PAL users sad without 480p. Try 580p instead!

  • Thread starter slapnutz
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Ok, it looks like we PAL users have a (very expensive) solution for HDTV on PAL copies of GT4. I would try to explain it but its MUCH better you please read the post in the link below.

I've pasted the post from the guy who figured it out.....for the entire thread please go to this link below:
http://www.hdtvarcade.com/hdtvforum/viewtopic.php?t=1316

Heres the post....

I have discovered something very cool, 580p on PS2!!!

Have been tinkering around with my Setup lately and have been experimenting with the best way to play PS2 seeing as its the worst of this generation of consoles in terms of HDTV support. I have found the ultimate solution for PS2. This solution is somewhat extravagant but if you can do it I don't think there is a better way to play the PS2.

I am using a 26" 16:9 Sharp Aquos LCD TV in conjunction with an IScan Ultra de-interlacer. I have a modified PAL PS2 hooked up to the IScan ultra through one of its component inputs and the IScan Ultra is hooked up to my TV Via DVI.

For those of you unfamiliar with PAL bascially PAL PS2 games display by default in 580i mode ... if our games have progressive scan they are the same as the US/Japan/et al at 480p.

Due to the excellent quality of the IScan Ultra I am able to take a 580i signal display & it in 580p and it looks superior to a native 480p signal. To get 580p you will need PAL PS2 games. NTSC PS2 games will only play at 480p (640x480 or 720x480) through the IScan.

I have tested my theory with Gran Turismo 3 and compared it to US versions of GT4 Prologue and GT4 and GT3 in 580p is FAR superior to GT4 in 480p.

I also tested this theory with some other excellent looking games on PS2 like Ghost hunter ... this game looks fine in 480p easily matching GCN and Xbox games, however I then ran the game at 580i and used the IScan to generate a 580p signal and to my initial surprise the game looks far better then the native 480p. I have also tested other games and all times the 580p proved to be superior to even the.

Now in the past I snubbed PAL games so that I could get the earlier release NTSC titles or because the NTSC titles had 480p and PAL didn't ... now I am doing an about face turn and will try to purchase PAL titles as much as possible.

The beauty of this discovery is that I should be able to do the same in theory with my GameCube and Xbox PAL games, Region 4 DVD movies etc etc ... believe me this was a very very pleasant discovery.

What you need in Summary:
* An HDTV capable of displaying 580p/576p or equivalent
* A PAL PS2 or modified PS2 capable of playing PAL games
* An IScan Ultra (or similarly capable deinterlacer)
* PAL PS2 games

------------------------
ok, back to me....with all that said...i'm still unsure what to do. Go with the expensive option above or instead mod my PAL PS2 and buy an NTSC GT4.
To be honest, its not the cost nor the picture difference thats the deciding factor. What I'd like to know from you NTSC and PAL gamers is...which version has more cars/features/new stuff.....this is probably what will decide my path

Cheers y'all.
 
Here is a really silly question. How do you get to the TV settings on GT4 do you have to do it from the PS2 or was it not included int the pal edition?
 
Well, the Korean version of GT4 has the most cars (by 4) with PAL and the American version equal second. Japanese version being last.
 
^^^ what? this thread has nothing to do with this thread lol.

playing in 580p is gona give you 100 more lines, not worth the price of the deinterlacer, and why not play in 1080 anyways.
 
raeanin
^^^ what? this thread has nothing to do with this thread lol.

playing in 580p is gona give you 100 more lines, not worth the price of the deinterlacer, and why not play in 1080 anyways.

How do you turn on 1080i?
 
Stune
How do you turn on 1080i?

You cant on any PAL GT4 copies. There is ZERO HDTV support in the PAL version. Thus the reason for this thread.

Also in response to an earlier comment...the reason I'm comparing 480p to 580p and not including 1080i is that 1) The TV I use most cant do 1080i ..and...2) 1080i does "animate" as well as 480p/580p...this is because it is an interlaced picture unlike the two lower res options. Sure the 1080i "still frame" looks good but once the picture starts moving you can notice the "interlacing" more so than on say a smaller TV.
 
slapnutz
Ok, it looks like we PAL users have a (very expensive) solution for HDTV on PAL copies of GT4. I would try to explain it but its MUCH better you please read the post in the link below.

I've pasted the post from the guy who figured it out.....for the entire thread please go to this link below:
http://www.hdtvarcade.com/hdtvforum/viewtopic.php?t=1316

Heres the post....

I have discovered something very cool, 580p on PS2!!!

Have been tinkering around with my Setup lately and have been experimenting with the best way to play PS2 seeing as its the worst of this generation of consoles in terms of HDTV support. I have found the ultimate solution for PS2. This solution is somewhat extravagant but if you can do it I don't think there is a better way to play the PS2.

I am using a 26" 16:9 Sharp Aquos LCD TV in conjunction with an IScan Ultra de-interlacer. I have a modified PAL PS2 hooked up to the IScan ultra through one of its component inputs and the IScan Ultra is hooked up to my TV Via DVI.

For those of you unfamiliar with PAL bascially PAL PS2 games display by default in 580i mode ... if our games have progressive scan they are the same as the US/Japan/et al at 480p.

Due to the excellent quality of the IScan Ultra I am able to take a 580i signal display & it in 580p and it looks superior to a native 480p signal. To get 580p you will need PAL PS2 games. NTSC PS2 games will only play at 480p (640x480 or 720x480) through the IScan.

I have tested my theory with Gran Turismo 3 and compared it to US versions of GT4 Prologue and GT4 and GT3 in 580p is FAR superior to GT4 in 480p.

I also tested this theory with some other excellent looking games on PS2 like Ghost hunter ... this game looks fine in 480p easily matching GCN and Xbox games, however I then ran the game at 580i and used the IScan to generate a 580p signal and to my initial surprise the game looks far better then the native 480p. I have also tested other games and all times the 580p proved to be superior to even the.

Now in the past I snubbed PAL games so that I could get the earlier release NTSC titles or because the NTSC titles had 480p and PAL didn't ... now I am doing an about face turn and will try to purchase PAL titles as much as possible.

The beauty of this discovery is that I should be able to do the same in theory with my GameCube and Xbox PAL games, Region 4 DVD movies etc etc ... believe me this was a very very pleasant discovery.

What you need in Summary:
* An HDTV capable of displaying 580p/576p or equivalent
* A PAL PS2 or modified PS2 capable of playing PAL games
* An IScan Ultra (or similarly capable deinterlacer)
* PAL PS2 games

------------------------
ok, back to me....with all that said...i'm still unsure what to do. Go with the expensive option above or instead mod my PAL PS2 and buy an NTSC GT4.
To be honest, its not the cost nor the picture difference thats the deciding factor. What I'd like to know from you NTSC and PAL gamers is...which version has more cars/features/new stuff.....this is probably what will decide my path

Cheers y'all.

you realize line doublers can't double computer graphics, only pre-rendered stuff (like video) all you are doing is upscaling, this is nothing special, you'll still have flickering polygons (not flicker on the screen, but on the polygons) this is actually the same method PD used to get "480p" which is just upscaled 480i, nothing more.. you can see this easily if you stare at the horizontal polygons on the track, they "shake", try any true progrsesive scan video game (or any computer game) and you'll see how different it looks, 1080i on GT4 is also upscaled, but it' rendered at a bit higher resolution than 480p. (i'm guessing it's a about the same as default PAL users are getting)

the increase in pitcure quality you are seeing is because the screen isn't flickering so much, but it's far from true progressive scan resolution, just tought you should know before you get evryone excited.
 
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