PAL and NTSC games on ColecoVision

[bacteria]

I read somewhere that the ColecoVision will run on either PAL or NTSC games; is this correct?

 

Reason i'm asking is that I can't work out how to make my PAL ColecoVision console output composite or S-video and I have a stack of PAL games. If I were to buy an NTSC console, would it play my PAL games fine - if it does, any restriction or issues, like speed issues, or borders, etc?

[Pixelboy]

I read somewhere that the ColecoVision will run on either PAL or NTSC games; is this correct?

 

Reason i'm asking is that I can't work out how to make my PAL ColecoVision console output composite or S-video and I have a stack of PAL games. If I were to buy an NTSC console, would it play my PAL games fine - if it does, any restriction or issues, like speed issues, or borders, etc?

AFAIK, all CV carts (american and european) are compatible with both NTSC and PAL systems, and are fully interchangeable as such. Beyond that, I don't know the specifics of visible differences between the two standards, where CV games are concerned. Don't CV games run a tiny bit faster on 50Hz TV screens..?

[ten-four]

Don't CV games run a tiny bit faster on 50Hz TV screens..?

 

Unfortunately it is a bit slower.

[Bruce Tomlin]

There's one byte in low ROM that is decimal 60 on USA systems. I'm presuming that was meant to indicate 60 hertz.

 

Apparently there is no way to tell whether your VDP is 50hz or 60hz other than with a timing loop that watches the retrace interrupt flag.

[ten-four]

I do not think that it is from the electronics itself from CV,

but from the power supplied from the power station from the outside that makes the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz.

 

ColecoVision is structured so that it works as both NTSC and PAL, therefore the small difference in Hz.

 

TMS9918/28/29 show video signal no matter what, it is only through RF/HF adapted to your TV. (am i wrong on that ?).

 

I have a French version of ColecoVision with RGB, is there anyone who has experience with Euro Scart Output in U.S. ?

 

Ole Nielsen.

[bacteria]

The RF is certainly different between NTSC and PAL, and the PAL board also looks different to the French (SECAM) board. I presume a French Coleco will work fine on RGB via UK PAL?

 

Can't find a French Coloco, will keep my eyes out for one.

[ten-four]

I presume a French Coleco will work fine on RGB via UK PAL?

 

Can't find a French Coloco, will keep my eyes out for one.

 

Even i live in PAL land, and can confirm that the French version works perfectly here in Denmark.

I bought mine here via AtariAge by Mimo with a tip from Pixelboy

[PkK]

There's one byte in low ROM that is decimal 60 on USA systems. I'm presuming that was meant to indicate 60 hertz.

 

Apparently there is no way to tell whether your VDP is 50hz or 60hz other than with a timing loop that watches the retrace interrupt flag.

 

Byte 0x69 in the BIOS gives the retrace interrupt frequency. In my libraries this is alternatively exposed through cv_get_vint_frequency(). IT will return 60 on NTSC CVs, 50 on PAL CVs. I use it mostly for timing when playing music.

 

Philipp

Edited December 25, 2009 by PkK

[youki]

French SECAM Coleco works in Europe because most of the TV now support PAL/SECAM standards . in the 80's it was not the case. You had SECAM only TV and PAL only TV. A SECAM console does not work on a PAL Only TV. (i think it works but you have B&W Image ,but not sure..). (And of course PAL console does not work on SECAM only TV)

 

Concerning compatibility with NTSC , until now i didn't have any problem to run NTSC commercial game on my SECAM Coleco.

 

But Some problem can occur, i have experienced that on the current game i'm developping. It worked on PAL but not at all on NTSC. The cause was Timing. I was doing lot of code during the vertical blank interupt , and on PAL/SECAM i have simply more time between 2 interrupts so i could do more things.. I had to optimize and strip down my game to make it work on both. I hate NTSC...