GameCube Hardware - Connectivity FAQ Author: Adam Godbeer Alias: DragonQ E-mail: DragonQ0105@gmail.com Date Created: 25/08/07 Current Version: 2.2a Copyright Adam Godbeer (2007) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- GameCube Connectivity FAQ: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ********** CONTENTS ********** 1) Introduction 2) Version History 3) Note About GameCube's Life Cycle 4) The Cables a) R/F Modulator b) A/V Composite Cable c) S-Video Cable d) RGB SCART Cable e) Component Cable 5) Conclusion 6) Special Options a) Progressive Scan (NTSC) b) 60Hz Mode (PAL) 7) Contributors 8) Legal Information ====================================================================== ***************** 1) Introduction ***************** Well, I saw the lack of guides explaining the ways in which you can connect your GameCube to your TV, and so decided to make my own. This Guide contains info on each of the 5 Leads you can use, including quality and availability. Use this guide if you are unsure about buying a better cable, for example, or perhaps just wondering which ones your TV can use or what the differences between the cables are. Any suggestions, corrections or opinions should be sent to the e-mail address above. Thanks. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== ******************************************************************* 2) Version History (Dates are in International Format - DD/MM/YY) ******************************************************************* - 1.0 (10/01/05) - First Version. - 1.0a (12/01/05) - A few minor spelling/typo mistakes corrected. - 1.0b (20/01/05) - More spelling mistakes corrected, added Version Number and Contact E-mail to the FAQ. - 1.0c (11/02/05) - More spelling/grammar mistakes fixed, added note explaining the date system, other mistakes fixed (e.g. words missing, words repeated, incorrect words etc.). - 1.1 (04/09/05) - Corrected mistakes regarding the Component Cable, and other minor mistakes also. - 2.0 (21/09/05) - Added new "Special Options" section, added new information regarding the R/F cable. - 2.0a (26/09/05) - Fixed 2 stupid mistakes that should have been fixed in Version 2.0. - 2.1 (30/06/07) - Revised layout, basically rewrote a lot of sections to make them easier to understand, improved consistency, finally went over all the misuses of capital letters, changed "Gamecube" to the correct "GameCube". - 2.2 (24/08/07) - Some minor corrections, added a new section warning about availability due to the GameCube's lifecycle having ended, another new section to thank contributers/correctors and updated some of the availability sections. - 2.2a (25/08/07) - Edited legal information to allow this FAQ to be shown on www.neoseeker.com. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== ************************************* 3) Note About GameCube's Life Cycle ************************************* The life cycle of the GameCube has now ended, and so it is going to be far harder to find new cables for GameCubes even online. The Wii uses a different AV connector, so Wii and GameCube cables are not interchangable (although GameCube, N64 and SNES cables are). Your best bet to find cables is now probably eBay, or Amazon Marketplace or something similar. The longer you wait for that Component cable though, the more you'll pay! Also, if you have a Wii, you can play all GameCube games on that anyway, so just buy the very widely available (in all regions) component cable for that to enjoy GameCube and Wii games in the highest quality possible! ====================================================================== ====================================================================== **************** 4) The Cables **************** In this section, I will be using the following format to describe each cable: vvvvvvvvvvvvv <Cable Name> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DESCRIPTION: A brief description of the cable CONNECTING: An explanation of what the cable looks like, and how it connects to the TV QUALITY: A brief description of the quality the cable produces AVAILABILITY (PAL): Availability in the UK and Europe of this cable for PAL GameCubes AVAILABILITY (NTSC): Availability in North America of this cable for NTSC GameCubes RATING: Rating out of 10 vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv a) R/F Modulator ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DESCRIPTION: This cable is also known as an "aerial cable". It is old and was the standard for connecting aerials to television sets many years ago...and still is today! All indoor aerials and analogue outdoor aerials use this cable to connect to the TV. This cable is one of the reasons analogue Television quality is so poor compared with Digital... CONNECTING: This cable ends in a male circular plug (1cm in diameter) which is hollow except for the middle spike. This plugs into the similar female socket, typically on the back of your TV QUALITY: Quality is very poor. All Video and Audio signals are sent along a single wire, which creates relatively large amounts of interference, reducing quality and causing streaking lines across the screen (commonly seen on indoor TV Aerials also). Sound is mono. AVAILABILITY (PAL): Not as commonly available as the Composite Cable, but can be found in most large electrical stores. AVAILABILITY (NTSC): Not as commonly available as the Composite Cable, but can be found in most large electrical stores. RATING: * Very Poor. Only use this cable if your TV has none of the other inputs. