It’s a US thing, where the glory of SCART was unknown thus they had to continue using the antenna input of their TV to connect their consoles to, also, as far as I’m aware only NTSC has fixed frequency assignments. Elsewhere in the world you just programmed the TV to display the console’s output on whatever number you wanted, or, if you had a proper input for non-antenna signals, switch the TV to “AV”.
We had an SNES hooked up to the antenna input for the simple reason that if you’re a kid who wants a TV in the attic, away from adult interference, it’s not going to be a brand-new model but a hand-me-down from the living room.
Still we programmed channel 1 to the SNES’s frequency so we wouldn’t have to switch channels after turning the thing on. On the console side though composite outputs quickly became ubiquitous as including them involves little more than bypassing the RF encoder. Speaking of the ZX Spectrum.
You could get cheap cables that don’t have all conductors and/or the shielding wasn’t up to spec but that stuff hasn’t changed a bit over the decades: USB, DisplayPort and HDMI have the exact same problem.
I’m kind of curious to see if plugging my phone (which charges via USB-C) into my laptop’s charger (which plugs into one of my laptop’s USB-C ports would blow it up.
I obviously won’t do it, but I’m still curious.
I’m glad that there’s sort of an agreed-upon standard for phone chargers now, but you’re right that it’s also a bit of a problem.
I was born in October 96 so gen z and I grew up with a mega drive and PS1 so scart cables were very familiar. The only TV we had for years was a CRT so I was more than familiar with red yellow and white connectors into the back as well.
That said, I’ve that splitting people up and putting them into groups like this is a pseudo science over generalization.
Exactly. People are always like “younger generations don’t know about x”, and it’s like bro, I know what AOL, VCR, cassette tapes, antennas, flip phones, rotary phones, landlines, DOS, wax lips, even fucking Garbage Pail Kids and so on are. I’ve grown up with this shit. It’s called being poor and living in the country side. Everything is like 10 years behind minimum.
Ding ding. Most of my early childhood memories are video tapes, Compaq PC that was a big brick, playing PC games with a joystick, a mega drive, a PS1, family trips/holidays in the car. My family did not have a lot of money so everything I grew up with to say when I was 10 was older stuff. I got a CRT for my room from my great aunt that I thought was the shit when I was about 7-9 and that was only really when thinner TV’s were becoming a thing. It always amuses me that people want to label me a millennial when I didn’t actually turn 18 at the millennial, I remember 90’s kid stuff because I grew up with a Gameboy and Pokémon, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons in the UK. I don’t relate much to gen z because the younger end speaks a completely different language to me.
It’s a US thing, where the glory of SCART was unknown thus they had to continue using the antenna input of their TV to connect their consoles to, also, as far as I’m aware only NTSC has fixed frequency assignments. Elsewhere in the world you just programmed the TV to display the console’s output on whatever number you wanted, or, if you had a proper input for non-antenna signals, switch the TV to “AV”.
Actually things like the ZX Spectrum predated SCART plugs and their video signal came in instead via the antenna input.
(And this was everywhere, not just the US)
So the guy in the thread posted by the OP might just be older than you think.
We had an SNES hooked up to the antenna input for the simple reason that if you’re a kid who wants a TV in the attic, away from adult interference, it’s not going to be a brand-new model but a hand-me-down from the living room.
Still we programmed channel 1 to the SNES’s frequency so we wouldn’t have to switch channels after turning the thing on. On the console side though composite outputs quickly became ubiquitous as including them involves little more than bypassing the RF encoder. Speaking of the ZX Spectrum.
Are you sure about that? I thought the advice was to never trust a SCART.
you’re thinking of a shart. A scart is long piece of material you wrap around your neck to keep warm.
You’re thinking of a scarf. A scart is a high-aspect ratio metal object with acute tip and fletching that you throw into things when drunk.
You could get cheap cables that don’t have all conductors and/or the shielding wasn’t up to spec but that stuff hasn’t changed a bit over the decades: USB, DisplayPort and HDMI have the exact same problem.
I’m kind of curious to see if plugging my phone (which charges via USB-C) into my laptop’s charger (which plugs into one of my laptop’s USB-C ports would blow it up.
I obviously won’t do it, but I’m still curious.
I’m glad that there’s sort of an agreed-upon standard for phone chargers now, but you’re right that it’s also a bit of a problem.
Go ahead and do it. USB-C charges slowly and safely until both sides negotiate a faster but still safe charging speed.
Thanks, as a GenZ i did never imagine such a thing
As a gen Z I don’t even know what some of these words mean when used in this context
Yeah but SCART is just kinda fun to say.
I was born in October 96 so gen z and I grew up with a mega drive and PS1 so scart cables were very familiar. The only TV we had for years was a CRT so I was more than familiar with red yellow and white connectors into the back as well.
You were born in 1996 and you don’t consider yourself Millennial as denoted by being born when the Millennium changed (2000)?
1996 is end millennial, and start gen z.
Though, usually if you got hand me downs as a child, you’d get the same experiences as the people born 3-6 years before you.
That said, I’ve that splitting people up and putting them into groups like this is a pseudo science over generalization.
Exactly. People are always like “younger generations don’t know about x”, and it’s like bro, I know what AOL, VCR, cassette tapes, antennas, flip phones, rotary phones, landlines, DOS, wax lips, even fucking Garbage Pail Kids and so on are. I’ve grown up with this shit. It’s called being poor and living in the country side. Everything is like 10 years behind minimum.
Ding ding. Most of my early childhood memories are video tapes, Compaq PC that was a big brick, playing PC games with a joystick, a mega drive, a PS1, family trips/holidays in the car. My family did not have a lot of money so everything I grew up with to say when I was 10 was older stuff. I got a CRT for my room from my great aunt that I thought was the shit when I was about 7-9 and that was only really when thinner TV’s were becoming a thing. It always amuses me that people want to label me a millennial when I didn’t actually turn 18 at the millennial, I remember 90’s kid stuff because I grew up with a Gameboy and Pokémon, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons in the UK. I don’t relate much to gen z because the younger end speaks a completely different language to me.
I feel like having millennials cut off before the millennium shift is stupid and nothing you say can change my mind.
They’re Zillennial.
Sorry I replied to the wrong comment earlier.
deleted by creator
I thought it was based on “became a teenager/young adult” at the turn of the millennium? (I know they’ve moved the definitions a few times though)
Those are called composite, just so you know
There were composite and component cables for these consoles.
My mnemonic device for remembering which of the two that sucked was that: one is called component, and the other is compo-shite :)
Composites with the one with only one video cable, component has three. Both having two audio for stereo.
Yeah, it couldn’t separate the video channels.
YPbPr or RGB cables were essential if you had a compatible monitor. Composite just sucked