TV Connectors and Cables Explained

Need a connector or lead for your TV setup? We explain what the connectors do, and aim to point you in the right direction

 

Aerial Flylead

An Aerial Flylead is used to connect from a TV aerial socket on the wall to an aerial input socket on a TV or set-top box. They are also used to connect set-top boxes and recorders to TV sets. These will have a male aerial plug at each end. TV Aerial Flylead at Maplin.

Co-ax aerial flylead

Aerial cable extender

Aerial lead with a male socket at one end and a female connector at the other end. TV Aerial Lead at Maplin.

Co-ax aerial extension lead

 

Aerial connector

Got a damaged aerial connector? Replace the male connector plug with a co-ax plug. Basic co-ax plug at Maplin - see also all aerial connectors at Maplin.

Co-ax aerial plug

 

Aerial Splitters

See our dedicated Aerial Splitter and boosters page.

Need a connector, adapter, lead or splitter? We recommend Maplin Electronics and TV Cables

 

SCART Lead

If you need to connect a set-top box or a DVD player to a TV set, you'll probably need a male-to-male SCART lead. You can buy a basic SCART connection lead at Maplin, or you may want to invest in a higher-quality SCART lead, which you can get from TV Cables.

SCART plugs

F-Plug connector

F-Plugs are most commonly associated with satellite TV or cable TV systems. They have a screw thread. Pictured below is a male plug on the left, and a female on the right. For cables and connectors, go to a maplin.co.uk or tvcables.co.uk.

Male and Female 'F' connectors

HDMI connector

Typically used to connect a High Definition set-top box or DVD player to an HD-Ready TV set. We have a page dedicated to HDMI cables, connectors and converters. See our HDMI page.

HDMI plugs

Component Connectors

Can be used to connect some types of set-top box to a TV set. Red, Green and Blue for Y,Pb,Pr component connectivity. Note that these carry video only, not audio. For Component connectors and adapters, go to a maplin.co.uk or tvcables.co.uk.

Two sets of Component Plugs

 

Composite Connectors

Three leads - red and white for stereo audio, and yellow for video. For connectors and adapters, go to a maplin.co.uk or tvcables.co.uk.

Two sets of composite leads

 

Connectors Explained

Co-ax Explained	A co-ax plug is the kind you'd expect to find on the end of the wire that comes from your TV aerial. For a selection of co-ax leads, converters and extensions, go to the Maplin website.
SCART Explained	A SCART connector is something you'll find on more modern TV, video, DVD and games units - They have 21 pins, and carry audio, video, switching commands and an earth. If you have a lot of video connectors, you may need a switch box, to handle multiple SCART sockets. These can be manually switched, automatically-switching or remote controlled SCART switchers. For a selection of SCART leads and switchers, go to the Maplin website.
HDMI explained	HDMI stands for "High Definition Media Interface". This is the connector used to connect most high-definition equipment (such as the Sky+ HD , Virgin V+ or BT Vision box) to a hi-def TV set. HDMI cables carry both video and audio. See our HDMI page for more. If you're looking for an HDMI cable, try TV Cables or Maplin Electronics

 

Your questions answered

How can I connect my Freeview box to a PC monitor?

• If your Freeview box can output RGB via SCART, then get a SCART to VGA lead like the SCART to VGA SyncBlaster cable from Maplin , or the Video to VGA converter from TV Cables .

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