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv b) Composite Cable ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DESCRIPTION: This cable is extremely common and is used for many devices, such as VCRs, DVD Players, Consoles, and Cable Receivers. Commonly known as an "AV Cable", this cable is actually three cables together - one for video, two for stereo audio. CONNECTING: This cable consists of 3 "phono" cables, which are single-pin male plugs which are similar to the R/F Cable's plug, but with the spike in the middle sticking further out. This spike is 0.3cm in diameter. The yellow phono cable is for video data. The white/black cable is for mono/left audio, and the red cable is for right audio (not used for mono). These plug into 3 female phono ports on the TV (or 2 for a mono TV), which look similar to headphone/microphone sockets. QUALITY: Quality isn't bad. Video and audio signals are separated, which means the video signal experiences much less interference (although the cables are tied together, they are shielded pretty well). However, these cables are notorious for producing what's called "colour bleed" or "dot crawl", where the edges of different objects are not fine lines, but red/purple blotches which sometimes flash. The audio quality is decent stereo - what you'd expect. AVAILABILITY (PAL): Extremely common - comes with the GameCube and is available in nearly every shop that sells GameCube accessories. AVAILABILITY (NTSC): Extremely common - comes with the GameCube and is available in nearly every shop that sells GameCube accessories. RATING: **** This is the "standard" cable for casual users, or those without any other inputs. You can live with this quality without losing sleep, but ideally you don't want to use it unless you must. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv c) S-Video Cable ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DESCRIPTION: This cable is sometimes called S-VHS as it was originally used for connecting S-VHS VCRs to TVs (which were improvements of normal VHSs, but were replaced by DVDs). These are common in North America, and are sometimes used for DVD Players and cable boxes as well. They are rarely used in Europe because almost all A/V equipment uses SCART sockets for simplicity and superior picture (when set up to use RGB correctly). S-Video outputs are sometimes found on DVD players, but are not normally used. This cable splits the video into two signals - Luminance and Chromance, and results in a sharper picture than composite cables provide. Colour bleed seen with composite cables is also removed. Audio is transmitted separately, usually via the same phono cables used in composite connections. CONNECTING: This cable usually consists of 2 "phono" cables, which transmit stereo audio (see Composite Cable section for more info), and a circular 7-Pin S-Video Plug (male). This S-Video plug looks similar to the plugs used by older (non-USB) keyboard or mice, called PS/2 plugs. Once again, there is a female socket on the TV to plug it into, as well as the two (or one) phono socket(s) for the audio. QUALITY: Quality is good. Video and audio signals are separated, which means the video signal experiences much less interference, and the Video is further split to provide a sharper, clearer picture. There are no noticeable artifacts on the screen, and the picture is very good for most games and provides good contrast and nicer, bolder colours. AVAILABILITY (PAL): None. S-Video output is disabled on PAL GameCubes since S-Video is rarely used in Europe (in favour of the technically superior SCART cable). AVAILABILITY (NTSC): Common. Most gamers will want this since the improvement in quality over composite is great, and serves for much better gaming. RATING: ****** This is the "better" cable for normal users, and if you have an S-Video input on your TV, you'll get much better quality video if you use this cable. If not, you'll have to settle for the composite lead. This quality is good and most users will be very surprised with their GameCube's picture when switching to this cable. