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I just hooked up my PS2 to a widescreen TV and it automatically displayed the games in widescreen. How can I tell if it is distorting the image or if it is truely displaying in widescreen? I'm not sure - plus, I haven't bought component cables yet so I'm still running off of composite cables. The picture actually looks better on my crappy 19" tube. Does my PS2 "know" that it is going into a widescreen TV or is my TV distorting the image?

Nope, it just does that by default. Games look like "Stretched" on 16:9. Some games does support 16:9 Widescreen; Games like Jak 2, R&C:Going Commando, Most EA and ESPN 2004 sports games, SOCOM 2 but you must activate "Widescreen" on your PS2 (you can do that on the root menu, the screen that displays when there is no game in DVD-ROM) or else it will just stretch the game screen.

Thank you! So once I go into the PS2 menu and activate the widescreen mode, non-widescreen games will have the black bars on the side and appear in 4:3 mode??

Originally Posted by javeryh Thank you! So once I go into the PS2 menu and activate the widescreen mode, non-widescreen games will have the black bars on the side and appear in 4:3 mode??

Nope non-widescreen games will still appear stretched. I believe most Widescreen TVs have an option to switch to 4:3 (look for an "Aspect" button on the controller) but you also must have your PS2 set to 4:3 for it to appear right.

:? What a pain in the ass! I am still trying to set up everything in my TV room and I am trying to figure out how to use my new TV. My cable box is an HD converter which sends nothing but a 1080i signal to my TV so the "aspect" button on the remote does not work (unless I manually configure the cable box to send a 480 signal or something but then what's the point of HDTV ) It would suck to have to go to the menu screen every time I wanted to play my PS2 depending on whether the game was widescreen or not...

Well moneybags why don't you just buy another ps2, you can have one set to widescreen and one set to 4:3. Or, I can show you how to mod your ps2, using only cardboard and duct tape.....

Just jokin with ya, as I don't own a widescreen tv, and I'm pretty sure that the HD converter won't be on order for my house for a good 4 years, I have no idea how to solve your problem, but then again I bumped the thread so that all the other geniuses here can help ya out.

My ps2 and my 36" WEGA do not get along. Most cel shaded games have blurry graphics and fuzzed up edges, not cool. I'm always trying to tinker with the inside, but so far, to no avail.

Originally Posted by jdpimp Well moneybags why don't you just buy another ps2, you can have one set to widescreen and one set to 4:3. Or, I can show you how to mod your ps2, using only cardboard and duct tape..... Just jokin with ya, as I don't own a widescreen tv, and I'm pretty sure that the HD converter won't be on order for my house for a good 4 years, I have no idea how to solve your problem, but then again I bumped the thread so that all the other geniuses here can help ya out.

Buying another PS2 might just do the trick! Just kidding. I don't even have an Xbox yet (I'm waiting for it to go to $99).

I found the 16:9 option in the PS2 menu so that is working but now I have another dilemma - the picture. :? It seems to be blurry and pixelated and it actually looks worse than it did when hooked up to my old tube TV. If I get the component cable that Monster makes, will that solve the problem?

it should solve your problem, the picture will look better for sure, you may be fine with the sony brand component cable though

New cables will not fix "blurry and pixellated", if the image is as bad as you imply. Good cables help maximize the detail but they are not going to add another level of resolution. It sounds to me like you have something set incorrectly...I'd just hate for you to expect miracles from stranded copper and dielectric.

Well, my TV is HD and right now I only have composite cables hooked up. I'm hoping the component cables will fix the problem. Madden 2004 does not look as nice as it did on my regular TV for some reason...

Component cables will only improve the sharpness of the image and just make the pixels or 'jaggies' more obvious. The color hues are more saturated with the component cable, but I think I like the fuzziness of composite more on my 32" HDTV becaause it makes the pixelation less obvious.