View Full Version : Is there a way to us a PAL GameCube on a US HDTV?
I'm trying to hook up my PAL GameCube to my American HDTV and it doesn't seem to work. I know there are better ways than connecting it with simple stone-age AV-cables (composite), but I since American TV's don't accept RGB and I don't have a component-cable, it's the only way for now. It's only for 10 days anyway.
However, the picture is black & white. Is there any way I can avoid this? :/
kedawa
07-30-2011, 08:04 AM
Does you tv let you change the colour system in the video options?
Mine has about a half dozen different modes, and I can get some PAL stuff to work properly.
Graham Mitchell
07-30-2011, 10:51 AM
Some video upscalers (composite/s-video to HDMI) will convert a PAL signal to NTSC. I have one by Exten HD that allows me to play a PAL Amiga CD32 on my NTSC HDTV. (Well...it did. The Amiga CD crapped out. But it worked great when the console was working!) I tried searching for a link on Amazon for you, but it appears that this particular upscaler is no longer available.
Search around on Amazon and you can probably find one that converts. It may run you $100-$150, but they're useful for other consoles too. My Genesis/Sega CD, Turbografx, SNES, SMS, etc. all look pretty nice with this upscaler (not SCART-quality, but better than standard composite.)
Oh, ok, so this is a 'real' problem. I thought it might have been solvable with another cable or something like that, but if NTSC TV's just won't accept a PAL AV-signal, then there isn't much I can do about it right now.
The thing is, my new step-up converters for my imported European RGB-monitors won't arrive until Thursday, so I thought I might as well hook up my PAL/modded GameCube on the HDTV to kill time until I can use my RGB stuff. It's really unfortunate because it had been a JPN GC at first, I just put in the modded guts of a PAL GC so it would output RGB AND be regionfree. Now I'm getting the bill for that decadence eh...
Anyway, thanks for the help! I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to PAL in NTSC-land because I lived in "NTSC in PAL-land"-land all my life. ^^
brainpann
11-30-2011, 06:03 PM
Sorry for reviving the dead but I am looking to import a pal gamecube so I can get an rgb signal via scart and add a region switch. You said you replaced the guts? I understand that but how do you power it? I don't think I want to power a game console with a "euro to us" (the proper terminolgy escapes me atm) adapter attached.
theclaw
11-30-2011, 06:45 PM
Maybe. I thought pal gamecubes do not have the region switch connectors inside.
Wouldn't a pal gamecube, postage from europe, and a "euro to us" adapter to power it, also cost more total than the component cable? besides rgb signal via scart won't enable 480p mode.
brainpann
11-30-2011, 07:21 PM
Slow down, Gunpowder :) I am not specifically looking for 480p, just rgb scart.
Region switching will be handled with a XenoGC modchip.
As for postage, I dunno what that would run me. I am thinking I can get a Pal GameCube with postage for less than 40.00 u.s.. Maybe cheaper if I can score one with a broken DVD rom. Actually, I would settle just for the main mobo in working condition.
After doing a little more research, it kinda seems like the GameCube ac is meant for all or most territories. The only different one I saw was a third party ac with a different prong setup that shipped from Australia. Does anyone know if the GameCube ac handles both voltages, for us-jpn and euro.
kedawa
11-30-2011, 10:09 PM
You should power it with a domestic GC power brick if you have one.
A japanese brick should work okay too.
Mayhem
11-30-2011, 11:39 PM
Yeah, the PAL Cube will happily run off a US power supply in the US. Like how I power my Japanese Cube with a UK power supply. And if you want a picture, it's pretty much component cable or nothing if you want a colour picture on a standard TV over there.
brainpann
12-01-2011, 01:36 AM
I am very glad to hear that a pal cube will work with a us cube power brick. That save me some hassle.:)
I am not to worried about the black and white picture issue. I have an xrgb2plus and a gbs8820 scalar that should handle everything just fine. Even so, my goal is to mainly play NTSC games with a XenoGC modchip. Under circumstances without a scalar/converter, would it still output only bw? For instance, if I was using just composite av cables with an NTSC game? Not that it matters much. Just curious.
Mayhem
12-01-2011, 01:43 PM
I believe the picture output is decided by the console, not the game, so the picture may well still be in b/w even though you're playing US games. I base this on the fact that I've played PAL games in the US on a US Cube (using Freeloader) with a US TV, and the picture was in colour. Needed 60Hz support to stop the rolling, so not all were viable.