HoshiChiri

I'd sit there holding/sitting on the box until my friend hours away arrived. Or, alternatively, get another customer to help me out. If my thrift store employed friends are any indication, people camping out all day for deals are commonplace.

I thought that was Gaming Russia?

You have a point- live bugs would result in a post saying 'free bug-filled Intellivision, just remove from trash before I set it on fire'. Is a broken heat sink something I should be concerned about? The system doesn't get any especially long play (maybe an hour a session, tops) and isn't plugged in when not in use- but I'd rather not burn it out if I can avoid it.

If you're my uncle, it's fine- he hunts and lives in the desert, so he's got a lil' collection of rattles. In the case of my Inty, it sounds like there's a coin stuck in there. I'm afraid to open it up- I don't want to accidentally unseat something important. Or find dead bugs.

The VCR is running via composite to my 8-in switchbox, then to the composite in on the TV. I haven't tried connecting the VCR directly- it's another hard to get to point, so even if it did help I wouldn't be crawling back there to make the swap. I might try it later, just to see. I'll definitely look into the alternate adapter, I have spare coaxial cables all over the place so that'd be an easy option to check!

When you're a stickler for complete games, but new games are phasing out manuals so you never know if that case is missing a manual or if it's supposed to be empty... you're in videogame hell.

I double checked and everything is running on channel 3. I'll mess with my TV settings later, as well as go through my cables- I have a lot of stuff hooked up, which means a lot of cables running all over in my setup- I really need to just get a big ol' bag of Velcro cable ties, take everything out, and slowly reset the whole thing.

Alright- I got deep into the picture settings, found where to switch the aspect ratio... and that alone has fixed my blurring issue. Obviously, the picture still isn't great, but at least it's something I can live with until I have room for a proper setup. Sorry for being such a luddite on the whole matter- I'd only done very basic research on old consoles running into new tvs because I wasn't planning on switching for at least another 6 months. Then I got a surprise PS4 for Christmas and suddenly had to go for it immediately. (Simultaneous joy and frustration, right there!) The TV I chose is a smart TV, which I've never, EVER used before. So now I get the double whammy of catching up on HD and learning the ins and outs of smart TVs all at once. I'll read up on all the awesome info links here anyway- that way, if I ever do stumble upon a really nice component switcher, I'll know just how far I want to go to improve my picture!

I wouldn't be too surprised if the switchbox is part of the problem- it's a modern job from China. I'd prefer something nicer that could handle component & composite, but there aren't a lot of options out there with 8 inputs of any kind. I'm not noticing any severe lag issues, but I don't play many twitchy games, so I might not have picked the right title yet. I'd describe the picture quality as equivalent to an RF connection on a CRT- not unplayable, but noticeably blurred. Fiddling with a handful of titles, I'm noticing there are no bars, despite the new screen ratio- could part of the problem be image stretching? I haven't had much time to go through all the settings on this thing yet. I have no VGA, sadly- but at the same time, I'm not into emulation. Fiddling with the tech is almost as important as the game itself to me.

Just this morning, yes- found the older cable amongst my assortment when after checking with the VCR (since I got snowed in during the check and can't go shopping :s) Both cables are producing the same results.

This is my main switcher, with the f-plug adapter attached: These are the cables I'm using (and one of my spare adapters). The first one is a mystery cable that came with my Atari, the one with the adapter is a radio shack cable bought new just a couple years ago. My VCR has no built in color adjustment, sadly- but I did notice switching out of the menu that it'd briefly show the glitchy full color image before snapping to the stable desaturated one.

I tried the direct connection, same result as before- I couldn't get a picture out of my Utopia cart (hope it's not dead), but I made a little video of the issue with Demon Attack going... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV5xl5n1K-4 I also got my VCR/DVD combo wriggled out and plugged it in through it- fixed the glitching, but seriously desaturated the color: It's better than nothing... I have a spare coax adapter, I'll pick up another f-plug cable and try to set up an easier access point, mess with the settings on the VCR, etc. Still thinking I'd like to have the unit worked on. I'd at least like to know what the rattling is (I'm afraid to open it myself!)

