RGB SCART Aspect Ratio Hack 4:3 - YouTube

An RGB SCART Aspect Ratio Hack to force the CRT into 4:3 instead of 16:9 for retro gaming.
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Find us here www.globalgarage.com.au/

[@moo4983]

This method worked perfectly. I always wondered why my PS1 SCART setup defaulted to 4:3 while my Mega Drive and N64 didn't. Disconnecting the blanking signal pins and letting my TV determine the aspect ratio did the trick. Thankyou very much!

[@james276]

Very informative mate, I did this on my 16:9 Samsung lcd and it defaulted to 4:3 :) Way better than manually switching all the time.

[@GlobalGarageAus]

James 76 Good stuff. Interesting to know it defaulted to 4:3 on your 16:9 TV. I wasn't sure about that outcome.

[@unrealdevon]

Thank you for this! Finally i get all consoles to display in 4:3 on my crt. But getting rid of the voltage disabled the auto input switching. How do i get 12v on pin8 anyway?

[@snesfan8935]

Very useful video. I hate when my Super Famicom, Neo Geo AES, PC Engine and Saturn make this move - switching automatically between 4:3 to 16:9 aspect.

[@Byokugen]

well this was pretty useful! thanks man!

[@steveothehulk]

Doing this mod does it affect the brightness at all? I have a similar one but mine is automatic detection but if I put anymore than 2 scarts in to it the picture loses brightness

[@spyroledragon]

If you have a trinitron sony TV, just go to the hidden menu, then set auto 16:9 to off, and voilà, job done. On my TV I access that menu from TV in sleep mode by pressing : i+ 5 vol+ TV icon but on some it's Display instead of i+ and Power instead of the TV icon. You'll still be able to toogle between 4:3 and 16:9 manualy but it won't do it automaticaly. Also pin 8 is also used for auto commutation : basicaly it tells the TV to go to AV mode, not TV channel mode; so if your TV goes back to channel mode every time after power off, you'll end up having to press AV on the remote every time after this hack, which defeats the purpose... My advice : always check if your TV doesn't have some hidden features before taking out your soldering iron, it'll save you a lot of troubles.

[@Pytzamarama]

Hi. I have a Trinitron but I cannot locate this option inside the service menu. Could you help me? Thanx

[@spyroledragon]

@@Pytzamarama it's right on the first page of the service menu, should be easy to spot

[@klaudio5akatotatola]

@@spyroledragonSadly, I don't think this option is available for all Trinitrons. I have a KV-21R1E and no such option is available in the service menu.

[@klaudio5akatotatola]

Nevermind! I toggled my TV from 4:3 to 16:9 on the service menu by inserting "50". Now the auto-switching option shows up in the regular menu and the AR toggle button cycles through 4 different ARs. I set my TV to ZOOM 2, which corresponds to 4:3 and it seems to have memorized that aspect ratio and no longer changes it on its own.

[@esk8jaimes]

RetroGaming friends, I need your advice; Can't seem to find a HDMI to SCART adapter, specifically one that can force 4:3 aspect ratio! Tried the metal ones, they gave me static shocks, whereas this one with a audio jack worked. Still, my streaming device (Roku) only does 16:9... Far as I'm aware, the McClassic is the only HMDI dongle that can force this. Alternatively, know any streaming boxes that can be forced to 4:3 ratio?

[@waltersobchak7275]

I like this guy I hope he is still around.

[@antoniogb6823]

I have a rgb cable for MD1 from retro gaming cables. It forces to 16:9. If I disconnect pin 8 in the scart will it force it to 4:3?

[@ItzStarsRPD]

Thank you! I fixed my PS1 RGB scart

[@andresilva3308]

is it possible to mod the genesis 1 inside din8 output ...to put stereo sound from din8 pins 1\7 to scart pin 2\6 ?

[@haloharry97]

Thank you for the video, I just Ripped the 8 Pin off a M to F Scart adapater.

[@brucemclaren-]

Hey so i imagine 4:3 will also be the default of a 4.3 LCD monitor as well right?

[@jadelandry2848]

Thanks this worked great👍

[@mattjcwig]

Will this work to get a 4:3 picture sent from my consoles to an OSSC then to a HDTV? My TV in 4:3 can't do game mode but at the moment in 16:9 it's displaying images in 16:9 rather than Generic 4:3

[@SmokeMonster]

Great video. Nice rom pack too! :D

[@GlobalGarageAus]

SmokeMonster Only the best ROM packs ;)

[@2kBofFun]

My problem is that TV's dont show 16:9, but 16:6 or 8:3. The image is squeezed together and only shows on the top half. Bottom half of the screen is black. Powering the TV on and off a few times solves it, but it is friggin random. It happens on various Sony TV's, from Trinitrons to newer Bravias.

[@ClbnaVGM]

I' m gonna try this as soon as I come back home...I'm always forced to grab the remote to put the Trinitron in 4:3. Thanks !!!

[@SandroLuccini]

Pin 8 also set the correct channel and this is useful. Better to put on pin 8 12volt to get 4/3.