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv d) RGB SCART Cable ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DESCRIPTION: ***************** IMPORTANT NOTE: ***************** This cable is not to be confused with the SCART adaptor that PAL GameCubes ship with! These adaptors simply allow you to use your SCART socket to transmit a composite image, resulting in no increase in quality over using the standard composite cables! SCART is the most common connection type in Europe, and rightfully so. SCART can actually transmit many different types of signals - composite, S-Video and RGB. Using S-Video over SCART is fairly rare, and almost all devices support RGB over SCART anyway (which is better), but unfortunately the majority of devices are not set up to use RGB. RGB normally has to be chosen within the device's setup menu, but most people will not do this, meaning they actually receive a composite image over their SCART cable. However, when in RGB mode, SCART allows the red, green and blue components of the video signal to be transmitted without any compression. This results in a picture quality that is simply brilliant compared to that provided by composite cables. This cable transmits stereo audio too, so no need for extra cables. Apart from it being a bit bulky, this is the best cable for anything connected to a TV that doesn't support progressive scan or the newer digital DVI/HDMI connectors used in upscaling DVD Players and HD sources. It is also worth noting that the signal used for computer monitors (over a VGA cable) is RGB. Unlike RGB SCART, however, is also progressively scanned (more on that later). CONNECTING: ***************** IMPORTANT NOTE: ***************** Be Warned! Some TVs have more than one SCART socket, not all of which accept RGB signals. If you plug an RGB SCART cable into a SCART socket that doesn't support RGB then you will get a composite picture. Check your TV's manual to find out which SCART sockets are RGB-Enabled, and use one of them with your RGB SCART cable. This cable is just one big wire with a rectangular male plug on the end which plugs into the same shape female socket on the back of your TV. A word of warning: this plug consists of 21 separate wires. If you look at the male plug, there will be 21 pins. If the plug only has 7 of these pins, then it is not true RGB and is just a composite signal being sent through a SCART cable. Although many people suggest only buying the official Nintendo one since all the others are not true RGB, I have bought 3 different cables from different companies and all were true RGB - you just have to be careful when looking. Also, if the RGB SCART Cable has an Audio Run-off block (consisting of two female red/ white phono sockets), then you'll be able to use an external source for audio (e.g. external speakers), just like with S-Video and composite. Gold-plated SCART cables technically provide a better picture and last longer, but in reality, the best way to avoid corrosion of the pins (and sockets) is to use the same type of metal for both the socket and plug. Since normally SCART sockets on TVs are nickel-based, it's probably best to get a nickel-based RGB SCART cable. However, the corrosion that occurs is minimal in reality so either will be fine really. QUALITY: Quality is excellent. The split-colour signal means the picture is yet another improvement on picture quality, beating S-Video. Another advantage is that all of this colour information as well as the stereo audio is sent through one large insulated cable. There is no noticeable interference (if there is, you might have a dodgy cable) and the picture quality is the sharpest you can get without using your Digital-Out port. Colours are vivid, images are bright, everyone's happy! AVAILABILITY (PAL): Official cable is easy to come by. Proper third party ones (which are often better since most have Audio run-off blocks while the official one doesn't, and they're considerably cheaper) are harder to find. I bought mine at www.darkplanets.co.uk. AVAILABILITY (NTSC): None. RGB output is disabled on NTSC GameCubes, and most TVs in NTSC regions do not use SCART anyway. RATING: ********* This is the best cable for avid gamers, and if you have a PAL GameCube and an RGB SCART Socket, you will get a very clear, sharp picture - as the devlopers wanted their games to be seen. The Video quality is great and should satisfy even the pickiest of gamers. