Quick question about Sega Saturn and RGB monitorhe s...

If the schematic calls for resistors/caps and the cable I buy doesn't have them and looks like shit, I'm going to call foul play. On pre-Wii Nintendo RGB cables you'll get a black screen if you have/don't have the caps as required for the platform/region, although in that instance a switch would probably be a good idea - between SNES and Gamecube it'd come in handy, if my faltering memory serves correctly.

I seem to remember a thread around here a while back where someone claimed that £5 RGB cables might as well be composite, because the image fidelity on them was so poor. I own some cheap RGB cables, they look fine to me, and these days I'm pretty picky. I'd be interested to hear a decent qualitative comparison between expensive RGB cables and cheap ones, because I honestly don't know what I'm missing.

 

Problem is there's no such thing as an expensive RGB cable for most systems. The earliest you'll get is PS2 - I believe Monster make some decent cables for at least PS2 and Xbox.

RGB was non-existant on older PAL consoles, though! ;-) Best you can do with an N64 is S-video. Without modification, at least ;-)

I've seen some systems that have caps in the SCART for foreign machines, but it looks weird with a PAL machine! That would have been Saturn IIRC.

 

Maybe you have the foreign machine! Maybe the NTSC system is domestic and UK is foreign!

Actually that reminds me that for my Super Famicom, I had to get a PAL GameCube RGB cable because of some resistors or something that were needed for RGB out from NTSC SNES systems where as a regular PAL SNES RGB cable wouldn't have those.

 

Off the top of my head, Saturn, Megadrive, Master System 1, Playstation, SNES, Jaguar, Dreamcast... all PAL versions had official RGB support and official RGB cables. NTSC consoles were less likely to offer RGB but I can't recall the specifics.

You're right, though, while there are moderately pricey official RGB cables and cheap third-party ones, there tend not to be expensive commercially manufactured after-market cables for older consoles. Doesn't mean you can't pay good money for someone to make you a decent one though

 

true. anything after NES had a chance for rgb (beside the shitty N64 out).

 

Quite. There was a shocking difference between cables sometimes. You need to pay money to know you're getting quality (hence Monster etc.). Sure, you could pay someone over the top to make a cable that you could do yourself. It'll be good, but it won't be to the standards of a high end cable from the likes of Monster, QED etc. Hi-Fi enthusiasts will know what I'm talking about ;-)

 

Mottzilla, sorry for the delay. Now, to answer your question, all of his cables are of extremely high quality and reasonably priced. He charges in British Pounds Sterling, so in US Dollars, the CMPTR to SCART RGB converter would be around $20, which is great since you can't buy one anywhere. Also, his Neo-Geo and Mega Drive cables are ace. Pure RGB goodness without imperfections or distortions. If you need anything, drop him an e-mail and tell him DJ from Assembler sent you, especially if you need the converter, so he'll now exactly what you're talking about. You can reach him at sales(at)chaoticjellygames.co.uk, and his name is James. Like I said before, his RGB cables are top notch, and much better than the low quality RGB cables you'd find on eBay. Also, if people actually want premium cables, he makes a gold-plated Neo-Geo RGB cable.

 

Thanks for the response. I'll send him a message when I'm ready to get a few more cables for my systems.

 

Plenty of JPY21 RGB cables that will run you 4000-5000 yen. A few that might go higher. They're generally custom made though.

RGB Hospice... some of his cables are better than 1st party ones (Saturn comes to mind). Too bad he's not making them anymore.

 

Whomever stated that not all RGB cables are equal, wasn't kidding. I recently received an RGB SCART cable for my PS2 from a Hong Kong seller on eBay, and maybe it's me, but the image quality is nowhere near that of my Saturn RGB cable. The image looks a wee bit soft, and when I look closely, I can almost make out a mild cross-hatch pattern. I'm pretty sure that psOne/PS2/PS3 RGB should look as rock solid as the Saturn and Neo, correct?

 

I don't trust any company that prices digital cables as highly as Monster do, it reeks of consumer abuse, and their highly litigious behaviour also leaves a sour taste in my mouth.