Gamecube component cable = worst 480p signal ever ?!?

[Uli]

i can only warn everyone to invest in the Nintendo Gamecube component YUV cable (japan version, ordered at Lik-Sang) because it delivers one of the worst 480p signals i have ever wittnessed on a console! even my PS2 does much better with a third party component cable!

the 480p signal is full of vertical lines like an EM interference grid all over the screen. i tested nearly every game i have and found it's all the same! my Gamecube is from the US and i use a Hyundai 42" plasma tv. from the forum at www.hdtvarcade.com i know that i'm not the only one who encountered this problem.

meanwhile i have my second cable in use because i thought the first one was broken! from what i know this Nintendo component cable is the only one available to the market.

i wonder if other Gamecube users here at NTSC-UK have experienced the same problem and maybe found a solution for it?!

[Lyris]

I've never had this either I have to say. I'm using a standard US GameCube on a Sony KLV26hg2 LCD TV with the same official cable and I don't have any problems. Although that said, the compressed colors that the Y/Pb/Pr format has seem to show up a lot more on Cube games than they do using my Dreamcast (also connected through Component through a VGA converter).

Could you take a picture of the interference? I really have no idea what could be wrong... is it plugged directly into the TV? Or is it plugged into a switch with a really long cable or something?

[Uli]

Could you take a picture of the interference? I really have no idea what could be wrong... is it plugged directly into the TV? Or is it plugged into a switch with a really long cable or something?

the cable is plugged directly in to the DVD component input of my plasma tv. i guess if i took a picture of the screen you wouldn't recognize the problem. it's obvious if you have a black screen but otherwise very subtle. think of it as a vertical interference grid with some brighter regions in form of small lines like this

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[ThoseOfTheUnlight]

Mustnt like your plasma then, since progressive scan looks absolutely stunning on mine.

[bash]

Uli it must be your plasma, the official nintendo component cable is MUCH better than the Sony or M$ official ones.

Im using Ixos component cables for my Xbox and PS2 and the nintendo one is as good as either of them IMO. Its not much to look at but it does the job extremley well!

Prog scan for GC games are much better than PS2/Xbox too, compare 480p Soul calibur2 on all 3 formats to see what I talking about (forget crappy Xbox 4:3 720p) Metroid prime, zelda, mario all look amazing and I dont even like those games but I truly appreciate how great they are to look at. . . .

[Mayhem]

Yep has to almost certainly be the TV. Seen the output on two TVs with the component cable and it was absolutely stunning. So... maybe not the cable then.

[edandersen]

(forget crappy Xbox 4:3 720p)

You what?

[bash]

yeah, those big black borders are lovely

Its like watching champions league footy on ITV only sharper hahahaha

[koenshaku]

Uli, does your plasma have pitch adjust? T'is used for eliminating vertical interference in flat panel displays if I'm correct.

[Super Monkey Balls]

Uli it must be your plasma, the official nintendo component cable is MUCH better than the Sony or M$ official ones.

So true.

I dunno what peoples problem is with the borders on SC2 either. You've got a 40" screen FFS, stop being greedy. It's the arcade ratio and it looks 10X better than 16:9 480p would anyway.
Almost as bad as those tits that stretch every 4:3 picture they can.

[t-dog]

hello uli,

i have seen the exact same thing on my tv, and i had a jvc hv-36p38. It's especially evident in wind waker, when it's night and your sailing on the ocean. You can see roughly 6-10 vertical stripes, especially in the sky. They're a bit faint, but they show a stark contrast to the otherwise beautiful night sky.
Other than wind waker, I can't remember on top of my head where else i've seen it. But rest assured, your not alone.

edit: it was in prog scan of course, and it was the official cable (don't know if there is a 3rd party one..?)
Also, I never found a solution to the problem. But, in my opinion, it's a minor niggle, so i coped with it.

[Mayhem]

It's actually a problem with the coding in Wind Waker I believe (I'm sure there's some report from Nintendo admitting there's some graphical glitching in the game).

[gIzzE]

Yeah that is in the coding of WindWaker.

What you describe Uli sounds more like a clock phase issue, unfortunately not all plasmas let you adjust the phase whilst in YUV mode, look for it in your advanced settings.

Nothing wrong with the gamecube mate, or the cable, but all down to how the manufacturer sets the timings for individuals resolutions, my Panasonic can not handle 576p@50Hz if the front porch is slightly off (the cropping of the image basically) so to get a signal looking good I have a tiny black border on the right hand side, and when I loose the border I see those vertical lines until I adjust the clock phase, but if you can't adjust it you are buggered!

[Uli]

Yeah that is in the coding of WindWaker.

What you describe Uli sounds more like a clock phase issue, unfortunately not all plasmas let you adjust the phase whilst in YUV mode, look for it in your advanced settings.

Nothing wrong with the gamecube mate, or the cable, but all down to how the manufacturer sets the timings for individuals resolutions, my Panasonic can not handle 576p@50Hz if the front porch is slightly off (the cropping of the image basically) so to get a signal looking good I have a tiny black border on the right hand side, and when I loose the border I see those vertical lines until I adjust the clock phase, but if you can't adjust it you are buggered!

thanks, but what exactly is a "clock phase"? is it the same as "pitch adjust" (see post above)?

my plasma has a "PC Auto" function which seems to auto adjust the phase and frequency in VGA mode. unfortunately i don't seem have this option in any of the video modes. maybe there's a hidden service menu somewhere to access. guess i should get in contact with Hyundai then, right?

[gIzzE]

Yeah probably the same thing I would imagine.

Do a search for service mode on google and see what you can come up with.
Unfortunately if you make an adjustment in the service mode for 480p on the cube it may then be out with anything else that is 480p too.