Connecting up to TV screen problem

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

I've just encountered an annoying problem that stems from a very basic setup that should be simple and straight forward.

With no firewire connection to the computer I'm using at the moment, I decided to connect an XL1s directly up to the back of a normal TV screen today, but either I'm doing something completely wrong, or there is a fault somewhere.

According to page 81 of the manual, setting up should be a doddle. Just connect a scart adapter (connected to an STV-150 lead) directly into the back of a TV, and connect the white, red, and yellow plugs into the correct sockets on the back of the XL1s. Turn the TV on and set to video channel. Turn the XL dial to VCR, open the handle door and press 'play'. Nothing...except that everything on the XL seems normal, and playback shows OK in the viewfinder.

I've tried everything to sort out the problem - even using the S-Video lead without a scart adapter via the video recorder, etc, but nothing makes the XL tape show on the TV screen.

One extra note: the TV is automatically set to 'video' channel as soon as a scart is connected to the back, so that shouldn't be the problem.

I thought possibly that the scart adapter was the problem, but I've just changed it for a new one. I would have thought any scart adapter would work. I have one which does have an S-video socket built in, plus an in-out switch (so slightly different to the PC-A10 scart that comes with the camera) - but this shouldn't make any difference...or does it?

Is there any feature in the menu of the camera that prevents the relay of the recorded image from camera to TV?

I know it must be an extremely simple thing I'm doing wrong somewhere down the line, but it can't get more simple than plugging the scart into a TV and fitting the 3-plug lead into the camera.

[Rob Lohman]

Where did you plug the cable into the XL1S?

This should be very simple indeed. If you can't get it to work the
cable and both video ports on either side are prime suspects.

Are you not getting any audio as well?

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

The problem was, thankfully, eventually found to be the actual setup on the video/TV and not the XL1s or cords.

Everything is now sorted, and playback runs smoothly on the TV. In fact, I've just got back from filming at the Wildfowl Trust, and the quality shown on a very large TV screen was top notch - definitely broadcast/Sky TV quality. That has now made me a lot happier, because I thought maybe I was going to need Super 16mm, 35mm film, or HiDef, to meet requirements for this project, but the XL1s has really produced the goods.

[Rob Lohman]

Glad to hear!