Originally Posted by
GameSlaveGaz
I too am posed with the problem of hooking multiple systems to 1 TV. However, I know the solution, it's just a matter of actually finding and buying such. Right now, I have 9 consoles and only 5 of them have A/V wires. 4 of those systems are hooked up to my TV via a (go ahead, tell me it's crap) Pelican brand 5-system selector. The 5th console, my XBox, is hooked up to the AV input (Aux 2) of my VCR because when I hooked it into my selector every game I played, I get a loud buzzing on bright screens. I checked all the connections and nothing was loose or plugged into the wrong port or anything, and none of my other systems that are plugged into the selector do that, and when I plugged my XBox into the VCR it didn't do that at all. It's only mildly annoying because whenever I wanna play an XB game or watch a DVD I have to do MENU, SETUP, SOURCE, AUX 2, EXIT but it's better than playing a game or movie with the sound all the way down, right?
Anyway, my other 4 systems I only have RF switches for: My NES, Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. Ever since my dad ran the cable for my room when we moved her 7 years ago, I've had moderately bad TV reception and had to watch TV through my VCR to get a clear picture anyway, and if I daisy-chain all four RF switches I get a really snowy picture. Right now, only my NES is hooked up and I'm missing playing my Genny. it's a pain to unhook and rehook RFs and I tried tolerating the poor picture to daisy chain all four switches but it only lasted a couple of days. I got a 3-system A/V selector because it was clearanced out at my TRU when it was still open for 98 cents, but that's certainly not going to be enough. I'm going to have to get another 5 or possibly a bigger one. I know where I can find A/Vs for the 4 systems I need them, but I'm holding out, hoping to find all of them at Game Zone or a similar store one day or in a lot on ebay so I don't have to pay separate shipping and handling charges. The only reason I haven't solved this problem yet is cheapness. I don't have a lot of money, so I don't want to be buying separate $5-$10 A/V cables and pay another $2-$5 for shipping for all 4 consoles. And last time I was in Game Zone they only had current generation A/V cables.
I like the sound of those auto selectors. How much do those usually set you back? Right now, the manual push-button ones aren't too much of a problem because I have a small room and I have to go over to the entertainment center to load the game and turn on the system anyway, but it would be verrry useful in my future game room and I would like to keep them in mind.