Video killed the Saturday night

[j4]

We exchanged contracts yesterday, so we're most of the way to owning a house. As an absolutely essential part of the packing/moving process, we are trying to connect the VCR to an LCD monitor (this is actually sort of essential - we really want to get rid of the space-consuming TV, but might have to settle for getting rid of the VHS videos). This is proving difficult.

So, we have the following devices (described as best I can - I'm not a hardware geek at the best of times, and AV is all Deep Magic):

* HP 1502 LCD monitor with video in cable ending in 15-pin VGA (female) connector

* VCR with the following outputs: RF (m), 2 x 3mm audio out (f), SCART (f)

* a TVBox 1440ex which has the following sockets: 8-pin VGA (f), 3mm audio in (f), 3mm audio out (f), 9-pin (f) MMI-C, antenna in (f)

(The magic TVBox thing lets us connect the PlayStation to the monitor, so it's not a wasted bit of kit even if it doesn't, as I fear, let us connect the VCR to the monitor as well.)

We also have the following cables/adaptors:

* SCART (m) to 5-pin S-video (m)
* SCART (m) to red/white/yellow AV thing (f)
* SCART (m) to SCART (m)
* 3mm jack (m) to 3mm jack (m)
* 14-pin (m) to 8-pin (m), god knows
* PlayStation (f) to red/white/yellow AV thing (m)
* GameCube adaptor, too complicated to describe but probably not relevant

My questions are:

1. Reassure me here, please: it is possible to connect an LCD monitor to a VCR, yes? The internet seems divided between "no you cant but just get a chepa tv lol" and "yeah you need some kinda box you can get it off ebay lol".

2. Assuming it's possible at all, is it possible with some combination of the above kit?

3. If not, what's the cheapest and easiest way of joining the dots which doesn't involve a) having a TV, or b) crimping/soldering? (The ideal answer would be along the lines of "you need an X to Y connector, you can get them from Maplin for £2.99".)

Thank you in advance, and sorry for being such a div when it comes to hardware. :-}

Comments

[crazyscot.livejournal.com]

Photos of the connectors would help a lot here. I think what you describe as "3mm audio" is what I think of as a phono or RCA connector; I've no idea what you mean by 8-pin VGA or 9-pin MMIC, but may recognise them on sight.

(How is the PlayStation connected to the TV box? For that matter, how is the monitor connected to the TVbox? It's not clear from your description...)

it is possible to connect an LCD monitor to a VCR, yes? The internet seems divided between "no you cant but just get a chepa tv lol" and "yeah you need some kinda box you can get it off ebay lol".

Possible, yes, anything's possible with the right kit ;-). The real question is whether it's more cost and hassle than just buying a moderately advanced TV with multiple inputs (co-ax, composite video, component video, S-video, HDMI, and there must be a teasmaid interface in here somewhere...)

Alas, the internet has answered this question for you in general; the answers frequently are "just buy a TV" and "buy a converter box". However, your TVbox does sound promising, and with more knowledge of its connectors it may well prove possible to hook it all up.

[j4.livejournal.com]

I will try to do photos today if I get time.

"3mm audio" = like the thing you get on normal headphones...

The monitor only has one connector, the 15-pin male thing, which plugs into the 15-pin thing on the TVBox (gah, sorry, Owen read them all out to me and missed that one, I will ETA it).

I can't remember how we got the PlayStation working but we did, once, so I'm not worried about that. We won't ever need it to be working at the same time as the VCR anyway. :-}

just buy a TV

Nope, sorry, not an option! We don't watch TV, we don't have a TV licence and don't want to start paying for one just to carry on not watching TV, we want to get rid of the crappy old TV we have. If that means we can't watch the videos we already have, then we'll get rid of the videos! :) If alternative solutions are too expensive then, well, shrug, we can't afford it, never mind. :)

[crazyscot.livejournal.com]

OK. If I've read the tvbox's website correctly, one possible solution would be:
VCR - (Scart to Red+Yellow+White cable) - (Red+Yellow+White to MMIC cable) - TVbox. This may require phono-type gender menders between the two cables. I am however assuming that you have, or can get hold of, a RWY-to-MMIC like the diagram on the tvbox's website; a quick check of Maplin and Farnell doesn't turn up anything.

As others have said, VCR - (coax cable) - TVbox may do the job, as long as the TVbox will do analogue TV (i.e. isn't digital TV only).

(Side note: Despite what the TVL bullies want you to think, it is not a requirement to have a TV license if all you do is watch prerecorded videos.)

[j4.livejournal.com]

It seems to be working with the coax thingy, so that's okay! Thank you for all the suggestions. I do wish I understood this stuff more. :-}

Despite what the TVL bullies want you to think, it is not a requirement to have a TV license if all you do is watch prerecorded videos

Oh I know (and to be fair I've never found them bullying -- they have never sent more than one letter to me at the same address, when I get the letter saying "you know, if you have a TV you should have a licence" I ring them up and say "I don't watch TV, so I don't need a licence"). It's just that the TV takes up so much space! The LCD monitor is about a tenth of the thickness/weight and about the same quality (not great, but adequate). :) And it seems silly to buy a top-quality TV when we don't watch TV.

I was briefly tempted by the gazilllion-inch Apple monitor thing but decided that a) we just don't watch enough TV/video/DVD/etc to justify it, & b) it would be really silly to buy something enormous and fragile before moving house. :-}