GFI Cable’s ‘secure’ SCART cable – 01/04/05

Just over a month ago, Idtv.co.uk carried news of an emerging new standard for SCART leads, designed to ensure that these humble connectors work properly when connecting up digital TV systems. The standard would define something called a ‘Digital Friendly SCART’, and GFI Cable – which claims the new standard is based on its ‘secure’ SCART cable – has sent me one to review.

A brief recap on The Problem With Conventional SCART Connectors:

1)    the plugs don’t ‘lock’ in place, so if you shift either the digital set-top box or the TV it’s plugged into, they can easily become partially disconnected. Since functionality isn’t completely disabled until they’re completely disconnected, it’s often difficult for consumers to spot that the problem they’re experiencing is a connectivity one, rather than an issue with the boxes at either end

2)    there’s generally no way of telling whether the SCART you happen to have been supplied with has all its pins connected – which can be a problem in a digital TV context (for instance, it can prevent your TV being told that it needs to change aspect ratio, or from receiving the optimum picture display mode for digital TV)

So – how does GFI Cable’s ‘secure’ SCART measure up? First of all, you can be guaranteed that if you buy one, all the pins in the plugs at each end are connected up and connected up correctly. Second, to ensure optimum connectivity, the connectors are gold-plated. Third,  and perhaps most crucially, the business bit - that is to say the metal flange which surrounds the pins and is actually inserted into the SCART socket - has a couple of tiny protrusions on each of the two horizontal sides (click here for a picture). This means they grip the sides of the socket much more firmly when inserted.

While it was difficult for me to do a thorough test on the pins, I can testify that all the usual functionalities were still present when I swapped the existing SCART between my TV and my Sky+ box for the GI one. I happen to know that the one I already have is a fully-functional one, because BSkyB are quite picky about this with their Sky+ customers. I couldn’t detect any difference in picture quality, either, probably for the same reason.

However, the crucial thing is that the GFI cable is miles better at staying completely connected when my Sky+ box is shifted around a bit than my existing SCART, which becomes partially dislodged even after quite minor movements. In fact, I found the GFI plug quite hard to actually push all the way in to the back of my Sky+ box and the back of the TV set, so it’s no surprise that it’s quite difficult to dislodge once connected.

GFI is selling its 0.75m SCART for what we agree is the very reasonable price of £3.99 per unit plus p&p, with the 1.5m cable costing £4.99 plus p&p, and the 3m one £5.99 plus p&p. (Click here for their website and contact details).

Verdict:  Idtv.co.uk is happy to recommend the GFI Cable ‘secure’ SCART to readers who want to guarantee an optimal digital TV experience, whether DTT or otherwise, and any others which achieve the same end. And we would certainly back any standard or logo that allows consumers to know they’re getting a fully-functional and disconnection-proof cable. If GFI’s solution becomes the basis for a ‘Digital Friendly SCART’ standard, UK or Europe-wide, then all credit to them. The SCART connector’s critical role in delivering digital TV’s benefits often goes unnoticed – and without a good one, it doesn’t matter how good your digital receiver is.