Can this be done?

[Scottie]

I have just bought two Compaxs 800 DVD player for £20.00 each, I think they
are factory recondition? What I would like to ask is this, is it possible to
set up the DVD to work on a television that doesn't have a scat connection,
and only has an output for an Arial? One of the DVDs that I set up on my
daughters TV that did had a scat plug was set-up in seconds, but I don't
know if I'm wasting my time trying to figure out if the TV with only an
Arial outlet can be set up? The TV is connected to a video recorder and
works fine connected by the Arial coax wire, and the video does have a scat
connection although I can't use it as the TV has none. The TV does not have
a video/sound or any other outlet; the only one is for the Arial coax
connection, it is old but has a great picture. Am I wasting my time trying
to solve this? Thanks to anyone here if they can help?

 

[Martin]

I have just bought two Compaxs 800 DVD player for £20.00 each, I think they
are factory recondition? What I would like to ask is this, is it possible to
set up the DVD to work on a television that doesn't have a scat connection,
and only has an output for an Arial? One of the DVDs that I set up on my
daughters TV that did had a scat plug was set-up in seconds, but I don't
know if I'm wasting my time trying to figure out if the TV with only an
Arial outlet can be set up? The TV is connected to a video recorder and
works fine connected by the Arial coax wire, and the video does have a scat
connection although I can't use it as the TV has none. The TV does not have
a video/sound or any other outlet; the only one is for the Arial coax
connection, it is old but has a great picture. Am I wasting my time trying
to solve this? Thanks to anyone here if they can help?

You should be able to plug a DVD player into the video recorder's SCART
socket and then - when you select the A/V channel on the video recorder -
the video recorder will modulate the DVD player's SCART output to UHF (the
aerial).

However, you may (or will!) get problems playing (macrovision) copyright
protected DVDs once it's plugged into the video recorders SCART socket.
The DVD player may detect the video recorder and activate the copyright
protection making the picture unwatchable - this copyright protection isn't
activated when the DVD player's plugged into a TV's SCART socket.

Best bet is to try it and see - it'll cost you nothing.

Martin.

 

[Scottie]

Thanks for the advice Martin. Like the TV the video is an old, it's a,
Panasonic NV-SD40B and I no longer have the remote control for it. I do have
the manual for the VCR, unfortunately I can't see how to switch to the A/V
setting using the VCR buttons. Maybe you can only switch to A/V through the
remote? It would be a lot easier if I could send a pictures of the back of
the, TV/Video/VCR for people to have a look, then they might know if it
could be done?

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[Martin]

Has the video recorder got a digital channel display or is it a REALLY old
one with push buttons for the individual channels?

An old video i had - which had push buttons to select the channel - had a
separate switch to select video input.

If it's got a digital channel display and channel up/down buttons then try
going from channel 1 to zero - zero may be the SCART input selected.

It may even switch to SCART input automatically when it detects a source
connected to the SCART socket.

Martin.

 

[Scottie]

Martin you're genuineness, I have got A/V 1 and A/V 2. I found them right
where you said below channel one. I'm off for my tea now but I'll let you
know how I get on? Once again thanks a bunch.

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[Scottie]

I got the DVD working at last Martin thanks; the problem I have now is I
can't get the Menu button on the DVD to work so that I can set the DVD to
regional FREE. I could just switch the DVD in my daughter's room as I set
that one to zero, this allows all DVDs to be played. It could be as you said
something to do with being connected to the VCR?

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[Martin]

It may be that the Region Free menu has been disabled as the DVD player has
detected the video recorder and activated the copyright protection.

You could try moving the DVD player from the video recorder to the TV with
the SCART input - see if the menu is then enabled.
If so, then set it to region free and try it again - plugged back into the
video recorder's SCART input.

Setting Region Free will not necessarily disable any copyright protection
that is activated when it's connected to a video recorder.

I've had a look on www.videohelp.com and your player is listed with the
following region-free hacks..

Hack One:
Without a disc in the player, press menu, 1, 9. Scroll to the region
setting, press enter, press 0, press enter.

Hack two:
There are two versions of the software for the DVD 800. The previous hack
doesn't work for the model I bought from Woolworths.
This one did:
Open tray
Press setup on remote
Press vol- and vol+ alternately a number of times until the number 2 appears
Use the arrow keys to change that 2 to 255
Press enter
Press setup
Done

The same hacks are also reported on
http://www.dvd365.net/?hacks/compacks.htm

A search on Google for 'Compacks DVD 800 macrovision' gave no hacks to
disable copyright protection.

I'll leave you to experiment!

Martin.

 

[Scottie]

Yes Martin your bang on again, I had already fixed up the hack to worked on
my daughters DVD. I will just change them about and set up the DVD for my
daughter again, I think it will be less hassle that way?
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