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I read (on Wikipedia) UK uses PAL-I.
Will I be able to hear audio if I connect my PAL-B/G Master System II to an analog TV bought in UK?
I have no way to test that myself :|

Generally speaking I don't think you'll have much luck (and will get noise rather than game audio), though it depends somewhat on the TV. One of mine lets me enable additional modes via the service menu (so if I enable PAL-I and PAL-B/G support then an extra menu option appears that lets me switch between them) but that's probably because it's a generic Chinese chassis that's designed to be sold globally. Did you have a particular TV in mind?

benryves wrote

Did you have a particular TV in mind?

anything with a reasonable price and that I can go and pick-up myself ;)

Pal l has a different video bandwidth so the sound is pushed out as a result, so it wont work.There could be a possibility of adjustments in the rf modulator in the sms that you can adjust to get it working?

Otherwise an av mod might be easier. Scart is very common in the uk so you should be fine using the video and audio inputs through that.

Another option could be to just replace the rf modulator. If you can find a pal l one for the megadrive/genesis or a playstation, as they were a separate plug in thing, you can crack it open and swap them. Usually the pinouts and physical size are standard on those little modulators

I guess I can try to find a TV that also supports PAL-B/G, or I'll probably have to find a new SMS too.
Also, are these TV usually supporting 60 Hz or is that something hard to find?

All this time I've assumed you've been talking about CRT TVs, so if that's no longer the case please do correct me.

I've never personally encountered a TV in the UK that couldn't handle 60Hz, though the oldest of my current "proper" TVs is a mid-1990s Toshiba (I also have a pocket Sinclair TV80 from 1983 but that supports 60Hz fine too).

What is a bit more hit-or-miss is support for NTSC, so if you're using RF, composite or S-Video you may lose colour when switching to 60Hz if the console outputs NTSC colour in 60Hz mode (like the PS2). Some other TVs seem to make an assumption that 60Hz is NTSC and so you'll lose colour even if the console is still outputting PAL at 60Hz (like the Dreamcast). Newer TVs seem happy with both, however, and using an RGB SCART lead bypasses the PAL/NTSC colour confusion entirely.

Before buying a TV it might be worth trying to find its service manual as that should list whether it has support for different PAL audio standards. Sets with 60Hz support will usually have a separate set of geometry adjustments for 60Hz mode listed in the service manual (either completely distinct to the 50Hz settings or as offsets from the 50Hz ones) which would be a good indication of 60Hz support.

Yes, CRT TVs. My system is a PAL-G SMS II fitted with a 50/60Hz switch, so I'm not outputting any NTSC, just PAL-G or PAL-G-60Hz, let's call it this way.

If it's usual for CRTs in UK to handle 60Hz it's good, I just hope it's also very common they could also handle PAL-G. On the other hand, I might look for a Sega Master System sold here too.

sverx wrote

I just hope it's also very common they could also handle PAL-G.

I don't know if it's common out of the box, and TV models often have slightly different model numbers based on country so might have a specific tuner module for a particular sound system. Out of the TVs I have, two let me enable additional sound system selection modes via the service menu but the other is fixed as PAL-I. All of them only supported PAL-I out of the box, though.

You can get standalone tuners so you could find one for PAL-B/G and connect that to the TV but they do seem to be fairly expensive. A cheaper solution might be to use a PAL-B/G VCR (if you still have one around!) though these can be a bit inelegant, when I used to use one to watch TV on a PC that had a capture card (but not a tuner) in it I had to stick a blank tape in the VCR and hit record otherwise the VCR would switch itself off after a few minutes.

Thanks for the additional info. I'll see if I can find some small CRT that supports both 60Hz and PAL B/G. Probably it's not so hard, if 2 out of 3 of your TVs do that.

