Why use SCART switchers instead of single split cable?

[julealgon]

I have multiple consoles (SNES, Genesis and Saturn), each one with its own SCART cable connected to a switcher, but I always wondered why we can't have a single cable coming from all consoles like this one:

http://www.thegametrain.com/enlargeimag ... iscart.jpg

If such a setup was possible I'd probably ditch my multiple cables plus switcher just because of the reduced clutter. What happens with a setup like that? Do we lose quality by making s single split cable? Is it possible to create a cable robust enough to make that work?

The same goes for using Y RCA splitters to have multiple audio sources connected to the same input, like these:

http://m.bidorbuy.co.za/item/94839869/R ... emale.html

Sorry if the answer is obvious on this one, but I'm very illiterate in electrical engineering.

[Josh128]

Because you will attenuate your video signal by approximately 3 dB (half) with each split. Same as if you connect a single VHF antenna to 5 TVs via a coax splitter. Even though 4 of the sets are off and only 1 is on, power is dropped on all the connections equally.

With analog video signal, this will in effect darken your picture and add the potential for induced noise with every split.

Basic electronics.

[viletim]

julealgon,

Video signals are not audio signals. The rules are different and must be observed if you want any kind of signal integrity. One source, one load, always.

BTW. There's more copper in a bowl of spinach than SCART cables like the one you pictured. Total junk.

[bobrocks95]

If you've ever had a cable like that, you'd know you can only plug in one console connector at a time if you don't want to destroy your video quality, as everybody above me has mentioned.

[julealgon]

If you've ever had a cable like that, you'd know you can only plug in one console connector at a time if you don't want to destroy your video quality, as everybody above me has mentioned.

So wait a second. If I only connect one of them and leave all others disconnected then I don't lose anything? Does the length of the branch matter at all? If keeping it disconnected from all but one console works I'll seriously consider it in place of 3 cables plus switcher. Having a single cable would do wonders for cable management for me.

I have one of those multi console cables (for gamecube/xbox/ps2) but never tried to use it on multiple consoles simultaneously, but I thought this was one of its purposes.

[bobrocks95]

Well Tim already said the overall quality of the posted cable is probably incredibly poor.

As for using a multi-console cable in general, with only one lead plugged in at a time? I don't know. I use one for my PS2 and it looks... okay. I think you'd have trouble finding decent multi-console cables to begin with.

[julealgon]

I think you'd have trouble finding decent multi-console cables to begin with.

I'm not considering buying that cable at all, it was just the first example I got from Google images. If somebody confirmed that such a setup would work, I was thinking about building my own cable.