Sony Trinitron's and Sega Genesis/Master System Color Problem

[Rev1]

Hey guys,

In case anyone decides to get a Trinitron for old school gaming, here's a heads up- All Sega Genesis and Master System RCA cables (and possible the cable jack too) show up in black and white on the tv. I did some research and there are some ways around it but it seems to be a universal problem. One of the fixes that was recommended was to use one of the RCA splitter boxes (where you can plug in multiple rca cables) and turn on the Genesis/SMS first and then turn on another console that is also hooked up to the splitter, switch stations, and then switch stations back to the Genesis/SMS and the color works. Kind of a pain in the ass but I ended up wasting money because I thought it was an error with the cable. Didn't want anyone else to have this problem if they picked up a Trinitron for retro gaming.

[Wallyworld1]

I have hooked my genny up via S-Video and RF to my Trinitron and it worked perfect. Funny I have never tried the RCA cable.

[VideoGameCritic]

You can hook up the Genesis via S-Video??  I've always had my Genesis/SegaCD/32X combo hooked up via composite.  

Did you have a special mod, or can I do this too?

[Gentlegamer1]

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]You can hook up the Genesis via S-Video??  I've always had my Genesis/SegaCD/32X combo hooked up via composite.  

Did you have a special mod, or can I do this too?[/QUOTE]It's a mod. An s-video encoder chip has to be installed.

[Dogtanian1]

I'm from the UK and have a 50/60hz modified Megadrive & Master System hooked up to a Sony Trinitron via scart without issues. I did find that the image would only output in black and white on one of the inputs if I switched to 60hz, which threw me for a bit. This also happened on two other TVs I tried, including a modern HD LG set, and isn't a problem exclusively with Sega consoles.

On the Trinitron it appears that only one of the scart inputs can accept true rgb signal. I think that this is quite a common problem with TVs from that era and is due to cheap components. I guess if you cannot use scart in the US then an s-video mod may be necessary to get the best possible image.

[ptdebate1]

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]You can hook up the Genesis via S-Video??  I've always had my Genesis/SegaCD/32X combo hooked up via composite.  

Did you have a special mod, or can I do this too?[/QUOTE]

IMHO the best way to handle video on the Genesis/SegaCD/32X is via scart RGB. I know I've posted about this a lot before but I really can't stress enough how striking the image quality is. And it's really not excessively pricy. I got my Genesis Model 1 scart cable for $12 and scart to YUV component converter for $40. If, like mine, your TV has actual RGB inputs (e.g. medical trinitrons) then all you need is the scart cable and a ~$5 scart-->RCA adapter. Check YouTube for a demo this guy did with ALttP on one.