Author	Message
sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3811 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	PAL B/G and UK TV Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:09 am
	I read (on Wikipedia) UK uses PAL-I. Will I be able to hear audio if I connect my PAL-B/G Master System II to an analog TV bought in UK? I have no way to test that myself :\|

benryves Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 391 Location: London, United Kingdom	Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:20 pm
	Generally speaking I don't think you'll have much luck (and will get noise rather than game audio), though it depends somewhat on the TV. One of mine lets me enable additional modes via the service menu (so if I enable PAL-I and PAL-B/G support then an extra menu option appears that lets me switch between them) but that's probably because it's a generic Chinese chassis that's designed to be sold globally. Did you have a particular TV in mind?

sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3811 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:26 pm
	benryves wrote Did you have a particular TV in mind? anything with a reasonable price and that I can go and pick-up myself ;)

wasup Joined: 05 Nov 2014 Posts: 435 Location: Auckland - NZ	Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:03 pm
	Pal l has a different video bandwidth so the sound is pushed out as a result, so it wont work.There could be a possibility of adjustments in the rf modulator in the sms that you can adjust to get it working? Otherwise an av mod might be easier. Scart is very common in the uk so you should be fine using the video and audio inputs through that.

wasup Joined: 05 Nov 2014 Posts: 435 Location: Auckland - NZ	Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:13 pm
	Another option could be to just replace the rf modulator. If you can find a pal l one for the megadrive/genesis or a playstation, as they were a separate plug in thing, you can crack it open and swap them. Usually the pinouts and physical size are standard on those little modulators

sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3811 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:46 am
	I guess I can try to find a TV that also supports PAL-B/G, or I'll probably have to find a new SMS too. Also, are these TV usually supporting 60 Hz or is that something hard to find?

benryves Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 391 Location: London, United Kingdom	Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:31 pm
	All this time I've assumed you've been talking about CRT TVs, so if that's no longer the case please do correct me. I've never personally encountered a TV in the UK that couldn't handle 60Hz, though the oldest of my current "proper" TVs is a mid-1990s Toshiba (I also have a pocket Sinclair TV80 from 1983 but that supports 60Hz fine too). What is a bit more hit-or-miss is support for NTSC, so if you're using RF, composite or S-Video you may lose colour when switching to 60Hz if the console outputs NTSC colour in 60Hz mode (like the PS2). Some other TVs seem to make an assumption that 60Hz is NTSC and so you'll lose colour even if the console is still outputting PAL at 60Hz (like the Dreamcast). Newer TVs seem happy with both, however, and using an RGB SCART lead bypasses the PAL/NTSC colour confusion entirely. Before buying a TV it might be worth trying to find its service manual as that should list whether it has support for different PAL audio standards. Sets with 60Hz support will usually have a separate set of geometry adjustments for 60Hz mode listed in the service manual (either completely distinct to the 50Hz settings or as offsets from the 50Hz ones) which would be a good indication of 60Hz support.

sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3811 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:08 pm
	Yes, CRT TVs. My system is a PAL-G SMS II fitted with a 50/60Hz switch, so I'm not outputting any NTSC, just PAL-G or PAL-G-60Hz, let's call it this way. If it's usual for CRTs in UK to handle 60Hz it's good, I just hope it's also very common they could also handle PAL-G. On the other hand, I might look for a Sega Master System sold here too.

benryves Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 391 Location: London, United Kingdom	Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:03 pm
	sverx wrote I just hope it's also very common they could also handle PAL-G. I don't know if it's common out of the box, and TV models often have slightly different model numbers based on country so might have a specific tuner module for a particular sound system. Out of the TVs I have, two let me enable additional sound system selection modes via the service menu but the other is fixed as PAL-I. All of them only supported PAL-I out of the box, though. You can get standalone tuners so you could find one for PAL-B/G and connect that to the TV but they do seem to be fairly expensive. A cheaper solution might be to use a PAL-B/G VCR (if you still have one around!) though these can be a bit inelegant, when I used to use one to watch TV on a PC that had a capture card (but not a tuner) in it I had to stick a blank tape in the VCR and hit record otherwise the VCR would switch itself off after a few minutes.

sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3811 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:34 am
	Thanks for the additional info. I'll see if I can find some small CRT that supports both 60Hz and PAL B/G. Probably it's not so hard, if 2 out of 3 of your TVs do that.

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