The missing adapter with the DVR station

[PixelMinded]

The connector that u see on the left (SCART) is supplied with the DVR station and is supposed to be plugged into the cable box (or satellite box, VCR box...etc), I have a cable box and it takes only a connector like the one on the left (Coaxial), so basically an adapter between the two is needed in order to record anything from the cable channels. Archos includes --in the 605 & DVR packages I received-- multilingual manuals and all sorts of cables and adapters* (like UK mains adapter with the DVR power supply for example), but they forget to include a SCART/Coaxial adapter! When it comes to cable boxes in particular, they always --AFAIK-- take Coaxial not SCART, so I'm guessing many users in Europe will face this issue, not sure how easy it would be to find the required adapter and how much it will cost!!!

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* EDIT: "all sorts of European cables and adapters", I should say; clearly standard European packages in terms of the included languages, adapters ... etc .

[soapy]

They didnt forget to include such an adapter, its just that your cable box is obsolete.The 'adapter' you need for your cable box is an rf to rca demodulator.

[Steamrunner]

When it comes to cable boxes in particular, they always --AFAIK-- take Coaxial not SCART, so I'm guessing many users in Europe will face this issue, not sure how easy it would be to find the required adapter and how much it will cost!!!

SCART is used to connect equipment together, such as your cable box to your TV, whereas the coax is purely the input to your cable box. In other words, you don't connect the cable input to the DVR - that input still goes to the cable box (so you don't need an adapter); instead, you connect your cable box's SCART output (that was originally going to the TV) to the DVR station's input. That way, your Archos can now "see" the cable box's output. You then connect the DVR's output to your TV's input, and off you go. If you have two SCART sockets on the cable box you should be able to use the other one instead and leave the TV connection as-is.

Of course, if your cable box doesn't have a SCART output socket, then yes, it's waaaaay old and you should ditch it for a new one- preferably one with a PVR!

[PixelMinded]

Coaxial is still widely used in the Netherlands and elsewhere especially for cable TV & aerials, so not really obsolete?!! The DVR station is said to "Record from TV and most video sources" according to Archos!
http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/ar ... al&lang=en

[Steamrunner]

Coaxial is still widely used in the Netherlands and elsewhere especially for cable TV & aerials, so not really obsolete?!! The DVR station is said to "Record from TV and most video sources" according to Archos!
http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/ar ... al&lang=en

Yes, co-axial is used everywhere, but only to get the signal to the signal decoder, which is your cable box. The cable box then turns the signal into the different channels, which is what your Archos can record via SCART. So you don't plug the co-ax into your DVR, you plug your DVR into the cable box.

Does that make sense?

[soapy]

Coaxial is still widely used in the Netherlands and elsewhere especially for cable TV & aerials, so not really obsolete?!! The DVR station is said to "Record from TV and most video sources" according to Archos!
http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/ar ... al&lang=en

I didnt say that coaxial is obsolete, i said your cable box is obsolete.most modern cable boxes should have atleast 1 scart connector fitted.
I dont think you'll find any pmp that caters for a cable box that only has an rf output.

[PixelMinded]

When it comes to cable boxes in particular, they always --AFAIK-- take Coaxial not SCART, so I'm guessing many users in Europe will face this issue, not sure how easy it would be to find the required adapter and how much it will cost!!!

SCART is used to connect equipment together, such as your cable box to your TV, whereas the coax is purely the input to your cable box. In other words, you don't connect the cable input to the DVR - that input still goes to the cable box (so you don't need an adapter); instead, you connect your cable box's SCART output (that was originally going to the TV) to the DVR station's input. That way, your Archos can now "see" the cable box's output. You then connect the DVR's output to your TV's input, and off you go. If you have two SCART sockets on the cable box you should be able to use the other one instead and leave the TV connection as-is.

Of course, if your cable box doesn't have a SCART output socket, then yes, it's waaaaay old and you should ditch it for a new one- preferably one with a PVR!

According to your description above I simply don't have a cable box, I connect directly from the cable input (a male coaxial connector in the wall) to my TV (has a female connector), using a coaxial cord with male and female connectors in the 2 ends (male connector is the one on right in the photo, that end plugs in the TV, the female end plugs in the cable input).

[suproach]

I haven't seen a game system in a long time or a VCR or a DVD player that had COAX support. It's just generally assumed that everyone has component composite svideo hdmi etc. Sure my cable signal comes in coax, but then my cable box turns it into component composite svideo hdmi and digital audio.

[Steamrunner]

According to your description above I simply don't have a cable box, I connect directly from the cable input (a male coaxial connector in the wall) to my TV (has a female connector), using a coaxial cord with male and female connectors in the 2 ends (male connector is the one on right in the photo that end plugs in the TV, the female end plugs in the cable input).

