Commodore 128 Component Video Upgrade – Installation Service

Available now (handled by our partners BetaGamma Computing in Greece). Please allow for shipping and processing delays due to slow post in Europe and technical issues at the Greek post office. UK customers MUST e-mail us first about ANY mod work (except NI).

All repair/modification work is carried out subject to our terms and conditions. Once you have placed your order, details of where to ship your hardware will be sent to your e-mail address. Prices do NOT include return postage.

The popular component video mod for the C64 now comes to the Commodore 128 too! Now at last you can enjoy noise free analogue video from the awesome Commodore 128.

Order this product and send us your C128 computer and we will upgrade it to the best possible picture and video quality. We will also give your machine an internal clean and general health check.

No matter if you’re using component video or S-Video, this mod delivers the best possible picture! The C128is widely regarded as the flagship of Commodore’s 8-bit range. Multiple CPU’s, 128K RAM, dual video processors and the ability to run CPM. It also provides near 100% compatibility with all C64 software and hardware.

The machine has not one but two distinct video output connectors. The 80 column output, which is handled by a separate video processor with 16K or 64K video RAM, has its own dedicated 9 pin D-type RGBI digital output port. This port is largely compatible with CGA monitors and more recently the RGB2HDMI. The 40 column output, which is used by almost all games and all C64 software, is still driven by a slightly enhanced VIC II chip as found in the regular C64.

Unfortunately, rather than the C128 improving upon the VIC II video output as found on the C64, Commodore actually ended up making some aspects of it worse. As with the C64, a stock machine can output RF, composite and S-Video. The C128’s 40 column analogue video output is extremely prone to a “jail bar” effect. Vertical bars down the image, which get even more noticeable when using high quality S-video connections. It is also still prone to noise and interference.

For a machine as popular as the C128, people have asked for years, “why isn’t a component video or RGB mod available?” Unfortunately it turns out this simply isn’t possible. The C128’s graphics chip, the VIC-IIe, does not generate our output RGB video at all.

In order to get around this limitation, the c0pperdragon component video mod uses an FPGA to bypass the chrominance/luminance signal generation of the VIC-IIe. It then generates a YPbPr (component video) signal directly from the digital information available inside the C128. The resulting image is of stunning quality, noise free and completely free of jail bars.

This does mean that when using the component video mod, you are not using 100% authentic C128 hardware. However, the kit has been extensively tested with some of the most demanding games and demos and has been shown to produce accurate results. All installs will come pre-flashed with the latest firmware that fixes the issues with C64 games using the 2mhz trick.

If 100% authenticity is important, for example for speed running or other competitions, the component video mod also includes the S-Video bypass on the same board (available separately here). This means you can get the best quality, cleanest S-Video or composite output from the C128 at the same time as the component video mod. Use the S-Video out to game on your CRT while you stream or capture the YPbPr, great for speed runners! The S-Video bypass makes a big difference to the machines S-Video image quality. In our in-house tests, scope readings show all signals are in spec and clean and the signal to noise ratio measures up to 20dB better than the stock RF modulator. Unfortunately, while component video is always jail bar free, the enhanced S-video output quality means the C128’s dreaded jail bars can be shown up much more clearly when outputting S-Video.

The component video output from the modification can be used with classic CRTs or upscalers. Furthermore, if you have a HDTV, the board can be set to line double mode by the flick of a switch. This drastically improves the picture quality on HDTV sets by outputting a 480p/576p image. No more combing effects on sprites or interlacing artefacts and errors! Flick the switch to its third position and you get cool looking scanlines added to the image too. Your classic Commodore is now fully compatible with most modern televisions without the need for an external upscaler or converter.

Note that installing this modification will disable/remove RF output capability from your C128, though this should be considered obsolete anyway.

Your C128 will also be returned with a TRRS cable which will enable you to connect it to any component video display or scaler easily.

To make the installation as neat as possible, video output from the C18 component video mod is via a single 3.5mm jack. To use this jack, you connect the supplied TRRS cable (pictured here), which then provides the 3 standard YPbPr connectors that you can then connect to your TV or secondary upscaler.

Component video via highly accurate FPGA simulation and the cleanest possible S-Video, all in one board. This really is the ultimate analogue video upgrade for your C128.

Don’t like the palette that comes with the board?, you can change and edit it using the software here.

For more information or help and support, visit our dedicated support forum here.

If you prefer to DIY fit this mod yourself, click here.

Open source design developed by c0pperdragon and used with permission. Want to build your own board?, check the Github page here.