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Retro video connections: composite, S-Video, SCART and component

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tagsglossar, retro, video

2 min read

Retro video connections: composite, S-Video, SCART and component

In short: Old consoles output analogue pictures via composite, S-Video, RGB/SCART or component; the more signals run separately, the sharper and more colour-stable the picture.

In more detail: Whoever runs retro consoles on modern TVs meets analogue connections. Quality and compatibility differ greatly; the right cable decides picture sharpness.

In Depth

Connection types overview

  • RF/antenna: picture and sound over an antenna cable; worst quality (Atari, NES era).
  • Composite (CVBS, yellow RCA): brightness and colour in one signal: colour fringing, noise; standard for NES/SNES/N64/PS1.
  • S-Video (Y/C): brightness and colour separate: sharper, fewer artefacts (mini-DIN-4).
  • RGB (SCART): red/green/blue separate: best analogue quality, high colour fidelity; common in Europe (PAL).
  • Component (YPbPr, 3 RCA red/green/blue): from GameCube/PS2/Xbox, also progressive scan (480p/720p).
  • VGA (Dreamcast, PC) and later HDMI (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii U).

SCART in detail

SCART (21 pins) carries RGB, composite, audio, switching voltage; consoles produce RGB only if console/model/cable supports it (NES/SNES/Mega Drive/PS1/PS2 yes, some models need a mod). Cable quality and sync signal (composite sync on pin 20, sync-on-luma) matter; cheap cables have noise. Modern TVs have no SCART any more → upscaler (see next article). PAL/NTSC (see region).

Which connection when?

  • NES (composite/RF only, mod for RGB), SNES (RGB-SCART/S-Video/composite), Mega Drive (RGB-SCART), PS1 (SCART-RGB or S-Video), N64 (S-Video; RGB only with mod), PS2/GameCube (component for 480p/RGB-SCART), Dreamcast (VGA/component/RGB-SCART).
  • Goal: the best available signal to the upscaler/TV.
  • Cables from the manufacturer or equivalent quality (shielded composite cable); keep length short.
  • Sound: mono/stereo RCA; optical/digital rare on PS2/GameCube.
  • Mind power supplies (voltage!) and noise/interference with cheap parts.

Tips

  • Clean contacts (isopropanol), check wobble.
  • Adjust sharpness/colour on the TV/upscaler, avoid overscan (picture edges).
  • CRT TVs often show composite better than modern TVs (see CRT article).
  • HDMI adapters (cheap composite-to-HDMI converters) often bring delay and poor scaling; for quality RetroTINK/OSSC/Framemeister or original tube.
  • VCRs/capture cards: when recording mind deinterlacing and frame timing.
  • Console mods (RGB mod, HDMI mod) only with soldering experience.

See also: HDMI, Retro console history

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