modern TVs and composite video

The manual(s) seem really poor for a random 2021 model picked from the Samsung website, effectively saying it might have composite and/or component inputs depending where in the world you bought it.

No. You might still find the odd last one with component video remaindered at Richer sounds. Expensive inferior solution now.

They are also just about the only site providing reasonably complete specifications for the boxes they are trying to shift!

I think they have pretty much given up on them. Uses too much real estate and comparatively expensive cables when better solutions exist.

My TV is just old enough to still have them but analogue audio out had gone optical and digital.

DVD players with HDMI outputs are available very cheaply.

Owain

You can't be sure without looking though. The last TV we bought showed the specs as having a digital terrestrial tuner, ethernet, USB and 4 HDMI inputs. It actually turned out to have those, plus still having an analogue tuner (handy if you have old devices that have UHF modulators), composite and SVHS inputs, plus a completely unmentioned satellite tuner!

Yep, and slap on another 20 or 30 quid and get a BluRay disc player (obviously they all play DVDs too)

What does component video have to do with DVD players?

WOW! Good bonus! They usually mention a built in satellite tuner - charge extra for that! Analogue tuners, inputs and outputs are slowly dying out.

I wish they would die out faster in the devices that still default to analogue TV mode (ie white noise) after factory reset. It confuses the hell out of little old ladies when they do the wrong thing when told to retune their set because the TDTV digital MUX has been randomised yet again. I have disabled the new channels available notice on some.

On some TVs reset to factory defaults button is right next to retune :(

I agree that to be sure it is best to seek out the model and look very carefully at the back, sides and under any sneaky front panels. Also if it is important to you that is works with a particular makers remote take that along too since some famous names are rebadged other tat.

In the bad old analogue days the better ones provided it as an optional output with slightly better signal fidelity than basic SCART.

You can get composite to HDMI converter boxes for cheap. First hit on ebay:

Although I'd expect a DVD player to have an HDMI output? If it doesn't and you don't want to spring for a new one, I imagine they're worth approximately nothing on the secondhand market now.

Theo

Talking of progress. I have just bought an old Sony Vaio computer, to utilise the DVI port for transferring videos from digital tape to computer.

However, that was, presumably, then. Nowadays buy a cheap region-free DVD player for not a lot.

Chris Holmes formulated the question :

Composite and SCART, which is almost the same thing, are no more. Replaced with HDMI and fibre.

Martin Brown submitted this idea :

Them still including analogue, is for other markets than the UK - so the set can be used anywhere. Cheaper to make one set for anywhere, than numerous designs country specific.

My sets not only need to know language and country, but where in the country you are, so it knows which channels to concentrate on receiving.

Currys seem to list all the in/outs in the spec - if they sell the model you're interested in.

A DVD with an HDMI output? Most have had this for many years.

Never quite understood why they don't provide a phono output. Given the internal audio amps will be digital- and many have a headphone output anyway. So would add pennies to the costs.

I can see no reason to 'upgrade' my Hi-Fi to one with Toslink inputs.

It gives better results than composite?

Components where popular in some countries as an alternative to RGB SCART.

I don't think like a bean-counter, but they would seek any opportunity to shave pennies off the cost.

A decent DVD should have given the choice of RGB over SCART.

Every penny counts in mass produced items