Console TV

[David J.]

I'm actually not looking to buy one... yet, but I am looking for some advice on the TV for my "dream" Genesis setup.

You know the classic wood grain TV's that where rather common in the 70's and 80's? I've seen them with Compsite jacks, so Anyone know the best way to find one, or if I am able to find one locally... is it any harder to refinsh a woodgrain tv than any thing else made of wood? I think there is one locally that is going for peanuts at the pawn shop.

I was thinking that taking one of those, and putting tiny holes in the tv console for Genesis controller extension cables (so the controller wires don't obscure the TV any), a nice Genesis 1/Sega CD 2/32X setup, hooked up to a stereo reciever with some sweet bookcase speakers. It'd be rather retro in a way.

[evildragon]

well, I know of a perfect one, from that era, matter of fact, I have the same model (the 13" model)..

Remember that TV show full House? remember that 19" wood grain TV they have with the silver bottom? That's a Sears model TV, that's the model I have (except once again, theirs is the 19" model).. It has composite input jacks, and has probably the best picture I have seen... (for Composite, it's darn sharp in it's horizontal lines!)

When I visit my mothers (where the TV is), I will get it's model number... the remote is a classic too, it's all silver, with a black top...

[Zebbe]

How can you play with composite? Picture quality is awful.

[David J.]

Because they do not have RGB or scart in the US. That and I don't have the money to upgrade my setup. That and I love these TV's... very popular and common around the time that the MD/Genesis was popular. I'd maybe take a RGB NTSC compatable monitor and transplant it in a TV like this if needed be, lol. But I don't know how!

evildragon, I watch the show full house, well reruns and that TV isn't really what I mean. I have some pix of what I mean at home, which I'll upload -- I'm posting this at chool.

There's two locally at the pawn shop, and while the wood could easily be fixed... the paint for the text (like power and volume on and off are kind of messed up), and I'm still looking into it.

[evildragon]

i have an older woodgrain TV that has the knobs on it, but no composite.. (i don't think any TV with knobs will have composite, because those knobs are directly connected to the RF tuner)

[David J.]

This is the kind of TV I am talking about, in the attachment.

The TV in Full House is completely different -- I watch it on Nick at Nite. Embrassing I know... but I love just about every 80's sitcom.

[evildragon]

yea, um, that's not the Genesis era.. that's way before it..

[David J.]

But my grandparents (now divorced) had a TV just like that from the late 80's and it had composite, and the two at the pawn shop have it with composite.

I saw two Sony (I think?) TV's like that and they had composite, and I even saw a mitsibishi console TV on ebay with S-video.

If I could find a dead console TV and put an RGB Monitor in it... I sure would.

[evildragon]

oops, after looking at the plastic bezel on the RCA TV you showed, it is of the Genesis era (the plastic bezel is of the 80's-90's..)

RGB modding those things are possible, if it has closed caption...

[David J.]

Guides?

[evildragon]

Guides?
it's different for every TV.. you'd need the service manual..

[David J.]

I was playing some Shinobi 3 and some SOR with my Genesis... and since the best picture I can get with my system and TV w/o modding my genesis is composite. And on my '27 inch philips, isn't too bad looking.

[megadriveworld]

Just get a decent CRT TV from say 1999 or 2000. Why are you going out of your way to get an old old TV that is probably poor compared to a slightly newer decent enough CRT, with RGB, Scart etc.

[evildragon]

Just get a decent CRT TV from say 1999 or 2000. Why are you going out of your way to get an old old TV that is probably poor compared to a slightly newer decent enough CRT, with RGB, Scart etc.
sorry, but hardly any american TV has RGB, let alone Scart.. Do check his profile...

[David J.]

I like the look of classic TV's. So that's why.

However... my '27 Philips TV has component, so maybe someday I will buy a RGB to Component converter but just for the Genesis, because everything else is in S-video and that is decent for the Saturn and Dreamcast.

[Joe Redifer]

I even play my Dreamcast in component... 480p to be precise.

