Thread: Getting my Sega Genesis to display properly

I've been wanting to get screenshots and videos from my Sega Genesis using my GameBridge device, but all I get is what is shown in the image below - distortions and lots of static. It's only the Sega Genesis that gets it. All other systems, the PS1, PS2 (borrowed from my sister), NES (that's older than the Genesis), and Gamecube, don't have any of these distortions, it's only the Sega Genesis that does.

How can fix this? What is causing this? I do not want to use an emulator, I'd like to use the console itself.

A digital camera pointed at the TV gets a much better quality than this, so much better than the screenshot below. I've tried swapping between using channels 3 and 4 and connecting the Genesis connector into up to two other console connectors that definitely work and all these give the exact same results.

View my screenshot here

I already mentioned - GameBridge. It's a TV tuner that I use to watch and record TV on my computer.

Could be related to regional format: NTSC, PAL, etc, can affect things like refresh rate, screen resolution, etc.

I'm not sure if the regional format has anything to do with it and given that the Sega Genesis works fine on two TVs and the other systems which are definitely NTSC work fine on both TVs and GameBridge, I doubt it's the regional format that has something to do with it.

If you are using an RF modulator as a go-between it appears to be on the wrong channel.

It's either:

• On the wrong channel at the Sega Genesis
• On the wrong channel at the RF modulator

Based on that picture your TV is only getting part of the signal and the rest appears as fuzz or wavy lines due to the frequency difference.

I've stated in my original message that whether I use channel 3 or 4, it doesn't matter as the effect is exactly the same. I checked the RF modulator as well. If I set the channel for the TV to 3 when the modulator is at 4, there is no picture at all. The same applies when the TV is on 4 and the modulator is at 3.

The original RF modulator for my Sega Genesis was lost years ago and got a replacement one from Pelican Accessories (at least, that's the brand printed on it). I have something similar for the Playstation 2 (since the 3-connector plugs the consoles almost always come with by default won't work at all on my TV (it doesn't have those connections available)), and yet, it works perfectly fine as I've recorded a few videos of the Shrek the Third game, one of which on YouTube. The PS2 adapter is from MadCatz. I would have to suspect the RF modulator for the Genesis as the culprit, but since, even after 5 or 6 years now, I don't know where the original is, it's the only one I have. Why does it work with two other TVs just fine, but not with GameBridge?

I have no idea. But if you look at the scanlines and the fact that every line is off linearily as you go from top left to bottom right, the channel is the problem. There is a very very very slight chance that the signal from the Genesis is not correct meaning it is hosed but I doubt it. You would need something to test the output signal from the Genesis to ensure it is correct.

It reminds me of a bmp being displayed without taking into account the padding at the end of each line. The wrapping proves that your signal is off a bit.

I'm not sure how to fix it.

I'm familiar with the offset caused from not taking into account the zero-padding BMP uses - I've had this and had a post about it here almost a month ago.

I made another discovery. Earlier, when doing a channel scan while I had Super Monkey Ball 2 playing, I had 3 channels found - 3, 10, and 13. The 3 is what is used for my game consoles and the others are local channels barely detectible (since the GameBridge is not hooked up to the antenna or anything, I expected that). When I did a rescan as part of my other tests, I found that it not only detected those channels, but others such as 16 and 64 as well, where 3, 16, and 64 were all of the game I had playing, all with the same distortions. I'm surprised this thing works on my TV without these oddities. I'm really beginning to think that it is the RF adapter and that I'm definitely going to need to find a new one somehow. Although I dislike getting stuff off Ebay, I'd rather do that than use an emulator.

Edit: I looked at the adapter and saw PL-503 as the model number and it has "Pelican Accessories" written on it. I have the Sega Genesis II version which looks exactly like this one.