Topic: N64 Troubles

[Hydrostorm]

I know this isn't a trouble shoot forum, but I figured I'd post this anyways to see anyone might know a fix that I didn't or couldn't find.

So,
I got a new HD TV, its not big or anything, its a Memorex. NIce display for the price. Its great, its like 19" or something, not really sure, I don't think it matters, but it might. Well, I can't play my N64 on it, which is killing me. Nostalgia has had me by the balls for weeks now wanting to revisit some old favorites. However, my TV is either too new or too retarded to pick up the signal or perhaps both. I've bought two different chords - the standard red/white/yellow and an S-Video chord, along with trying the Gamecube's chord. None work with this TV. My Gamecube works, my SNES works, but my N64 refuses to.

When I first hooked it up, it worked fine. Then I decided to unplug it and move some things around and after that it was all like, "What you want to play games?" and has stopped working since. I noticed some games, sometimes work, like Zelda, but I keep all my games in mint condition along with my consoles. I don't really want to spend another portion of my paycheck just to be disappointed. I've tried tuning my TV in, but again, it doesn't pick it up or maybe I'm just retarded or maybe my TV just can't pick it up due to the TV's own capabilities. I've tried just about everything that I have found through various online forums/queries through google, short of buying another N64 or an older TV. Oh, I forgot that I haven't tried an RF-Adapter, but I'd like to not use one if possible. I guess I'll have to see if any stores near here sell one that will work with the ole N64. 

Any advice/help appreciated.

[crisis]

I have a 42" Panasonic in my room. I hooked up my N64 as well (it's not in mint condition), and at first it didn't work, but after several more tries it works fine with CV64. I guess you should play around with the wires/set-up, unplug the system & switch outlets, etc. If all else fails, you could buy an RF Switch but you really shouldn't have to. I still use the original cables, so maybe it's your TV that refuses to acknowledge it.

[Abnormal Freak]

I've never heard of HDTVs not picking up signals. That's really odd. Are you sure it's the connections? Like, does the screen blip at least when you turn your N64 on? If there's some sort of movement, then there's probably a connection being made from the N64 to the TV, but not from the cartridge to the N64. Which probably means you need to clean out the connectors on your cartridges and your N64. I had problems with my N64 suddenly not working anymore, then I noticed all the dust that had accumulated over years. I too keep all my stuff in tip-top shape, but I'd still leave my cartridges laying about occasionally, and I used to haul my N64 around with me. Since cleaning everything, it all works wonderfully, and I store all my games in a place where dust can't get at them.

I can't recommend playing old consoles on an HDTV, though. The oldest I go is 480p GameCube games, and occasionally 480p PS2 games, though there are few of those that look stellar (Jak II for instance looks great, but Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando looks real blurry still). All my interlaced GameCube games I play on an SDTV via S-Video, and that looks way better than playing them on my 52" Toshiba REGZA—and that's even with adjusting all the video settings to get the best look.

Though I would be interested in one day buying a few official Nintendo SCART cables to plug my SNES, N64, and GameCube into my HDTV. Of course, I'd need to buy a SCART-to-component adapter, and that should carry the signal over just fine with no degradation. I'm guessing old consoles using SCART would look rad on an HDTV. And if they don't, I intend on one day getting an EDTV CRT (acronyms!) that's widescreen and has a component input, so I could enjoy some of my old consoles in super awesome quality, since S-Video, while loads better than composite, still has some weird issues I'm not happy about, most notably dithering (at least I think it would be called dithering).

Ideally, all my favorite N64 games would be released on Nintendo's Virtual Console, since they're all 480p (and I play my Wii on my HDTV via component); most N64 games have half that resolution (sometimes a bit less than half), and are of course interlaced. And the games that use the 4MB Expansion Pak for 640x480 resolution, they often have some very nasty slowdown issues, forcing me to play with low resolution anyway since I'll take smooth, playable gaming over poor framerate any day.

[Kale]

Make model and pics of what's happening and your plug in.

I can't really tell what's going on cept that it's not working.

[X]

Is the internal wiring of the N64's TV/Cable connector box starting to fray? I noticed with mine that I wasn't getting good signal reception. Then later on it just stopped working all-together. So I took the casing apart and found that the connecting wire was severed. To fix that problem was easily done by soddering the leads back together again and it works to this day. Whatever the problems might be, go over each and every one of them step-by-step until you've exusted all logical explanations. Try my trick if you're feeling up to it.

-X

[Hydrostorm]

Make model and pics of what's happening and your plug in.

I can't really tell what's going on cept that it's not working.

Yeah, sorry, I'll attempt to work on that.

It doesn't register a signal, at all, by the by. I turn it on and my TV just keeps stating "No Signal, Dumbass!". Though, every now and again it will work -- like Gauntlet Legends and Zelda seem to have a high working rate. 

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Sounds like a loose wire, sir.
I've got a 55" Sony SXRD HDTV and my N64 works fine on it (Composite Video - Yellow video, White/Red Audio).

If you're getting sporadic game playback, it's something wrong either in your yellow cable or something wrong with the back connector.
If you're getting "No Signal", then it means your TV's just not getting a signal from that wire, which boils it down to the Wire or the N64.

Try hooking up the n64 to another TV and see if you get the same results.

[Hydrostorm]

FINALLY.

SUCCESS.

I started off cleaning all my carts and N64, just to be safe. I still had the "No Signal" problem, but my CV64 would work sometimes, along with other titles that previously wouldn't work. Then promptly broke down and shelled out, again, for a new chord. See above for happiness. See below for appreciation.

THANKS.