PS2 and HDTV: WTF?

[Peter.Steele]

Ok, I've got a 50" Phillips DLP TV. I also have a PS2. (One of the thin black ones, if that matters.) I bought the component video cables for it, set the output to component cables and 16:9, but when I play games, it doesn't stretch to the full width of the screen, even in games that are made for 16:9. There are still black bars on either side of the screen, like if I had the TV set to 4:3 mode by accident. (I don't, though.) Also, the bars aren't the same size - the one on the left is about 3 times bigger than the one on the right side of the screen.

When I watch DVDs with the PS2, they look normal - no extra black bars. Just watch them in 16:9 Extend mode on the TV, and they're full screen. It's just when I play games that there's a problem.


Anyone know why it does this?

 

[D3terioNation]

Get a PS3?

 

[Xendance]

Get a PS3?

Oh stop that PS 3 fanboyism, everywhere I go "PS 3 ftw! Bluray ftw!"
And the backwards compatibility just sucks on PS 3, you're better off owning a PS 2 for PS 2 games.

 

[D3terioNation]

Hey I was offering a suggestion ya saddo!

And PS3 & Bluray IS ftw

 

[Murphy]

I googled this for you:
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=psx2&thread.id=1341807
Might be helpful.

 

[Peter.Steele]

I've already seen that one. It explains aspect ratios for n00bs, which was helpful when I first got the TV a few weeks ago and was trying to watch movies with the PS2 as DVD player, but it still doesn't solve the problem with the games.

Even with everything - game, PS2, and TV - set to 16:9 and, in the case of the TV, to stretch, the games just don't actually stretch to the full size of the screen. It's almost like the TV is in 4:3 mode, but it's not. The bars are just too small on the sides, and offset. This is the case even with, for instance, Gran Turismo 4, which features a 1080i mode.

 

[Xendance]

I don't see how the GT 4 1080i mode would affect the resolution because PS 2 only supports SDTV resolutions. But can you tell us what aspect ratio settings your TV has? I know that our TV has 4:3, 14:9, 16:9 and widescreen, and PS 3 requires the latter one. So it's not the "16:9" setting. I don't know about the PS 2 though

I might check it when I get home.

 

[spraduke]

A guy at work also has this issue. It seems to be something inherent in the ps2 with hdtv's due to the fun and games of pal/ntsc etc.

 

[Peter.Steele]

I don't see how the GT 4 1080i mode would affect the resolution because PS 2 only supports SDTV resolutions.

Not so. My TV asures me that the video stream coming in is in fact 1080i with GT4. There's at least one other game as well that has a 1080i mode. Of course, in order to use this, you have to have the component video cables for the PS2, not the standard red / white / yellow ones. These are available at most GameStop / Best Buy type places, and are compatible with PS2 or PS3.

But can you tell us what aspect ratio settings your TV has? I know that our TV has 4:3, 14:9, 16:9 and widescreen, and PS 3 requires the latter one. So it's not the "16:9" setting. I don't know about the PS 2 though

I might check it when I get home.

Ok, my TV has the following settings:

1. Automatic. This picks what the TV thinks is the best setting, based on whether or not what you're watching has letterboxing.

2. Super Zoom. This takes 4:3 and stretches it ... oddly. What's in the center of the screen is not stretched at all, and as you get closer to the outer edges, the stretching gets more and more. It's hell to watch news or stock tickers. Makes you frakkin' nauseous.

3. 4:3. Takes 4:3 video and displays it with no stretching. There are wide bars on the side of the screen.

4. 14:9 Expand. Takes 14:9 video that has been letterboxed to 4:3 and expands it. There will be (minimal) black bars on the sides.

5. 16:9 Expand. Same as the 14:9, but makes it full screen with no bars.

6. 16:9 Subtitles. As above, but cuts off the very top of the picture so that subtitles displayed in the letterbox part at the bottom will show.

7. Widescreen. Displays HD programming in full screen, and takes 4:3 stuff and stretches it equally. If a letterboxed program is shown, it will stretch it horizontally, but there will still be the black bands at top and bottom.



When you use an HD video source - such as my digital HD cable - the info bar at the top of the screen will display the video source (i.e., AV1-4 or HDMI), and the resolution. (480p, 720p, or 1080i). When there's a 1080i or 720p video source, there's no option on how to display it - the only choice is Widescreen. When it's 480p, you can pick any of the 7 options listed above.

A guy at work also has this issue. It seems to be something inherent in the ps2 with hdtv's due to the fun and games of pal/ntsc etc.

It wouldn't piss me off so much if it was consistent. I mean, if it played movies the same way, I'd just be like 'ok, it's a problem' but ... it just bugs me that games won't show across the full screen, even with wide-screen selected.

