hizzy Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Hi! I'm looking to connect my atari to an old school TV. The console I bought doesn't come with the RF switch box. I have ordered a female RCA to male coaxial connector, but then I read this on the Best electronics website: The one Major problem with these direct connect adapters is, if you only have one Cable Input (at least 95% of the US TV’s do) coax connector on your US Cable Ready TV, every time you stop using your Atari Game system or Atari Computer, you will have unscrew this direct connect adapter from the back of your Cable Ready TV and reinstall your Cable coax cable connector on the back of your TV to get your normal cable TV channels again, which is a real pain!! It is much easier to install a switch able Cable Ready Atari Universal TV switch box one time. Also the Direct Connect Adapters that are on the Internet do not have any RF interference suppressing Circuits in them, compared to the Mechanical Atari Cable ready TV switch boxes which do. That means you will get a clearer Game picture with less RF interference on your Cable Ready Color TV if you use an Atari Cable Ready TV switch box. Is this true? Should I be connecting with a switch box for the best picture? I was watching this video, and the guy uses an RF interference filter along with the RCA/coaxial adapter. Does anyone else do this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I wouldn't call it a MAJOR problem...you can always add one or more of these: http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Coaxial-A-Switch/dp/B0002ZPIQ4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I wouldn't call it a MAJOR problem...you can always add one or more of these: http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Coaxial-A-Switch/dp/B0002ZPIQ4 I've used one of those, and it worked great. Or you can drop cable and get a Roku box like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Wait, you said an "old school" TV. Do you even care about hooking anything else up to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Is it true that "you will get a clearer Game picture with less RF interference on your Cable Ready Color TV if you use an Atari Cable Ready TV switch box"? I was under the impression that a direct connection offered the best image, Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raticon Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I am a firm believer that less stuff between the console and TV is always better. Some old consoles will always suffer some graining and interference via RF, sometimes this is because of faulty or wonky RF-modulators or receivers in the TV, damages to the cable or connector or just because things just doesn't seem to work. Im my mind, different consoles always seem to have different amounts of interference.I'd suggest AV-modding the console if the interference is just too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Wait, you said an "old school" TV. Do you even care about hooking anything else up to it? No, I have a few tube TV's, and I figure I will keep one for playing Atari. Is there a preferred brand on TV for vintage games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raticon Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Some people have their preferences as to what TV they use. It mostly boils down into 2 groups: one group of people that like the old, curved glass screen TV's and one group that likes flat-screen CRTs. It all boils down to what you like to stare at, i guess .I'd say the condition of the TV and that it shows colors etc right is more important than brand or model to begin with, and my personal experience is that newer CRTs from the late 90s and early 00s are better than older ones from the 70s or 80s, but it them you should use if you want the authentic experience people had back then so again, personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two-in-the-Belfry Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I use the RF Interference Filter to connect my 2600 to my HDTV (I'm working on getting a CRT, but all the ones I've come across so far are way too big for the space I have). I'd say it helped a bit; if you can find it for cheap, it's worth giving it a shot. From what I've read, Sony CRTs are great for gaming, particularly Trinitrons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Thank you all for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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