PS3 FAQ: answers to your PlayStation 3 questions
By Ryan Block 
posted Nov 16th 2006 8:17PM
posted Nov 16th 2006 8:17PM
P.S. -Check out our other list of interesting PS3 facts!
- Can you connect and play media from a USB hard drive?
We know this is the number one question people are asking right now, and we'll tell you this: we connected a thumb drive, and it recognized it. But it wouldn't play any of our MP4 / H.264 video or MP3 audio, so something seemed awry. It wouldn't even find the files on the drive, our PlayStation said there were none. So we're going to have to get back to you on this until we can do some further testing.
Update: Ittousai's PlayStation does properly read media from USB. Maybe ours is a firmware issue, we're not sure yet. - Does the PS3 really upconvert DVDs?
Sorry, no, it actually doesn't. We popped in a regular DVD (The Matrix) and it dropped our 1080p display down to 720 x 480p. We pulled it out, and it went back to 1080p. So for right now, the PS3 does not upscale DVDs, but instead just leaves them at extended def. Bummer. - Can the PS3 stream videos, movies, pictures, etc., from a PC?
No, not currently. This is something we really wanted to see, but they're just not prepared to do yet. If you're Japanese, however, you can download video via P-TV on So-net. - Would the PS3 be good replacement for or complement my Media Center PC?
That's a pretty subjective question. You can't stream media to or from it; you can copy media to it. But of the consoles, currently Microsoft is closest to getting it right with the Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Connect client, outside Sony's "You only need the PS3, as it is the center for your digital life" angle.
- How are the load times without the game install? Does the game install actually speed up load times?
We tested the install feature with Genji, and here's what we found:
Initial boot without install: 00:09:11 (9.1 seconds)
Initial boot with install: (same)
Load level one without install: 00:15:16
Load level one with install: 00:10:48
Load level two without install: 00:16:19
Load level two with install: 00:10:16
Time required to go through install: 04:14:79
Space required by install: 2126MB
Amount of level loads required to amortize install time: roughly 50 - How about compatibility of PS3s sold in Japan / US? Will they run in Europe?
We know there are a lot of Europeans feeling slighted by Sony's slashed console quantities and delayed Euro launch. Unfortunately, Europe is Blu-ray region 2, whereas the US and Japan are region 1. Games, however, are supposedly region-free, so if you don't mind not being able to watch Blu-ray movies, and can speak the language, your European power shouldn't fry your US or Japanese PS3's power supply.
- Can you change the [Blu-ray] region on the PlayStation 3 menu?
Sorry, nope! Sony is trying to stop gray-market importing, remember? - How long are the standard composite AV cables?
Ours were 99-inches tip to tip, or about 95-inches of cable (that'd be 8-feet or so). - Can you do HD in a 4:3 ratio? My 62-inch Samsung projection HDTV is 4:3, but supports 1080i.
There isn't an aspect ratio setting in the display settings menu, only resolution. The supported resolutions over HDMI are 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. - Can your PS3 fold (Folding@Home) out of the box, or is that coming in a later update?
That will be a piece of software you download on the PlayStation network. It will be free. - How easy is it for the PS3 to collect fingerprints/dust? Is it already a dust magnet?
Within a day our PS3 was covered in dust. Probably no more actual phsyical dust than any other gadget -- it's not attracting it -- but the gloss and finish make it extremely visible. Same with fingerprints. Luckily, unless you're moving your PS3 all the time, it's one of those devices you just don't really have to touch very often.
- Can you really install other OSs onto your PS3?
Yes, according to Sony you can install any PowerPC-capable Linux build. Yellow Dog Linux, however, is the most prominently supported distro announced to date. - Does it come with Yellow Dog Linux?
No, YDL 5.0, the version of Yellow Dog that supports the PS3, isn't due out until November 27th. Even then you'll probably have to get it from them or download it. - Do the PS3 can play all (or a big part of) PS2 games?
There have been scattered reports that many PS2 games aren't working properly with the PlayStation 3 in Japan, but firmware updates are being produced to alleviate these issues. Ultimately Sony's goal is 100% backwards compatibility, although we haven't yet seen a running compatibility list. - Can the PS3 video ouput be set to 16:10 instead of 16:9 so as to be connected to a 1920x1200 as apposed to a 1920x1080 display?
It only supports TV resolutions, so your monitor will probably have to upscale 720p. - Do Google web apps (Gmail, Maps, Calendar, etc.) play nice with the PS3 web browser?