 

[Aeneas2020]

funnily enough i have the exact same issue when i plugged my ps2 and also my laptop into my HDTV. The odd thing about both is that i've plugged them into other HDTVs and they show up fine by i get the exact same issue with the ps2 ur having but when i plug my laptop in it as if the image is appear in letterbox mode but only on the right side of the TV the other side is blank. Like i said no idea what is causing either one of those. Everything else i tired on the TV is fine.

 

[GonzoX]

Slightly off topic but I wanted to warn people about the PS3.

I thought about buying one and using it as a blue ray player.

But after researching, I have found that in order to play blue ray disks in high-def, you MUST USE the HDMI cable.

That nixed it for me sice my older HDTV set only has componet YGB and DVI.

Oh well. At least the stand alone blue ray players are roughly the same price.

 

[Xendance]

Slightly off topic but I wanted to warn people about the PS3.

I thought about buying one and using it as a blue ray player.

But after researching, I have found that in order to play blue ray disks in high-def, you MUST USE the HDMI cable.

That nixed it for me sice my older HDTV set only has componet YGB and DVI.

Oh well. At least the stand alone blue ray players are roughly the same price.

Yup, component only supports 1080i max but not 1080p.

 

[Peter.Steele]

Waitaminute.

One of y'all says no HD on a PS3 w/o HDMI. The other says max of 1080i on component cables.


So, is it in fact HD up to but not 1080p with component cables? If (when) I get a PS3, I can use it with component cables in 720p or 1080i?

 

[Xendance]

Waitaminute.

One of y'all says no HD on a PS3 w/o HDMI. The other says max of 1080i on component cables.


So, is it in fact HD up to but not 1080p with component cables? If (when) I get a PS3, I can use it with component cables in 720p or 1080i?

That's how it works on my PS 3.

 

[GonzoX]

What I meant was , no Hi Def for "Blue Ray Movies" through component cables or DVI. Games AFAIK WILL play HD through those. Games are one thing but Movies are a different matter on the PS3.

To play Blue Ray movies in actual Hi Def you Must use the HDMI cable. And if your TV is like mine and does not have HDMI you are out of luck if you want your blue ray movies in Hi Def.

There is a work around using a HDMI to DVI converter BUT it only works if your older Hi Def Set is HDMI compliant or such IIRC.

Why Sony shot themselves in the foot by designing it this way is beyond my understanding. There are plenty of stand alone blue ray players that will allow Hi Def through their component connectors so why did Sony drop the ball on this?

 

[GonzoX]

Waitaminute.

One of y'all says no HD on a PS3 w/o HDMI. The other says max of 1080i on component cables.


So, is it in fact HD up to but not 1080p with component cables? If (when) I get a PS3, I can use it with component cables in 720p or 1080i?

Are you talking about games or movies. There is a difference. I was talking only about blue ray movies.

 

[sharpshooterklj]

The fact that 1080p requires HDMI shouldn't be a shocker at all. As far as I know to get 1080p output on anything requires HDMI or DVI.

Its also not just the PS3's "fault" that it requires HDMI for 1080p, the 360 needs HDMI for it too.

On topic: My theory on why the PS2 doesn't support HDTV is that maybe, just maybe, HDTV's weren't invented yet when the PS2 came around.

 

[GonzoX]

The fact that 1080p requires HDMI shouldn't be a shocker at all. As far as I know to get 1080p output on anything requires HDMI or DVI.

Its also not just the PS3's "fault" that it requires HDMI for 1080p, the 360 needs HDMI for it too.

On topic: My theory on why the PS2 doesn't support HDTV is that maybe, just maybe, HDTV's weren't invented yet when the PS2 came around.

Nope, HDMI is not at all required. Most new Blue Ray stand alone players let you output Hi Def to component cables or DVI as well as HDMI.

And AFAIK, they can all do 1080i. 1080p would be nice but I will sacrifice it to get rid of the DRM crap.

It's just the PS3 that is limiting it's customer's options. HDCP copy protection may the the reason.

But as always I could be wrong. Actually I hope Im wrong.

Any PS3 experts out there?

 

[spraduke]

Component cables only support 720p/1080i

For full 1080p you will need a hdmi/dvi cable and some tvs will accept 1080p vga but not many.

Its not the fault of the ps3 its the limitations of analogue signal via component compared to digital by hdmi.

Even if you bought a standalone bluray player you will have the same issues if your tv does not have hdmi (which is by far the most wide spread and best connectivity option for hidef material)

 

[GonzoX]

Well I can certainly live with 1080i over component. But the PS3 won't even give you 720p movies over component.

That was my whole beef with Sony. Why did they design it that way?

Anyway, not that big of a deal since they lost a sale to me on that issue. I don't mind paying for a stand alone player.

It just would have been nice to have one do-everything machine for the same price. Oh well.