usually there is a small voltage that will cause dangerous sparks.

If the cable connects to a satellite dish, there is not much you can do with the cable. Each receiver in the set-top box needs it's own wire to the LNB. With a personal video recorder (such as Sky+), or a multi-room installations there are two cables to the four-output LNB on the dish. If you want more rooms, each will require it's own cable.

If the cable is providing cable TV, then it is possible to use inexpensive "Y connectors" to link the incoming signal to various set-top boxes, cable modems, or - via an adaptor - directly to the back of a TV.

Composite video cable



This is the most simple and basic video connection you can get. It carries:

  • a single picture from a set-top box


The picture will be in colour, and of comparable quality to a analogue broadcast station. However, there is no sound. For that reason this cable is often found joined to a stereo audio cable.

These signals are quite robust and can be carried for many metres. Often modern television sets have a single yellow photo input on their front input panel.

You also use an identical cable to carry digital stereo (SPDIF) sound.

Stereo audio cable





These cables carry the left and right channels of sound on two joined cables. They are usually required when a SCART cable is not being used, as the SCART cable already carries stereo sound.

If you are connecting your set-top box to an external stereo system, a separate stereo audio is used.

There is no real practicable limit to the length of these cables, but excessive length will degrade the quality of the signal.

S-video cable



The S-video standard is not well supported by most UK digital TV boxes, and very few have a S-video socket. If you need one for a particular analogue camcorder, use it, but avoid S-video with digital television. If you are using what appears to be a monochrome picture from a SCART lead, it will certainly by an incomplete S-Video signal and you should change to the RGB input.

VGA cable



This is the cable you will use to connect a computer to a old style monitor, and some modern LCD screen too. Most modern LCD TVs will have a VGA input too.

If you want to connect a set-top box to a LCD monitor, you can buy a conversion box from around 60. However this will not result in a better picture than using an existing SCART socket if there is one.

The only way to get higher than normal television resolution is to use a VGA in conjunction with a personal computer or modern games console.

DVI cable



If you want to get the very best out of a television or monitor use a digital video interconnect (DVI) cable.

This will be the only way for most televisions and monitors to receive high-definition pictures from a computer, and some set-top boxes.

If you can use either a VGA cable or a DVI cable, choose the DVI option.

HDMI cable



If you want to get the very best out of a television use a HDMI cable.

This will be the only way for most televisions to receive high-definition pictures from set-top boxes.

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Comments
Thursday, 4 December 2014
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:54 PM

David Hobbs: To be fair, we all assumed your loop had red/white phone sockets as inputs (you said there were 2), rather than a single jack and mic input.

However, thats fine. If its a 3.5mm jack input, then just get a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable (really cheap), and put one into the 3.5mm on the TV, and the other into the loop. Or if you cant be bothered to changed the red/white cable, just get one of those adapters that make phonos into 3.5mm
3.5mm Stereo Plug to 2 Phono Sockets Adapter | Maplin


Then take out the scart connection (you dont need it), and it should all work. Any info you need should be in the Sony manual, which is actually on the TV, if you press Imanual on the remote,

link to this comment
MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
D
David Hobbs
6:32 PM

David Hobbs: my problem as I had mention is that I only have 1 audio out jack which I have the Samsung sound bar connected to! I had assumed that I could used the HDMI cable but it only works with a Samsung TV as my Sony TV only have an Audio out HDMI? My booklet on Samsung HW-F450 give HDMIout from Sound bar HDMIin to TV. So no more room for another audio jack plug.

link to this comment
David Hobbs's 13 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:22 PM

David Hobbs: Your Samsung soundbar should be using the digital optical, not the 3.5mm jack - its a much better sound.

Now yes, it could use the HDMI is theory, but since you've only two HDMI's on the TV, one of which is used for your PVR, and the other is going to be used for a blu-ray, leave it as digital optical. And since the TV doesn't appear to have ARC anyway, I wouldn't really bother.

The Samsung soundbars manual should be HDMI from TV TO the soundbar - the soundbar is not a source in itself. Yes, its got an HDMI in and out, so you could take the blu-ray via that, but make life easy on yourself!

Stick the loop into the 3.5mm jack, setup the TV, and it should work.



link to this comment
MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Friday, 5 December 2014
D
David Hobbs
5:39 PM

MikeB: Hi, I have double checked my TV input facilities at the back, there is no 3.5mm jack input available! The sound bar is connected by digital optic cable so no jack there. I think my Induction Loop box is out of date and need an update model that will have the correct cables to connect? There is a USB Audio out and a green socket (headphones)? Thanks for all your help. Cheers

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David Hobbs's 13 posts GB flag
N
Neil Bell
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

6:57 PM
Ilford

David its not an input you need but an output. If the manual is wrong and there is no audio out jack then use the headphone jack which can be set to fixed as well

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Neil Bell's 106 posts GB flag
Neil's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:55 PM

David Hobbs: Look at your Imanual - its the headphone jack I'm talking about
Page Not Found!



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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Saturday, 6 December 2014
D
David Hobbs
5:10 PM

David Hobbs: Am sorry, I am just muddled up. I am unable to see where I am suppose to connect a jack (wether headphone or other) to the TV? There is 5 connecting points in a row starting with Red, R White,L Red,PR Blue,PR and Green,AV2 this is not straight forward for me to understand how it works? The Imanual does not say where can I insert a jack for audio out to the loop box, there is no diagrams for me to see. Very frustrating ???? thanks for your patience.

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David Hobbs's 13 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

7:26 PM

David Hobbs: Looking at this photo of the W656 - http://img1.lesnumeriques….jpg , the jack port is on the right hand side of the screen, just below the USB port and above the power supply - it would make sense if the 685 also had the jack in a similar place. Remember that you have inputs/outputs on the side, not just the back these days.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Sunday, 7 December 2014
N
Neil Bell
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

1:11 AM
Ilford

David Hobbs I sympathise with you because the iManuals on Sony TVs use drawings rather than photos and they just indicate the general placement of inputs & outputs so you do have to look carefully. The headphone output socket on my older Sony TV is all black, has a 3.5mm hole and a small headphone symbol beside it.

You probably think I am a bit of a geek but the first thing I do when I buy a new piece of equipment is to take pictures of the back panel or at least the interesting bits including serial number, model name, inputs & outputs etc. so I can find things more easily later when its on a shelf and is not well illuminated. From the picture I took of the small panel where my headphone socket is before I installed the TV I now know exactly where it is even if I can't see it very clearly in situ. I also download where available the PDF manual but alas Sony no longer publish these but provide HTML manuals instead. With a PDF manual you can search the whole document for a word e.g. "headphone" or "audio" but with HTML you can only search the page you are on which is fairly useless.

Can you confirm that you clicked on the link for the HTML manual for your TV on Sony's website that I posted before? It definately shows a headphone type jack on a panel just above the foot of your TV. I've posted the link to the audio connection page again here:

Audio cable connection

If you don't have an audio out jack then the headphone socket is shown here:

Right

Good luck!

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Neil Bell's 106 posts GB flag
Neil's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
D
David Hobbs
1:44 PM

MikeB: thanks, I can confirm I did look up the link for the Sony web site, also I did see the headphone socket which is green. Now, I am trying to work out the jack sizes, I had brought the 3.5mm to RCA cable for Headphones and the 3.5 fit into the green (headphone) socket but! The jack into the loop box doesn't fit? So I need a cable of 2 difference jacks at each end. I am going to Maplins tomorrow to see ifthey have one available., I am taking both cables to make sure. Have looked on Amazon but unable choose the correct jacks ?

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David Hobbs's 13 posts GB flag
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