Edmond Dantes and VG_Maniac, I hear what you're saying. My NES front-loader is still going strong.
Cornelius, thanks for pointing out that the Famicom HVC-101 actually does have composite output. I totally missed that. How much do they usually sell for? I only see one current eBay auction (
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NINTENDO-AV-...ht_2889wt_1100) and it looks pretty damn pricy.