Product Description

- To connect 3 programme sources via scart plug - Scart output for TV/monitor connection - Additional RCA (phono) sockets - Possibility to copy from source B to A or C to A - Monitor switch to watch one of the input sources - For all video systems and RGB, suitable for stereo - Suitable for TV decoder and DVD - Colour: silver

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8181 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Hama
• Model: 00042501
• Released on: 2005-11-18
• Dimensions: 25.59" h x 84.65" w x 90.55" l, .81 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
Hama's SCART switch box offers an easy method of connecting a TV to three separate sources such as DVD, cable TV, Sky satellite, VCR, etc. Video sources can be selected by way of the push buttons on the front of the unit. When a recorder is connected to input A it can record from either input B or C which allows you to watch one source while recording another. In addition to the SCART sockets the products also provides RCA/Phono socket outputs for stereo audio and video.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Solves the problem of not enough SCART sockets
If you have a TV with SCART sockets, but there aren't enough to connect all your equipment, this Hama unit might solve the problem.

I bought one of these Hama switchers in early 2006. I had a DVD player and a Freeview set-top-box, both of which needed to be connected to an RGB-enabled SCART socket on the back of my TV to ensure best picture quality. (It's a standard TV that I've had for some years, so without Component or HDMI connections, RGB's the next best option.) The problem was that my TV had only one SCART socket that was RGB-enabled. Enter the Hama AV-100S. This unit supports RGB, whereas some SCART switching boxes don't (so you'd end up watching the lowest quality composite signal, even if you've selected RGB on your DVD player).

So now both my DVD player and Freeview box are connected to the Hama switcher, and at the press of a button I can choose which of these to watch on my TV via the TV's only RGB-enabled SCART socket. Problem solved! And better still, although the Hama unit does not have it's own power supply, I can see no noticeable drop in picture quality or brightness by connecting the equipment via this unit (as opposed to connecting them directly to the TV).

Note that the switching on this Hama unit is manual, i.e. you need to get up and press one of the buttons on it, as it won't switch by itself. Also, this unit doesn't include any SCART leads, so you'll probably need to get one or two of those as well (preferably "fully wired" - many of the cheaper SCART leads don't connect all 21 pins between the two SCART plugs at either end of the cable).

In summary, I'd say the Hama AV-100S is a high-quality, sensibly-priced unit that solves the problem of not enough SCART sockets far better than other SCART switching boxes.

P.S. This Hama switcher has additional useful functions, though since I don't use them I haven't commented on them. And at the time of writing this review, the Amazon price for this Hama unit is around £10. That's a bargain considering I paid double that!

Need an extra SCART socket on your TV?
Problem: I had a good quality DVD player plugged into the TV via a SCART socket; I received a cheap DVD recorder; but the TV had no spare SCART socket.

Unplugging one SCART cable from the TV & plugging in the other every time I wanted to switch between the recorder and the player was fiddly & tedious.

Solution: (after reading reviews of a large number of switching systems, cheap or otherwise) I ordered the Hama Scart Switch Box for its reputation for simplicity, effectiveness & reliability. It came. The two small pages of operating instructions tell you clearly everything you need to know. All I had to do was (i) plug the SCART cable from the TV into the TV/MONITOR socket on the little Hama box, (ii) plug the recorder SCART cable into the A/VCR 1 socket on the box, and (iii) plug the player into the B/VCR 2 socket, and my problem was solved. (The box itself does not require its own power supply - it's just a mechanical switching system.)

Result: I simply either (i) press button A on the Hama box when I want to use the DVD recorder, or (ii) press button B if I want to change to the DVD player.

(The box has various other fancy capabilities - it has three SCART input sockets, RCA sockets for your HiFi, facilities for copying from one source to another, etc. - but I have had no need to try them yet.)

Great bit of kit
For years I have had trouble with SCART switch boxs either reading two channels at once or breaking within a few months. This item is perfect for my needs and its so simple even my 3 year old niece can use it.