Table of Contents
AV Mods
Most pre-NES consoles offered only RF output, and can be difficult to modify. Almost every post-NES system had a wealth of video options, most offering at least composite video output, and many easily hacked to allow RGB output, and sometimes S-video. On this page you'll find the GameSX library of video hacks - some useful, some trivial, and some downright evil. All, however, will grant you better quality images than you're seeing now.
When Lawrence started GameSX.com back in ~1996 there were no sources for this information online. Gopher was still vying with the infant WWW as the most useful resource, and GameSX.com - originally intended to be a website for Game Station X (Lawrence's store) was instead a repository of knowledge gleaned from obscure sources and trial and error (mostly the latter).
General Information
- Video Primer (mostly NTSC)
- Video Primer (older version)
Video Adaptors
- SCART <=> J-RGB-21 (and vice-versa)
- LM1881 Sync Seperator - Create composite sync from composite video
- LM1881 Video Sync Separator with Sync Buffer - Create a clean composite sync from composite sync or video signal containing sync.
- Adding +5v to SCART lead - not all devices provide SCART/RGB switching power.
Specific Information
Consoles
- 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
- Atari 2600
- 2600RGB board - Provides RGB, S-video, composite video, and audio output. Component video output via NESRGB-Component add-on.
- Atari 5200
- Colecovision
- Mattel Intellivision
- NEC TurboGrafx/PC-Engine family
- Nintendo GameCube
- GameCube RGB - How to modify a Nintendo GameCube component video cable to make it output RGB.
- GameCube Digital Audio - Untested by GameSX
- Nintendo 64
- RGB Video Driver (IC Based) - For early NTSC versions only (without the need for SMD component removal)
- RGB Video Driver - For early NTSC versions only.
- Nintendo NES
- NESRGB board - Provides RGB, S-video and composite video output using the original PPU
- Universal PPU - An FPGA-based replacement for the PPU that outputs VGA, RGB, component, S-video and composite (in-progress)
- NES RGB++ - NES RGB amplifier with external LPF
- Philips G7000 Videopac
- Nintendo SNES
- SNES mini RGB - the newer, smaller SNES did not include RGB (or S-video). Here's how to get your RGB back.
- SNES sp/dif - Add an SP/DIF output to your SNES.
- Sony PlayStation
- PlayStation 1 Sync - For those who would rather get the sync off of the motherboard than use sync chips.
- Sony PlayStation 2
- PlayStation 2 RGB/Sync - How to find RGB video and sync signals off of some PS2 motherboards.
- Sega Saturn
- Sega Dreamcast
- Sega MegaDrive / Genesis
- Sega Mark III
- Sega Master System I + II
- RGB, Composite, S-Video and Audio - Right off the board.
Computers
- ZX Spectrum
- Atari 8-bit
- Amstrad CPC
- MSX
- Commodore 64/128
- Commodore PET
- Classic IBM PC