PSTwo RGB/Component problem...

[Segasonicfan]

Okay, I hooked up my new PSTwo slim system to my PSOne screen (I hooked up a control to to make it fully portable) and went into the configuration to change the display from component to RGB mode.  Now everything looked fine.  PSX games play great on it too.  However when I put in a DVD something strange happened...

The PS2 opening came up in perfect color and when the DVD started playing everything turned green.  I assume this is due to the dominance of green in component video.  Is it possible that the data on the DVD disc can only be displayed through component video or composite video?

After reading the new video primer I know that DVD players have component coming from the video ram, but I don't see how a DVD disc would have a component problem..

Can anyone explain this?  I'd like to know why this is happening.  

-Segasonicfan

[NFG]

Sony systems have always done this as a form of copy protection.  Sony knows you're a pirating son of a bitch so they apply Macrovision to the component video output.  Since macrovision can't be applied to RGB they don't allow DVD output via RGB.  This is 'cause you, as the aforementioned pirating son of a bitch, would only use the RGB to bypass the macrovision and make millions of copies of the DVD on VHS, and sell them.

NEver mind the fact you can copy the DVD in about four minutes, Sony doesn't want you to copy it the old slow way with crappy quality video.

[Aidan]

Macrovision can be applied to RGB.

It is a known 'issue' with the Playstation 2, since the first Playstation 2 machines hit the market. There are some people who have effectively built some bypass software. This then allows you to view DVDs in their proper colours.

No idea why Sony was this backward, especially when they already make DVD players that output RGB. I suspect there may have been some form of disagreement between Sony Electronics and Sony Computer Entertainment, the result of which was that SE was concerned that SCE would steal DVD player sales away from them.

[atom]

You think a company that started out making stereos, tvs, and vcrs who now make dvd players would have no problem with this sort of thing. Its almost Nintendoish.

[Aidan]

Sony is not a single entity, it's made up of a number of companies complete with heavy internal politics. Based on that alone, it's exactly what I'd expect! After all, Sony corporate were not happy with the business ideas behind Sony Computer Entertainment, so refused to finance it. Sony Music, however, saw the potential, and agreed to provide some money to get Sony Computer Entertainment off the ground.

[Segasonicfan]

Thanks for the info guys.

Aidan, do you know where I might be able to buy this bypass software and/or if it would work with the new PSTwo?

Also, would a RGB->Component converter work to solve the problem?
Geeze, just when you think Sony can't suck anymore...

They do.

-Segasonicfan

[Aidan]

To be honest, I don't know about the software - I'm only just aware of it because others I know have run some. I don't know if it'll work with the new PS2. It might be worth trying the usual suspects, such as Datel and co.

The problem is that when you play DVDs, the PS2 only outputs green. If you put a RGB to component converter in there, it'll just convert a green RGB picture into a green component picture. Hence, putting an RGB to component converter in there will simply cost you $$$ for a green picture

[NFG]

There was a simple hardware hack for the PS2 to disable the component output during DVD playback, but I've yet to see it for the PStwo, not sure if there will be an easy fix for it.

[Segasonicfan]

I think I found the solution to my problem =)

http://www.dms3.com/cgi-bin/dms4/site.pl?p...specs-dms4_lite

This new DMS4 modchip eliminates the green on playback and it supposively works for the PSTwo =)

-Segasonicfan

[RARusk]

The Region Free players in any of the recent Gamesharks will disable the Component Video forceback allowing you to watch movies in RGB off the PS2. The downsides are the time it takes to load the Gameshark (although it is not too long) and the fact that you have to reload it when you want to switch movies (but would be a good excuse to have an intermission).

But there is another problem you have to consider. Sony, in their usual dumbass ways, elected not to put a sync channel in the PS AV port so you need to get sync from the video using a sync separation chip. Unfortunately, MacroVision tends to really screw up the sync because it adds extra sync pulses to mess up recording devices. On top of that, with the exception of one chip, no sync chip can handle a MacroVision encoded video signal properly meaning that most discs become almost unwatchable.

The one chip that can handle a MacroVision encoded signal is the EL1883 made by Intersil. You can easily acquire a couple of samples from them. I have one inside my RGB box and it works great. The combination of the EL1883 and a Gameshark will allow you to watch movies in RGB off the PS2 without any internal modifications.

Another option to consider is to use the Xbox for watching movies in RGB. I recently tried it and it gave me no problems whatsoever. MicroSoft knows that it is very easy to copy movies in PCs and probably didn't care whether or not you wanted to watch movies in RGB so they let you. However, the picture quality is less than the PS2 and it could be due to the substanard DVD-ROM drives that the Xbox uses. I am currently considering replacing my Xbox DVD-ROM drive with a high-quality off-the-shelf PC DVD-ROM drive to see if that improves the quality (as well as improve load times if I get a 16X). If it does, then I would no longer use the PS2 for watching movies in RGB but would use the Xbox instead. Replacing a DVD-ROM drive in an Xbox appears to be a lot simpler than internally modifying a PS2 (I did the RGB hack for my prior PS2).

