[godsakes]

hi everyone

i have a softmodded xbox (xbmc) with the video switched to ntsc mode and outputs at 720p (program settings are: auto switch and pal 60)

i've just tried my orginal pal copy of panzer dragoon orta and i get scrambled graphics.


any ideas people? (other than going back to composite or scart cables)

[RottenFox]

go back to pal60,and use scart...

[fallenangle]

The obvious reason is that Panzer Dragoon Orta is one of the PAL XBox games which does not have the 'hidden' NTSC code included on the disc. So it will only work in PAL. Timesplitters 2 is another one I know and there are many other just like this.

I just checked my own copy on a modded XBox and had the same result.

[RottenFox]

yeh, it was fully optomised for PAL consoles, and runs at almost the same speed,and fullscreen,as the NTSC version.

[fallenangle]

I've just been reminded to say that you shouldn't swap to RGB SCART. Continue to use your Component/YPrPb whether you're in NTSC or PAL..

XBox RGB SCART output is notoriously compromised, particularly in older models. 'RGB' 480i/576i through Component should be as good if not better. That's what my experience suggests too.

There are several old threads here at the AVForums about this; I was reading one from 2005 only a few minutes ago via link from another forum discussing similar matters which and that's what spurred this post.

[godsakes]

Originally Posted by fallenangle

The obvious reason is that Panzer Dragoon Orta is one of the PAL XBox games which does not have the 'hidden' NTSC code included on the disc. So it will only work in PAL.

yes, well... i get the same result using the NTSC version of Panzer Dragoon Orta

[fallenangle]

You specifically stated that the problem you were having was with the PAL version in your OP. So you're saying now that you have both PAL and NTSC versions of the game and neither works in your soft-modded XBox.

Could your chosen resolution be the problem? Obviously the PAL version doesn't support 720p and off the top of my head I don't think the NTSC one was one of those few games which did either. It shouldn't make a difference but worth a punt swapping it to 480p for the NTSC version.

Perhaps I'm not understanding something here but I also don't know why or how you've selected PAL60 when you say the console is in NTSC mode - is this some feature of XBMC?

With Enigmah, which is what I use to region change my XBox, once you've swapped it to NTSC you just get the standard XBox NTSC dash with the prog scan options etc. The PAL60 option is only available and relevant to the XBox in PAL mode.

[godsakes]

Originally Posted by fallenangle

You specifically stated that the problem you were having was with the PAL version in your OP. So you're saying now that you have both PAL and NTSC versions of the game and neither works in your soft-modded XBox.

Could your chosen resolution be the problem? Obviously the PAL version doesn't support 720p and off the top of my head I don't think the NTSC one was one of those few games which did either. It shouldn't make a difference but worth a punt swapping it to 480p for the NTSC version.

Perhaps I'm not understanding something here but I also don't know why or how you've selected PAL60 when you say the console is in NTSC mode - is this some feature of XBMC?

With Enigmah, which is what I use to region change my XBox, once you've swapped it to NTSC you just get the standard XBox NTSC dash with the prog scan options etc. The PAL60 option is only available and relevant to the XBox in PAL mode.

well from my reading it seems the newer xboxes (1.5 or 1.6) have some kind of different video chip which won't allow panzer (and a handful of other games) to work in 480p mode (presumably 480i would)

[fallenangle]

If you are correctly in PAL mode, with the PAL version and using Component, 576i/480i is what you should be getting. I tried my PAL copy in an unmodded PAL XBox using the official RGB SCART cable. You definitely do not want it running at 50Hz but in PAL60 on my other 32" CRT WS it actually looks rather good.

I've never been sure about the XBox's PAL60 mode, particularly with so called 'optimised' PAL games, whether it's 480i or 576i. If it is 576i it might explain why it does look so good over RGB SCART.

I'll see if I can get round to testing it on that console using my official Component cables to find out if there are any issues with that. It will be an interesting comparison with RGB SCART in any case.

Sorry not to have been more help. Hope you get one of your versions running properly.

[godsakes]

just to add

i picked another xbox from the local car boot and it was a version 1.1 or 1.2 - panzer dragoon works fine on 480p on that xbox