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I have an old N64 console with analog outputs (L/R stereo + coax analog video) which I would like to connect to a TV that only supports Y/Pb/Pr component and HDMI. I don't care which input type it goes to, but after searching through options at Monoprice, I can't find that exact combination of I/O in a converter. Am I missing something obvious, or does this conversion option simply not exist?

Doesn't the N64 have the standard RCA's (Yellow, Red, White)? Some TV's have a converter built in to the Y/Pb/Pr input so you can just plug that one Yellow cable in.

Not with passive converters, YPbPr lacks a green channel - you'd need some kind of active modulator to rebuild a composite image from it.

I'm sure you're not the first person on the planet who wanted to plug an old piece of tech into a new HDTV, but I'm not seeing anything obvious on Google here. Then again, we never really had YPbPr component here in the UK - it' an American thing tied to NTSC transmission formats, I think. Europe went with the SCART socket, almost everywhere and for everything.

Composite and S-Video to HDMI® Converter

I presume you didn't mean coax, but instead the composite yellow video out.

Ah, good find. I figured someone in the US would have made an active converter but my Google-Fu is pretty weak outside of Europe.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

Edit: Oops, Ryu beat me to it. FWIW the connecting cables typically used for composite video *are* technically a type of coax (containing a center counductor + outer shield), they're just not the sort of coax most people think of when they hear "coax" (the stuff normally used for cable TV).

Amazon appears to have a few that have a 1080p scaler built-in. The Monoprice model is limited to a 720p scaling.

Like so

DPete27 wrote:

Doesn't the N64 have the standard RCA's (Yellow, Red, White)? Some TV's have a converter built in to the Y/Pb/Pr input so you can just plug that one Yellow cable in.

Here's what I'm talking about. See how the Green input has a yellow ring around it. That's for your composite Yellow cable.

ludi wrote:

I have an old N64 console with analog outputs (L/R stereo + coax analog video) which I would like to connect to a TV that only supports Y/Pb/Pr component and HDMI. I don't care which input type it goes to, but after searching through options at Monoprice, I can't find that exact combination of I/O in a converter. Am I missing something obvious, or does this conversion option simply not exist?

http://www.everydaysource.com/product/p ... 82&mi=4715

?

edit: my mistake, I thought the title of "Premium Component AV Cable for Nintendo 64 (N64), 4.67 FT, Gray" would indicate it's for an N64 but when I clicked on Compatibility, it said "Wii". Genius.

I can confirm what DPete27 says. I have successfully plugged my PS1 composite video into my HDTV's component input. Obviously it doesn't look amazing because it's scaling that so much, but it does work.

Scrotos wrote:

ludi wrote:

I have an old N64 console with analog outputs (L/R stereo + coax analog video) which I would like to connect to a TV that only supports Y/Pb/Pr component and HDMI. I don't care which input type it goes to, but after searching through options at Monoprice, I can't find that exact combination of I/O in a converter. Am I missing something obvious, or does this conversion option simply not exist?

http://www.everydaysource.com/product/p ... 82&mi=4715

?

edit: my mistake, I thought the title of "Premium Component AV Cable for Nintendo 64 (N64), 4.67 FT, Gray" would indicate it's for an N64 but when I clicked on Compatibility, it said "Wii". Genius.

Yeah. It's a passive cable. I'm pretty sure the N64 is incapable of outputting a component (RGB) compatible signal natively. And what a totally misleading product listing...

You could always go the cheap, old school way (if picking up an active converter to component/VGA/HDMI is cost prohibitive) and go with an RF modulator. Should work if you plug it into the antenna connection on the TV (or VCR if you still have one) and selecting channel 3 or 4.

But if your TV has a built in converter as per DPete27's suggestion, then this is the obvious way to go.

Keep in mind an RF modulator would only work if the TV has an NTSC (analog) tuner.

MadManOriginal wrote:

Keep in mind an RF modulator would only work if the TV has an NTSC (analog) tuner.