[dj898]

I belive you will need to mod off-the-shelf DVD drive for Xbox...
maybe i'm wrong but think xbox spins disc backwards??? :blink:  

[Endymion]

If you're about to replace your DVD drive just to see how it affects movie playback I can save you some time--the PS2 has a progressive DVD player, the Xbox one is interlaced. You would be better off modifying your Xbox with a chip and then using a third-party DVD player with it, there are players out there for modded boxes that can give a progressive signal.

[Dr.Wily]

In Europe it has a lot of Action replay, Gameshark and other bootdisk who remove green screen without mod.

For example, in france RGB cable is a standard cable (all european TV have a scart plug).

It has a lot of packge with a cheap (but fonctional) RGB cable and a bootdisk who remove this green screen. It is the normal solution and you can easily find package in supermarket.

But in other non european country the standard is not scart RGB but composite S-Video or RCA. Why ?

[dj898]

coz that what US use and they said f*ck we not gonna follow what knobs doing in Europe... heh

just joking...

[Segasonicfan]

We're just stupid over here.  I definitely want a mod chip though so I can play imports easily.  Since the chip removes the green without a need for swapping, it's even better than I thought before.  I've already modded the hell out of the system to make it portable so I'm not worried at all about installing a mod chip.

-Segasonicfan

[RARusk]

Attempting to improve DVD Playback quality is only part of the reason for replacing my Xbox DVD-ROM drive. It could barely read "The Matrix" (my PS2 had no problems) and the cursor wouldn't show up (although it was functional) when I loaded up the main menu for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version)". One of the guys at a local game store said that these problems was probably due to the DVD-ROM drive.

Another reason is for game compatability. When I first got my Xbox I had to swap it out because the unit glitched out my "GTA: Vice City" disc. The glitching was caused by the drive which was made by Thompson but I don't remember which drive sits in my current Xbox. Replacing the drive would remove any instance of future compatability problems. And I think tha a 16X is faster than the regular Xbox DVD-ROM drives so you can probably get some improvement on loading times as well.

Based on little research I have done on the subject of replacement the only issues are dealing with the custom power plug and being able to swap out drive trays. Beyond that it is plug-and-play because the interface to the motherboard is IDE just like any other PC.

Too bad you can't do that to a PS2. I would really like to upgrade the DVD-ROM drive for that unit.

And if the DVD playback is progressive in the PS2 can I do progressive scan RGB playback in the 30001 unit? I know you can do progressive scan playback in the 50001 and probably the 70001 units but I would like to know if there is some trick to doing it in the 30001 unit. I still think that the playback problems in the Xbox have to do with the DVD-ROM drives but I am currently knee-deep in GTA: San Andreas so it will be awhile before I get back into hacking mode and try to do the replacement. I will let you guys know what I find out when I do the hack.

[Endymion]

Oh boy, Sony human interface design comes to play in the morass of menu options to set the progressive scan. There is one setting in the main browser screen for progressive scan displays, and another I think in the DVD player menu. I had to hunt around for it quite a bit the first time. I don't even remember which models do or don't support progressive though. I can tell you from experience that an interlaced playback on a progressive screen, like an HDTV or presumably the VGA that you're using, doesn't look anywhere near as nice as the image from a progressive player, something tells me that there won't be much difference at all with the image from just changing the DVD drive.

[Darklegion]

RARusk: For your rgb problem,probably the reason that the video output on the xbox is somewhat crappy is because of the heavy flicker filters used.If you have a modchip the ind-bios can (supposably) disable the flicker filter completely and so this should improve the quality somewhat since less flicker filtering = more sharpness and also less tampering with the image which should mean better quality.Also most dashboards can do this although I am not sure if it effects programs launched from it.
As for dvd playback issues,I am guessing you have one of the old philips drives or a thompson? These are both known to be dodgy with many types of media and since the newer boxes always use samsung or the new-type philips drive,which are both far more compatable maybe that could be your (expensive) solution.I have heard of various issues with the pc-drive mod,and that is only useful for better cd-r comptability and that even a thompson will probably be better for dvd-r.Also since your drive is on the way out you could tweak the pots modify what the drive will read.I did it on my old-type philips and it has been reading all cd-r media well for the last year along with any dvd-r I have thrown at it,including know crap brands such as princo.

[RARusk]

Flicker filters? Would that affect all video output (both games and movies)?

As for the DVD-ROM drive replacement, a plain 16X DVD-ROM drive is rather inexpensive these days. It's the DVD reader-writers that are expensive.

Even if replacing the DVD-ROM drive doesn't improve things all that much I would like to have a better quality drive in the Xbox than the crappy drives that MicroSoft uses for their Xboxes anyhow (the drive in my Xbox currently is a Philips).

Besides, it would give me an excuse to hack up my Xbox.    

[phreak97]

i think this is a pstwo rgb fix 'chip' which is really just a regulator and two other components i'd have said were diodes if they werent linking the regulators output and ground together.. i dunno.. im posting this here 'cos i reckon you could make up the board yourself relatively easily, it probably just holds a constant 3.3 or 5v for the chip at point S. point R is most likely voltage. someone needs to go in with a multimeter and find out whats going on there.. i dont have a pstwo myself, or i'd crack it open and look around myself.

pics:
removed due to my being a n00b

My apoligies, the chip is a regulator and two diodes designed to stabilize the voltage supplied to the laser coils, nothing to do with rgb at all.. should have translated the page before i posted about it.. again, i apoligise