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Dear Dreamcast gurus!
Here is the situation: I recently bought a scart + cinch-audio-cable for my Dreamcast to plug it into television and sound-system at the same time. It's a cable like this http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170204254533&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BID _IT&refitem=170199866213&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=CategoryProximity&refwi dgettype=cross_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m183&_trkparms=its%3DS%252BI At home, I have a scart-multi-plug adapter to which I have connected a DVD-Player, a VCR and my Dreamcast on the scart-input-plugs. Outbound I connected the adapter to my television and to a video-beamer. At the same time, the DVD-Player and the VCR are connected to my Dolby Surround system via cinch audio, so I can choose if I want to hear and watch DVDs/tapes on the TV or on the video-beamer/Dolby Surround system-combination without unplugging anything. Since I only had an original DC video-/audio-cinch cable until lately, I could only connect the DC to my scart-multi-plug (for TV-audio) OR Dolby Surround system, not both at the same time. That's why I bought the above cable, to connect the DC to multi-plug and Dolby Surround at the same time. Here is the problem: I connected the DC to the sound system via the cinch plugs of the new cable and to the scart-multi-plug-adapter via the scart-plug of the cable. But when I switched on the TV and changed to the respective AV-channel, the screen remained black; same with the video beamer. But there seem to be some light shadows/contours of the expected DC image on the TV/beamer. Sound works good, though. I tried my Saturn via scart at the same plug on the scart-multi-plug board, and it worked. So I figured out it wouldn't be the multi-plug. I tried plugging the DC via the new cable directly to the TV (which has 2 scart plugs). First TV-scart-plug: same problem, screen remains black. Second plug: I finally get a crystal sharp image and clear sound, but only at this one plug at the TV. But at least the cable seems to work. On the other hand, it only works with one of the TV plugs, both VCR and the scart-multi-plug board don't get me an image, so I am wondering what I got wrong. Anyone of the who had the same problem? Are there different versions of scart-plugs and cables? (I am familiar with the difference between normal scart cables and full RGB-cables, but the plugs on the multi-plug system are compatible to both, so it should be something else) (Btw.: sorry for my bad English, but I am not very accustomed to writing about such technical issues in English  ) |
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Yeah I have had a simialr problem in the past...I have never been able to get the Dreamcast running using a non-RGB scart socket on my TV (I am talking sockets rather than cables)...didn't bother to look into it or check other TV's just swapped over and used the RGB scart, which is of course better anyway...so yes I think this is a common problem | |||
| _________________ Game Names: PSO = Ryo or SEGADCER Q3A, Starlancer Max Pool = Segadcer 4x4 Evo = Segadreamcaster Visit the NEW Saturn netlink league www.saturnleague.com |
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Unlike RGB cables for other systems the DC doesn't carry a composite signal as a backup. That's why you got an all black image (or grey with contours) when connecting it to a scart without RGB.
Do you have the scart switch box connected to the RGB capable SCART on the TV or the other one? If you have it connected to the RGB capable SCART then I guess your switch box doesn't handle RGB signals. |
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| _________________ "EA is like a barefoot pregnant trailerpark chick.", lordnikon |
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phredreeke wrote:
Unlike RGB cables for other systems the DC doesn't carry a composite signal as a backup. That's why you got an all black image (or grey with contours) when connecting it to a scart without RGB.
Do you have the scart switch box connected to the RGB capable SCART on the TV or the other one? If you have it connected to the RGB capable SCART then I guess your switch box doesn't handle RGB signals. Firstly, thanks a lot for your answer! (Thanks to you, too, segadreamcaster!  ) It seems you are quiet familiar with that stuff!
I haven't switched the scart switch box to the TV via scart at all. The scart box has an triple cinch plug (audio+video) for outgoing signals as well as one RGB-plug for outgoing signals. I connected my video-beamer to the scart-plug (scart from switch box <-> 3 cinch from beamer) and the TV to the cinch-plugs (3 cinch from switch box <-> 3 cinch from TV). The switch box has 3 scart plugs for input signals, to which my VCR, DVD-Player and DC are connected. The switch box should handle RGB-signals, it even has a extra button for turning on/off RGB input-signals. ... Ok, describing that box with bad English was a bad idea, I believe, so here is a link to the box: http://www.hartig-helling.de/produkte/h_h_pid.php?thb=Produkte&pkhg=05TVD&pkug=140TUP&phg=TV%2C+Vide o%2C+DVD&pug=Umschaltpulte&psg=&pid=1554&lang=en And this is the video-beamer (might it be that the beamer can't handle RGB? Can a RGB signal be transported over cinch plugs on a device?) http://www.cnet.com.au/projectors/lcd/0,239035421,239150676,00.htm The 3 scart on the left side are input, the 4th scart is output as are the rightmost cinch. The three front-buttons to the right are for choosing the input signal from the 3 scart. The first of the the three buttons on the left is the one to turn on/off RGB-compatibility, I think. The remaining to buttons are just to choose the direction, if you want to record the signal from one connected device on another device, say a VCR for example. I hope this helps! Thanks again for any help!! |
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The cinch plugs only carry composite and sound, not RGB. You get much better picture on the TV by using the SCART instead of the cinch plugs. (this also applies to the DVD player)
I assume the video beamer doesn't have a SCART input. Does it have a VGA input? If so you can get a VGA cable for the Dreamcast and use with it. However VGA signal doesn't work with your regular TV. There are VGA boxes that can be set either in VGA or TV mode (the later using regular cinch connectors) I would recommend one of those if you want to use it with both the TV and video beamer. |
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| _________________ "EA is like a barefoot pregnant trailerpark chick.", lordnikon |
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Ok, thanks for the hint.
