folder Filed in pvr, teevee
Switch Telewest TVDrive from HDMI to SCART
neuro comment 3 Comments

Here’s a neat trick for anyone who has just blagged themselves a Telewest TVDrive PVR, has set the output mode to HDMI and can’t get it to reset or go back to SCART:

  • Hit the RESET button
  • Press and hold the STOP and PLAY buttons on the front panel, until BOOT appears on the panel
  • Wait for output, then use FF to select between HDMI and SCART
  • Press OK
  • The system will now reboot into the new video mode

Note that normally an engineer will have to be called out to do this, which sucks. Props to someone who didn’t want to be named for this little gem :)

  1. How lucky I am to have found you by doing an MSN search on TVDrive. I got mine a week ago. I have no domestic DVD recorder, but planned to solve this by capturing TVDrive recorded programs to Roxio 7 on my PC and then burning them. I was horrified to discover that the only output for recording to VCR/DVD is SCART. It seems to go against all sound principles that a recording already made digital to go on the HDD should have to be re-analogued for transfer to another digital device such as a DVD recorder or a PC.

    I don’t know what analogue video signal is delivered through the SCART to a DVD recorder. RGB probably too much to hope for, SVideo OK, if it is composite I shall scream. Do you know what signal TVDrive supplies?

    Does your mention of the HDMI socket mean that in fact standart digital video is already available at this socket for such as want to use it. If so how do I set TVDrive to use it when I tell it to record to an external device? You have already told me how to get back to SCART. If this socket can be used I will get a video capture device to get the digital video into my PC

    With very many thanks if you are able to give a reply to this.

    Best regards
    John

  2. I don’t actually have a TVDrive — I was just reposting the info I’d been given for the search engines to pick up — but a quick google makes it look like you should get the usual suspect outputs from the TV SCART (RGB and composite at least), but as of last month the VCR SCART was putting out a 4:3 letterbox composite signal only. Apparently the ratio issue is software, but the composite output might be a hardware restriction.

    As for the dumping recordings via a digital output, do you really think a major UK television carrier would allow TV rips to be done easily with their equipment? The broadcasters would have their testicles in a sling faster than you can say “BitTorrent” 🙂

  3. What a lifesaver! Burglars ran off with my LCD TV today and I had no way to switch to SCART for the old TV I have to use instead now. Many thanks!!!

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