Topic: Are SCART cables good?

[Cube_King]

I dont know where else to post this so I'll just post it here. I recently bought a new TV thinking it was a HDTV but when it arrived to my door I soon found out it that it doesnt actually take regular component inputs(damm you Ebay). It does accept S-Video, RGB, YCrCb, YPrPb etc.. but only through a SCART input. The only reason I bought a new TV was to play my GC games in 480p and now I have a feeling that Im screwed. I was just wondering if I bought a SCART cable for my GC would it produce better picture quality(480p)? or would it just be the same picture as the yellow,red,white-composite cable. Any answers would be helpful and appreciated.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I don't know a lot about SCART but here's my guess:

SCART (RGB color, PAL regions) provides a level of picture clarity noticeably above the usual "yellow" composite cable.  S-Video (YUV color, NTSC regions) is also better than composite, but SCART(RGB) also manages to be clearer than S-Video.  SCART(RGB) also allows the 60Hz option for compatible games&TVs, but does not provide progressive scan.  And according to some PAL gamers I've asked, progressive scan was disabled for all PAL GameCubes.  So SCART(RGB), running at a clear 480i @ 60Hz, is the way to go for a PAL GameCube.  

[KDR_11k]

I didn't see a difference when I went to SCART (though I used third party cables, maybe there is a difference with Nintendo's cables or maybe it's just that my TV sucks) but it has the advantage of automatically switching your TV to the right channel when you turn the Cube on, a major convenience. Since GC SCART cables cost around 3 Euros for nintendo's own cables it's still worth it for not having to use the remote at all.

Professional: All cables can do 60Hz, the manuals just provide false information.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
All cables can do 60Hz, the manuals just provide false information.

I guess I should add that NOE's site is full of lies too!  XD

[hudsonhawk]

Just get an adapter like this one.

I don't think the GC SCART cable is progressive-scan-capable - I think it's just an RGB-ized analog video out (looks like it has the SNES-style connector on it, not the digital connector.)

[KDR_11k]

Pro: All I know is that my games run in 60Hz and did that even when I use the standard chinch cables and I can say that without measuring because the Zelda bonus disc and Metroid Prime 2 only output at 60Hz. I've seen a TV not take the PAL60 signal and it clearly didn't look like an NTSC signal (NTSC becomes black and white on TVs that don't support it), more like a PC monitor running at too high a refresh rate/resolution.

hudsonhawk: Yep, it goes into the standard analog port, you can even plug it into a SNES but with my cable the image continuously darkened until there was only black left.

If the TV has SCART connectors it's probably a PAL TV (all PAL TVs take NTSC signals as well nowadays, the PS2 even uses NTSC for 60Hz output) and I don't think those support progressive scan at all so you can probably forget about "HDTV".

[Cube_King]

OK thanks guys. Looks like that was $1500 down the drain...

[Cube_King]

Sorry for double posting but I just need to double check. Is RGB better than S-video??

[KDR_11k]

Dunno, I don't think there's a noticable difference.