We tried the lot of them, here's what we found: Gmail works in basic HTML mode, we didn't get it going in its full AJAXy form. Google maps worked well, draggable maps and all, but the format was messed up -- no search, no address entry. It was very weird. Calendar ran our browser out of memory the first time (huh?), but the second time it loaded -- awfully. So to answer your question, your mileage may vary with the fun AJAXy sites, but Google web apps didn't work too hot. - How does the PS3's browser do on the ACID2 test? Have you seen any problems with page rendering?
Ha. Horribly. Most pages render ok, but not the ACID2 test, m'friend. - Does the SIXAXXIS have a sync button? What happens if you try to associate the PS3 controller with a PC using Bluetooth?
It syncs via USB to the PS3, there isn't a sync button, like with the Xbox 360 and Wii. - How is the SIXAXIS controller's tilt sensor?
It works, but we honestly haven't played any games that implemented it very well yet. Wait and see, it's not a Wii-like scenario where motion-sensing is requisite for out-of-the-box play. Some games even allow you to turn it off (which is a bad sign in vouching for its necessity over, say, rumble). - What is the extent of the motion sensing for the PS3 controller? Will it be as dramatic as the Wii's?
It's a fundamentally different approach. The PlayStation 3 controller is a PlayStation controller first, a motion sensing device second. It probably won't ever be as dramatic as the Wii's motion sensing, but that doesn't mean it can't be immersive. - Can you turn the console on and off remotely with the controller like you can with the Xbox 360?
Yes. Just hold the PlayStation button and it'll give you a similar prompt to quit the game, shut off the controller, or shut off the console. - Does the PS3 network allow users to upload their own icons or avatars or whatever is used in the friends list?
We didn't see a method, no. Users are presented with a very long avatar list to choose from. We assume that list will grow with time. - Is there a hard switch to turn off the Wifi on PS3?
Not that we've seen -- it's software only. - Does the PS3 include an EyeToy?
No, but your PS2 EyeToy will work on your PS3. - What happens if you put a disc in upside down?
Nothing much, that's for sure. It tries to read it for a few minute, then stops trying. No error, and it doesn't spit it out. Of course, that may change with future updates. Oh, and our disc was in absolutely perfect condition when it came back out. - Could you hook the PS3 up to the Dell 2405/7 with a DVI-HDMI Cable and take pics?
Sorry Dell fans; if your monitor doesn't support HDCP, you're totally out of luck. No 1080p for you if you've got a 2404, but you'll be fine with a 2407. Gateway users, on the other hand, are good to go (after they snag that a DVI-HDMI adapter).
Hope that helps! Let us know if you've got another head-scratcher. And no, we don't know where you can get one, sorry.
I am getting a 720p flat screen tv and a playstation 3. All i want to do is play games that have good graphics. I am never going to watch television. If i play playstation 3 on this tv i get, do i have to buy anything to play high definition. Because you have to pay every month to watch tv on high definition. Or am i already going to get HD with the ps3 I hope you can answer this. Thank you
HOW DO YOU KICK SOMEONE OFF OF A GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING ON PLAYSTATION 3?
so can u play your playlist while playn your game
This might be a stupid question but what does insert storage media at the save destinatoin mean?????? it pops on on my ps3 and I dont know what it means!!
my iternet has stopped all of a sudden whys this and how can i fix this???? please answer this question
Does online play and updates chew through internet usage when using the PS3?
Does any one know how to down load music and pics from a thumbdrive to a PS3 40gig
Hi
My playstation 3 has stopped playing DVD'S, why is this?
It does however still play games, this problem has only occured over the last few days where it will not play DVD's.
Please advise.
Kind Regards
Dan
can any1 tell me what is the lowest download and upload speed you
can have be4 you get knocked out of online gaming, ineed to know be4
i buy some shitty internet for my son, he has a ps3 also NTL dont do my
area any help reply to (markmurphy007@hotmail.com)
I just bought a new PS3. I tried to turn it off by depressing the power button for longer than 2 seconds but the green light keeps flashing. Why? How do I turn it off?
hey i was having a problem with my PS3 the problem is that it wont update when i get a new game.
please answer my question send an email to toastergui12@aol.com
i am goin to replace my 40gb hard drive to a 250 gb hard drive..will i have any problems..over heating.....faulty in the system...will i have any problem...email me a.s.a.p my email:no1prince0007@hotmail.com
my playstation network wont let me sign online, i have good internet connection but when i go to internet connection test it times out what do i do?