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv e) Component Cable ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NOTE: To use this cable, you need a Digital Out port on the back of your GameCube (located next to the normal Analogue Out port you use for all other types of cables). Why they call it a "Digital Out" Port is beyond me, since the only type of cable that plugs into it is still analogue, but whatever. Only older GameCubes have this port since Nintendo decided not enough people were using it so stopped putting them on their newer models to save money. This also means the cable is very expensive. DESCRIPTION: This cable works in a simliar way to S-Video cables. The black and white signal is sent down one wire, and the colour signal is sent down the other two wires. For example, the green wire could be used for the black and white signal (Luminance), and then the amount of red and blue colour in each pixel is sent down the blue and red cables (Chromiance). The amount of green colour is then calculated simply (amount of Luminance minus amount of red minus amount of blue). Since the cables are high-quality and have a relatively large bandwidth, these cables can be used for Progressive Scan signals used in certain DVD Players etc. This Progressive Scan feature can be used by some NTSC GameCube games also. These cables are used for some European DVD Players also, but SCART is still the most commonly used connector. In the USA, these cables are more commonly used for DVD Players and GameCubes. CONNECTING: It looks similar to a composite video Cable, but there are 3 of them, all used for video. The 3 plugs on the component lead should be plugged into the corresponding coloured ports on the TV (red, green and blue). You will need to use the standard composite cables plugged into the Analogue Out port on the GameCube and then into the correct audio sockets on the TV (usually the ones nearest to the component video ports) for stereo audio. QUALITY: Quality is excellent. The split-colour signal means the picture is yet another improvement on picture quality, beating even SCART because the wires are separate resulting in less cross-talk and interference between the wires. However, in reality, it is very hard to see any difference between component and RGB SCART. Although there are 5 cables involved (including audio), it's still the best option even if you hate wires everywhere. Again, there is no noticeable interference and the picture quality is the sharpest picture possible on your GameCube. Colours are vivid, images are bright, everything is super-sharp and super-clear. Yay! AVAILABILITY (PAL): Cable is very hard to come by. Only one site I've ever seen sell it is www.lik-sang.com, and that was closed down. Try eBay, but prepare to pay a high price. Apprantly more common in Australia, although probably not anymore. AVAILABILITY (NTSC): Hard to come by, now that the GameCube's life cycle has ended. Try the internet - Nintendo used to sell official cables on their online but you're more likely to find one of these on eBay. Prepare to pay a high price however. RATING: ********** This is the best cable. Provides best picture quality possible from your GameCube, and all hardcore gamers should use this if they can. Stunning picture. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== *************** 5) Conclusion *************** - Buy a Component lead if you own a GameCube with a Digital-Out port and a TV with component inputs. No excuse not to. - Buy an RGB SCART or S-Video cable (depending on which type of GameCube you have) if you haven't got component inputs on your TV or a Digital-Out port. - If you have no SCART or S-Video inputs on your TV, you'll have to settle for composite. - If you don't even have composite inputs, but have a Non-RGB SCART Input, you can use an adapter (comes with the GameCube normally) to get composite picutre quality through the SCART socket. It will not be RGB, but anything is better than using an R/F Modulator! - If you have no other options, you'll have to stick with an R/F Modulator I'm afraid. It has been reported that the standard R/F signal produced by the GameCube can be boosted using an external signal booster, but you'll never get a great picture. For those who have no other option, a signal booster might be worth considering. <<Special thanks to Carl Cain for pointing this out>> ====================================================================== ====================================================================== ******************** 6) Special Options ******************** vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv a) Progressive Scan (NTSC GameCubes only) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ REQUIRED CABLE: Component cable DESCRIPTION: Usually, TV images are interlaced. This means that instead of displaying a whole frame (image) on the screen at a time, it only displays half of the image (switching between just the odd lines, and just the even lines). This way of transmitting and displaying the image was used because in the early days of TV, the available bandwidth was small, and using interlaced pictures, a possible 60 Fields per second (i.e. 30 Full Frames per second) could be sent at a resolution of 525 lines using standard analogue transmitters (PAL uses 50 Fields or 25 Frames per second and 625 lines of resolution). PC monitors (except very early ones) display non-interlaced images (commonly called Progressive Scan) because the