SCART Connector
Common in Europe, this multi-purpose connector can carry various kinds of analog audio and video signal, including RGB. Its great advantage is that a single connector can carry multiple kinds of signal in a single cable.
A SCART connector
The SCART (or Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs) is a connector that carries analog audio and video. Based on a French standard it is also known as the Péritel and Euroconnector. The key advantage of the SCART connector is that it gathers various common analog signal-types (e.g. audio and video) into a single connector.
Advantages of SCART
- Supports almost all analog audio and video formats (e.g. S-Video, RGB) in a single cable.
- Devices with multiple SCART connectors can pass the signals unchanged when not active, i.e. multiple devices can be daisy chained together.
- Compliant devices can be brought out of standby mode via a SCART connection.
- Better picture quality than a Belling-Lee connector.
Disadvantages of SCART
- Can't carry S-Video and RGB signals simultaneously (but the connection can alternate between them).
- Officially other non-RGB type (e.g. YPbPr) component video signals are not supported, though an unofficial YPbPr output is available on some appliances.
- Analog only, digital signals are not supported.
- Audio is limited to two channels, 5.1/7.1 audio is not supported.
- The connector is non-locking and is prone to falling out.
For more information about other connectors see here.