I have a question about my system if anyone can help. It has been freezing up the past few days and now it won't recognize the games i'm inserting (any of them) I also tried the system restore with no results. I did get it to recognize a disk a few minutes ago but it froze again as soon as the preview started. If anyone could give me some advise I would really appreciate it. Thanks,
Jon
hi,could anyone help me,i've just bought a couple of blu ray movies for my 40 gb ps3 uk model,and all the colours are skew wiff,on the index,where you have 4 blocks of colour,blue says red,yellow is turquise, green is green and red says blue,does anyone no how to reconfiguer it as i'm at my wits end,many thanks,neil,happy gaming xmas
everytime i try to go online with grand theft auto 4 it says i have to update the game to a newer version... i start the update and it starts downloading then it says downloading error has occured...... can someone please tell me how to update it!!
i was playing my ps3 and when it said users when i clicked on mine my ps3 froze yesterday what should i do?
Hi all. Recently, a friend of mine borrowed me his PS3 along with an HDMI cable. My television is a Samsung LCD 42'' long and it has 3 HDMI iputs. When I turn it on, I can't see the cross media bar, but when I try to play GTA IV or PES 2009, it plays them just fine. What am I doing wrong?
do you have to download saves on your ps3 to use cheats
can you download ps3 downloads on to your psp then transfer it to the ps3
hello
when i download a playable demo from the play station store, i can successfully download it, but when i go to install it
an error comes up saying...(an error has ecured during installment...80029564)
thanks very much ;)
hello
when i download a playable demo from the play station store, i can
successfully download it, but when i go to install it
an error comes up saying...(an error has ecured during
installment...80029564)
thanks very much ;)
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
does the ps3 work as a set top box ie. record stuff
can i change the credit card settings (credit card number) for ps store since im getting a new card? and how?
i just have a question 3 ask,can u go online wjth your ps3 wirelessly?if you can please let me know
yea
"(which is a bad sign in vouching for its necessity over, say, rumble)"
You know you could turn rumble off, does that mean it was a bad sign too?
no, because sony didnt decide to put the rumble tech in their controllers and leave out something else. But they spent a ton of money and jumped up prices and left out the rumble pacck in place of the 6axis thing. and if they went to such efforts for it one would expect it to atleast be used to potential, the fact that you can turn it off means that is not worth it...duh
id rather have to option to turn rumble on and off then not having it at all.... plus the wii was able to fit rumble and motion sensor and a speaker??? why wasnt the ps3 able to do this as well? minus the speaker
because M$ and sony got sued by the company who claimed to have the rights behind the vibration feature, m$ bought 5% of the company so they get unlimited access. they wanted sony to play 96million to have the right to use it
Could someone give us the PS3 web browser's "user agent"? This way web developers can autodetect it. You can visit my page here with the PS3 browser to find out the exact user agent: www.osnews.com/ua.php and then report back here. Thanks.
The DVD upscaling issue; is it an issue of HDCP, which only allows DVD upscaling over HDMI and VGA?
The Dell 2407WFP supports HDCP, so it'd work.
How does the PS3's Blu-ray quality compare to other HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players?
How long for a SIXAXIS charge too?
It should be worth noting that as far as being a media center, some of the best media center software runs on linux, and won't have any trouble with the PS3 (excepting DRM infected files, of course). Sadly, it won't be able to handle files that require win32 codecs in mplayer, but that number is still dropping. AVIs, DIVX, mpeg of all sorts, even some wmvs will have no trouble.
If you really wanted, you could run bittorrent on the ps3 and save the files to the ps3, pc, or a network storage device. Only thing it can't do is act as a tuner (although if there's a usb tv tuner that has an open-source linux driver, you could probably even do that).
Reading the linux docs, about the only real restriction is no 3d acceleration through the nvidia chip, which really stinks. But it won't affect the media center abilities too much, and if you get desperate, the Cell can handle 3d duties too.
"We pulled it out, and it went back to 1080p. So for right now, the PS3 does not upscale DVDs, but instead just leaves them at extended def."
Can someone explain the logic of this upscaling hysteria?
If your TV does 1080 and it gets a 480 signal, and it displays it fullscreen, then the TV has already upscaled the signal by definition. Unless you mean it displays in a small square in the middle of the screen?
If you're getting a fullscreen display on the TV, it's upscaled. End of story.
The only question is the QUALITY of the upscaling. And there's no reason to expect that the PS3 will do a better job of this than the TV so I don't see what all the complaining is about. Enlighten me.
