So now I've got a Wii, too

[charlemagne]

(I wasn't sure if posting in this thread would be considered necroing already, and furthermore my questions are more on the tech side of things, so I hereby create a new thread.)

So I got my girlfriend a Wii for her birthday. Her birthday's today, but she's away at school until Friday, so I have a couple of days to set up things properly.

We've got a big 16:9 CRT TV, I've connected the Wii to it using the SCART adaptor that came with the console. The TV's RCA jacks are located at the front under a small panel, so connecting to them would look ugly. I understand using a proper Wii -> SCART cable would be better than the adaptor, yes? Also: would the SCART cable transmit "proper" 16:9 signals, thus allowing the TV to adjust to 16:9 automatically like it does with TV channels that broadcast in 16:9? The issue with this is that the TV's remote is broken, and we're using an universal remote where changing aspect ratio yourself isn't possible.

And another question, regarding sound. I understand the Wii is capable of Dolby ProLogic, which is transmitted over a standard RCA stereo cable. My stereo system is actually a quadrophonic setup, I'm using a Pioneer QX949a receiver with 4 proper channels (works like a charm for dvd with DD5.1 encoding downsized to 4.0 in the dvd player). This receiver "understands" the old RM and SQ modes. I seem to remember that ProLogic is an analog surround standard and essentially the same as SQ, so could I use the receiver to decode the Wii's sound and get proper surround with games that support ProLogic? I know that I once got surround sound out of a cd player from a cd with the "Dolby Surround" logo on it, using the SQ mode on my receiver.

Finally, is there a way to connect the Wii to the TV via SCART while connecting to the audio via RCA at the same time? I know there's propably hack y-cables for this you can get on eBay or whatever, but what I'm asking is if they're worth it or if quality will be reduced drastically.

Any input would be appreciated

[Vendetta]

I understand using a proper Wii -> SCART cable would be better than the adaptor, yes?

Yes. SCART carries a better signal than composite RCAs, using an adapter so you can plug composites into a SCART socket doesn't change the signal, just the connector.

Also: would the SCART cable transmit "proper" 16:9 signals, thus allowing the TV to adjust to 16:9 automatically like it does with TV channels that broadcast in 16:9? The issue with this is that the TV's remote is broken, and we're using an universal remote where changing aspect ratio yourself isn't possible.

Should do. May depend on the specific cable though, the auto-switching pin isn't always wired up.

I seem to remember that ProLogic is an analog surround standard and essentially the same as SQ, so could I use the receiver to decode the Wii's sound and get proper surround with games that support ProLogic? I know that I once got surround sound out of a cd player from a cd with the "Dolby Surround" logo on it, using the SQ mode on my receiver.

You'd have to suck it and see, basically. Though if it works with one device you should be able to get something approximating surround from it.

Finally, is there a way to connect the Wii to the TV via SCART while connecting to the audio via RCA at the same time? I know there's propably hack y-cables for this you can get on eBay or whatever, but what I'm asking is if they're worth it or if quality will be reduced drastically.

Yeah, you can get SCART cables that have RCA plugs on as well, they're generally just as good as any other.

[charlemagne]

Yes. SCART carries a better signal than composite RCAs, using an adapter so you can plug composites into a SCART socket doesn't change the signal, just the connector.

Should do. May depend on the specific cable though, the auto-switching pin isn't always wired up.

Yeah, you can get SCART cables that have RCA plugs on as well, they're generally just as good as any other.

Awesome, I'll stop by a local electronics market right away and see if the sales guys now their stuff (they propably don't though, so I'll make sure that I can return it if it doesn't switch to 16:9.)

You'd have to suck it and see, basically. Though if it works with one device you should be able to get something approximating surround from it.

Yeah, I'll do that. For one, I'll connect to the stereo anyways, because two bigass front speakers is better than TV speakers in any way. And second, the receiver has "fake surround" available also by doing simple subtraction between left and right channel and putting the outcome on the rear speakers, which works nicely, too.