Nintendo 64 PAL help

[Kainevg]

Hello,

This is my first post on the Ben Heck forums but I have been looking around and doing some research on portables for awhile now. I live in australia, which uses PAL. I was reading bacteria's N64p guide and in the first section it says:

"Note, PAL users can't get RGB as the elements needed are missing in the chips (you can replace the PIF chip from an NTSC model); frankly however, composite is very good quality on the N64, so RGB isn't important on this system."

Does this mean im going to run into problems when making my portable? How do I use composite? I was looking on ebay for PSone screens and 90% of them are from america which is obviously NTSC, could I just buy one from the UK or does anyone know of a place that sells suitable PAL screens?

Thanks in advance - Kaine

[OhSnap!]

the psone screens do both pal and ntsc. you won't need to use rgb, composite will do fine, i have to use rgb because i have an rgb onlyscreen and it has taken a bit on money to get rgb to run the screen. so stick with composite.

[bacteria]

Kainevg - if your console and games are PAL then you get a PAL screen, if your console and games are NTSC then you get an NTSC screen. Simple. If you try and run your console on the other type of system, you might get a picture on RGB but it will probably be garbled, with composite, nada.

[Kainevg]

Hmm.. You say the screens do both PAL and NTSC, I dont understand how they can do both... what do you have to say bacteria?

[bacteria]

No Kainevg - what I said is if your console is PAL you need a PAL screen, if your console is NTSC then you need an NTSC screen. You won't see an image on the screen if you cross them, or the image will be garbled. OnSnap!'s screen (a Logic 3 screen 3rd party PSone screen) is only RGB but has the ability to be either PAL or NTSC but can't do composite.

[Kainevg]

Seeing as you live in the UK, does that mean your using PAL? Just the only place I can find PSone screens are on ebay and I dont wan't to buy an NTSC by accident. So do you just buy your PSone screens from a UK seller?

[blaze3927]

Yes UK uses PAL like AUS/NZ etc but buying a psone screen from UK can easy be in access of $100.
other options (maybe better definitely cheaper) would be portable dvd players that accept av in

great to see more Australian's on the site there must be like...five of us now.

[Kainevg]

The UK screens i've seen on ebay are around 50 pounds or $102 AUZ... I thought portable DVD players were more expensive then that though...

- Kaine (Auzzie Auzzie Auzzie, oi oi oi!)

[blaze3927]

yeh if you find the portable dvd players that have errors like can't read discs but screen still works fine, you can pick them up for $30 - $60 shipped (and some even include battery and charger),
make sure the dvd player has AV ""IN""

[bacteria]

There are a few new PAL Sony PSone screens on e-bay at the moment, but will cost you nearly £60 delivered. Thats £10 more than a few months ago (and same seller) and about £10 more than a year or so ago.

[evilteddy]

I got a psone screen and a psone for $30 6 months ago but I haven't seen anything since. There used to be a UK guy who used to have 100s of psone screens left but I haven't seen his stuff on ebay either. They're still extremely expensive. My first screen cost $100 AUD and that was when our dollar was approaching the US dollar. Fingers crossed that we can keep on the upwards trend and overseas prices will become really cheap (and in that dream I have a pandora... and a Dingoo... and a few AEIcomp screens... and an FPGA programmer... and I could go on for ages).

In the meantime your best bet still is the DVD monitors that pop up on ebay. Just keep an eye out and something will show sometime.

[Kainevg]

At the moment theres several PSone screens from the UK for 100 dollars AUD, but I would like to spend less than that..

Oh well.. - Kaine