Picture is whitish and hard to see

[Greg2600]

it still doesn't make sense why the colors on the 1 tv start showing correct when i plug the cord into the video port on a tv or vcr. i can plug the cord into a vcr that is not even plugged in or hooked up and have the colors show correctly on the tv.

There might be enough impedance from the RCA switch you're using that it's lowering the luma from the composite signal before it hits the 1st TV.

[crazzywolfie]

it is not the switch. if you plug the console into the same same port on the tv it does the same thing. i did try using the other rca port and the picture looks good and playable but when i plug in the cable to a 2nd tv or vcr it gets much darker. i guess at least the issue is the tv and not somewhere else. i have been considering replacing it with something bigger. been changing things around with the plan of getting a larger tv. just have to wait to come accross the right tv

[Gameguy]

It would be the TV, modern ones seem to not care about quality regarding older resolutions or obsolete signal types. I wouldn't know exactly why in technical terms the TV is having these issues, but running the signal through a second device seems to affect how it's being filtered.

If you want an HDTV that can display the old consoles correctly, you'll probably need to look for an older model rather than a newer one. Few people care about running those old connections now so manufacturers will cheap out with the circuitry in those areas. Lots of modern TVs don't even have built in TV tuners anymore, it's really disappointing how poor the current selection of modern TVs is.