But yeah, try to find a good STANDARD definition TV with component. An HDTV simply will not do for any pre-Dreamcast era game systems.

[David J.]

Argh! That was my dream setup with that kind of TV, but lets be realisitic here. Since my current '27 Philips has component, I'll just buy the transcoder and cables.

[evildragon]

I even play my Dreamcast in component... 480p to be precise.

But yeah, try to find a good STANDARD definition TV with component. An HDTV simply will not do for any pre-Dreamcast era game systems.
mine does ;) it looks like an emulator running on an oversized PC though, which i prefer, scanlines annoy me (i get headaches)

[evildragon]

actually, only VGA on the Dreamcast is good.. the dreamcast has two graphics modes.. 30KHz (VGA), and 15KHz (TV)..

in TV mode, since it will be interlacing, it does a vertical flicker-reduction filter, which actually slightly blurs the picture vertically.. (i hate it)... only VGA can give you a good picture out of it, as it turns that filter off...

[Joe Redifer]

My Dreamcast runs every game I have in true 480p. No interlace unless I hook up the gimpy S-video cable.

David J, is your Philips a standard definition TV? If so that could do pretty nice, though all TVs are not created equal. You could put some wood grain finish around it and a pair of rabbit-ear antennas sticking up!

[David J.]

Yup. My philips is a SDTV. here's what it looks like:

http://ourworld.cs.com/airbikecop/DCP00385.JPG

My camera is crap so that's why it looks like crap in the pic. I run my DC/Saturn in S-video and it looks good with this TV. It's not really worth upgrading those systems to because it looks good enough to me. The Genesis... not so much.

[Joe Redifer]

Well if you have Revenge of Shinobi starring Batman™ you will need component video to absorb all of Batman's glory. Here are some pics of what you'll need:

http://pixelcraze.film-tech.net/crap/rgbscart1.jpg
Here is my setup. The Genesis SCART cable (which I bought off of eBay from England and/or Europe) is plugged into the RGB to YUV converter (which I bought from Australia... can't remember if it was eBay or not). You'll see SCART cables from other systems laying around... SNES, TurboGrafx-16, NeoGeo and Saturn. Hooray!

http://pixelcraze.film-tech.net/crap/rgbscart2.jpg
Here is the underneath where I ran audio cables out of it. If all you plan to hook to this is the Genesis, you will not need to do this since you can route the audio from the Genesis directly. However with the SNES and TG-16, etc, audio was included in the single cable so I had to have audio out. It was pretty easy to do.

http://pixelcraze.film-tech.net/crap/rgbscart3.jpg
Here is the AC Adapter that you will need to buy from Radio Shack. I don't have a part or catalog number, but I can get one for you if you like. I don't like how it is so huge, but oh well.

http://pixelcraze.film-tech.net/crap/dccomponent.jpg
Just for fun here is my VGA to YUV transcoder (also from Australia) that I use for my Dreamcast. This cannot be used with an SDTV... you must use it with either an HDTV or an EDTV... something that accepts 480p. I need to dust back there and throw away that stray cassette tape. :)

[David J.]

I saw a couple of those transcoders on ebay for various prices and at various locations. I'm selling my SNES because I no longer play it, and since I can make a decent penny on it... why not? Getting the Mega Drive 2 scart cable will be the hard part. I'm only going to be using it with the Genesis.

Actually looking at that AC Adaptor, I can figure it out, and go to the radio shack a few blocks away.

[Joe Redifer]

Will you attach a 32X to this setup? If you do, you can run the Mega Drive 2 SCART cable from that and experience the greatness that is COSMIC CARNAGE in component video!!!!!!!!! I have a Genesis 1 and bought a Mega Drive 2 cable anyway. If I want to play SMS games, I just plug the MD 2 SCART cable into the adapter wire that changes the Genesis 1 output into Genesis 2. Works great!

[evildragon]

My Dreamcast runs every game I have in true 480p. No interlace unless I hook up the gimpy S-video cable.