I think I figured out what the problem is: the scart switch box takes three incoming scart cables and handles RGB for all in and out scart plugs as well. I found a very hidden point in the on screen menu of the beamer where I could switch the incoming signal between composite video and RGB. When I chose RGB I finally got a very good picture from my DC over the beamer via my new cable. But the scart switch box has only ONE scart/RGB-out plug, the optional second monitor (the TV, in my case) has to be connected via normal cinch at the same time. Since I now understand that the RGB signal can't be transformed to a normal composite signal inside the switch box, I still don't get a picture on my TV. Because the RGB signal isn't transported over the cinch connection, I don't even get a picture when I use a cinch2scart adapter and connect it to the RGB-capable port of the TV. Is that right? Is there anyway to convert a RGB signal to normal composite video/audio with any other special adapter or something? I don't want to buy a new and larger scart switch box only for this purpose! Thanks again for the help! |
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Arubeto wrote:
I don't want to buy a new and larger scart switch box only for this purpose! I recommend to do that as the result is well worth it. There are cheap RGB-Scart switch boxes available at Wolfsoft.de: http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/index.php/cPath/109_120/ I own both, the "5-fach SCART (RGB) /S-Video Umschalter" (by bigben, former Dreamcast distributer in 2002) and the "4-fach SCART Umschalter RGB" and they are fully RGB compatible and of great quality. If your Beamer however has a VGA port, I highly recommend a VGA box like this: http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/product_info.php/products_id/8224 You can probably find one of those at ebay for half of that price, but it's well worth the 50 Euros as it's by far the best thing you could possibly buy for your Dreamcast. |
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| _________________ Ex-DCEvolution.net staff |
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Christuserloeser wrote:
Arubeto wrote:
I don't want to buy a new and larger scart switch box only for this purpose! I recommend to do that as the result is well worth it. There are cheap RGB-Scart switch boxes available at Wolfsoft.de: http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/index.php/cPath/109_120/ I own both, the "5-fach SCART (RGB) /S-Video Umschalter" (by bigben, former Dreamcast distributer in 2002) and the "4-fach SCART Umschalter RGB" and they are fully RGB compatible and of great quality. If your Beamer however has a VGA port, I highly recommend a VGA box like this: http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/product_info.php/products_id/8224 You can probably find one of those at ebay for half of that price, but it's well worth the 50 Euros as it's by far the best thing you could possibly buy for your Dreamcast. Danke, you are from Germany as well, right? I know Wolfsoft ("Der erste Wolf, der lösten kann"  ), great shop, but sadly the two switch boxes there have only one RGB output as well. That is the central problem with my box as well: I have enough input scart plugs, but only one output plug. And non of the switch boxes (neither the "5-fach SCART (RGB) /S-Video Umschalter" nor the "4-fach SCART Umschalter RGB") from Wolfsoft seems to have more than one. |
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Plugging the "5-fach SCART (RGB) /S-Video Umschalter" by bigben into the RGB out of "4-fach SCART Umschalter RGB" would provide you with 5 outputs 
Posted Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:17 am: EDIT: Arubeto wrote:
And this is the video-beamer (might it be that the beamer can't handle RGB? Can a RGB signal be transported over cinch plugs on a device?)
http://www.cnet.com.au/projectors/lcd/0,239035421,239150676,00.htm It doesn't take RGB-Scart it seems, but it takes RGBHV/VGA and Y'PbPr component. That means you could hook up your Dreamcast via VGA box and your DVD player via component for progressive scan. You can also use a DVD player with VGA out (check Aldi's TEVION/MEDION players for cheap VGA players), as VGA is far superior to Y'PbPr component. Otherwise I would use S-Video as that's MUCH better than Composite. However, you should consider VGA and component to allow you to send progressive signals to your beamer (Dreamcast via VGA, DVD via Y'PrPb). The video quality of Interlaced signals on an LCD based display/beamer isn't exactly the best due to the deinterlacing process: Unlike CRT, LCD/Plasma can't work with interlaced signals so it has to 'convert' them to progressive scan. |
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| _________________ Ex-DCEvolution.net staff |
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Christuserloeser wrote:
It doesn't take RGB-Scart it seems, but it takes RGBHV/VGA and Y'PbPr component. That means you could hook up your Dreamcast via VGA box and your DVD player via component for progressive scan. You can also use a DVD player with VGA out (check Aldi's TEVION/MEDION players for cheap VGA players), as VGA is far superior to Y'PbPr component. Otherwise I would use S-Video as that's MUCH better than Composite. However, you should consider VGA and component to allow you to send progressive signals to your beamer (Dreamcast via VGA, DVD via Y'PrPb). The video quality of Interlaced signals on an LCD based display/beamer isn't exactly the best due to the deinterlacing process: Unlike CRT, LCD/Plasma can't work with interlaced signals so it has to 'convert' them to progressive scan. Actually the beamer IS RGB compatible. You just have to use the included RGB SCART adapter (component video+composite video --> SCART) and switch the input signal to RGB in the onscreen menu. An guess what: It works now! I did something similar to what you suggested: I bought a quiet cheap 2 way SCART distributer, (1 SCART cable to 2 SCART plugs) from Philips and connected it to the SCART switch box. Then I connected the TV and the beamer via SCART to the 2 way SCART distributer and it works perfect! Very good picture now on both, TV and Beamer (although it seems the TV picture has a blue tinge), and I got what I wanted: no need to plug/unplug the SCART cables every time I want to change the output between TV and beamer and four different input sources. So, problem solved, thanks a lot, Christuserloeser! 
When I get in the mood to spend more money for that DC configuration I will consider your suggestion about the VGA setup, sounds good! Arubeto |
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