Kisai's Full Review: Sony Playstation RFU Adapter SCPH-10071/94093 for ...
Do you really need a RFU adaptor? There is more than one version of the Sony RFU adaptor. My sister was given one of these to hook her Playstation up to an old TV from the 80's (No AV jacks.) A friend also had a RFU adaptor that was two pieces (one piece that had a Video and Mono audio connector, and a second piece that the connectors were plugged into to generate the RF signal.)
It's important to indicate that all these RF adaptors are Mono Sound only. Another trade-off is that the video is a lot less sharp since the audio and video are modulated into the space of a single channel.
What it does
An RF (Radio Frequency) Adaptor converts the analog composite video and analog audio into a "Cable/Antenna" channel, otherwise known as "channel 3/4".
How it works
The normal baseband video signal is converted into a radio frequency (RF) signal that can be tuned on VHF channel 3 or 4. To prevent any existing cable or antenna from interfering, the cable/antenna is switched (disconnected) when a signal is present. (Unlike a CCTV system, where the channel would be "replaced".) This works exactly the same way as all other devices that connect using the cable/antenna connector. (Yes your VCR, Cable Box and Satellite receiver do the same thing.)
(Just for anyone who likes useless trivia, it would cost twice as much to produce a stereo version, and even then the stereo audio would be compressed to fit into the cable channel. Yes, that means that stereo channels on cable are compressed. The RF adaptors for consoles and home electronics (VCR, Satellite Receiver, etc) made fairly cheap since they assume more people would be using the A/V connectors.)
If you happen to have a first-generation Playstation that has the A/V connectors right on the back of it, you have a second alternative, use the RFU adaptor on the Video, and run the audio to a stereo, this way you still receive your stereo sound at the full quality. (This how we used the Nintendo and Super Nintendo on our Televisions, Video through the RF adaptor, and audio with the A/V connector.)
I do not recommend using a RF adaptor if you have the standard A/V or S-Video and Stereo Audio jacks available. Too many people use the RF adaptors just because they know it goes to the "Cable" connector.
If you have an older television, or a value-line TV model that doesn't have A/V jacks, and you do not have another device available that has a composite video input, this is pretty much the only choice available short of reverse engineering your television.
How they are used
To use the RFU adaptor, you unplug your existing cable or antenna from your TV, plug that into the screw-type connector on RFU adaptor, and then plug the RFU's coaxial output into where the cable/antenna was (labeled CATV in, ANT IN, or CABLE IN.) The plug the consoles end into the console itself.
If you don't want to pay money for any kind of RF adaptor, you can actually use one you might already have ... your VCR. In this case just plug the Video connector (and audio if you aren't plugging them into a stereo) into the "Video IN" on your VCR, and then tune it to the line or aux channel/mode instead of the cable channels.
Another alternative is to buy a Universal RF adaptor, which does the exact same thing as the RFU adaptor for the console, but will take any Video and mono audio source. (You can use it on a DVD or Video Camera, which do not have built in RF converters.)
The bottom line is to use the best possible means of connecting home entertainment equipment up. The ideal situation is to never use the cableEconnectors except for plugging in an antenna or cable service. Use the composite or S-Video connectors when present. (In the future, consoles will have the option of component video or digital video when televisions start having these features (Chicken and the egg scenario.))
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