PAL SNES RGB?

[DaveJ-UK]

I want to connect my PAL SNES to my plasma screen. I was hoping to connect it via SCART but using RGB instead of composite.

I've checked the site, which has an RGB mod for the new model SNS-101. From the fact there's no PAL RGB mod, I'd guess it can output RGB anyway?

To confuse matters, eBay has a number of cables listed, such as:

This:

Unfortunately, Nintendo has restrictions built into each console that can prevent RGB output. Some cables advertised as RGB are in fact composite, and although they will work with each Nintendo console, the picture is atroicious.

Other cables may be not be correctly advertised as RGB and so may not work on your console. Know what you're getting!

And this:

This unofficial 3rd party Cable has been modified for use with the UK Pal Snes console only and is not for use with any Game Cube�s or US / Japanese Super Famicons.

This cable also provides a Composite signal for improved AV quality over the standard RF Out on any TV with a Scart Socket if your TV is not RGB capable.

Please note there is no such thing as an RGB cable that supports the Game Cube and the UK Snes. The UK Game Cube, US and Japanese Famicons RGB signal�s have a high DC offset that is shunted within the scart cable, this causes the well known problem of fading to black when these cables are used unmodified on UK Pal Snes consoles.

Which seem to contradict each other by saying "all the others are fakes, buy me!"...

Can anyone tell me what the real situation is with the PAL SNES and RGB video out?

[kendrick]

Have a look at the wiki page, please:

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=av:nintendomultiav

In general, the PAL SNES has no problem with RGB output. You're probably thinking of the N64 video port, which may or may not have RGB depending on which way the wind is blowing. The important part of the EU-region cable is the 12 volt line that tells older Peritel TV units to switch to RGB mode and get the synch signal off of the composite video wire. There's a short summary of this difference at the bottom of that linked page.

-KKC, nervous about new jobs.

[DaveJ-UK]

Have a look at the wiki page, please:

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=av:nintendomultiav

In general, the PAL SNES has no problem with RGB output. You're probably thinking of the N64 video port, which may or may not have RGB depending on which way the wind is blowing. The important part of the EU-region cable is the 12 volt line that tells older Peritel TV units to switch to RGB mode and get the synch signal off of the composite video wire. There's a short summary of this difference at the bottom of that linked page.

-KKC, nervous about new jobs.

Thanks for that.

So was there not an official RGB cable available for the PAL SNES?

[kendrick]

Not being an EU-region consumer, I can't say for sure. I do know that an SCART cable was available, but I don't know if it provided RGB, or if it sent the composite video signal only. Armed with the pinout data (and a synch extractor circuit) you should be able to make one yourself easily.

-KKC, doing Game Gear repairs for no good reason.

[viletim]

There was an official RGB SCART lead, it only worked on PAL consoles. The third party leads will be either for PAL or NTSC models, not both. See Super Nintendo SCART cables.

[nyder]

There was an official RGB SCART lead, it only worked on PAL consoles. The third party leads will be either for PAL or NTSC models, not both. See Super Nintendo SCART cables.

Um, actually there isn't a NTSC SCART cable.   Because we in the USA don't have SCART, and the japenese, use the same cable, but it's configured different.
So, SCART = Pal, and Jap SCART = the Japenese version.

If it says NTSC SCART, then it's a Jap SCART cable.

Just for the facts.  And yes, I know japan uses a NTSC standard.  But the cable they use isn't a SCART cable, it just looks like it.  Blame them for stealing someone elses idea, then changing the internals around so it's not compable.


And just so you know, it wasn't up to the cable to output RGB, the TV/Monitor had to be capable of using the composite sync.  Some aren't, and if they aren't setup to do just rgb, then the console goes with default, which is composite.

Thats the only problem with connectors that have all the differnt connections in them.  You usually need to change  a switch on the tv/monitor, or some settings.

Like on my various commodore/amiga monitors.  You have to switch the monitor between composite & rgb mode (and even svid mode).

[viletim]

nyder,
3rd party SCART (not that wacky japanese thing) cables for the NTSC SNES are readily available from places like play-asia.com. They're pretty much the same as the PAL Game Cube SCART cables. The SCART connector has some pins which are used to switch the display device between internal tuner/external composite/external RGB.  

[nyder]

nyder,
3rd party SCART (not that wacky japanese thing) cables for the NTSC SNES are readily available from places like play-asia.com. They're pretty much the same as the PAL Game Cube SCART cables. The SCART connector has some pins which are used to switch the display device between internal tuner/external composite/external RGB.

Oh, okay, I stand corrected then.


I figured since they don't make USA NTSC SCART tv/monitors here (that I've ever seen), that they don't make cables either, other then small places building cables to order.