Coleco/CBS?Differences

[oldjd]

I was told by a collector that the cartridges and consoles that are labeled CBS are all Pal?Is this true?

I just got a CBS console,but see nothing on it that would look different from a regular Coleco console.

Am I missing something.or was I misinformed?

Thanks for any help

Oh,and I just sold a copy of Victory,that was marked CBS,and the buyer is the one who told me that they were Pal versions

Edited April 11, 2010 by oldjd

[coleconut]

I was told by a collector that the cartridges and consoles that are labeled CBS are all Pal?Is this true?

I just got a CBS console,but see nothing on it that would look different from a regular Coleco console.

Am I missing something.or was I misinformed?

Thanks for any help

Oh,and I just sold a copy of Victory,that was marked CBS,and the buyer is the one who told me that they were Pal versions

 

This topic has been touched upon a few times here over the last couple months. I can say from direct experience that the answer is definitely NO. Not all hardware and carts labelled CBS is PAL.

And from what I gather this is because excess cartridges and consoles were used in both United States and Canada to produce "regular" NTSC product, probably late in the market. I purchased a CBS Colecovision console from a US seller and opened it up and verified this myself. I remember back in the 80's seeing CBS Colecovision carts on store shelves here in Toronto.

Oh and perhaps it was true however that the Victory cart you speak of was PAL, if so likely on the box it would have indicated mfg in somewhere like England or France ?

Edited April 11, 2010 by coleconut

[ten-four]

Hi oldjd

 

The only PAL is another cartridge, another label which reads a text that says "only for PAL use".

 

The pcb inside is the same.

 

You can use the same game from Europe in U.S., and i can use your games here in PAL-land.

 

Only difference is that here in Europe we have 50 Hz. and in U.S. is 60 Hz.

 

But Colecovision is a kind of region free, so the machine doing all TV formats.

 

The game is the same inside, but it is the 10 Hz. which makes the game run a little slower in PAL.

 

So if your friend says Venture is a PAL version is it true, but only the exterior.

 

I'm from Denmark, and have bought games in the U.S. from the late 80s, and they all worked fine, no problem at all.

 

But a programmer can optimize his game to a special PAL version, so that sound and image is optimal.

[youki]

But a programmer can optimize his game to a special PAL version, so that sound and image is optimal.

 

I didn't notice commercial game what does not work on both plateform except one i'm working on. It was working fine on my PAL console , but the result was very bad on the NTSC.. I have to scale down my game to make it work on both.

[Murph74]

I think Ten-Four is right. All carts are the same (and interchangeable) no matter the label-- it's the console that does the PAL/NTSC output.

 

Although, I'm still kind of confused on part of it-- how do you tell a PAL Colecvision machine? I know there are a limited number of units with a SCART connector, but aren't there PAL units without the SCART?

[youki]

AFAIK all french ones have SCART cable but they are not PAL but SECAM.

[ten-four]

Yes it is true there are only a limited number CBS with the Scart connector.

 

CBS wrote back then that they were only for the French market in 2 versions, one for use with an outside antenna adapter and one for Scart only, My version are Scart only,it works very well here in Denmark.

 

Purchased by Mimo in UK. here at AtariAge.

 

My first CBS ColecoVision was from 1983. a U.S. edition with the CBS Colecovision brand both on console and box.

 

It had its RF box inside on the PCB, "normal" PAL versions had a separate RF PCB inside in the left side of the console. (Controller side).

 

Most Pal machines were without Scart.

[oldjd]

I looked at this console closer to see what if anything might be different.Other then stamped on the case"Made in Taiwan"I dont see much difference

The sticker on the bottom,even states its a model 2400

If this actually plays both styles,that would make it pretty unique for the time

I am going to open it up,and see if it has the different r/f connectors

Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks for all the responses

[coleconut]

I looked at this console closer to see what if anything might be different.Other then stamped on the case"Made in Taiwan"I dont see much difference

The sticker on the bottom,even states its a model 2400

If this actually plays both styles,that would make it pretty unique for the time

I am going to open it up,and see if it has the different r/f connectors

Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks for all the responses

 

There might be a heat sink on it but the main clue is the video processor.

NTSC machines will have a TMS9928A and a PAL machine I believe will have a TMS9929A