On first glance, you would have to say that the simple scart cable has had it's day. With the rise in sales of big flatscreen TVs and the proliferation of high definition TV, why would anyone use a scart lead these days?
Well, as I say, on first look, the question is valid. The quality of the picture and sound coming through a HDMI (High Definition Media Interface) cable is second to none with a crystal clear picture and clarity of sound that is unmatched, certainly not by a standard scart cable at any rate.
But that is not why the death of scart leads is near upon us at all. It should be but it is not the case. The simple fact is that while the uptake of HD TV is great and more and more people have household electronics like blu ray players, play stations, x boxes and the like, the fact is that a lot of people still need the basic scart connection to enjoy their TV experience.
If you think of how many people still have video recorders, dvd players, non high definition satellite receivers & digital TV (DTT) receivers, the numbers are massive. Without the humble scart cable they would be at a great loss.
The question then is what is the best scart lead to choose to suit your television needs? There are two types that you should really consider. They are the standard standard scart cables that do not have gold plated connections and there are the high end scart cables that are gold plated. The gold plating in the connectors allows for better transfer of audio and video signals. The problem with the higher end scart cables is that they are very expensive relative to the cheaper no gold plated cables.
A typical non gold plated scart cable of around 1.5m would set you back something in the region of maybe five euro where as a high end cable might set you back twenty five to thirty euro. That is five times the price. Is it worth it? Probably not, the quality of an audio and video signal through a scart cable is not anything like a HDMI cable and especially if you are running it to an older TV. My opinion, just buy the cheaper cable.
Unless you are a serious audio / video phile, you will not notice much or any signal degradation.