Do I need a new TV?

[stoofle]

Help!

I've just got hold of a US/JAP switched cube, and it's displaying in black and white. I've read a lot of similar threads to this when i did a search on the forum, but nothing that seemed to quite fit my situation. I didn't think my TV accepted an RGB signal, but now I'm not sure. The situation is as follows:

My Japanese Gamecube outputs in black and white with both composite and s-video connections. I have no s-video connection on my TV, so i'm plugging it in via a scart adaptor.

My Japanese Dreamcast outputs in colour using the scart cable that came with it (from a friend), but in black and white via the composite cables. (so it doesn't understand at least one of the types of NTSC signals).

My PAL Gamecube works fine through the official RGB lead. does this have composite connections as well as the RGB ones? the picture on the TV is fine regardless of whether i select video or s-video mode.

So, do i just need a modifed RGB cable for the Gamecube, or is it possible that the Dreamcast is outputting a different kind of signal that the TV understands? I'd have thought that either both of the consoles would work, or neither of them.

Finally, other than checking the manual (which I have, and it's no help), is there a way of checking if my TV supports RGB? It'd be nice to know before spending 40 pounds on a cable.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Lyris]

My Japanese Gamecube outputs in black and white with both composite and s-video connections. I have no s-video connection on my TV, so i'm plugging it in via a scart adaptor.

That could happen anyway - Composite will show black and white if your TV can't accept NTSC signal. S-Video will show black and white for the same reason, or if the TV can't accept an S-Video signal.

If an NTSC Dreamcast outputs in colour using an RGB SCART cable, then your TV is RGB compatible. You need a modified RGB cable.

[stoofle]

That's great news (apart from the fact that i need to fork out for a new cable). I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't any way that the Dreamcast was outputting something other than RGB that the TV could understand. Thanks for the help!

*double edit*
Found the answer behind the SNES question.

[stoofle]

Well now I have no idea what's happened.

I just got hold of a modified RGB cable, and I get no picture whatsoever on the TV, but I do get sound. It's a cable that's been modified by Saur, so I'm sure that the cable isn't the problem.

I can see a very brief flash of the picture when I change channel, but that's it. Does anyone have any ideas? I can't understand why the Japanese Dreamcast outputs in colour, but the Gamecube doesn't work at all.

[McPastry]

If the brief flash of picture is in colour, you'll probably have to manually select RGB input on your telly somehow. What make / model of TV is it? The dreamcast RGB probably works automatically due to a different amount of switching voltage on one the scart pins (or something).

[stoofle]

The TV is a Matsui 25M1 (I didn't buy it, it was my parents old telly). I can't see any way of manually switching to RGB, and I've tried pressing every button on the remote many, many times. The manual doesn't even mention RGB anywhere. Is there a standard way to select RGB as an input?

[McPastry]

Hmm, I think that telly is a clone of a Sanyo model which my gf has. She had problems getting RGB to display (the sequence of buttons needed was pretty convoluted). I'll be round at hers tonight so will post later!

[stoofle]

Great! Thank you. I actually found a mention of RGB in the manual, where it states that you can connect "RGB equipment" (non-specific?) via the scart socket. So, hopefully, the switching to RGB is the problem.

[Freddo]

you did plug both plugs on the cable (digital + analog) into the back of your gamecube right?

[stoofle]

Yeah, I plugged both of them in. I'm assuming the digital one is the R, G and B signals, and the other is used for the composite sync?

[Freddo]

indeed.

[McPastry]

Ok, try this (hopefully you have the same remote). Press 'TV/AV', this will bring up av1, av2, av3 on screen. Then press the little button which looks like a tv screen with a horizontal line in the middle. Then press the blue button for av1 which will cycle between composite and RGB (hopefully).

[stoofle]

It's a different remote I'm afraid. It just has one button for selecting the AV input, and it cycles between TV, AV1 and AV2 (no AV3 on my telly). Thanks for trying though!