So recently I bought a FZ-10 VCD adaptor from Germany, and it appears to be a PAL version. It has German text on the box, amongst English for example. The adaptor has no external power source. The item appears brand new. So the issue is when I connect it to my US 3DO system the VCD logo does show once the system is turned on but no matter which type of VCD I use it just gives me a blank screen. I mean the console does try to load for a short while but then goes silent. I should add I have no issues at all in playing games or audio cd's. So the drive itself works perfectly. So guys could this be a region issue? I wouldn't have thought so as I was always of the understanding that the system (aside from a few games?) and accessories were region free. Any help/info would be most appreciated.
It could be a 50hz/60hz mismatch. I'm not familiar with 3DO. Do PAL VCD adapters understand either how to decode NTSC discs, or convert PAL discs for 60hz playback? (Or the opposite in the case of PAL consoles)
I made a thread asking about this same thing a few years ago as well as some other questions but it seemed that nobody had any solid information. The difference was that mine was claimed to be a Japanese adaptor and I was just burning VCDs incorrectly as a retail one (Malaysian) did work. If you want to open it up and compare the markings to mine maybe there will be some physical evidence to support a "region" 50/60hz issue?
I should first point out that I managed to test it on a PAL FZ-10 system. The VCD's I tried played perfectly on it. So as to your question, I looked very closely at everything in your pics and compared it to mine, Your Video CD Adaptor and mine are identical except for the back of the unit, And, more significantly, this, This is yours,
FVPAL vs FZ-FV so I suppose that supports the working theory that the decoder must match the display settings of the player.
I guess so. It feels like a simple case of lack of interest. Some 20 years and nobody ran serious tests on what my previous post brought up?
I found out recently that (contrary to popular belief) the Adaptor designed for the FZ-10 also works on the FZ-1. So just to test I tried that VCD Adaptor out on my US 3DO FZ-1 system. I had to remove the shell to make it fit. The system recognizes the Adaptor, but same results as with my FZ-10. VCD's of any description won't play. So yeah, all indications are that PAL VCD Adaptor is not compatible with NTSC systems.
If the only difference is the ROM, then you could put a 32mbit flash in there with both ROM images and add a NTSC/PAL switch.
