Can't Play PS1 Games On HDTV Via PS2 W/ Component - Anyone Else?

Got a new hdtv last week. After hooking everything up to it, I noticed that my PS1 games wouldn't play properly. I can see the Playstation logo fine, but when the game loads, all I see is a portion of the game screen in the top half of the TV with the PS logo still there on the bottom half. They played fine when I switched to composite or s-video though.

Vizio tech support says it's a problem with the PS1 games because the games don't support hd resolution. I know that's true but I still say bullshit because there are plenty of other people who have their PS2's hooked up to their HDTV's via component and don't have any problems.

So does anyone else with a cheap HDTV have this problem or am I the only one?

Sounds TV related to me... It's not properly switching it sounds like. I'd exchange it, since it's only a week old.

Needless to say my middle-of-the-road Samsung LCD does not exhibit this issue... Seems like Vizio's handing you a line...

I had that problem two with my sanyo hdtv as well. It is simply the ps1 problem. I have no idea why it does it but it just does.

Got a new hdtv last week. After hooking everything up to it, I noticed that my PS1 games wouldn't play properly. I can see the Playstation logo fine, but when the game loads, all I see is a portion of the game screen in the top half of the TV with the PS logo still there on the bottom half. They played fine when I switched to composite or s-video though.

Vizio tech support says it's a problem with the PS1 games because the games don't support hd resolution. I know that's true but I still say bullshit because there are plenty of other people who have their PS2's hooked up to their HDTV's via component and don't have any problems.

So does anyone else with a cheap HDTV have this problem or am I the only one?

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This is a known problem, and the information available is conflicting. The original PS1 could not display video in component, and the PS2 uses real PS1 parts in its backwards compatibility. If you search the web, you'll see a lot of people with the same problem as yours, but also a lot of people that can play PS1 games fine through component. Some of them have Vizio. Some don't (note previous post).

I have a non-HD TV, but I do have component inputs. I dug up an old PS1 game (Gran Turismo) and pulled out my component cables (Monster) and it worked on my TV through compnent inputs. It's not HD, but it does work.

If possible, I'd try to test the PS2 set up on someone else's HDTV to rule your PS2 out. Even so, Costco has a very generous return policy when it comes to TVs, so you should be in okay shape.

Thanks for the info, espy & scrubsy. Makes me feel a little better now knowing that it's not an issue with the TV (well, it is but it isn't). I tried searching around for some info about it but couldn't find anyone else that had the same problem, so I was starting to think that upscaler in the TV was busted or something.

Yeah, it must just be a problem for HDTV's then since PS1 with component worked fine on my non-HDTV. Guess some tv's will play them and some won't. ?

Yeah,I was about to post this right now,my PS2 does the same thing with Metal Gear Solid,it plays fine on my cousins PS3 though....

[quote name='norkusa']Thanks for the info, espy & scrubsy. Makes me feel a little better now knowing that it's not an issue with the TV (well, it is but it isn't). I tried searching around for some info about it but couldn't find anyone else that had the same problem, so I was starting to think that upscaler in the TV was busted or something.

Yeah, it must just be a problem for HDTV's then since PS1 with component worked fine on my non-HDTV. Guess some tv's will play them and some won't. ?[/quote]

You're welcome. The little publicized fact about HDTVs is that they vary WILDLY in their SDTV upscaling solutions. Some are absolutely horrendous (you'll find yourself thinking it didn't look this bad on my old TV), some are excellent, and unfortunately, some are incompletely implemented. Most cheaper HDTVs are engineered to make HD content look good, so they spend less money on SD issues. Basically, you get what you pay for.

I don't think anything in your Vizio is broken or anything, I just think the technology just isn't compatible. If this is a dealbreaker for you, I'd suggest getting a new TV but check the return policy as most retail stores charge a restocking fee.

Yeah,I was about to post this right now,my PS2 does the same thing with Metal Gear Solid,it plays fine on my cousins PS3 though....

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The PS3 implementation of backwards compatibility is through software, so it's different. It's software emulated, which is why it can be updated through online updates. As I said before, the PS2 uses actual PS1 physical parts in its construction.

The PS2 outputs PS1 games (and one PS2 game that I know of: ICO) in 240p format when using a component cable. It's possible that your TV cannot support this scan rate.

The PS2 outputs PS1 games (and one PS2 game that I know of: ICO) in 240p format when using a component cable. It's possible that your TV cannot support this scan rate.

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Are you sure it's progressive? I have an old CRT television and it can't display anything in progressive scan.

All PS1/PS2 games have the ability to render natively in a 240p mode (lower than standard definition). Almost all PS1 games use this mode. Tekken 3 is one exception (ugh, the combing is terrible). Almost all PS2 games use 480i. Ico is one exception.

Most (all?) N64 games were 240p as well.

As far as I know, all interlaced displays can handle 240 "progressive". Each field in a 480i display is a frame of 240 lines. What this means is that non-progressive CRTs are essentially 240p devices. The lines will just "bob".

Digital displays should either line double it to 480p (then scale) or simply scale it to the native resolution. It appears that some HDTV processors can't handle anything lower than 480i, which is why you get the game image only in the top half of the screen (because it is only drawing the first 240 lines).

For what it's worth, my Sony HDTV displays the "progressive input" notice when booting up a PS1 game on the PS2.

Thanks Zing, I tried researching the tecnical reasons as to why and could never find it.