[@ismiismael]

hello the your tv is compatible with 480p ? thx and sorry for my bad english

[@laszlonagy1034]

How can I change color and sharpness settings on RGB input? I had 2 TVs that could do it but now my Sony Trinitron can't do it. :(

[@angeles2425]

Will this hack also work with a scart to hdmi converter? NVM Just testet and it did nothing for a PSX :-(

[@GlobalGarageAus]

No it's only for TVs with a native SCART connector

[@Tosnic]

I had done the same hack with my scart cable a while back. My sony 47w805a and 42w805b TVs now change the aspect ratio to 4:3 automatically. They have an option to set the default aspect ratio when receiving 4:3 inputs. So that might be the reason I actually get 4:3. 8-) Strange enough, all of my PS1 and PS2 scart cables failed at providing proper 4:3 signal. Only my XBox cable gets the job done by default. EDIT: just disconnecting pin 8 will probably make your scart cable output only composite signal (no RGB any more) if there is a resistor between pin 8 and pin 16 (which tells the tv wether to use RGB or composite signal). To get RGB back, simply desolder the resistor from pin 8 and connect the pin 8 cable you disconnected earlier to that resistor. Explanation: pin 8 had around 5-8 volts (since the signal was 16:9), but pin 16 requires only 1-3 volts for RGB selection. The resistor between pin 8 and pin 16 pulls down that voltage from 5-8 volts to the proper 1-3 volts.

[@HKT-4300]

How is this comment 6yo with 2 thumbs up, this is literally the best info i've ever found in a youtube comment, literally exactly what i needed, got myself a second hand Scart cable for Saturn and it had a specific 4:3 box on a sticker on the cable that wasn't colored in, sure enough it forced 16:9, my immediate thought was to disconnect pin 8 but then it indeed reverted back to composite. Looked it up and saw they charge 10 bucks extra to have it switch to 4:3 instead of forcing 16:9.. wasn't having that so i went searching and found no info til i came across this comment, 5 minute fix and solved the problem perfectly! Cheap good cable modded without adding any components and i get to color in the 4:3 box on the sticker out of spite. 10/10!

[@steveothehulk]

I don’t think this will work with an n64 scart lead as I’m sure pin 8 is the composit on n64 scarts, can anyone confirm? You will probably get sound but no picture

[@Petey-cr5ql]

Has anyone tried the NKE0512SC 5v to 12v DC -DC Converter yet, just in case you did want to force 12V onto pin 8?

[@steveothehulk]

When I do this hack it just messes up the picture

[@computertoucher]

Holy crap, mate! It didn't even occur to me that the SCART connector could be the reason for this! I've had my TV set to default to 4:3 for SCART input (which in practice means Super Famicom, Mega Drive/CD, N64 and occasionally SNES if I'm testing something) but it keeps overriding that setting every time I power on the console. After I caught your vid on the Mega Drive 50/60 mod (which was also useful, because I wanted to know precisely how to hook it up to a multi-BIOS Mega CD ROM chip and now I think I know) I had a nosey at your other stuff and found this. I pulled open my dearly cherished RetroGamingCables SFC/SNES cable and what do you know? It was firing Vcc straight down pin 8! I could see nothing else happening to pin 8 so this seemed odd. Vcc is also sending voltage to pin 16 but there's a resistor to reduce it which makes a lot of sense considering sending a low voltage to pin 16 is what instructs the display to use RGB rather than Composite. So, a tad nervously (those nice cables ain't cheap) I carefully desoldered pin 8 from Vcc and wedged a wee bit of plastic underneath it to hold it away from the pad... and now my TV is in charge of the aspect ratio, as I've wanted for months! Thank you so much for thinking to Google the SCART connector and making this vid because it would probably never have crossed my mind that that could be the problem. The comment from @Tosnic below (which I didn't notice until after I did this) had me mildly concerned since there *is* a resistor on pin 16, but it seems to be between Vcc and pin 16 rather than routing to pin 8 first then moving along to pin 16 from there (there are no cables on the connectors, it's a PCB, but that's what the traces seem to be doing). Incidentally, I've sent RetroGamingCables a wee message because I'm curious about why you'd want to send Vcc to pin 8 when it seems that all that does is tell the TV to display 16:9, which is the exact opposite of what you want (or at least, what you *should* want) when it comes to retro consoles that were designed back when 4:3 was the universal standard for home TVs. They might have some reason for doing so (compatibility? maybe? I dunno) but it could also just be a weird oversight, which would surprise me considering the great deal of thought they've evidently put into designing their cables. I don't own a multimeter which is a massive pain in the butt so the only reason I was able to confirm that Vcc was going to pin 9 was that the PCB inside their SCART connector is extremely well laid out and clearly labelled. I highly recommend these cables overall, but... maybe desolder pin 8 if you want consistent 4:3!

[@computertoucher]

Got a reply! I'd said in my email that I was wondering if it was something to do with auto-switching (since a voltage would be needed to detect an input automatically, and pin 8 is an input status related pin)... and apparently, that is precisely why they do it! I'm happy manually switching inputs anyway and much prefer that to having to force 4:3 manually every single time I switch a console on. Thanks again for this vid!