The difference (on my tv at least) is the difference between a letterboxed 480i signal and a native 16:9 1080i signal. The electron gun only updates the 16x9 section of the screen in 1080i mode, wheras in 480p mode it has to redraw the whole screen, including the black letter boxing.
I dont know how that stacks up against a native 16x9 lcd display. Upcoversion is a nice stopgap but will never look as good as a native HD image.
Can you connect and play media from a USB hard drive?
you need to have the media in proper folders for the ps3 to see them. just like the psp. hit triangle to browse all files on the disk anyway. they will play but wont show up in their respecive places on the xmb.
Can you change the language settings of the Japanese PS3 to english?
Yes you can change the language and the menus are totally in English, same as a US PS3.
Great point Yem. The hysteria that the upscaling issue created has been amazing. And even if this were an issue, wouldn't a firmware fix easily be in the immediate future?
How do the online features compare to Xbox Live?
Can you invite a friend to play a game with you and they receive an alert no matter what they are doing?
Can you play your own music files in the dashboard and then start a game and the music stay on consistently?
So I'll be stuck with 1080i on a non-HDCP monitor?
@yem
STFU, you suck. learn what the hell you're talking about before making us have to read your stupid comments. Upscaling is a process that digitally upconverts the signal into a higher signal offering better quality. Just because the tv displays the signal in full screen dosen't make it a 1080i/p signal.
chris: don't troll me, boy.
"a process that digitally upconverts the signal into a higher signal" riiiiight..
If you've got a 640x480 source and a TV with 19201080 pixels, it's either scaled in the player, or scaled in the machine. I fail to see what the difference is. In fact, the TV is probably going to do a better job since it is aware of the unique characteristics of the display.
Kindly point me to some serious info. I really want to know why it's better for the player to upscale a DVD to 1080 than to have the display do it.
lol - Chris you are so wrong. Yems is 100% correct in what he said. It doesn't matter whether the image is upscaled at the source machine (the PS3) or the display machine (the tv) it has to be upscaled at some point (or even down-scaled.) The important point is which machine has the better scaler. If a tv has a native resolution of 1080i then everything it displays has to be scaled (whether up or down) to that resolution. That's what makes the difference between good and bad plasmas - how they cope with input that isn't in their native resolution.
Muppet.
I saw the TV Commercial for the new "Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction" PS3 game. I liked the background music in the commercial, and was wondering if anyone can help me find out the name of the band or song [or both] of who performed that music.
Here's one: Why would I want one?
I agree with the message above.
Hmm, maybe it's better because the player will have access to flags in the movie file that allow software to sort out pulldown correctly and create a more 'film-like' effect. A display would not have access to these flags perhaps (unless this is passed by HDMI somehow). Note that the flags have to be correctly implemented when mastering the movie file - I'm not sure how often this is done in the real world. Hope this helps.
not yems, amos
@yem
if upscaling was that easy, you could use a crapy s video cable to display a 1080i/p signal. It's not. the tv will still register the signal as 480i/p. even though it uses the full screen, the display it's running in 1080i/p. thats why it's important to upscale the signal so the tv accepts a signal and displays it in 1080. BOY!
have you ever checked the signal of a particular device? if a signal doesn't support HD resolution the tv dosen't display the signal in HD, it leaves it. But if you upscale the signal, the tv registers it as 1080i/p and displays it in HD resolution.
"if a signal doesn't support HD resolution the tv dosen't display the signal in HD, it leaves it. But if you upscale the signal, the tv registers it as 1080i/p and displays it in HD resolution."
Who cares? In both cases you get a 1920x1080 picture on your TV. You're ascribing the difference to "hd magic".
"Upscaling" is getting huge coverage from one end of the internets to the other. Since the editors here at Engaget thought it worth of an entry in this little FAQ, I'm interested to know WHY. That's all, HAND.
Dear Engadget,
I'm really doubting your level of expertise currently. Yes, the PS3 is going to be popular, but the Wii is going to be even more popular, selling more units at launch. So why do you want to leave more of your loyal fans in cold about Wii specs? Sure, it doesn't launch for 2 more days, but Nintendo-lovers are people too, and we deserve answers to our questions!
Lol, I'm sorta kidding with you. I just want the same thing you did with the PS3 (answer questions) done with the Wii. Thanks, you guys rock!
Now now...stop all the fighting, Upscaling can be done either by the TV or the player and sometimes the Audio/Video Reciever. They all use slightly different methods and it's hardly disputable which is better. Some TVs may scale better than some players and vice versa. Taking one side on this is as bad as assuming Microsoft is only out to make the gamers happy and Sony is only in it for the money.
