Why Does My Dreamcast Come Out In Black And White?

[Vamp]

bought a Dreamcast plus 60 games and 4 controllers + Lightgun from a friend last year for around $35



Now, I havn't played it in ages because it's in another room of my house, with a 80inch Flatron TV, but the graphics just don't look good on it, too blocky, plus my family is usually in there most of the time so I wouldn't get a chance to play.

I have a TV in my room, an oldish Phillips with only an RF port, I have a Toshiba VCR with RCA In, OUT and RF In and OUT... Now it's more convenient to play in my room because my Xbox and PS2 are there, the only problem is that the picture comes in Black And White when connected through my VCR RF, RCA or my TV'S RF... On that huge ass TV, it works fine through the RCA, I'm guessing because the TV is Multi-System and the Dreamcast is NTSc... Is there anything I can do to get this DC to work on my TV in color/

[Dark Ride]

* PAL Booster/Converter (PAL B ) (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=29&products_id=69&)
* RF Unit (PAL B ) (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=29&products_id=555&)

[ck-uk]

m8,if you connect with a scart cable!,it should be ,ok!!

[Vamp]

Dont have Scart compliant TVs here in South Africa :(

[ck-uk]

you could try loop through the vcr...

dreamcast---scart---->vcr------>tv...

[AcID ZeR0]

Shit Dreamcast + 60 Games + 4 Controllers for $35. I know they're old now but what a deal you got there :) .

[SingaBoiy]

Originally posted by AcID ZeR0@8 July 2004 - 07:03
Shit Dreamcast + 60 Games + 4 Controllers for $35. I know they're old now but what a deal you got there :) .
Dreamcast kicked ass when it came out.

:01:

[gamebizz]

They must be 60 copied games, or you got an extremely good deal but hey that still is a kick ass deal even if they were copied.

[Vamp]

34 Originals :)

[Vamp]

]Thought maybe some pics would help.

Method One:

I connect the RCA out of my Dreamcast to the Video-In/Audio-In of my VCR.
Picture 1 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=8407986)

then I connect an RF cable from my VCR RF out to my TV's RF In (Picture 2) (my TV doesn't have RCA ports)

Pic #2 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=8407996)



I then goto my VCR Input Select and it comes out with this

Pic #3 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=8408003)

I can also do this.

Connect DC to TV RF, the same thing happens but the picture is worse quality.

Or, Connect DC RF-Out to VCR RF-In, then connect VCR-RF out to TV RF in. Same thing happens. Is there anything I can do without having to go out and spend cash on RF modulators to get this working, or is it simply a case of an NTSC machine not being compatible with a PAL TV? The DC works fine on my LG flatron, but that's because it has RCA ports and is a multi-system TV.

[ck-uk]

I then goto my VCR Input Select and it comes out with this

m8,with rf,you have to tune in to a channel...

[Vamp]

Yeah, ok, but check...

The RCA is in the VCR RCA In, the RF-Out goes to the TV RF-In, when I click input select, it changes my TV channel from static to the DC black and white screen, which means no tuning required. I've just gone and connected my Xbox and PS2 to my TV the same way, RCA from the console to RCA in the VCR, than RF-Out from the VCR to RF-In on the TV, just have to push input select on the VCR and it takes me to the console screen...

(which does look better than RF, and I just made the swap from RF to RCA now, never knowing that I could play RCA on that TV, cause I never thought of connecting RCA to the VCR and then RF to the TV, but it works, so yay!)

There might be initial tuning on TV to find the VCRs Input Select, but then it's set, So tuning the input select further wont help get the DC in color.

I can connect the DC to my PC via a TV Tuner, the color comes out fine, it looks good, but I cant get sound because the TV tuner Video In supports RCA, while the Audio In only supports standard jacks, and the DC Audio jack is RCA, so there's nothing I can do there either :angry:

[Vamp]

I'm in South Africa, we don't get TV's with Scart on them

[3RA1N1AC]

Originally posted by Vamp@9 July 2004 - 09:04
is it simply a case of an NTSC machine not being compatible with a PAL TV? The DC works fine on my LG flatron, but that's because it has RCA ports and is a multi-system TV.
that's the problem. you need an NTSC-to-PAL conversion device, to make it display correctly on an old-fashioned PAL television. only the multi-system televisions will support it without a converter.

[Vamp]

Going out today to get a Y-Converter, so I can connect the DC to my TV Tuner on my PC, at least the DC will be in the comfort of my room, but will be a few feet away from his brother and sister Ps2 and Xbox and won't be able to form the Triad Of Ecstacy :(