Bluedelta Smart SCART review

I have perhaps been a little too critical of the BlueDelta Smart SCART in the past. Nevertheless the caveat remains that this is an auto switch with no manual override. If you try to use this switch with a SCART cable that’s not wired to spec (for instance on a typical PC Engine RGB conversion) you are likely to run into problems. Better SCART cable suppliers, such as the brilliant Retro Console Accessories on E-bay, do wire their cables correctly however. The appeal of a small, fully automatic switch is obvious of course, it can be tucked away behind the TV and forgotten, saving on clutter. Unlike the manual switches, you will need to find somewhere to connect the devices power supply to. If you switch on two connected devices at once, the Smart SCART will keep the input on the first connected device, this allows for this switch to be tested with the same criteria as the others:-

Brightness/noise test:- Passed, no noticeable noise added, no noticeable brightness lost from picture.

Isolation test:- Passed, zero crosstalk from other inputs.

Conclusion:- The Smart SCART actually produces a very nice, noise free image. Being powered and grounded it can improve on the image you might get through a fully manual switch. Nevertheless, careful testing is necessary and if you find that the picture degrades while playing or disappears unexpectedly, you may have a console or cable that’s simply not compatible. There are also concerns about the reliability of this device, with several users reporting that theirs ceased to function. A few months after starting to use mine again, the unit died on me, so keep this in mind if you buy one second hand.