Top loading NES = Bad pic quality?

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I just purchased a nice and complete top loading NES...THEN I read a random article on how the top-loading NES suffers from some "ghosting pixel" problem. Is this true? I'm aware that for some odd reason Nintendo got rid of the composite hook-up and left us with only the RF signal (*shudders*). Can anyone who has one of these units confrim or deny that the pic is somehow worse that the original NES units? Did I just screw myself by not just buying the original version??

[Zoe F]

The top loading NES is infamous for a problem involving vertical lines going through the screen, as well as its RF only output. So if you were going for top video quality, then yes you did just screw yourself by not buying the original or an AV Famicom with a converter.

I had one for a while, but I rarely used it because of the video problems. I later sold it and got an AV Famicom. That's the way to go in my opinion.

[Algol]

The colors are a little off, and there are some very faint vertical lines on the toploader's video. The toaster has somewhat better video, but its not really a huge difference.

[Jumpman Jr.]

When I first played my Toploader, I thought "Damn, the picture quality is soooo much better."

I played it for a few months.
Then I decided to swich back to the Toaster and I said to myself "Damn, the picture quality is soo much better."

Its pretty weird, they both have their ups and downs I guess.
no a/v either @_@

[spoon]

Go with an a/v fami with a converter. A/v famis are nice. If you don't want to go that route, have someone mod your top loading NES.

[Emily]

You didnt screw yourself...unless your really obsessive about those FAINT lines that the top-loaders notorious for...

I love my Top-loader. I find it really easy to ignore the slightly lighter colors.
You will probably not regret your perchase, dont let all this bad press worry you.

[Dr. Morbis]

You didnt screw yourself...unless your really obsessive about those FAINT lines that the top-loaders notorious for...

It depends a lot on the backgrounds being displayed in the game. If the background is really busy (like most parts of Castlevania III) you won't really notice the lines. On the other hand, if you play a game with a plain one-color background (Duck Hunt for example) those vertical lines are going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Of course, nothing beats a properly maintained toaster NES.

[EnemyZero]

yeah i never use mine because of these reasons, i basically have it for collecting purposes

[drewbrim]

yeah i never use mine because of these reasons, i basically have it for collecting purposes

Ditto, and obviously it isn't that expensive to grab the vcr version of the NES so I would just stick with that. The main disadvantage for the old ones is just the blinking syndrome which every NES owner on these forums has their own personal techinique to avoiding/correcting that.

So as long as you can get the games to load properly I'd stick with the oldie but goodie.

[Crush Crawfish]

I love my top loader. Yeah, there's some minor flickering, but it's a small price to pay for being able to put my NES games in and have them actually work.

So in conclusion,

light flicker > blinking of the damned

[Kid Ice]

light flicker > blinking of the damned

Agreed.

I've been using a top loader for years now and I've never noticed any lines.

Using an RF box can subject a system's video to all sorts of wackiness. I think a lot depends on the TV you're using, and whether you use it exclusively for gaming or if you have a cable signal (or some other systems daisy chained) going through the RF.

So my picture looks fine, but that might just be good luck.

[sirgeoph]

On my old 21" cheapo TV, my top loader had very noticeable lines. I bought a newer, higher quality TV, and while the lines are visible, they are about 50% less noticeable now. I say try a better TV. It won't make them go away, but it might make the picture better. Also adjusting the picture on your TV helps a bit.

[Xantan the Foul]

I never noticed lines either... I love my top loader :D