VIC-20 -- no sound

From: Mark <mark_k_at_iname.com>
Date: Sat Sep 12 07:46:36 1998

Marion.Bates_at_Dartmouth.EDU (Marion Bates) wrote:
>Or maybe my TV is really weird. There's been an anomaly with the
>C64 for as long as I can remember, which is that when I use the
>video cable (the one that splits into three RCA's, one for video
>and two for sound) with the video-in jacks on the TV, I get a nice,
>sharp, black and white display, no color.

The C64 provides composite video, luminance, chrominance and audio on its DIN
connector.

The luminance and chrominance signals are what is nowadays known as S-video or
Y/C. The luminance is the brightness information (i.e., a monochrome video
signal), the chrominance is the colour information. By having the two signals
on separate wires rather than mixing them, picture quality is improved over
composite video.

Many modern TVs have S-video inputs; a 4-pin mini-DIN socket is used for this.
Commodore monitors use two phono sockets, marked L and C. It sounds like you
are using a cable designed for connecting a C64 to a Commodore monitor. This
will not directly work with your TV's composite video input. As you have found,
the best you can do is to get a monochrome picture by connecting the luminance
signal.

To get the best possible picture quality, buy a lead that has two phono sockets
on one end, and an S-video 4-pin mini-DIN connector on the other. You would
connect this to the L and C jacks of your C64 video lead, and the S-video port
on your TV. However, you may have trouble finding a ready-made lead like this;
perhaps building one yourself will be quicker.

If your TV does not have an S-video input, you'll need to get another lead that
uses the C64's composite video output instead. An A/V lead for the Sega Mega
Drive/Genesis 1 console *may* work.



>If I use the composite port and a TV/game modulator box, I get (cruddy) color.

I think you mean using the RF output and a TV signal switch (as supplied with
most game consoles), not a modulator.


-- Mark
Received on Sat Sep 12 1998 - 07:46:36 BST