I genuinely don't remember if my VCR has a tuner built in- it's not in a spot I can access the back easily. I'll have to try and wiggle it out tomorrow and see. Assuming my only option is to have the tuner replaced, is there a decent person to ask- like the Yurkie-equivalent for Intellivision? I've never done a serious repair/mod before, and my Inty isn't what I want to practice on.

The channel F works fine on the HDTV- the lines are a bit curved toward the top, but it's not bad (better than the color bleed it'd get on the CRT). I have an a/b coaxial switchbox connected to the ANT in on the HDTV. One line goes to the NES toploader, the other has an f-plug adapter on it for easy setup of the vintage systems. It's pretty such the same setup I had for the CRT (the main difference being the tv cable doesn't route through the NES RF anymore.) So, I'm assuming it needs a tuneup? I mean, it was in a garage attic for a couple decades before I got it.

Yes, I know the framemeister is the best upscaler out there for classic games. Yes, I know using a CRT is the best option for classic games. I only have enough room for one TV, but I'm keeping my CRT stored for when I have more space. Which means it seems silly to me to drop $400ish on an upscaler when I don't intend to be using it for more than a few years, tops. I'm hoping someone might have a cheaper option for me, so I can get more enjoyment out of my old systems in the meantime. Basically, I have a composite switchbox with 7 systems going into it (SNES, SMS, Gen/CD, N64, PS2, DC, GC). I haven't turned everything on just yet- only got the new tv yesterday. The PS2 looked fine, the Sega CD was notably blurry. All I want is something to take the blur off the 8/16 bit stuff, without affecting the newer stuff badly. I'm not looking for a lot of fancy settings and such to get a perfect picture, just a cheap way to get a passable one. Anybody know anything?

That's a heckuva haul, dude! Your model of SMS should be compatible with a Genesis model 1 composite cable if you want to upgrade- that's what I opted to do. (still have the RF around somewhere, let me know if you'd prefer the proper one. I ain't using it!)

Yesterday I put my CRT into storage in favor of a new HDTV (Samsung J6300). I realize this isn't the best solution for my retro games by a long shot, but I don't have the space for 2 TVs currently. Everything works on the new guy (with the expected loss of clarity) except the Intellivision. On the CRT, it had a sort of static roll to the picture- noticeable, but nothing that hindered gameplay. On the HD set though, the picture keeps glitching off to the side, almost like the horiztonal hold is bad. Needless to say, it makes it impossible to play anything. So the issues at hand are: is there anything I can do without opening the system up to fix the picture? If not- who's the best person to turn to for Intellivision repairs? I'm not versed in handling these things myself, I'd rather not take it from 'functional on a crt' to 'doesn't work at all'.

Agreed- that's the best damn find story I've ever heard! The strangest places I've ever seen things are a Sega Genesis in an army surplus store (circa 2005ish, I think) and Sega CD games in a Zakka (now defunct Asian bargain chain- think Japanese dollar store stuff). The store was going out of business, I think the owners were just taking advantage of the chance to have a yard sale at the same time. This would have been in the early 2000s.

-Being gifted a new console for Christmas, only to discover the power cable isn't present because it's your birthday gift. -Being gifted a new console that your TV is incompatible with. -Playing games with 2-3 overstimulated kids less than 10 years old. I have done all three. The kids are by far the worst- Before you can get the TV input set and the system turned on, they've changed what they want to play 3 times and thrown a couple dozen of your games on the floor.

Very true, but it was specifically December 3rd. 1994. It would have taken more than a month for the clueless parents to convert their lingo.

If we're talking something like 'impending forest fire, you have a couple hours to pack and go', I'd like to take: -My Sega Genesis/Sega CD and games (at least the CD set). Given the system's cost and functionality issues, I wouldn't likely replace it if something happened to it. -My PS2. First system I ever bought new, so there's some sentimental value there. I'd try to get the pricer/autographed games at least. -Whatever handhelds I could get in the bag. If we're talking 'the house is currently on fire, get out NOW'- nothing. I'd get as many living things out as I could (family/dog/cat). If I had time for any inanimate objects, I'd grab Lollipup (multicolored stuffed dog I've had since I was six months old) and call it good. As much as I love my collection, it is, in fact, just stuff. It's not worth dying over.