standard VGA cable is capable of sending much more data per second than the old R/F cables that TVs use. Newer Digital TVs support this Progressive Scan format. Progressive Scan can be used by some DVD Players/Recorders, and some consoles - such as the GameCube. Some Digital Cable and Satellite companies have started transmitting some channels not only using Progressive Scan, but also using higher resolutions (similar to those used by PCs - 720 lines, 1080 lines for example) for TVs that support "HDTV" (High Definition Television). While the GameCube cannot transmit images in HDTV (higher resolution), it can transmit images in Progressive Scan format. Progressive Scan can be sent along Component cables or the newer digital DVI/HDMI cables. The GameCube uses only component cables for Progressive Scan. HOW TO USE: Connect your GameCube to your TV using component cables (make sure your TV is capable of showing progressive Scan signals through the component ports). Hold down 'B' while starting the GameCube. If the game supports Progressive Scan, it will ask if you want to use it. Choose 'Yes'. EFFECT: Increases picture quality by using progressive scan instead of interlaced images. Picture is sharper, and less flickery. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv b) 60Hz Mode (PAL GameCubes only) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ REQUIRED CABLE: Composite, RGB SCART or Component DESCRIPTION: In the US, terrestrial TV images are sent using the TV format "NTSC". This format has some problems with colour consistency. It uses a vertical resolution of 525 lines (only 480 lines are visible), and a field rate of 60Hz (30 Frames per second). In Europe, and some other places, a different system is used, which builds and improves upon NTSC. It is called PAL. Colours look more consistent due to the PAL's improved technology, but while producing the PAL format they decided to change other aspects of NTSC's system. Since AC electricity being sent from power stations to homes in Europe use a frequency of 50Hz, it was easier in the early days of colour television to have the signal being displayed on the TV also having a frequency of 50Hz (50 interlaced fields per second, 25 frames per second). This meant that there was some spare bandwidth not being used, so it was decided to use the extra bandwidth to increase the resolution of the picture to 625 lines (with 576 visible lines). If you have a PAL GameCube, it is possible to use NTSC's picture system, with reduced resolution, but higher frame rate. This mode, commonly called PAL60, is essentially the same as NTSC but with PAL's improved colour system. Remember, however, that S-Video, RGB SCART and component do NOT use PAL or NTSC's colour systems. So, why would you want to use PAL60? In the early days of video gaming, games made for 60Hz were usually poorly converted to 50Hz for Europe. They were left with large borders, an incorrect aspect ratio, and normally slower gameplay than their 60Hz counterparts. Most PAL GameCube games are optimised for 50Hz though so they run at the correct speed and aspect ratio (and indeed with higher resolution than their NTSC counterparts). So, the days of using 60Hz mode to play games at their intended speed and aspect ratio are basically gone. However, there can be benefits to having an increased frame rate (at the cost of resolution), particularly in fast-paced games like racing games. Smoother motion should be seen in games like this (and the reduction in resolution won't be noticable except on larger TVs). So, if you own a PAL GameCube, and you have a game that supports 60Hz, you have 2 options: play the game in normal mode (if you prefer the increased resolution) or play in 60Hz Mode (if you prefer the higher frame rate which can be useful for fast paced games). HOW TO USE: Hold down 'B' while starting the GameCube. If the game supports 60Hz, it will ask if you want to use it. Choose 'Yes'. EFFECT: Reduces vertical resolution, but increases frame rate. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== ********************** 7) Contributors ********************** I would like to thank the following people for sending corrections and additional information to me by e-mail: - Raymond - David Tran Thanks guys! ====================================================================== ====================================================================== ********************** 8) Legal Information ********************** This Guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any web sites other than the ones listed below or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. You may, however, link to the websites and point to my FAQ. Allowed Websites: www.GameFAQS.com www.neoseeker.com All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Thank you! ======================================================================
