Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics) wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:

Each of the VHS machine, the TV, and the STB have two SCART
connections. All are Panasonic -- and they seem to be able to talk to
one another; but maybe the latter is standard across all brands
nowadays?

Forget the "talking to each other" gimmick. It will force you to connect up
incorrectly and cause strange things to happen.

Okay, tend to agree.


One STB SCART goes to the TV, the other to the VHS.

Quite so, AV1 in both units.

Experiments follow.

In each case, aerial RF - VCR - TV.

Setup 1.

STB - TV AV1 SCART.

STB - VCR SCART socket marked AV2 Decoder EXT, AV1 TV
nothing to other VCR SCART.

Result 1.

Analogue and Digital TV okay. But not tape playback; assume no record.

Setup 2.

STB - TV AV1 SCART, as above

STB - lower VCR SCART socket (i.e. one NOT marked AV2 Decoder EXT, AV1
TV);
nothing to SCART marked AV2 Decoder EXT, AV1 TV.

Result 2.

Analogue and Digital TV okay. Tape playback on AV1: sound only.

Setup 3.

STB - TV AV1 SCART.

STB - VCR SCART socket marked AV2 Decoder EXT, AV1 TV
nothing to other VCR SCART.

VHS lower SCART - TV lower SCART.

Result 3.

Analogue and Digital TV okay.

Record by REC button on VCR remote control. But no 'Direct TV Rec'
(neither via VCR remote nor TV remote). Playback okay (AV1). Possibly
this record sees only AV1?

Summary of current state.

Can do most of what I want; have not bothered about DVD yet. Dunno
about record via program/timetable. Thus, same as two days ago, except
no record via 'Direct TV Rec'.

Is getting VCR to work in Setup 1 (or 2) a matter of retuning the VCR
playback channel?



The other VHS SCART
goes to the TV; and that's it.

NO NO NO. Did I say no ?


1. What would one do about a DVD player (hardly ever used, so not a big
deal).

AV2

Seems plausible.

[...]

5. I don't need to be able to switch between digital channels during a
recording sequence. But I see the STB has some sort of timer facility
-- there are instructions on the timer, but no indication what is its
purpose.

Its purpose is to switch channels unattended.

Okay.

I do have a pal who is an ex-TV repairman; he's due to call any day
now, so I'll report any further progress.

Many thanks,

Jon C.