What the hell have I just bought?

Pyongyang

Greetings!

Rather than post this in the 'I got new stuff' thread, I need some help with this so made a new thread. I'm truly stumped with this latest purchase.

Today I received a Mega Drive. Boxed with innards, controller, SCART leader and official SEGA PSU ('probably' after market as it's 3 pin not 2 pin, IF it's what I hope it is). The seller listed this as a boxed Japanese Mega Drive. Now, I'm not stupid, I know original NTSC-J models had a short sale period before the box was changed to the same as the Asian box art.

The thing is, my box is the new revision, it's date stamped 1991 (see photo) inside the top flap. There is no carry handle. There is no mention of PAL on the box or the console ANYWHERE at all. In fact the model number is the same as the NTSC-J original console. I know some Asian consoles were PAL but the boxes were branded PAL or have mention of Taiwan and the Phillipines on the box somewhere. Mine doesn't. Even the controller is NTSC-J style.

Can someone help here? What console do I have? Is it NTSC-J? or PAL?

It came with two PAL games, Desert Strike (loose) and a Madded double header cart (boxed). I know all Asian consoles had the ability to play early PAL carts, not later locked out ones. I also know all models of Mega Drives after the Japan only run at launch were classed as Asian Mega Drives, even those sold in Japan. What's the story? What have I got here? Makes no odds I guess as I bought a cool region mod kit that ImmediateEntrance has graciously offered to fit for me when it arrives. But still, is this NTSC-J? Is it PAL? PAL-I? What?

I'm confused!

p.s: The grail is coming later. I'm making a video for that.

Myrddin

Have you any PAL/NTSC locked games you could try on it? Is the video out cable some kind of din to rf? If so, run it via rf & see if you have colour or b/w. 60Hz will only display in colour over scart

Pyongyang

EnterNow wrote: »

Have you any PAL/NTSC locked games you could try on it? Is the video out cable some kind of din to rf? If so, run it via rf & see if you have colour or b/w. 60Hz will only display in colour over scart

It only came with a SCART lead. I don't have a RF or other cable.

I know that hole in the middle at the back was for RF cables on PAL Asian machines. Mine doesn't have one. That said, all machines had one regardless (I think).

I'll try it out later with the SCART and see. Is there any other test I can do? If it's NTSC-J it HAS to be 60hz right? It can't be 50hz surely? Unless it's PAL 60? I don't even know what PAL-I is....?

CiDeRmAn

Looks just like my asian MD, Pal by nature but looks very similar to the Jap, has that coms port as well. Of course, I could be entirely mistaken, it happens from time to time...

Pyongyang

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Looks just like my asian MD, Pal by nature but looks very similar to the Jap, has that coms port as well. Of course, I could be entirely mistaken, it happens from time to time...

Nope, you are not mistaken. I don't think anyway. I just tried Hellfire and Gaiares in it on the Bang & Olufsen and it displays in colour via SCART but the games have black borders top and bottom.

I assume this means it's PAL, surely?

No matter though, I bought these today which ImmediateEntrance is taking care of for me. Happy days.

Dr Bob

bar the bizzaro av ports I'd say that was an Asian PAL: Hong Kong Megadrive .Box looks exactly the same as the one I had back in 91/92.
actually , never mind that about the ports , I thought it had a VGA port (the ext one)

Pyongyang

Cheers lads. It's really odd. The only info I can find on the PAL ones is the different console branding and the box PAL stickers. It's really strange with the correct model number too.

Weird.

Ah well, ImmediateEntrance can spruce it up and we'll be cooking after that. The price was too deadly to resist and if I got a Japanese console I'd have modded that too anyway. So it's a bonus it looks aesthetically the same.

Jack burton

Think its the same as the one I got, is a Asian PAL hybrid bastard child Mega Drive

Pyongyang

I wonder how you can get the NTSC-J Asian models then? Lucky dip I guess...

Sweet that it has a cart port that plays everything. Or does it have issues with Genesis carts?

Doge

REPOST! REPOST!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD94dVu8lqQ

Pyongyang

Was just looking in to the specs of my CRT to see if it maybe had issues with NTSC signals. Appears this isn't the case. Seems my model is also the later MkII which packed in some NICAM beefiness.

Here's the specs:

Beovision MX4000 MkII Specifications
Types:
3336 (1993 - May 1996)
3337 (1993 - Aug 1995)
3339 (1993 - Aug 1995)
EDT 3334 (1992 - May 1996)
ETS 3333 (1992 - May 1996)
GDT 3323 (1992 - Aug 1995)
GNS 3329 (1992 - Apr 1995)
MDS 3327 (1992 - Jun 1995)
MDT 3321 (1992 - May 1996)
MIS 3332 (1992 - Jan 1996)
MST 3320 (1992 - Apr 1996)
MTA 3325 (1992 - Jun 1995)
MTI 3324 (1992 - Dec 1995)
MTS 3326 (1992 - Aug 1995)
UPS 3338 (1992 - Jul 1995)
Terminal included: Beolink 1000
Picture tube: 55cm Black Line, Black Matrix (Visible picture 51cm)
Contrast screen: acrylic
VisionClear, Auto picture adjustment, Auto cut-off, Wideband CTI, Dynamic luminance peaking

Teletext system: FastText, 6 languages, memory
TV programmes: 59
Sound: stereo
Long-term max. output: 2 x 40 W / 8 ohm
Speaker system: Log Line, full range speakers
Power consumption/Minimum Typical 90 W / 2 W

TV tTypes according to market:
3320 VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV A2
3337 (including transposer) VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV A2
3336 (including transposer) VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV A2
3332 (satellite module) VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV A2
3329 (satellite module) UHF PAL I NICAM
3327 (satellite module built-in) VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV NICAM + A2
3323 UHF PAL I NICAM
3326 (satellite module built-in VHF, S, Hyper, UHF Multistandard NTSC AV A2
Dimensions W x H x 51 x 55 x 41.5cm
Weight: 23 kg

Connections: AV Link 2 x 21-pin socket
Super VHS YC playback 4-pin socket
Audio Aux Link 7-pin socket
Power Link 2 x 8-pin socket
External speakers 2 x 2-pin socket
Stereo headphones Jack socket 3.5 mm
Motorised stand operation 7-pin socket
Link compatibility: Datalink

Relikk

Looks like the Asian PAL model (Hong Kong). It's not the Japanese model as the box isn't the same and there's a subtle giveaway on the bottom right of the console that this model doesn't have that Japanese models do. See if anyone can spot it.

Andrew76

Relikk wrote: »

Looks like the Asian PAL model (Hong Kong). It's not the Japanese model as the box isn't the same and there's a subtle giveaway on the bottom right of the console that this model doesn't have that Japanese models do. See if anyone can spot it.

Is it missing the little registered trademark symbol? ®

The only thing I really noticed with it is that it doesn't have that "High Definition Graphics - Stereo Sound" text at the top - that mean it doesn't have the slightly better sound output?

Pyongyang

Relikk wrote: »

It's not the Japanese model as the box isn't the same

The box is the same. After the first run of the Japan only console (where the box was different), the 'Japan' console became the Asian console, same as the HK, TW, SG etc models. Those boxes had differences in that some had PAL stickers or wording on the box.

Mine doesn't, hence I wondered what I had. It's grand though, the console looks like a NTSC-J model and as said before, if I had bought a Japan-only one I'd have had it modded anyway.