SNES Vertical Line Discussion

[ryanofcali]

Tested 4 different snes's in my possession, two showed the line two didn't but the line was only apparent during the black screen in between loading on the two systems, I have yet to test it on any other tv's.

[tenten one]

at first i thought it was my brand of tv (samsung) because of this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=696736
but then i read all the diff brands tested here... so that theory is kinda dead end..

Actually that thread lead me to another test. I fed a problem system through my amp to the TV where as my composite and svideo systems are either hooked directly or through switchboxes. Going through the amp the stripe was less noticable without any other visible degradation of the image. If I switched off the TVs game mode the stripe was almost completely gone.

So for people who are stuck, feeding the SNES through an amp or a VCR/DVD player with inputs might help a bit at least.

or a s-video cord will do the trick too. hobie-wan, i just confirmed it right now for my system... snes (lockout tab version), gamestop universal s-video/av cord (n64/gamecube/etc) on a samsung hpt5054 720p plasma.

so rf= good, s-video= good, composite= no good... and pic quality well.. lol.. lets just say im considering a used trinitron at the moment...

i also looked up the tech specs for my tv, and the a/v inputs i was plugging the composite cords into are actually component. im no tech person, but i wonder if that could be causing the issues with the composite output... however, i also read that component inputs can accept composite too... either way im a happy for now.

[Redifer]

A component input can accept a composite signal, but it will only be in black and white and you must plug it into the GREEN input. The other two plugs won't get you any usable video from a composite signal.

[Zing]

Today I acquired an excellent condition first model Super NES. This is the heavy one with the separate audio chips. I haven't opened it, but it undoubtedly uses the initial video encoder. In other words, it's at the other extreme end compared to the model 2 Super NES.

It has the exact same video characteristics as the model 2. I tested Earthbound, Final Fantasy III, and Super Mario World. The video output is identical between the two in regards to the vertical line.

[Zing]

Wow. I set up both Super NES systems with Super Mario World in each and had them sit on the save game selection screen. I then toggled between the two systems. The model 2 has significantly brighter output. It may also be more white, but that could just be my eyes fooled by the difference in brightness. The early model SNES looks like it has a slight reddish tint, the kind you would see when comparing a 9300k temp display to a 6500k display.

After playing each for a while, I can't help but prefer the white whites of the model 2. It does seem a tad too bright, but this thought never crossed my mind previously. This is on a TV calibrated with Avia, set to a neutral grayscale. I could tinker with the settings to make the old model SNES look properly, but then my other inputs would be off (the settings on my model of TV are per input type, not input).

[Zing]

Last post for now.

I gave some more time to the older system. I noticed that it doesn't have the ghosting problem of the model 2. I believe I mentioned it earlier in this thread. I can still ever-so-slightly see it if I look very hard, but it isn't immediately noticeable as with the model 2. Granted, this ghosting has only been visible on a handful of Super Mario World levels with bright backgrounds, but now I can't stop seeing it.

I also compared the white balance to my DVD player and PlayStation and it seems the older SNES is actually more accurate. The model 2 seems to output a much brighter and more blue image. The old model SNES white looks just like the white boot up screen of the PlayStation.

Now I wish I had a mid-model Super NES to test. One with the second generation video encoder.

[vlame]

this thread might be of interest.

http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_tutorial ... es_1633122

[Redifer]

Not too much because I don't speak moon language. That poor SNES, he melted it!

[Hobie-wan]

this thread might be of interest.

http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_tutorial ... es_1633122

After reading the mangled google translation, looks like they had botched a region mod and broken off a pin. That's why they were grinding into the chip casing to get at the pins inside.

[vlame]

Well OK. For those of you with the bad lines, do you know what video encoder your SNES' have? And where should I look to find mine?