Who's going to be the first get PPC based OS X working on this thing?
Well in the case of the ps3 downscaling 720p games on monitors that dont support the 720p resolution, to 480p, it makes a huge difference. running a game in 720p vs 480, more jaggies and less clarity.
Upscaling in those terms makes all the difference. It's that very reason, I's say no to PS3 right now. My monitors all support 720p, but I'd rather upscale it to 1080i/p.
For a console that touts HD they sure do limit the amount of HD. No upconverting of any old PS1 and PS2 games. No upscaling of DVD's and also the downscaling of 720p signals to 480p on monitors that don't support 720p. I went next gen because I was sick of seeing 480p games and movies. Why would I go right back into it with a new console?
Upscaling:
When a lower resolution image is displayed at a higher resolution, algorithms may be applied to estimate how it would appear if originally captured at the higher resolution. The net effect is to create a smoother, less pixellated image. See here for an explanation:
http://www.av-outlet.com/en-us/dept_335.html
And lets keep it nice hey guys?
Ben, the page you point to is only discussing de-interlacing, which is an entirely different (and more difficult) process than upscaling.
I imagine that most devices use simple bilinear filtering to upscale an image. The downside of this is softer edges. I think I've seen descriptions of algorithms that attempt to find hard edges in the source material and to preserve them after upscaling.
But it doesn't really matter where the upscaling is done, so much as it matters how it is done. Fantastic upscaling done by the TV beats so-so upscaling done by the console.
Ben,
very nice example, and very well said.
Here's a question I didn't see on the list:
How does the PSP work with the PS3? Specifically, the PSP being used as a controller on the PS3.... how does it work? What does a PSP look like on the PS3 once it's connected?
I don't get it. I have a non-HDCP monitor, will anything display on my monitor at all? or will the PS3 just show me a 1080i screen? input through DVI. Thanks
Can you play COD3 on the PS3 with mouse and keyboard???????
Oh, Chris. I'm afraid you don't understand... Upscaling doesn't magically make new pixels where there previously were none. Yem is right in that the so-called "upscaling" is either done in the device outputting the video or in the display. What Yem wanted to know was the difference. The way I understand it, the difference is in how this is done. The TV just blows up the picture, while an upconverting device would use a more complex algorithm to better predict the way an image should look.
Chris, this isn't magic. Your old crappy DVDs are not going to be just as good as the new HD ones, and a 480p signal will not suddenly have all the additional detail of 1080p just because it was "upscaled". It might OUTPUT in 1080p afterwards, but the actual difference in the picture is negligible. Upscaling is just a sort of educated guess on what something SHOULD look like. It can not create extra data and truly make a standard definition signal much better, especially when it comes to video games.
The bottom line is upscaling or upconverting is a buzzword, it doesn't mean much. And Chris, the fact that you use the term when talking about games indicates you don't quite get it. I'm not trying to be mean, but you were pretty harsh about something you don't understand.
Well aaron and wizbonre... Check your tv signal next time you are running any 480p content and your tv will tell you it's displaying 480p. In fact most HD tv's only have a few component or vga or DVI/HDMI imputs that can display a 1080i/p signal. For example, I have a samsung 30 wide HD set. On the back there are two component imputs, but only one can actually handle a 1080i signal. So even if I plug in a component dvd player into the component imput, dosen't mean the tv will upscale it to 1080i. It has to be in the HD component imput. But even when i plug in a standard dvd player, the tv says the signal being received is 480p. I own a samsung dvd player that truely upscales a dvd and my tv says 1080i when I turn on this dvd player. This is standard with most tv imputs. I find it funny that you say I'm totally wrong, when you're totally disregarding the fact that an HD set can still display a 480p signal without upconverting the signal. If everything that was plugged into an HD set instantly makes any signal from 480i/p to a 1080i/p signal, people wouldn't spend sooooo much money on proper upscalers for dvd and tv like the ones through Samsung and other such companies. These systems actually increase the picture size by using software and hardware to upscale a lower resolution image into a HD image with more lines of resolution and less artifacts than the original image. It also makes your tv accept the signal through the 1080i/p imput. This is crutial, wihtout your tv saying 1080i in the top corner, if a signal only says 480p in the top corner of a 1080 set, your picture will look awefull and you will be missing 100 percent of what HD signals actually offer. That is why tv's acually state what signal is being displayed so that you can know what quality is being viewed. So to add to your comment YOU ARE BOTH WRONG. Unless you have magical tv's with magical powers? By the way I know that upconverting a dvd to 1080 won't make it look as good as say... an HD DVD player, that might be why I actually own a toshiba HD DVD player! I bought one the first week they came out after they received such high marks. And upscaling during games... yes I upscale almost every time I turn on my Xbox 360, while most games are created in 720p, I use them in 1080i on both my displays. Does it offer higher image quality... doesn't hurt it though.
