Page 1 of Fuzzy pic from new video

Bought folks a daewoo sd-9800p video/dvd combi for christmas. The dvd is fine, no probs... but we played something recorded earlier on video... it`s awful... really fuzzy. When we got our widescreen tv, we had it on our old video. But this one I bought because it`s suppose to be widescreen ... the settings is on widescreen. Could it be the scart lead? The one from the video to the cable box is a gold one, the one from video to tv isn`t... but it`s not a cheap one. I tried a normal pre-recorded video, still the same.
Also, when the sky box is turned off the tv switches to ext2 automatically and makes a god awful wining noise... I had similar when I had a scart lead in wrong on my own tv...but this, I`ve tried swapping leads round but either we lost the picture or it was just wrongly set up! I`ve told mum to turn the volume on TV down or turn tv off before she turns the sky box off at night cause it`ll knacker the speakers!
Perhaps i`ve set it up wrong?
It says in the video/dvd combi manual to put the sky/cable connection into ext 1... and vcr into 2. When we had cable the installer put our dvd player into the video out, so that it auto switches from cable to dvd when pressing play, so I did this with the vcr, I don`t know if it`s necessary... I guess so to be able to record from cable... i`m a dunce, I know nowt. ;)
Is this fuzzy normal with widescreen tvs? Have I been unlucky... or is my scart connection wrong... probably. ;)

Scart set up

One from cable box to tv ext 1
One from cable box video output to video ext 1 (Using gold scart)

One going from video ext 2 to tv ext 2 (Not gold but cost wasn`t cheap)...

Any advice would be very much appreciated, it`s doing my head in now!

This item was edited on Saturday, 1st January 2005, 23:48

Not sure on any of this but you could check whether in the VHs set up there is a `sharpness` control-a couple of my VHS recorders have had this-they have several settings from `Soft` to `Hard` (don`t we all. Missus, ooo-errr) and if it`s set to `soft, that can make the picture blurry/fuzzy.

Have you played a pre-recorded video on it yet, or one recorded on your old video? Is that the same? If they playback ok, try the recording you made on another video and see if it looks fuzzy when played back on that.

The reason I`m asking that is I`m thinking that the heads may have some crap on them or, even worse, if you started using it when it had condensation on the heads...I don`t know how long you had it in your home before you started using it, but it`s always a good idea to unpack and leave a VCR for 24 hours to get itself to room temperature-this is especially important at this time of year when the box might have sat in some really cold stock room for a fair while, then it`s taken into your nice warm living room, and it can cause problems.

It wasn`t unpacked for about a week. We kept it in the front room under the coffee table... I set it up for folks on christmas day, didn`t use it at all that day, I think my mum used it boxing day evening for one of her progs... I didn`t see the picture then but mum said it was the same.
I tried a pre-recorded video, wasn`t as fuzzy, but was fuzzy... but perhaps because it`s not widescreen... has to fill a bigger screen?
I think we have to return the video anyways... something else was wrong with it, video plus won`t work... press it, it calls up the manual timer settings. Daewoo said it`s faulty and to return, but as luck would have it, sainsburys only have the older model without video plus on anyways now... but they said to try ringing every day... uh, I don`t think so!
Will play with the settings in a mo.

Any ideas why when we turn cable box off, the tv switches to ext2 and screeches to hell? :/

Just checked, there isn`t a sharpness setting, that I can see anyways.
I`ll have a look through my videos later, see if I have any high quality ones... give that a whirl, see if makes a difference.

Had a bit of a fuzzy picture when I got my new TV at xmas and thought it was the set-up too or the scart cables.

Turned out it only happened IF the scart cables touch the power cable to the digi box. Not sure if that`s the same for you but try moving the cables/wires away from each other.

My set-up is:

Digi box scarts to TV and video
TV scarts to digi box and DVD player
Video scart to Digi box (the second one is empty)

Haven`t got cable so don`t know if you have more than one ariel connection to worry about.

All the carts I use are black and I don`t think the colour makes any difference.

S

Quote:
Any ideas why when we turn cable box off, the tv switches to ext2 and screeches to hell? :/

Sounds like feedback. From the looks of your connections, you have the VCR connected twice in that loop.
(One on the pass through from the Cable box, one from the TV)
Try this:
Snip or disconnect pin 19 of the video to TV scart.
unplug the cable scart from the TV and connect the VCR one back to it`s original location, AV2.
Test picture and sound.
If seems ok, connect cable box to AV1 (tv might switch to AV1 now as it gets the signal to pin 8 of the cable scart), test all as before.

If still not right, post back the results. Another option may be to disconnect the VCR to TV scart and use the cable box "pass through"
(If you have the cable from AV1 or TV on the cable box to AV1 on TV, then the AV2 or VCR from the cable box to VCR, when you press play on the vcr it should autoswitch the cable box and override it onto the TV screen...hence I`m thinking the screech is feedback!)

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

Sorted the screeching... cheers jimbo. :) In my over eagerness of connecting leads, we didn`t need the vcr to tv connected. :) It now just runs through the cable box. Switched cable box off and tv just switched to normal tv. :) Ideal. :)

Thought it mighta worked :)

BTW, remember, to record from the cable, set the VCR to AV1 ;)

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

Yeah, I have to do that with freeview, so knew it would probably be the same. :)