David J, is your Philips a standard definition TV? If so that could do pretty nice, though all TVs are not created equal. You could put some wood grain finish around it and a pair of rabbit-ear antennas sticking up!
yea, i know.. when the dreamcast is in VGA mode, it MUST output 480p... when in 480i mode, it runs a vertical filter, to reduce the effect of interlacing.. (when really it makes it look like crap)

[David J.]

Will you attach a 32X to this setup? If you do, you can run the Mega Drive 2 SCART cable from that and experience the greatness that is COSMIC CARNAGE in component video!!!!!!!!! I have a Genesis 1 and bought a Mega Drive 2 cable anyway. If I want to play SMS games, I just plug the MD 2 SCART cable into the adapter wire that changes the Genesis 1 output into Genesis 2. Works great!

That's what I am going to do - use a 32X. But finding a Mega Drive 2 SCART cable is kind of hard, and there's only 1 on ebay.

And yes, I've done that adapter wire trick before (with compsite cables) and using a PBC and Virtua Racing. This was when I only had one Genesis system, and I thought I was the ONLY one who did that.

[evildragon]

to joe: bah, I build my own power supplies :p Those Radio Shack ones are overpriced, you can get cheeper..

[Joe Redifer]

You have lots of time. I want it done NOW.


But finding a Mega Drive 2 SCART cable is kind of hard, and there's only 1 on ebay.
Then BUY IT!

[megadriveworld]

sorry, but hardly any american TV has RGB, let alone Scart.. Do check his profile...

S-Video then, or one of the more elite connections I'm sure a 5 yr old NTSC TV has. Errmm I won't look at his profile....

If you can, do what Joe has done, mod. But if you wanted the old old style TV - which does appear strange, fair enough if its for nostalgia reasons.

[David J.]

You know... if anyone was willing to sell/make me a MD 2 Scart cable I'd pay you -- ebay is kind of unreliable as there's only 1 or 2 on ebay at a time. :(

[David J.]

Wait a sec... do MD2 scart cables have the same problems as MD1 Japanese and PAL SCART cables? Since for the MD1 they are not comptable with one another.

I found a few more online, and one of the website says they are not comptable.

I think they should work... However.. they are located in NYC so that means it's only six hours away.

[TheGZeus]

Got a soldering iron?
If not, you can just push the pins in and push them back out in the right places.
it's best if you can solder, though, as I hear you'll need to add(remove?) some caps on the RGB lines.

[David J.]

I'm not importing a stupid connector that I can't buy in the US, or locally for that matter. I'll just buy the cable from the place in NYC, and I think I saw someone in Florida sell the transcoder, I'll then head down to the radio shack right near my job and get the AC Adaptor and the component cables too hook up to my TV and maybe some RCA cables too hook my Genesis setup to the TV via the RCA Plugs, and I have a 2-food 1/8th to 1/8th cable ready, and purchased a long time ago just incase.

Or contuine to use the 1/8th to RCA... Decisions, decisions...

[evildragon]

well, i could make one, but finding a 9pin mini din connector is crazy...

[Joe Redifer]

I've imported PLENTY of SCART cables from the UK using eBay and have never, ever had a problem. Just make absolutely sure it is an RGB SCART cable otherwise it may be composite only!

I don't know what incompatibilities you speak of. Just avoid Japanese SCART at all costs.

[David J.]

Yup, the site says its a SCART RGB Cable.

[David J.]

Well, I bought the transcoder and scart cable, so I am getting ready! :)

I bought some generic AC/DC Adaptor at Biglots that you can set to 7.5 Volts, and it should have the right tip, it was only $4.99, so no big loss. I bought some component cables at lowes for next to nothing. Getting there was a pain as everyone is out travling and shopping today in FULL SWING. I almost got my car in an accident more than once on the way there and the way home.

If I can't use the AC Adaptor, I can still use it for something else anyway.

Hey Joe, does the transcoder have a positive or negative tip polarity? I can adjust it with the adaptor I got, but I'd like to get it set up right now!