Scart Cables
SCART is the most common method of connecting audio-visual equipment together, and has become a standard connector for such devices. The SCART connector first appeared on television sets in 1977.
It became compulsory on all new television sets sold in France starting from January 1980. Before SCART came, consumer TV sets did not offer a standardized way of inputting signals other than RF antenna ones, and even antenna connectors differed between countries. Assuming other connectors even existed, devices made by different companies could have different and incompatible standards.
SCART makes it easy to connect AV equipment (including TVs, VCRs, DVD players and game consoles). In essence, it gathers together various common analog signal types into a single connector. Previously, each of these would have had their own socket, requiring numerous separate connections and a "spaghetti" type mass of leads. The signals carried by SCART include both composite and RGB (with composite synchronisation) video, stereo audio input/output and digital signalling.
SCART allows a connected device to bring it in and out of standby mode or to switch it to the AV channel. A VCR or other playback device will optimally power on when a cassette is inserted, power on the television set (or switch it to video mode) and then start playing immediately if the cassette's write protection tab is absent. When turned off, the VCR will ask the television set to power off as well, which the set will do if it had been powered on by the VCR's request and if it remained in video mode all along. Only some TV sets will do this—most only implement automatic switching to and from the SCART input.
SCART also supports automatic widescreen switching. This is an extension of the functionality of a pin which previously only indicated to the TV set that an external signal should be displayed.
