Getting B&W image with JP saturn on Matsui pal TV

[ubz]

Hello,

I bought a JP sega saturn which comes with a white-red-yellow cable, which I assume is an RCA connector if I have googled correctly. I managed to get a Matsui 1414r pal TV from a neighbours garden dump and found it only takes scart input.

So I bought this scart adaptor and got a black and white image with my console. If anyone has a good link to teach the nuances of this stuff, would be very helpful.

But for now, I want to ask: Am I screwed? Is there anything I can use which will give me a colour image at little cost?

Thanks

[zyrobs]

You need a native scart cable that is wired for NTSC Saturns.

[davyk]

Yep. Get an RGB SCART cable for the Saturn. You might also look at the SCART connector on the back of the TV to make sure it accepts RGB. Sometimes it will be marked as such on the TV casing. If there are two connectors it's usually the first one that supports RGB.

The cable won't be overly expensive. There are plenty of suppliers online.

[ubz]

So, thanks for the feedback. FWIW I just tested the scart adapter on my digital TV and got a colour image (sorry for not trying this before I started the thread). So it's clear to me that my Matsui CRT does not accept whatever is being output by those cables, presumably an RGB signal, and it only has one scart port. As for Zyrobs, I don't know what you mean by native scart cable would be.

[davyk]

He just means a Saturn RGB cable. Check out www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/sega/saturn

In my experience a lot of PAL CRTs only handle NTSC (what your JP Saturn produces) when using an RGB SCART cable.

Modern TVs will handle any old thing with any old cable but with older consoles the picture will be pretty.....how can I put this......shit unless you use something like a RAD2X cable (which you will also find using that link).

[buckoa51]

presumably an RGB signal,

No, your cables are composite video not RGB, getting a properly wired RGB SCART cable will solve this (as per what Zyrobs said).

[zyrobs]

Oct 19, 2021 12:42:35 GMT ubz said:

So, thanks for the feedback. FWIW I just tested the scart adapter on my digital TV and got a colour image (sorry for not trying this before I started the thread). So it's clear to me that my Matsui CRT does not accept whatever is being output by those cables, presumably an RGB signal, and it only has one scart port. As for Zyrobs, I don't know what you mean by native scart cable would be.

I meant using a scart cable that connects the Saturn to your TV without any converters or dongles.

The converter you used just wires up the composite video to the SCART socket. It's the same as if you connected composite video to the TV, just in a different shaped connector. Composite video is the yellow plug on those RCA jacks, and it's called composite because it carries color and gamma all in one cable. It has the color signal encoded to it in either PAL or NTSC format, and if your TV can't decode that, you will get black and white color (black and white is just gamma information, and it's the same between both signals, notwithstanding the line count and frame rate).

SCART connector can carry both composite video signal and RGB signal. Since RGB is the direct color information, it doesn't need to be decoded, TVs can use it directly more or less. So even if a TV can't decode NTSC encoded color, they may still be able to use RGB color even at NTSC framerates. A "native" SCART cable would mean a cable that connects the native RGB output of a device to the RGB pins of the SCART connector, and therefore it could get color screen regardless whether your TV can decode PAL or NTSC. At that point the only limit would be whether your PAL TV can understand 60hz 480i signal, but if you get a black and white signal then we can already say that it can do that.

Also note that the a/v pinout is different between PAL and NTSC Saturns, and SCART cables for NTSC saturns only exist in aftermarket form, SCART cables for PAL Saturns won't work reliably (it's a toss up and depends on the screen). So you need a Saturn SCART cable wired for NTSC consoles. They should be marked clearly in stores.

[davyk]

The tech is a real rabbit hole and zyrobs knows more than any of us will ever need!!!   It's great having him around for tech questions - esp about Saturn hardware.

TLDR : If you want to use the CRT, buy a Saturn RGB SCART cable for a JP console. Plenty of online sellers.

And no matter what you do , PLEASE, PLEASE, do not play the games in stretch-o-vision!   Set the TV aspect ratio to 4:3......please.

[zyrobs]

He may not have a choice in the aspect ratio, some TVs won't allow you to change whatever aspect the SCART cable sets, and the NTSC Saturns don't provide a high enough voltage output on the a/v out to set the aspect selection pin to 4:3. This depends on the TV, but I've seen ones where you couldn't change the aspect back to 4:3.

[davyk]

Yikes!!! I'd get rid of that before I'd use it.   My CRTs are 4:3 so it isn't an issue for me.

[zyrobs]

Oct 20, 2021 10:43:51 GMT davyk said:

Yikes!!! I'd get rid of that before I'd use it.   My CRTs are 4:3 so it isn't an issue for me.

It was a 4:3 CRT, but it had a widescreen switch. I can only assume it was for compatibility with anamorphic DVDs.

[davyk]

Yeah - I had one of those too - way back.  Worst case is having a widescreen TV with no option to force 4:3. Most older b&w films are 4:3 - it was once called the academy aspect ratio Unless they get a transfer they would look horrific stretched to widescreen.

[buckoa51]

My parents old Panasonic plasma won't let you change aspect ratio if you're using game mode, ugh!

[davyk]

Crap-ol-a.

[ubz]

Thanks for the guidance, guys, you've been a great help