Riiiiiiiight, I think see where we're going wrong here. In your original post, you said you had a cable box. If you're now saying you don't have a cable box, and you just plug the cable straight into the TV, that'll be the problem.

Where are you - I mean, which country are you in?

Edit - just to clarify, the term "cable" isi usually used to mean a form of television service, which is delivered by cable into your property. Alternatives are satellite, where you have a satellite dish to receive the signal, and over-the-air, where you have an aerial on your roof. There's also iPTV but there's no way you've got that.

Based on those three descriptions - cable, satellite and over-the-air, how do you get your tv signal?

[PixelMinded]

Riiiiiiiight, I think see where we're going wrong here. In your original post, you said you had a cable box. If you're now saying you don't have a cable box, and you just plug the cable straight into the TV, that'll be the problem.

In the first post wherever I used "cable box", I simply meant "cable input", I thought that would be the box.

Where are you - I mean, which country are you in?

In the Netherlands.

Edit - just to clarify, the term "cable" isi usually used to mean a form of television service, which is delivered by cable into your property. Alternatives are satellite, where you have a satellite dish to receive the signal, and over-the-air, where you have an aerial on your roof. There's also iPTV but there's no way you've got that.

Based on those three descriptions - cable, satellite and over-the-air, how do you get your tv signal?

No misunderstandings here, it is definitely cable TV (provider is Casema):
http://www.casema.nl/pagina/englishsummary
and the sevice I have is analog not digital.

[Steamrunner]

Ok, so if the cable goes straight to the TV, how do you record TV programmes? Is there a SCART output on the TV?

[suproach]

you need an external TV tuner.
Hint: You can probably use a VCR. If you VCR supports COAX in (i.e. you can record TV on it and it has some form of output (scart) that's accepted by the archos you can use it. You should be able to find one on the cheap (the really really cheap), if you currently don't have one. You should check local electronics stores (be warned sales people may laugh at you), but also freecycle, craigslist, and garage sales.

[PixelMinded]

Ok, so if the cable goes straight to the TV, how do you record TV programmes? Is there a SCART output on the TV?

There is a SCART in the TV (labelled "SCART PERITELEVISION") but I think it's input not output, and according to the manuals that's where I should plug the DVR output cable in, that cable ends with a SCART in Archos's European DVR connection system (see 1st photo below), note that the North American connection system (2nd photo) is different, there isn't any SCART's, neither the connector/adapter (photo top of the thread) nor on the end of DVR output cable.

European connection system:



N. American connection system:

[Steamrunner]

Ok, well you'll see in both diagrams that, on the left, there are a selection of boxes which all connect to the DVR. That's what you're missing - the bit that changes the cable signal into a picture. In your case, the TV does that for you, and since it doesn't sound like the SCART socket on the TV is an output, then you're probably going to need an extra bit of kit. But first, try plugging the DVR into the SCART socket on your TV - just in case!

Otherwise, as Suproach says, you'll need a video recorder, DVD recorder or just a cable box with no recording facility. The DVR does not have a tuner built into it, that's why it can't take your cable, and why it needs the signal to be decoded by something else first.

Does that all make sense now?

[PixelMinded]

you need an external TV tuner.
Hint: You can probably use a VCR. If you VCR supports COAX in (i.e. you can record TV on it and it has some form of output (scart) that's accepted by the archos you can use it. You should be able to find one on the cheap (the really really cheap), if you currently don't have one. You should check local electronics stores (be warned sales people may laugh at you), but also freecycle, craigslist, and garage sales.

Although the price won't be a problem (lot's of second hand shops in Holland), I find it hard to believe that this is the simplest solution for me (buying an "antique" device just for a secondary feature it has, like Coax-to-SCART conversion)! Anyhow Thanks a lot to you all for the advice, I'll see what I can do and report it here.

[Steamrunner]

Problem is, you're not simply converting the signal from Co-ax to SCART!

The signal coming down the co-ax is ALL the tv channels - you need a tuner/decoder to be able to pick out the ONE channel you want to record. The DVR cannot do that.
It's the same thing as the cable from a satellite dish carrying all the satellite channels - the satellite decoder box decodes that signal and outputs the one channel to the TV. It's just that, in your case, the TV already has the decoder built in.

You can plug that cable straight into your TV or a VCR because they have a tuner. The Archos DVR does not. THAT is what you need - not a co-ax to SCART converter.

[PixelMinded]

Does that all make sense now?

Make sense? Yes, but do I like it? NO

[suproach]

Yes its not simply a conversion. And in the U.S. we do not use scart cables at all. We use component, which is basically what is on the other end of the SCART DVR Station cable, except it's on both ends.