And not just ATSC (HD antenna), which should be obvious, but for some it's not.

cynan wrote:

Scrotos wrote:

ludi wrote:

I have an old N64 console with analog outputs (L/R stereo + coax analog video) which I would like to connect to a TV that only supports Y/Pb/Pr component and HDMI. I don't care which input type it goes to, but after searching through options at Monoprice, I can't find that exact combination of I/O in a converter. Am I missing something obvious, or does this conversion option simply not exist?

http://www.everydaysource.com/product/p ... 82&mi=4715

?

edit: my mistake, I thought the title of "Premium Component AV Cable for Nintendo 64 (N64), 4.67 FT, Gray" would indicate it's for an N64 but when I clicked on Compatibility, it said "Wii". Genius.

Yeah. It's a passive cable. I'm pretty sure the N64 is incapable of outputting a component (RGB) compatible signal natively. And what a totally misleading product listing...

You could always go the cheap, old school way (if picking up an active converter to component/VGA/HDMI is cost prohibitive) and go with an RF modulator. Should work if you plug it into the antenna connection on the TV (or VCR if you still have one) and selecting channel 3 or 4.

But if your TV has a built in converter as per DPete27's suggestion, then this is the obvious way to go.

If you had s-video or SCART output from the N64, could you then pop on a cable that converts it to component?

Scrotos wrote:

If you had s-video or SCART output from the N64, could you then pop on a cable that converts it to component?

S-video to component requires an active converter box to separate out the component signals from the composite signal. Not possible to do with a passive adapter/cable.

Scrotos wrote:

If you had s-video or SCART output from the N64, could you then pop on a cable that converts it to component?

Good question. There seems to be some debate on N64's ability to output an RGB-compatible signal (like the Game Cube and, I assume Wii does). This forum post indicates that Japan and US N64s had this ability, but them Nintendo removed it (in a newer revision?) while European (PAL) N64s never had this ability...

If the N64 the OP has can output an RGB signal, than it should be possible to passively convert between SCART, VGA (D-sub), BNC, component, etc. However, the plot thickens even more, because even if your N64 does output the RGB singal, it seems that some Game Cube cables may not work... (see same forum post)

Edit: JBI is correct. S-Video does not have a separated RGB signal (color is modulated into a single analog signal). But SCARTis RGB.

Ryu Connor wrote:

Composite and S-Video to HDMI® Converter

I presume you didn't mean coax, but instead the composite yellow video out.

Ah yes...THIS is the droid we are looking for.

@dpete et al: I'll double check tonight but I don't remember seeing an analog input option on any of the component jacks. Cheap BestBuy TV is as cheap BestBuy TV does.

Forge wrote:

MadManOriginal wrote:

Keep in mind an RF modulator would only work if the TV has an NTSC (analog) tuner.

And not just ATSC (HD antenna), which should be obvious, but for some it's not.

Hmm. My HDTV has both. But then it's from 2008. Are the newer ones are leaving out the NTSC tuners?

cynan wrote:

Forge wrote:

And not just ATSC (HD antenna), which should be obvious, but for some it's not.

Hmm. My HDTV has both. But then it's from 2008. Are the newer ones are leaving out the NTSC tuners?

I haven't checked but I would assume so, given that commercial analog TV broadcasts ceased back in 2009. (At least here in the US; the cutoff date varies by country.)

ludi wrote:

I have an old N64 console with analog outputs (L/R stereo + coax analog video) which I would like to connect to a TV that only supports Y/Pb/Pr component and HDMI. I don't care which input type it goes to, but after searching through options at Monoprice, I can't find that exact combination of I/O in a converter. Am I missing something obvious, or does this conversion option simply not exist?

So, which TV is it? Even the el-cheapo HDTVs I have seen support composite in. As someone pointed out, it may share one of the Y/Pb/Pr component inputs. Letting us know what TV would certainly help.

--SS

It's this one: Best Buy 39" LCD

On further investigation it appears the TV's SPDIF digital audio output may be shared with component video input (haven't actually tried it yet). But I went ahead and ordered the Monoprice 720P HDMI converter. This will give me the ability to route the N64 through the receiver's HDMI switch, since I want the audio via the receiver anyway, and simplify the cable maze.

$40 for something that can be done for free with one more cable.... [Edit] I'd take the free route; if you've got a couple RCA splitters laying around you can even output the audio to your TV and reciever simultaneously. [/Edit] Otherwise, does N64 audio really need to be broadcast through a home theater system in the first place?

DPete27 wrote:

$40 for something that can be done for free with one more cable.... I'd take the free route if you've got a couple RCA splitters laying around. Otherwise, does N64 audio really need to be broadcast through a home theater system in the first place?

