Playing VHS on a modern TV

[Tony2or4]

Apologies if I've posted this in the wrong forum.

Simple question, I guess: can you play VHS tapes through a modern, flat-screen digital TV, or does the difference between analogue and digital mean you're stuffed before you even try?

Basically want to be able to look at some old video tapes, and the TV concerned is a 2008 model - which I think was before the TV signal in my area went digital, though I could be wrong - you know how time flies.

Thanks for any input.

[richwig83]

Yes of course you can. Most tvs come with a break out AV cable, of which will be a scart connector.

[Simpo Two]

I seem to recall a SCART to HDMI cable came with my TV. Or you could probably do it with phonos depending on your socketry - left, right and picture.

[RobDickinson]

Simpo Two said:

I seem to recall a SCART to HDMI cable came with my TV. Or you could probably do it with phonos depending on your socketry - left, right and picture.

Nah wouldnt work.

HDMI is all digital, SCART is a mix of things (a connector not a signal type) but can do composite, svideo or RGB.


Pretty much every TV will have a composite input - yellow for video, white and red for stereo audio. As will any VHS player. sttiest end of the video heirachy but everything has them. Step up to s-video, RGB or component if available.

[MysteryLemon]

I always found that only higher end players and TVs had the red white and yellow connectors. Quite likely that a standard player won't have them.

Scart is the answer. Most players will have them and pretty much all TVs will have it. Otherwise the standard connector you receive terrestrial TV through from your aerial will do the job. That's how we all used to do it. Just means you'll have to tune it in.

[Simpo Two]

MysteryLemon said:

I always found that only higher end players and TVs had the red white and yellow connectors. Quite likely that a standard player won't have them.

That was my thinking. Clearly no 'high-end' stuff in NZ

[RobDickinson]

Simpo Two said:

MysteryLemon said:

I always found that only higher end players and TVs had the red white and yellow connectors. Quite likely that a standard player won't have them.

That was my thinking. Clearly no 'high-end' stuff in NZ

He is saying only high end stuff has it?

But composite is about the only thing that seems to be on everything. Though scart itself never done much here.

Remember though SCART is only a connector, which can do composite.

Scart was an attempt by the french to protect their tv market...

[Tony2or4]

OK, thanks for all this, guys.

Right, my VHS player doesn't have the yellow socket for video signal output (although it does have the red & white sockets for audio output).

I've tried connecting the TV to the VHS using the SCART cable, then using the coaxial aerial-type cable, but in both cases I'm just getting the message 'No Signal' on the TV screen.

On the other hand, when I use a SCART cable to connect the VHS to an old-fashioned curved-screen pre-digital TV, I'm getting the video picture with no problem.

Any clues, folks?

[richwig83]

What did you do with the coaxial aerial lead?? That is confusing me.

[Tony2or4]

richwig83 said:

What did you do with the coaxial aerial lead?? That is confusing me.

The VHS player has 2 coaxial sockets: one for the input from the aerial, the other for output to the TV's aerial socket. I connected the coaxial cable between the VHS output socket to the TV aerial socket.

[bigandclever]

Are you sure you've told your telly what input to be looking for? I have to prod some buttons on mine to get it off the digital sources and get to the analogue sources.

[richwig83]

Tony2or4 said:

richwig83 said:

What did you do with the coaxial aerial lead?? That is confusing me.

The VHS player has 2 coaxial sockets: one for the input from the aerial, the other for output to the TV's aerial socket. I connected the coaxial cable between the VHS output socket to the TV aerial socket.

You don't need to do that. If you've connected the VHS via SCART to the back of your TV, that all you should need to connect. As above… make sure you have selected the correct input!

[rix]

if your telly has a scart input then just scroll through the inputs to select the scart. If not then you're kinda right, i guess most new TVs don't have analogue tuners so the UHF modulator built in to most old VHS players wont mean anything if the telly only has a digital tuner.

[Tony2or4]

rix said:

if your telly has a scart input then just scroll through the inputs to select the scart.

Done that, and I still get the 'No Signal' message.

[bigandclever]

Be much easier if you could state the make/model of both telly and VHS ... you might be right, it might just not be possible with what you have.

ETA Plus there's a more appropriate(?) Home Cinema & HiFi section http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...

Edited by bigandclever on Monday 20th January 13:40

[SMB]

Tony2or4 said:

Done that, and I still get the 'No Signal' message.

the VHS will probably not output a signal via scart until it starts playing a tape via the scart socket, put in a tape, press play, then check the tv inputs

[GetCarter]

SMB said:

Tony2or4 said:

Done that, and I still get the 'No Signal' message.

the VHS will probably not output a signal via scart until it starts playing a tape via the scart socket, put in a tape, press play, then check the tv inputs

This.

[Tony2or4]

SMB said:

Tony2or4 said:

Done that, and I still get the 'No Signal' message.

the VHS will probably not output a signal via scart until it starts playing a tape via the scart socket, put in a tape, press play, then check the tv inputs

Done that as well: tape whirring away merrily, but still getting 'No Signal'.

[Tony2or4]

bigandclever said:

Be much easier if you could state the make/model of both telly and VHS ... you might be right, it might just not be possible with what you have.

Telly is a Vistron DB17.

VHS is a Panasonic NV-FJ630.

[GetCarter]

obvious but ...you've gone through all the input options on the remote?