A video revolution took place in our country at the end of the 80s. Films, musical programs and even erotic films recorded on magnetic tape poured into the USSR. The accessibility of the not so long ago forbidden spectacles was intoxicating, giving rise to vague hopes that soon everything would be “like abroad” in our country. But this social phenomenon also had a technical side.
Video, video…
At first, all video equipment was very expensive. No one was surprised by the announcements in the newspapers with proposals to change a summer cottage or even a room in a communal apartment for a coveted VHS device. And if the VCR itself was just an expensive thing, then the cost of a foreign TV set simply beat all conceivable records and was in direct conflict with common sense. In the late eighties, a Japanese multi-system receiver could cost several thousand "wooden", despite the fact that a salary of three hundred rubles was considered quite decent for a specialist.
How video was connected to domestic TVs
The happy owners of a Japanese or South Korean miracle soon came to the conclusion that our TVs could well be used to watch foreignvideo programs. Most of the Soviet devices, modern at that time, already had all the necessary devices for connecting video equipment, namely: a built-in PAL-SECAM decoder and a SCART connector on the back cover. They were also equipped with remote control or had the ability to easily install the necessary boards, control modules and infrared signal photodetectors. There was an immediate shortage of suitable connecting cables, which were readily filled by numerous cooperatives and private enterprises.
Simple wiring
Wiring the SCART connector is not difficult in itself, especially since the first video lovers needed the simplest functions. For those who only wanted to watch already recorded programs, three main contacts were enough: the second and sixth (a jumper was placed between them) were responsible for the sound, the twentieth - for the video, and, of course, an earth one was needed (a plate surrounding the entire connector). The same applied to those who bought the player - the device is relatively inexpensive compared to the "full video recorder". It was necessary to use a shielded cable with a 75-ohm frequency impedance, but in practice, given the short length, many manufacturers neglected this condition, especially since the recording quality of most cassettes left much to be desired, and the properties of the connector affected the clarity of the picture last.
In order to enable recording to the unit from an external low-frequency source (another VCR or TV) in the “audio mono” mode, the number of outputsit was required to double, adding the 1st, 3rd (audio) and 19th (video) pins.
Those annoying 20 pins and ground
As a rule, the connecting cord was a cable, on one side of which there was a SCART connector, on the other - two, four or six contact groups of the American RCA standard (called "tulips" for their specific shape). At its core, it was a simple adapter that allowed for galvanic connection of the source with a video monitor (TV). Owners of video equipment often cursed, cursing the imperialists for their lack of desire for universal standardization, believing that 21 contacts for such a simple device is too much., Radiorecepteurs Et Televiseurs - SCART).
Why is it so difficult? But why
Unlike conventional "tulips", the SCART RCA connector has a number of advantages that provide wide control possibilities, better color reproduction and even digital broadcasting, unthinkable in the early 80s (and it was developed in 1983).
Today, consumers who are little educated in electronics know that the variety of colors on the screen is created by just three components: red, green andblue. Their separate supply to the color module eliminates a number of interference and makes the picture clearer. This possibility is provided by the SCART connector, in which the 7th, 11th and 15th contacts are intended for supplying the RGB signal, and the 5th, 9th and 13th alternating with them are intended for shielding shells.
But this is not all the possibilities that the SCART connector has. The pinout assumes the possibility of automatically turning on and off the TV simultaneously with a low-frequency signal source (DVD or VCR), regardless of which company produced the equipment. The widescreen display mode also turns on by itself.
In addition to these functions, there are also two digital contacts - the 12th and 14th, prophetically highlighted by French engineers back in 1983, when almost all consumer electronics were analog. There is also a connector for connecting a timer, it is under the tenth number.
So, 20 contacts and one common (total 21) - this is not so much. For today's video entertainment centers, there are enough of them for now, although it will no longer be enough to enable Dolby Surround…
