How to use modern A/V equiptment with old TV's

If you have an old television set (pre 1980) that does not have A/V support, you can add Composite, SCART, S-Video, etc inputs onto it with no hassle. This project only costs about $40, or cheaper, if you shop around. I love my TV, and with AV support I can still use it when analogue is switched off in Australia and for watching DVDs.

Image quality of set appears low quality, but this is only because it is difficult to photograph an image on a CRT screen. Anyone who has tried taking a photo of a TV, computer monitor, etc, faces this problem.

And don't worry, this project does not require modding, hacks, knowledge of how TVs or AV works and requires no tools.

Step 1 Know your TV

If your TV is turned on, turn it off now.

Look at the front of the TV. What dials does it have? It should have a large dial with VHF on it. This is for channels 0-12, and if your TV also has a UHF dial, there should be a 'U' on the VHF dial.

If your TV has VHF and UHF, buy a 'UHF A/V Modulator'. Here is an example of one: http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4c26c47100cf83f6273fc0a87e0106e1/Product/View/L1507

If your TV has VHF only, buy a 'VHF A/V Modulator'. I am unsure where you can find one, just search for it in Google. eBay is a good place to look too.

You can also buy combo modulators, that send both VHF and UHF signals. These are usually more expensive (about $80 USD, $100 AUD)

My Thorn 9000 is both VHF and UHF. If your TV has UHF, always buy a UHF modulator, as they have better picture quality and don't pick up interference as much.

In this project, I bought a DSE RF Modulator (L1507), which can be seen in the link above, or visiting dse.com.au. Your AV modulator will no doubt only have 75ohm output. To use this with your TV, you will need to buy a balun, also known as a 75ohm-300ohm matching transformer. One is pictured in Picture 2.

Comments

[rc_rs_ss]

Will this modulator work the other way around?? I want to hook my super nintendo to my hdtv.

[Weegee097]

No, unfortunately. If you want to connect your SNES to a HDTV you need to get a Nintendo A/V cable (composite, the yellow/white/red cable). You can get one from a Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 or Gamecube, just look on eBay (Wii A/V cables won't work.).

[ac1D]

I had the exact same TV with my super nintendo when I was a kid. I was alway spinning the wheel to annoy my mom with the "cliuiuck" it does when you spin it. Lmao.

[Weegee097]

Wow! The same set? That's amazing- I thought I had the only one in existence!

[natman3400]

i have one hiding in my attic

[Weegee097]

Cool! :D

[Computothought]

Bravo!!! A re-purposing gem.