I have plasma tv with freeview with 2 scart sockets I also have telewest box,seperate Dvd recorder,seperate harddrive dvd recorder and VHS video recorder and video sender, I have managed to connect them all apart from the video playerand sender. Should they be connected in any particular order? I am struggling to connect my video recorder I am consdering buying a scart switch box but does that mean I have to manually switch the box every time I change devices? I have seen one in Maplins in the sales for about £15.00 but unsure if the signal will weaken if I use one any advice anyone?

I have plasma tv with freeview with 2 scart sockets I also have telewest box,seperate Dvd recorder,seperate harddrive dvd recorder and VHS video recorder and video sender, I have managed to connect them all apart from the video playerand sender. Should they be connected in any particular order? I am struggling to connect my video recorder I am consdering buying a scart switch box but does that mean I have to manually switch the box every time I change devices? I have seen one in Maplins in the sales for about £15.00 but unsure if the signal will weaken if I use one any advice anyone?
I have never used a switch box so I can't comment about the switching arrangements, switching usually happens automatically. Don't worry about the signal, there's no problem with that.

I usually "daisy-chain" the equipment via scarts, the thing to remember is to turn off everything you are not using. Say for example, if you are using the VHS to record off air, turn the DVD and anything else you have off.

I have a scart switching box which doesn't seem to cause a problem with signals as far as I can tell. You can get both automatic and manual switching boxes, but I've had problems witht he automatic ones and prefer manually switched ones :)

My son uses a manual swithching box for his tv (only 1 scart) and he pluggs in his xbox360, dreamcast, dvd player and a freeview box.
Never had a problem and i think it cost about £20 from TJ Hughes but that was a while ago.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=99413&TabID=1&source=1&doy=31m12

maplin have one, and can be remotely controlled with any remote

Thanks for the responses. I am quite greedy and there are times when I copy from the telervision to the Dvd player and copy another programme to the hardrive. which I can do at the moment what I am struggling with is watching a video at the same time. I will keep on experimenting.

tell us what it is you want this set up to be able to do, and we may be able to help you connect it up :thumbsup:

eg 'watch only - dvd'
or 'dvd record videos'

PS - we've included the stereo in our set up :hihi:

Thanks for the responses. I am quite greedy and there are times when I copy from the telervision to the Dvd player and copy another programme to the hardrive. which I can do at the moment what I am struggling with is watching a video at the same time. I will keep on experimenting.
If you are recording to a hard drive and simultaneously recording to DVD you need to ask yourself where the source signal for those two recordings is coming from. Ideally each recorder/writer needs to have its own tuner or input.

It sounds as though you are using the TV tuner as a recording source while at the same time you want to use the same TV as a monitor to watch a video? Personally I wouldn’t attempt it. You have lots of equipment and the easiest option would be to use a cheap portable TV for recording and monitoring and a main TV to watch. Anyway, that's what I would do, I just hope it helps.

how do you use a tv tuner as a recording source? :huh:

I have a manual switch box and it works fine.

I am thinking of getting an automatic switch box though for convenience.

[QUOTE=Strix]how do you use a tv tuner as a recording source? :huh:[/QUOTE

My plasmas digital tuner comes out of AV2. If this is plugged into the recorder I can record from it whilst watching something on one of the other AV inputs of the TV.

so the recorder doesn't have a tuner?

so the recorder doesn't have a tuner?
Of course the VCR has a tuner as you know but it only has have five off-air channels.

[QUOTE=Strix]how do you use a tv tuner as a recording source? :huh:[/QUOTE

My plasmas digital tuner comes out of AV2. If this is plugged into the recorder I can record from it whilst watching something on one of the other AV inputs of the TV.
Yes, this is a fairly recent innovation although some conventional TV's have a similar facility, usually there is a socket concealed under a flap on the front of the TV but I am assuming a worst case scenario.

how do you use a tv tuner as a recording source? :huh:
Scart your VCR to your TV and put the VCR on AV.

I will try suggestions at the weekend, I have two scart sockets on the television and have been using Av1 and Av2 on the DVD recorder there are 4 Avs and thats when it gets confusing, I will post more info at the weekend, thanks again.