"What happens if you put a disc in upside down?"
Uh...what? Are these really FAQs?
Well aaron and wizbonre... Check your tv signal next time you are running any 480p content and your tv will tell you it's displaying 480p. In fact most HD tv's only have a few component or vga or DVI/HDMI imputs that can display a 1080i/p signal. For example, I have a samsung 30 wide HD set. On the back there are two component imputs, but only one can actually handle a 1080i signal. So even if I plug in a component dvd player into the component imput, dosen't mean the tv will upscale it to 1080i. It has to be in the HD component imput. But even when i plug in a standard dvd player, the tv says the signal being received is 480p. I own a samsung dvd player that truely upscales a dvd and my tv says 1080i when I turn on this dvd player. This is standard with most tv imputs. I find it funny that you say I'm totally wrong, when you're totally disregarding the fact that an HD set can still display a 480p signal without upconverting the signal. If everything that was plugged into an HD set instantly makes any signal from 480i/p to a 1080i/p signal, people wouldn't spend sooooo much money on proper upscalers for dvd and tv like the ones through Samsung and other such companies. These systems actually increase the picture size by using software and hardware to upscale a lower resolution image into a HD image with more lines of resolution and less artifacts than the original image. It also makes your tv accept the signal through the 1080i/p imput. This is crutial, wihtout your tv saying 1080i in the top corner, if a signal only says 480p in the top corner of a 1080 set, your picture will look awefull and you will be missing 100 percent of what HD signals actually offer. That is why tv's acually state what signal is being displayed so that you can know what quality is being viewed. So to add to your comment YOU ARE BOTH WRONG. Unless you have magical tv's with magical powers? By the way I know that upconverting a dvd to 1080 won't make it look as good as say... an HD DVD player, that might be why I actually own a toshiba HD DVD player! I bought one the first week they came out after they received such high marks. And upscaling during games... yes I upscale almost every time I turn on my Xbox 360, while most games are created in 720p, I use them in 1080i on both my displays. Does it offer higher image quality... doesn't hurt it though.
Hey guys. I was reading an article over at Wired yesterday and they had a link to a list of PS2 games currently supported by the PS3. Here you go:
http://www.jp.playstation.com/ps3/status/
Chris,
Your TV is telling you the resolution of it's input signal, nothing more. If this is different from the TV's native resolution then the TV has had to scale it to fit the display in full screen, if the TV didn't do this then the image would either be a box in the middle of the screen or be too large to fit in the screen, depending on the difference in resolution. If the image was upscaled externally then the TV would show 1080 as the input resolution and you would know the TV hasn't had to do any up/downscaling.
You seem to have based you entire arguement on what you TV says in the top left corner without fully understanding what it is actually telling you.
Aaron and wizbone are also correct in saying it really doesn't matter anyway, it's all a load of hype and doesn't make much difference to the picture quality, if you want HD quality get HD content.
Looking at the size of Chris's post he must feel very passionately about this...that or his seriously compensating for something. If it makes u feel you better, go home right now and give that toshiba dvd player, samsung dvd player, microsoft xbox 360 and any other electronic appliance you might have good ol hug. Listen real hard and they mite say i love you back.
"Can you do HD in a 4:3 ratio? My 62-inch Samsung projection HDTV is 4:3, but supports 1080i."
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the PS3 didn't currently support 1080i?
Also without an aspect ratio setting when using HDMI (is component different?) Won't all res default to 16:9? Thus a 4:3 1080i set is pretty damn useless?
"I find it funny that you say I'm totally wrong, when you're totally disregarding the fact that an HD set can still display a 480p signal without upconverting the signal."
If it's a plasma or an lcd the tv has a physical resolution, and every signal will be scaled to that resolution. Is it a CRT you have?
@tidy
"Aaron and wizbone are also correct in saying it really doesn't matter anyway, it's all a load of hype and doesn't make much difference to the picture quality, if you want HD quality get HD content."
