PAL N64 console AV output query

[Link83]

Hi everyone,
I have a PAL N64 (not the best for picture quality I know) which is connected to my TV with an official Nintendo Gamecube RGB Scart Cable. I know the N64 doesnt output in RGB though, but I just wanted to know if the picture I am seeing on the TV is S-Video or Composite?
As far a I know the PAL N64 can output S-Video (which is better than Composite) but I think I remember reading that scart cables can carry both S-Video and Composite signals.
....So will my N64 just output the best possible signal (eg. S-Video) through the scart cable? or would I have to use an S-Video cable to get an S-Vid picture?
I hope this makes sense!
TIA

[dvdx2]

The signal will be composite; unfortuately the N64 s-video signal is equally as bad. (you will need a separate N64/GC lead to get an s-video signal) Try picking up a jap RGB modded machine if you want the best possible picture quality. Its really worth it.

[charlesr]

Does the pal n64 actually output svideo? I thought it was RF or compo****e only.

[Freddo]

iirc most pal n64's do do svideo, but make sure u get an n64 specific lead, or else the output will be too bright, or dark, or something. The n64 lead either has, or doesnt have, some caps in it that the gc does, or possible doesnt. So er, yeah.

[Link83]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a third party S-Video cable a while ago off Lik-Sang, but found that the picture was black and white with 'flashes' of colour

So if I want S-Video output from my PAL N64 what cable should I get? I guess the official Nintendo Gamecube S-Video cable shown here would be no good?:-

http://world.altavista.com/babelfish...590866-5359905

Also, if I did get the correct S-Video Cable for my N64, would using an S-Video to Scart adaptor work, or would this make the picture composite? (My TV only has an S-Video port on the front which is abit impractical)

Also, I did consider getting an RGB modded US/Japanese N64, but all my games are PAL, and although I have considered it, I am definately not going to re-buy my entire collection in NTSC. So, is there anyway a US/Japanese N64 can play PAL games? Would it display them in RGB? and are they improved in any other way? (eg 60Hz? No borders?)

Thanks again

[smouty]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a third party S-Video cable a while ago off Lik-Sang, but found that the picture was black and white with 'flashes' of colour

You sure you had your TV set to receive s-vid.
This happens as I cycle through the inputs on my TV as av-3 is before av-3S.

[charlesr]

You can get a passport plus that would play your pal games on an ntsc console as long as you have at least one ntsc game. Sounds filddly to me. However.... Just sell all your pal pap and buy the ntsc versions. It's the only healthy way. DO IT. I did. Then got to replay all my N64 games at the proper speed. 1080 et al were a revelation.

DO IT.

[importaku]

You sure you had your TV set to receive s-vid.
This happens as I cycle through the inputs on my TV as av-3 is before av-3S.

Yeah its the same on my tv you have to switch between normal & svideo in the av menu or the colours look wrong or in B&W.

[Mayhem]

And on mine... which is why I came to NTSC-UK way back in 2001 looking for an answer

(the bloody AV switching thing between composite and S-video is NOT documented in the manual, stupid TV!)

[Link83]

Thanks for the replies. I tested it on all settings including the S-Video channel itself. I guessed it was because it was a cheapo third party cable as it did the same thing when I used it on my Gamecube aswell.

So is there a 'correct' S-Video Cable for my N64? and would using an S-Video to Scart adaptor work, or would this make the picture composite? and what is the "Composite to S-Video switching thing" mentioned above? Im so confused!

If I did get an RGB modded N64, what is the 'best' mod to get? I have heard there are quite a few variations of it which give different picture qualities (eg lifting the pins of the chip or not, using an internal amp, removing the capacitors in ths scart lead, etc) I would want the picture to be just 'prefect' if I got one

Thanks again for any help, and I hope somoone can put my straight as to how to get the best from a PAL N64 and a modded NTSC N64 console!

[markpsych]

I bought an RGB modded jap of the forum not too long ago. Assume it's one of the mods described on the mmmonkey site. Decided to move it on though due to picture being too bright . TBH, was using it via a portable tele for a while and didn't really notice it, but on a larger tele, it's really distracting. Sin & punishment, for example, is almost unplayable in places...

[randombs]

that was from me!

pic was too bright? was that via rgb or composite? it was fine on my big and small telly (the small one displays rgb really dark and needs the brightness turned up anyway), whereas without the boost mod even on the big telly it was super-duper dark.

i know the mod cocks up the composite pic, but maybe your big telly amplifies the rgb signal aswell (or at least, more than mine does)?

[Mayhem]

So is there a 'correct' S-Video Cable for my N64? and would using an S-Video to Scart adaptor work, or would this make the picture composite? and what is the "Composite to S-Video switching thing" mentioned above? Im so confused!

Any Nintendo S-video cable should work fine with the N64.

Using an S-video to scart adapter would work, but the scart socket you plug it into has to accept S-video for it to work (otherwise you'll get a black and white picture if it only accepts composite).

The "switching" thing I mentioned along with Importaku, is that in my case, both AV2 and AV3 on my TV can be switched between composite and S-video input. Except in my case, no mention of this is made in the manual! I just have to press a certain button again for the channel to do the switch. Many TVs have the composite and S-video inputs as separate "channels" you can cycle through by pressing the AV button, but not in my case.

[markpsych]

was that via rgb or composite? it was fine on my big and small telly (the small one displays rgb really dark and needs the brightness turned up anyway), whereas without the boost mod even on the big telly it was super-duper dark.

i know the mod cocks up the composite pic, but maybe your big telly amplifies the rgb signal aswell (or at least, more than mine does)?

It was via rgb (an official GC RGB cable)....assume that's okay to use?

Might just be my tele like you say....didn't think about messing about with the brightness settings though.

It's probably not that bad....I'm just a fussy git

[randombs]

i think the problem may lie in the fact that the official one has these capacitors inside it that also help amplify the signal, so it's getting super-amplified and the whole universe may implode...