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I would like to connect my Commodore 64 to my SCART switcher (Shinybow SB-5525), which is connected to a Sony PVM via RGB+Sync. I bought this cable, only to realize after getting it, it is a composite signal, and not RGB:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/390332397681

It's my understanding the best I can get from the Commodore is a s-video output (Luminance and Chrominance). Can this directly map to RGB+Sync or would I need some kind of converter?

Any other suggestions on how I can connect my Commodore 64 to an RGB+Sync signal via SCART?

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    If you are going to downvote my question, can you at least offer feedback on how I might improve it?
    – Swisher Sweet
    Jul 4, 2021 at 0:01
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    Independent of the downvote, it might be an idea to search this site, which already hosts quite some knowledge about that C64, it's video and signal conversion. Similar, thanks to the popularity of the C64, the net offers plenty of additional information. Most of all, it would be good to specify what way you want to take. So far none is set, so answers would have to speculate about what you want to archive, creating more confusion than they may solve. Maybe start by adding focused information about the setup present and intended.
    – Raffzahn
    Jul 4, 2021 at 0:11
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    It doesn't really answer the question as stated but cheapest is to connect the C64 directly to the PVM.
    – snips-n-snails
    Jul 4, 2021 at 0:13
  • Thanks. This is what I’m doing now, but wanted to connect it to my scart switcher so I could conveniently output video to PVM and OSSC.
    – Swisher Sweet
    Jul 4, 2021 at 0:18
  • @SwisherSweet you're aware that SCART carries multiple signals? Using a converter doesn't have to make the switcher go away. There is no either/or relation between them. That's why it would have been important to describe the whole setup to support a useful answer (in a readable fashion, past abbreviation and brand names).
    – Raffzahn
    Jul 4, 2021 at 9:23

2 Answers 2

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The c0pperdragon C64 Component Video Mod outputs YPrPb (Component Video) via RCA jacks, then the Retrotink Comp2RGB adapter converts that to RGBS over SCART.

Because the mod grabs the digital signals directly and bypasses the chrominance/luminance signal generation, in theory it should produce a better signal than the VIC-II's S-Video output. Specifically, the colors should be slightly more vivid, and it eliminates crosstalk issues on the C64 motherboard that can cause a "jailbars" pattern in the signal.

The downside is that the mod requires desoldering and removing the RF modulator from the motherboard. However, it's a "no-cut" mod so it's completely reversible, and the RF modulator is pretty useless these days anyway. But if you want to keep your C64 completely unmodified, and I can 100% respect that, your (Swisher Sweet's) self-answer below provides a couple of alternatives.

An alternative to the second link in the chain, the Comp2RGB adapter, is to reprogram the palette in the c0pperdragon mod and build a cable. The details are explained here. (Maybe someday it will be an option at the time of purchase.)

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  • Thanks. This is a great suggestion. I'll have to check to see if this mod will work with my C64, but it appears to solve the problem. Do you happen to know if the Retrotink will output RGB+sync via SCART? I can ask the Retrotink developer if you don't know.
    – Swisher Sweet
    Jul 4, 2021 at 13:54
  • @SwisherSweet According to the user manual, the Retrotink Comp2RGB outputs RGBS (RGB+Sync) over SCART.
    – snips-n-snails
    Jul 4, 2021 at 15:55
  • Worth noting the component video mod also supports 480p; so, you can easily connect to most modern displays when you don't want to use the RGB CRT.
    – Brian H
    Jul 4, 2021 at 17:44
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As it turns out, it would require some kind of active converter/transcoder to do this since the RGB signal is not already separate.

As stated by snips-n-snails, one could mod the Commodore 64 to output component RGB, then convert that signal using the Retrotink Comp2RGB. This would give me the best possible picture/output available.

However, if one doesn't want to mod their Commodore 64, there are several devices that clainm to take a composite (or s-video) output and convert that to RGB, which then could be sent to the RetroTink converter, then to SCART (RGB+sync).

Here are the two I have found :

Koryuu Transcoder:

https://videogameperfection.com/products/koryuu-transcoder/

Composite RCA S-Video to RGB Component Video Converter:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/250431809472?ul_noapp=true

What's nice about the Koryuu Transcoder is it claims to transcode/convert video without adding any scaling, processing or input lag. I may test one or both of these devices and report back if one or the other works better.

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    Right. There's no RGB in the VIC-II video generation. Just luma+chroma.
    – Brian H
    Jul 4, 2021 at 17:47
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    The c0pperdragon RGB mod grabs the digital signals directly to bypass the chrominance/luminance signal generation, so in theory it should produce a better signal than the VIC-II.
    – snips-n-snails
    Jul 5, 2021 at 17:53
  • Thanks @snips-n-snails. This is an excellent point I forgot to make in my answer. I updated it to point this out. Appreciate your help.
    – Swisher Sweet
    Jul 5, 2021 at 17:56

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