Heresy. Well, maybe not. SNES audio, on the other hand...

DPete27 wrote:

$40 for something that can be done for free with one more cable.... I'd take the free route if you've got a couple RCA splitters laying around. Otherwise, does N64 audio really need to be broadcast through a home theater system in the first place?

The TV is really just a giant monitor (no broadcast connection at all) while the receiver manages all the A/V control. Not only does this simplify the cabling, it also reduces remote clutter, because the TV just needs to be powered on. The receiver has a typical four-input HDMI switch, so I'll end up with the BRD player, the HTPC, and the N64 on three of the inputs and one spare for future use.

ludi wrote:

It's this one: Best Buy 39" LCD

On further investigation it appears the TV's SPDIF digital audio output may be shared with component video input (haven't actually tried it yet). But I went ahead and ordered the Monoprice 720P HDMI converter. This will give me the ability to route the N64 through the receiver's HDMI switch, since I want the audio via the receiver anyway, and simplify the cable maze.

According to pg 14 of the manual for your TV, it supports composite input - the yellow RCA video jack plugs right into the green RCA jack from the component input, just like DPete27 suggested.

To get audio to your receiver, you just get a cheap female to male stereo RCA cable (one of these and two of these), and you're done. Don't need the HDMI converter. Not like it will improve the image.

As far as a cable maze goes, I'd think adding a the HDMI converter box, with its own power plug, would contribute just as much clutter than doing the above (using straight composite input with RCA cables to the receiver).

If getting the best image quality is of utmost concern, then test to see whether your N64 can output an RGB signal. If it does, you just need a passive cable that converts to component or VGA in on your TV. But for an N64, the difference between composite and RGB is probably going to be pretty much negligible. As far as picture quality and performance is concerned, I would think that the RGB signal would be the best, followed by a direct composite input to your TV, followed by the Monoprice HDMI converter (sometimes those cheaper converters can be a bit flaky - but I don't have any experience with that one in particular). While the converter does upscale to 720p, so does your TV (to the native resolution of the panel), and the scaler in your TV, if not of better quality, will have a better chance of working properly.

BTW, why do you think the coaxial SPDIF audio out on the TV is shared with the component input? This does not appear to be the case in the manual I linked to...

I'll have to go experiment with that a bit more, the labeling on the side of the TV does not indicate any support for composite input and my previous attempt to supply composite video to that input did not trigger source detection in the TV (the firmware menu blocks access to any sources where it does not detect a signal). It looks exactly like the fifth image in the Best Buy link I provided earlier.

Given the low-rent quality of this display, I don't have high hopes that what the manual says it does, and what it actually does, are the same thing.

ludi wrote:

Given the low-rent quality of this display, I don't have high hopes that what the manual says it does, and what it actually does, are the same thing.

Well that's no good In the link to the manual in my above post, pg 14 shows actual pictures of a composite connection being plugged into the component input...

Well, well...it DOES work as a composite input, not sure why it was giving me trouble before, but I played a couple levels of Super Smash Brothers during my lunch break (living 5 minutes from the office has its upsides).

The TV's built-in scaler is pretty ungraceful, although I kind of expected that given how badly it performs when the HTPC is set at any resolution other than 1680x1050. Will be interesting to see if the analog-to-HDMI converter can do any better.

ludi wrote:

Well, well...it DOES work as a composite input, not sure why it was giving me trouble before, but I played a couple levels of Super Smash Brothers during my lunch break (living 5 minutes from the office has its upsides).

The TV's built-in scaler is pretty ungraceful, although I kind of expected that given how badly it performs when the HTPC is set at any resolution other than 1680x1050. Will be interesting to see if the analog-to-HDMI converter can do any better.

I gather your receiver doesn't have the conversion capability? I can certainly understand the desire to use the TV purely as a monitor and let the receiver handlle all the input selection. I do the same unless it is one of the rare occasions I am watching an OTA HDTV broadcast (I don't have cable or sattelite). However, my receiver will upconvert composite, s-video, and Y/Pb/Pr to 1080p and output it over the HDMI output that goes to the TV. I'll assume you've checked yours, but just in case...

--SS

SecretSquirrel wrote:

I gather your receiver doesn't have the conversion capability?

Yamaha RX-V473. And as near as I can tell it does not convert between video sources, it only switches them.