[@GadgetUK164]

Its an interesting mod, but pin 8 switches the TV onto the channel automatically, so disconnecting pin 8 will mean no nore auto switching! You should feed either 5v (16:9) or 12v (4:3) to get it to switch. But, I accept that having nothing on pin 8 leaves the TV in 4:3, but you have to manually switch then. EDIT: When I say auto switching, what i mean is if you change your TV to another AV input, then power on the console, pin 8 forces the TV to switch to whatever AV input that console is plugged into.

[@GlobalGarageAus]

GadgetUK164 I thought that as well, but my CRT was not doing any auto switching at all. I always had to manually set the channel I wanted like AV1 then manually set the aspect back to 4:3. So it was a no brainer. I agree setting a high voltage on pin8 is the best solution overall, but where do you get 12v from without wiring up an external feed?

[@GadgetUK164]

Most systems have a 5v out, so you could make your own boost convertor, or use something like this:- www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-Boost-Converter-5W-Ultra-Small-Size-5V-to-12V-LED-Power-Supply-/222303421342?var=&hash=item33c251039e:m:mVANl9Vhd6fzOGKTLADIQ5A

[@GadgetUK164]

+Arnold101Knight Chill! Don't get so stressed! It does work for older TVs that don't auto switch, and the discussions here are useful - if anything, this very argument is why the video is useful. It has opened up discussion on a topic. Channels like this need positive interaction - even if a mistake is made, or you if don't agree with something. Removing it is harsh! Follow up with another video later, absolutely.

[@GlobalGarageAus]

+Arnold101Knight As GadgetUK said, this mod works well on older CRTs that don't auto switch. Even if that auto switch feature is lost and the TV doesn't auto switch over to the AV channel, is that really a big deal? I only use the CRT on one channel anyway, so it's absolutely a no-brainer. I would much rather have the aspect ratio set correctly which is why I made the video. I also expe=licitely said in the video that another approach is to force 4:3 by using 12v on the pin instead. It's totally fine that you passionately disagree, so thanks for your comments. I'm sure the readers and viewers can decide for themselves.

[@spilmer1]

or this ? ;) www.ebay.com.au/itm/SNK-Neo-Geo-AES-Power-Supply-Adapter-Pack-PRO-POW-POW2-POW3-Aussie-5V-10V-models-/291603334169

[@DuudeWhatDoesMineSay]

Having an issue with my old Bang & Olufsen LX 2802 N where it goes into 16:9 whenever I feed it a 60 Hz signal. Doesn't matter whether it's PAL-60 or NTSC signal. The sad part is that it doesn't have any kind of aspect ratio setting (I'm 100% positive of this). I've tried to add 12V to pin 8 but that didn't work either... Last resort would be to open it up and short the service menu pins to fix it via those settings if that even possible. Any help would be appreciated.

[@ronmiddelberg9724]

I have that exact same TV and thought I found my solution here. 😞 Did you get it to work in the end?

[@DuudeWhatDoesMineSay]

@@ronmiddelberg9724 I ended up selling the TV unfortunately. Was very happy with it but the aspect ratio thing was a deal breaker. Did not try messing with the service menu before selling though.

[@adilator]

Yey! thank you!

[@GlobalGarageAus]

No worries mate! Sorry it took a while to get this one up.

[@adilator]

You posted at the perfect time, I looked for solutions online and all I found is the sync to composite mod, good thing I didn't try that.

[@vaporium3285]

Am I the only one here who's crt didn't have ANY options to change the aspect ratio manually?

[@afriend9428]

*So Australia has SCART too! All modern cables are 16:9 now*

[@minibaldomiar]

Great job! Sometimes is hard to find a solution in tiny things.. Now my gamer´s life is easier!! jajajaja Thanks to unrealdevon i found u.

[@ScotsmanGamer]

is this the same for the pal format?

[@GlobalGarageAus]

Liam Strain Yes

[@adilator]

He'll do it if he wants to. I sure as hell will do.

[@ScotsmanGamer]

Arnold101Knight having full screen instead of horrible black borders is worth it...m my new 1080 tv makes me press the source button so who the Fu*k cares! 😂😂😂😂

[@ScotsmanGamer]

Global Garage if only I could time travel back to the past I hated those damn borders but I suppose it doesn't gain the extra 10 Hz back like the ntsc format

[@GlobalGarageAus]

Correct answer!

[@snesfan8935]

So, i need just to disconnect wire on pin 8?

[@GlobalGarageAus]

SNES Fan89 Yes pretty much. That pin also controls the auto channel switching, but I never use that or want it, so disconnecting pin 8 works well. Give it a try and let us know how you went.

[@snesfan8935]

Ok, i'll try it.

[@snesfan8935]

You know what, it works!!!!!! Thanks in advance.

[@snesfan8935]

Update: that mod only worked with my JP21 to Euro Scart adapter cable from Retro Gaming Cables site, and cheap chinese PS1 scart cable (which comes without 3v resistor).

[@GlobalGarageAus]

Yep the cheap cables have incorrect resistor values which mess up the voltages on the pins. Stick with SCART cables from retro gaming cables as they are superb.