Scart Leads

Scart Leads

Scart leads or ‘Peritel’ as they’re also known were developed in France and became the adopted mode of connection between televisions and audio/video equipment in the 1970s. It’s also known as 21-pin Euroscart or the Euroconnector. It was introduced in France to try to stop foreign imports of televisions and was made compulsory on all French Televisions in 1980. Now, in Europe, it’s the standard connector for audio/video devices. It’s less well known in the United States, where it’s known as EIA Multiport. Scart leads come in various lengths and types although the two main options are ‘fully wired’ and ‘part wired’. Most Scart leads on the market today are fully wired varieties.

A Selection of the Best Selling Scart Leads

Why use Scart?

Before Scart came along there was no standardized way of inputting signals except for the RF antenna ones, which could differ between countries. Even devices made by companies in the same country could have incompatible standards The Scart system simplified all this. Scart leads are the most useful way of connecting DVDs, Satellite, set top boxes, VCRs and games consoles to your television. That’s because the picture signals and stereo sound are carried together in a single cable. So it’s practically impossible to make the wrong connection.

Scart carries both RGB (red, green blue) signals that are of a slightly higher quality as well as composite signals. S-Video signals are now carried as well. The Scart signal tells the television which device to select so you don’t have to. It automatically switches to true widescreen, which means it fills the whole screen of a widescreen television when applicable or uses the normal 4:3 picture by centring it on the screen. It also actuates a recording link for when you bookmark a future programme.

What Scart Lead to buy

There’s no need to spend a fortune on a Scart lead, but there are poor quality ones as well as high quality ones. If you have just bought a multi-device home cinema or theatre outfit with a large plasma screen or rear projection, you really want good quality Scart lead as you’ll notice the problems caused by poor quality ones more. Poor quality Scart leads can result in ‘ghosting’, for instance. Poor shielding of the video cable within the lead causes it. Poor shielding can also result in so-called ‘cross-talk’ between the audio channels.

So the shielding qualities of a Scart lead are important. Shielding usually means the wires within the cable are coaxial. They have a copper core surrounded by an insulating tube that’s surrounded in turn by a conductive layer and covered with an insulating layer on the outside. It offers protection against outside electromagnetic interference. Poor quality leads may use just plain wire. Coaxial wires are obviously thicker so mean a thicker Scart cable. So beware of Scart leads that seem too thin.

Flat Scart leads, or ribbon leads are often better at shielding, as the inner cables are further apart. But it’s always best to make sure they are fully screened.

Quality Scart leads often feature oxygen free copper conductors or OFCs. Oxygen free copper has superior conducting qualities so there’s less chance of losing signals inside the cable.

You’ll see that a lot of Scart leads feature gold plated connectors, as opposed to nickel plated ones. Gold plated connectors are used on quality Scart leads because they don’t corrode and because they offer a cleaner signal. But they only work to the maximum if they are connected to gold plated sockets. If you connect a gold plated connector to a nickel plated socket you may find that any dampness around causes a reaction between the metals resulting in the nickel plated part corroding much faster than if the metals used were similar. So it’s best to use matching connector materials to maintain long-term quality.

The highest quality Scart leads have metal body connectors rather than plastic. Cast metal connectors offer the best in shielding although you can get metalized plastic ones that do an adequate job. Gold plated, as suggested, gives better results than nickel because they give lower contact resistance and are less prone to corrosion.

Because Scart leads are likely to come loose if you’re moving your devices around you might want to consider ones with locking devices or retention clips. They’re also useful if you need a particularly long and therefore heavy cable.

Scart Adapters

Most televisions have just one Scart socket. Your audio/video kit might number three or four items. So what can you do if you don’t want to keep changing plugs every time you want to switch from Satellite box to DVD player? And what if your DVD player has only RCA outlets? The answer is to invest in a Scart adapter. It’s simply a box with a number of Scart sockets or RCA and S-Video inputs and one Scart socket that fits into the television. We’ll look at a variety of these.

You’ll probably want what is sometimes referred to as an ‘intelligent’ Scart box. This item automatically sends the signal from one device to the television when you switch it on. Some have a switch that selects the device for use. If you have a device that uses RCA or RCA – S Video outlets – that’s with the white, red and yellow wires – you can get an adapter that transfers these signals to a single Scart connector. Once again it’s probably best to avoid the really inexpensive, non-switchable variety as they can create picture distortion in come cases.

Cheap n’ cheerful or best brand?

The quality of Scart lead you select should reflect the quality of your audio/video equipment. If you’ve shelled out thousands on a home theatre outfit you probably want more than the OEM Scart lead. That’s the one that is made by one manufacturer but carries the name of another. Branded Scart leads come in a variety of types and a wide spectrum of prices. Very inexpensive leads are best avoided, but lower priced ones shouldn’t be discounted as many do an adequate job. Manufacturers such as Monster, Belkin, Hitachi and Proline offer a wide selection of Scart leads and we look at these and others in this review. Some such as Alba are names associated with retail and online outlets such as Argos or PC World. As well as leads we’ll look at Scart adapters too.

It’s been said that Scart leads are virtually obsolete now as they can’t carry HD (High Definition) signals and that HDMI leads will soon take their place. But For most people Scart leads are still the main connecting system between audio/video equipment and their television. This review looks at a selection of brands as well as the online outlets that sell them. Hopefully it will allow you to make an informed choice when you decide to purchase a new Scart lead.