Maybe you should read my statement again tidy. As I seem to recall me saying "By the way I know that upconverting a dvd to 1080 won't make it look as good as say... an HD DVD player, that might be why I actually own a toshiba HD DVD player!" Thanks for sharing though. Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the problem, Yem, is this: while either your television or your console could potentially upscale the signal, it's more likely that the console would do a better job (than the display, not necessarily a better job than a dedicated receiver with a great scaling chip) because it can run more sophisticated scaling algorithms on a far more powerful processing core (the 360's Xenon GPU or the PS3's slighty less capable RSX). and if the PS3 is going to downscale the signal to 480p and your display is then going to upscale it to 1080i, you're going to suffer from having two lossy conversions going on. it's a copy of a copy of a copy, you know?
I presume a firmware update will fix this problem very quickly. it's just a giant oversight on Sony's part. and while 'upconversion' is indeed a buzzword, it's also a very legitimate sales point. the 360 can upconvert games (Xbox and 360) and DVD films to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p (1080p if you spring for the VGA cables) and the results are very nice because ATI built the Xenon GPU to upconvert very efficiently. the DVD picture doesn't equal that of a HD-DVD or second gen Blu-Ray (using VC-1) but it's a very dramatic improvement over the normal EDTV resolution.
The reports on browser compatibility make me cry. :( Sony, why oh why couldn't you just have built your browser on one of the FREELY AVAILABLE engines out there?
Upscaling:
1) I did a lot of research. I discovered that there is no upscaling DVD player that can do a better job than my Sony Bravia XBR 32" LCD. It's really amazing. I leave my upscaling DVD player (bought for HDMI output) in 480i. Of course the deinterlacing is very important too.
2) However, I suspect that DVD-Video and Blu-Ray Movie playback on PS3 may be primarily using the main Processor with software instead of a dedicated chip. That would save money. If so, then the software should be able to be adjusted to give a very good picture.
The disadvantage to this approach is more power. If it's done this way then upscaling should be very feasible.
Even if this is not how it's currently done, remember that a version of Linux and a lot of software for it will eventually become available. Therefore the PS3 will act as a computer for sure and definitely should be able to Upscale to those HDTV's that need it.
Will PS3 be able to display on the 30" Dell flat panel using an HDMI to DVI converter? I don't think the PS3 can output to the Dell's native resolution so would either the PS3 or the flat panel scale it?
Thanks
Sony was getting sued about the rumble, remember? I never used it, and I still think it's just a battery waister in my Xbox360's controller. I dont see a point to have your controller rumble, if it was your whole house, or chair, then hell ya I would keep it on.
@Chris
bloody microsoft fan boy. Yem was just making a comment and you had to turn this into a heated battle. A person with a life would have ended at the first post. go home and fuck that xbox360 of yours.
ENGADGET COMMENT DRAMA, OH SHI-
Hahahahaha.
OK Chris, this will be the last time I say something to you because it's obvious you're... well, not very old.
Listen, nobody was saying a 480i/p signal is turned into 1080 by your TV. What we're saying is that a HDTV (or any kind of display, for that matter) MUST scale any incoming picture to its native resolution. That does not change the signal and it does not add any additional detail, it just makes the picture bigger. And that's what upscaling is, whether your TV does it or your game console. I guess if you have a weird TV like yours and it only takes HD signals in certain inputs, then I suppose an upconverting device might matter.
Regarding the Xbox 360, I too use mine in 1080i. All it changes is the output signal, and in this case some of the clarity of the dashboard menus and such; the games are still 720p and simply scaled.
I'm not saying you're totally wrong, you just slightly misunderstand all of this. You seemed to be saying that a 480 or 720p signal that is upconverted will be as good as a real 1080i/p signal, and that's not the case. And what everyone else has been trying to tell you is that every TV will scale a smaller image up to whatever resolution the TV is. It just adds more lines to fill the space, not more detail. Tidy Boy is right; if it didn't do that you'd just see a smaller box in the middle of your screen.
Understand?
I have been saying that same thing. But upscaling is different from blowing up the image. Comparing an upscaled dvd vs a normal dvd player and I can definitly see a difference in quality. No not quality like my hd dvd player. But when dealing with a 480p signal, it needs all the help it can get when being viewed on a 1080 HDTV.
As for xbox 360 and upscaling, i never said it made it look better, it does let me play games in 720p on a 1080i HDTV. Yes the games are only still 720p, but they're not downscaled to 480p. The PS3 doesn't allow the same thing. That's whe upscaling becomes a huge issue to me in gaming. I have many HDTV's for years and have hated seeing the 480p resolution on just about everything. So for me to hear that tv's upscale all signals to an hd source isn't very true. They SCALE the image, but that's just blowing up the image to fit. Not the same thing as upscale. as for my age, no, that douche bag had that comment coming.
