Connecting flashback to Sony Trinitron

[rightminddesign]

I have just purchased an Atari Flashback and am frustrated that it isn't working correctly on my older model Sony Trinitron. When I connect the A/V connector to the panel on the front of the TV I can see the game screen but only in B & W. The games seem to work except for PONG, I can't get my screen to stop rolling with that particular game. I thought there might be a problem with my Atari so I tried it on my Toshiba TV and it works in color and PONG works as well.

I then tried to hook the A/V connector to my VCR and some how got it to work in color (still with the PONG problem) but when I pressed the TV/VCR button on the remote and came back to it, it was again in B & W.

Has anyone experienced this issue? Also, the instruction manual isn't very helpful. What does the reset button and select button on the console do? And one more questions, in order to exit a game and get back to the menu is there something other than turning the power off and back on?

Thanks for any help!

[martyg]

Originally posted by rightminddesign
I have just purchased an Atari Flashback and am frustrated that it isn't working correctly on my older model Sony Trinitron. When I connect the A/V connector to the panel on the front of the TV I can see the game screen but only in B & W. The games seem to work except for PONG, I can't get my screen to stop rolling with that particular game. I thought there might be a problem with my Atari so I tried it on my Toshiba TV and it works in color and PONG works as well.

I then tried to hook the A/V connector to my VCR and some how got it to work in color (still with the PONG problem) but when I pressed the TV/VCR button on the remote and came back to it, it was again in B & W.


You have to remember this is original Atari 2600 hardware inside and not ported games on alternative modern hardware (as with the Flashback 1). As such, its no different then hooking up an original 2600 to a more modern tv's - it was designed to display on older television circuitry (analog tuning) which is a little more forgiving in its r/f signal and syncing. The original 2600 was designed to output to channel 2 or 3 of a television set - with digitially tuned television sets (as started becoming more common in the 80's) sometimes you had problems because the signal was being sent out a little less or more than what the manufacturer designated as that. On analog sets you could finetune in the signal with the dial on the channel switch. In the new Flashback 2, the 2600 circuitry is being reproduced in a single chip format and its signal output is being split for A/V connection instead. So the same problems will still exist, and are sometimes compounded by certain manufacturers digitial display technology (which will cause sync problems as well like you're seeing).



Has anyone experienced this issue? Also, the instruction manual isn't very helpful. What does the reset button and select button on the console do?


I take it you never owned an original 2600? ;)

As it states in the game directions, the select switch is used to cycle through the various game variations. Reset does exactly what it states - resets the game.

As further stated in the manual, a larger online manual is available at the Atari website. Just go to the Flashback 2 section (http://www.atari.com/us/games/atari_flashback2/7800).



And one more questions, in order to exit a game and get back to the menu is there something other than turning the power off and back on?

Thanks for any help!

This has already been answered. Please read through the other threads in this section.

[atarimuseum]

You may have a defective unit. Have you tried your Flashback 2 on any other TV other then the Sony Trinitron???

If you are seeing the same results, then the its the console, if its working fine on another TV then its possible your older TV isn't geared to handle the Composite signal out of the FB2.




Curt