[Xeopuppy]

I just thought maybe someone could help. A question for you all, I have a PS2 using Monster Component cables and Fibre Optic, my TV is a Samsung 40" 686, but It seems as if it won't display the screen full size, I mean there are borders on the left and Right side, it doesn't fill out the screen, it's in 16:9 and even in Shadow of the Colossus It is in 60hz and Progressive Scan mode but no difference, the screen also is not centred.

Any help would be great...

[fallenangle]

In my experience very few games have a perfect screen filling 16:9 picture area even when they have a WS option. Usually the total image field is correctly displayed but the picture area is often in a smaller format than that total image field and may be off-set within it too. This is why some (it should be all) games come with an image repositioning in the menus.

Doesn't help you unfortunately because I can't see how you can resolve this without going into the TV's service menu. Needless to say even if you find out how to do this you need to know what you're doing or you can crock the TV completely. The only other option is get an engineer in to set the TV up as you want BUT even then there will no guarantee of a perfect WS frame filling, centred result for all games or anything else you want to display for that matter.

[Xeopuppy]

Thanks for the help,

I really don't want to mess with the TV settings to much, but my tv has an option to resize the screen, but only in Just Scan mode, which, as far as I can tell, only works for my pc, and for the game supporting screen positioning, some I have do, but that only moves the screen around in the area that the game screen fills, I can't seem to get beyond the black borders, as if the TV or console is purposely fixing the screen to a smaller size, the picture quality is still great. I guess it really doesn't matter that much, what's a couple of inches around the game when you have a 40" TV at best it's displaying at around a 38".

It just seems strange that when I switch the game, in game, from 4:3 to 16:9 there doesn't seem to be any difference, I've had Shadow of the Colossus before, when I had a Toshiba Picture Frame TV with Components, and you can tell when it switches.

Maybe it's just HDTV's it has a problem with.

[fallenangle]

That sounds more like you have the TV's own Format Correction option set to Auto/WS or some other format (14:9?). Such things vary from TV to TV but you should check the (Auto) Format setting on the TV.

Could it be the PS2 is set to 4:3 in the Configuration Menu? In that case the TV may be using pseudo-WS, Panoramic or SMART (Sony's word for it) to stretch a 4:3 game to fill the whole screen. If there if there is some resolution or scaling issue that might result in a bordered image too. On a HDTV how it handles a SD 480i or 480p source (the best a PS2 can deliver) is of seemingly infinite variation.

It could even be just be the particular game. I haven't tried Shadow of the Colossus but the 16:9 and especially prog scan modes on some PS2 games can have display problems. PAL TR: Anniversary is one I know well - however you have you TV set up, using that in prog scan mode results in a heavily letterboxed display. Apparently PS2 Legend was the same. PAL PS2 Tekken 4 has an excellent prog scan option but no 16:9 support whilst PAL Tekken 5 has no prog scan but does have a poor implemented 16:9 option. Both have in-game image centering but because their position in their respective image fields are different you have to use completely different settings. As for the way the arcade versions of the older Tekkens on T5's disc are displayed: off-set and bordered top and sides requiring completely different centering settings from the main game modes. which

Personally I'd try using your TV's manual reformatting options, you might find a setting that is acceptable and fills the whole screen. Unfortunately it won't help with the image centering which, for me, is the more unacceptable side of these problems.

[Xeopuppy]

My TV only goes into Auto Wide under certain options, or depending which AV port I use, but not in Component, well not with my PS2 anyway, the only screen formats that I can cycle through are 16:9, Zoom, Auto Zoom & 4:3, you can tell the difference when I switch them on the TV, but not the Console, also I have 16:9 set in the PS2 System Settings.

I don't know if Persona 4 is in 16:9, even though there are no options to change it, but it still looks as if it should be, it's not stretched at all. Just as a comparison my Gamecube fills out the screen, no borders even though Zelda : Wind Waker is a 4:3 game, but it still isn't centred, I know there's probably nothing anyone can do about that.

But all my PS2 games seem to be the same, I guess the PS2 just doesn't like Samsung, or HDTV's in general.

[fallenangle]

If the PS2 is set to 16:9 and the game supports 16:9 it should be OK. Sorry, you might have said earlier but have you tried the PS2 with RGB SCART, S-Video or composite AV connections, Does that display similarly with borders?

A PAL PS2 is a bit unusual in that when in 60Hz/480i or 480p modes it apparently outputs as genuine NTSC even though some PS2 games describe their 60Hz mode as PAL60. Most PAL consoles are said to output PAL60 in 60Hz mode but I'm not sure about the GC.

To be quite honest I can't even find unequivical confirmation about the resolution of PAL60. I found a three year old thread here about that very issue where one poster who seem to know what he was talking about categorically stated PAL60 was 576i/60Hz and, presumably, 576p/60hz too, But I've found other equally authorative sources that suggest that might not always be correct.

Whatever the truth it might explain why your TV behaves differently with a PS2 from a GC ie. it's a resolution/scaling issue. It doesn't help you at all because, as you surmised, that's down to the way your particular TV responds.

It obviously hates Sony

[Xeopuppy]

I have tried my PS2 with scart as well as Component, I don't have a s-video or Composite leads to try but I'm sure it will be the same, I used to have a Monster s-video lead when I had my last PS2, the picture was awesome but my TV them was a 32" Toshiba Picture Frame ZP18Q, I think that was the model number, I only got rid of it in January when I got my Samsung LE40686, so I could enjoy my PS3 and 360, but I just sold them and went back to a PS2 and Gamecube (to many awesome games not to). I still have a kick ass PC fed into my TV, AWESOME.

You would think that since Sony now uses Samsung panels in their Bravia range it would be more compatible, (ha ha) but I suppose the PS2 was before that happened.

Anyway thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.

[marvmikey]

Originally Posted by fallenangle

That sounds more like you have the TV's own Format Correction option set to Auto/WS or some other format (14:9?). Such things vary from TV to TV but you should check the (Auto) Format setting on the TV.

Could it be the PS2 is set to 4:3 in the Configuration Menu? In that case the TV may be using pseudo-WS, Panoramic or SMART (Sony's word for it) to stretch a 4:3 game to fill the whole screen. If there if there is some resolution or scaling issue that might result in a bordered image too. On a HDTV how it handles a SD 480i or 480p source (the best a PS2 can deliver) is of seemingly infinite variation.

It could even be just be the particular game. I haven't tried Shadow of the Colossus but the 16:9 and especially prog scan modes on some PS2 games can have display problems. PAL TR: Anniversary is one I know well - however you have you TV set up, using that in prog scan mode results in a heavily letterboxed display. Apparently PS2 Legend was the same. PAL PS2 Tekken 4 has an excellent prog scan option but no 16:9 support whilst PAL Tekken 5 has no prog scan but does have a poor implemented 16:9 option. Both have in-game image centering but because their position in their respective image fields are different you have to use completely different settings. As for the way the arcade versions of the older Tekkens on T5's disc are displayed: off-set and bordered top and sides requiring completely different centering settings from the main game modes. which

Personally I'd try using your TV's manual reformatting options, you might find a setting that is acceptable and fills the whole screen. Unfortunately it won't help with the image centering which, for me, is the more unacceptable side of these problems.

the ps2 can do 720p or 1080i using SMS (over component) - dunno how to get the ps2 to do it for games though, i have the same problem as the OP with an a656