I think John and Bull are slow gaymers while Aaron is a smart condescending gaymer. You boys should leave solitude behind and start playing your gaymes together.
"chris @ Nov 16th 2006 10:58PM
For a console that touts HD they sure do limit the amount of HD. No upconverting of any old PS1 and PS2 games. No upscaling of DVD's and also the downscaling of 720p signals to 480p on monitors that don't support 720p. I went next gen because I was sick of seeing 480p games and movies. Why would I go right back into it with a new console?"
I think that statement resonates with a lot of players without 'New' HD TV's and for them there's Nintendo. And call me crazy but I bet your girl friends/wives will like Nintendo more than PS3.
To the upscale fighters:
I believe that upscaling is different from simply blowing up or enlarging the picture. If you display a low-res picture (like 480) on a high-res device (like 1080), *without* upscaling, one of two things will happen:
a) You'll get a box in the middle of your screen, sized to the low-res input. This would be more likely to happen on plasmas or lcds which only run in their native resolution.
b) You'll get an inflated picture sized to fit the screen, with HUGE-looking pixels -- 4x-16x the display's native pixel size. If you have a CRT computer monitor, turn the res way down and you'll see what I mean. Most modern plasmas or lcds that don't have upscaling but have been tweaked to give full display at low res will do this too, and it'll look like crap.
AFAIK, upscaling adds pixel interpolation so that a low-res image displayed to fill a high-res screen won't give you those gigantic ugly pixels. Usually this involves more than simple smoothing, like edge-detection. It does actually add more pixels, and it requires some variety of graphics processing hardware or software to do it.
Any of you use a camera with digital zoom? Same general idea, I believe. Digital zoom allows so much magnification without heavier optics because you're just inflating a small subset of the CCD pixels (ie, not using the camera's full capture resolution) and then interpolating them to fill the resolution you've selected to save images in. Of course, just like the video signals, the "upscaled" image will be inferior to true high-res images, but at least it won't look like it was produced by an old Atari.
AFAIK, the upscaling process can take place anywhere in your hardware line-up between reading the media and displaying it. It just depends what hardware you're using.
So anyway, that's how I understand it.
Can the US PS3 play PS2 games from Japan or that part still region locked?
Grr. Why would you need HDCP to run a gaming system/games in 1080p?
Hey Does anyone know if you can plug an ipod nano in using the charge cable and play your music on a PS3 or do i needa flash drive?
yea Joseph the PS 3 isnt region coded so you can play japanese games on it.... thast what i heard so dont quote me on it.
how does the eyetoy work on the ps3.I can see myself but thats about it.Is there anything else,take pics,record video?
I heard when you put a PS1 and PS2 games in the PS3 it burns it to the PS3 and you can't play it on the old playstation systems is that true?
Josh Mc, that doesn't happen
Joseph, the PS3 plays all PS3 region games but only plays the region where it was manufactured for's PS2 games. EG- an NTSC/UC PS3 will play NTSC/UC PS2 games but not NTSC/J games
I have a PS3 hooked up to my Dell 2407 via HDMI to DVI cable. The 1080p looks fantastic, noticeably better than 720p (since I sit close to the monitor).
On another topic ... I was only able to obtain the 20GB variant.
1) Does anyone know if the PSP will, over an existing b/g WiFi architecture, talk to the PS 3 hardline with a static IP for media sharing. I'll test this tonight.
2) Will an external USB drive work on the PS3. I want to install YDL, a 10GB format hit is rather large for the 'other OS'. If not, I'll replace the internal SATA drive.
3) Will Sony support USB WiFi cards with drivers now vs approved variants later. I'll test this too as I have multiple b/g WiFi USB cards.
4) Location Free futures for streaming media from a PS3 stored content. Makes sense, I thought this was planned.
5) OCAP compliancy. Sony really, if they want to be the media center, blew not planning for a QAM tuner with visibility into OCAP. This would allow true settop, DVR and tie in with the cable company as the cable company puts out guides on the OCAP stack. I wonder.
i have a japan ps3 but cant play uk dvd/blue ray on it i know because of the different regions. but what i would like to know is will the European updates work on japan ps3 and will it change the regions on the dvd player like the psp did. can someone help thanks
Can you download software onto your ps3 such as itunes, limewire? thanx