S-Video

[Bill Lange]

I'd like to attach my 800xl to a new tv with S-video IN on the front of it. Has anyone set up this configuration. I'm just tired of my old - yellow Commodore monitor.

 

WRL

[aminerva]

If you don't want to do the 800xl Super Video upgrade, you can just purchase an RCA to S-Video converter (and example is here http://www.svideotorca.com/rcatosvideo.html ). I think some radio shacks sell them for a little less.

 

Then use your composite output to plug into the s-video box on your tv. At least I think this will work, I use my 800xl through my vga monitor with a composite/vga converter box.

[Thelen]

Off course you can also connect the 800xl composite to your tv

 

Thelen

[Gunstar]

You don't need a converter! The 8-bits are already capable of sending out an S-video signal! It's known as chroma/lumina on the 8-bits since it was before the smaller din S-video jacks started showing up on TV's, but all you need is a cable with the large DIN jack on one end that plugs into the monitor port on the 8-bit and the smaller standard din S-video plug on the other end! B&C has a cable that seperates the chroma/lumina signal (s-video) into two RCA jacks and an audio rca jack (as well as a standard composite rca jack) for $15 bucks. All you need to do with this cable is splice those two RCA jacks for chroma/lumina into a s-video cable and it's set to go! A VERY simple procedure. It's just a matter of soldering or twisting the four wires together with the four wires on the s-video cable (two wires on the cable that have the inner and outer wires within making four wires). Although it's possible that B&C or BEST Electronics may already have a custom cable that does the same thing...large Atari din-to-S-video din. Those S-video "upgrades" for the 8-bit are just to further improve the video quality and are not needed to hook up an Atari to your s-video capable TV! Personally, I think the picture is great as-is, though some "purists" have done the S-video mod for a "cleaner" signal...mine looks great the way it is to me.

[aminerva]

I've got the monitor cable you are talking about, it is the 5 pin din to 4 rca cables (one is composite, one chroma, one luma, one is audio), but my 800XL only spits out the b/w signal (luma?) so I have to use the composit cable. It was my understanding that the super video upgrade was required to get the color (chroma?) signal from a standard 800xl.

 

This was discussed here:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...3473&highlight=

[Callipygous]

Correct. The stock 800XL does not have Chroma. I ordered a few of these cables from this guy

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&item=801090335

 

He always has them for $5. So for $20, I got 3 with shipping included. At that price, its was not worth it to hack a cable myself. The color code on leads match the Commodore and not the Atari, so you will have to experiment to get the right match.

[Gunstar]

Ahh, maybe that's why people are doing that upgrade, I couldn't understand it myself, as I have my XE hooked up to s-video which works PERFECTLY, both chroma/lumina. My xl/800 are hooked up to composite monitors...now, finally, this is making sense to me why people feel so compelled to do the s-video mod on their xl's...

[Shawn Jefferson]

Correct. The stock 800XL does not have Chroma.

 

Some of the later model 800XLs did. I was emailing back and forth with someone who had an 800XL with a freddy chip and he said it did have chroma at the monitor jack.

 

The 1200XL also did not bring chroma out to the jack. The North American 600XLs (IIRC) did not even have a monitor jack!

 

Long story short is that for most people the SuperVideo modifications for the 800XL/1200XL are *required* to bring out the chroma signal on those models.

[Markimus of K.]

on a related note, I'm trying to hook up some S-Video cable to S-vid connectors but do not know how to go about it. The stock S-vid cable has two wires, both with an inner and outer connection. What do I connect to where on the four S-vid inputs (on the actual connector)?

 

thanks!

[Gunstar]

You need a pin readout schematic on the S-video connector...I don't remember myself. What I can tell you is the inner wires are the actual chroma/lumina signals and the outer ones are for ground/shielding. When I made my cable, I used an S-video cable and just spliced directly to the cable itself (four wires matching up to four wires), instead of trying to figure out the pins and connecting directly to the din plug. Try doing a Google search on S-video, there's bound to be a pin-out schematic somewhere...