Page 1 of More questions about TV/DVD connections!

I am a novice when it comes to TV and DVD etc, and I do not know much about the technicalities. However I do know that what I buy I would like to be the best option for the money.
I have had some very good advice but I still do not understand the best option for my TV to DVD connection. The sound connection I now understand, the choice being between using either co-axial or optical. But what do I do for the picture signal? My TV is a Toshiba 32ZD98B and my proposed DVD purchase is the SD210E. The DVD has component out, and I have been told that I con connect this to the TV RCA phono, what does this mean? Can I use a scart or do I just need s-video out/in or what? This really is something that I do not understand, so although this may seem obvious to everyone else it is as clear as mud to me!

Component out is actually three sockets on the back of a DVD, with a matching three sockets on the back of your TV. As the only tellies fitted with these are a few of the top end Tosh and JVC tellies, the first thing to do is to establish whether your TV does have these three matching sockets.

If it does - bingo ! You`re in luck - the best picture quality there is. You can use normal RCA plugs, but places like http://www.lektropacks.co.uk do higher quality component leads - it`ll cost you though !

Failing that, the next best way to connect is via RGB. This sounds confusing, but actually all you need to do is bung a SCART lead between your DVD player and an RGB-enabled SCART socket (generally AV1 on most tellies - check your manual). Then tell your DVD player to output an RGB signal (usually through a set-up menu of some shape or form). RGB is the best `mainstream` picture quality you`ll get after component, as it splits the picture into three colours - (R)ed (G)reen and (B)lue.

Next in the pecking order comes S-video. There are two ways to connect. You can use an S-video lead between the DVD player and TV, but you`ll have no sound (this probably isn`t an issue if you have an amplifier doing the noisy stuff on DVD soundtracks - most people turn the volume on their TV right down if using an amplifier).

Alternatively, that jack of all trades the SCART lead can handle an S-video signal too : again check your TV manual to see if you have an S-video enabled AV socket round the back of your telly. This way you also get sound too. S-video splits the picture in a slightly different way - into chrominance and luminance to be precise (colour and brightness to you and me).

If you can do component, go that route. Failing that, try experimenting with RGB and S-video : some people prefer the S-video picture as it`s slightly more colourful, whereas the RGB picture is a lot sharper, in my opinion. It also depends on your TV too.

Happy experimenting.

Incidentally, best place for cheap leads is http://www.beyondhifi.com - can`t recommend them enough.

Broadly agree Clayts, except that Component offers no real advantages over RGB, since it has to be converted to RGB anyway in order to be fed to the TV`s three (Red, Green, Blue) electron guns. The only difference is whether this conversion takes place inside the DVD player or inside the TV set.

Mike

Hi Paul, I have exactly the same TV as you, and run a Toshiba SD-100E DVD player through it, which is the predecessor to your SD-210E.
As Clayts suggests, component video is the best option, but unfortunately for us, there are no inputs on this TV. These were only introduced on the newer 32ZD08B and 32ZD09B models. So we are left with the RGB vs S-Video debate. Most comentators would suggest that RGB is marginally superior, HOWEVER, in my experience Toshiba`s do not handle RGB as well perhaps as others , and after comparing the two outputs, I think you will find that S-Video gives a much crisper picture.
Therefore I suggest that you set the DVD to S-Video output via your setup menu, and then hook it up to the TV via the S-Video input. As for sound, you are lucky enough to own a TV with a built in Dolby 5.1 decoder, so you can hook up with either a coaxial digital lead or optical digital lead direct to your TV (again you will have to set the DVD sound output to the "bitstream" option via the setup menu). My opinion, for what it`s worth, is that the coax is the better of the two.
As this TV only has one RGB enabled scart (AV1), if you follow this setup, you can use AV1 to hook up a Sky Digibox and receive the benefits of RGB.

Bigwilko (or anyone else!),
I have now connected my DVD to my 32ZD98B Toshiba TV using scart to scart on EXT3 and co-axial for sound, but I am a little confused about setting up the TV for Dolby digital sound.
In the AV connection Menu if I setup the Digital Input as EXT3 then I get no sound. I only get sound if I set it to EXT2 but is this giving me Dolby Digital?
I have set the Digibox to RGB EXT1 and it works fine.

This item was edited on Friday, 13th July 2001, 16:53