Please help: PS3 Blu-ray movies look bad on 42" Plasma LG 42PC3D 720p

[canabiz]

Hello folks, I bought a PS3 yesterday and hooked it up to my TV (via HDMI) which is a 720p 42" Plasma LG 42PC3D. I went through the set-up and popped in a Blu-ray movie.

Letdown is an understatement, the picture quality was nowhere near what I expected, it's *jerking* and *stuttering* for a lack of a better word. I tried every single setting available on both the PS3 and the TV, to no avail. This is so disappointing folks, I was so looking forward to be able to finally watch Planet Earth on Blu-ray and this is definitely not what I have in mind.

I then tried a *downloaded* movie that I burnt onto a DVD and it was really good, no jerking or juddering problem. Is it because of my TV folks? Damn, I didn't expect to have to buy another TV. I did some Googling and it seems LG Plasma has trouble with 24hz output. Could that be the issue?

Please advise if there's any workaround. Thank you.

[57]

Turn off the 24 Hz option in the PS3

[canabiz]

I did and the problem did go away. Thanks boss. Can't tell if the quality will suffer as a result but it's good on the eyes for now.

[57]

If you currently have the output set at 720P or "auto", you may wish to try a fixed 1080i. Most (non-1080P) TVs prefer 1080i input signals. Your TV is 768P.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=73528

[Tanta]

My guests brought over their PS3 over the holidays and I was able to connect it to a 24 inch CRT TV through the component inputs, but not to the component 2 input of my 55 inch RPTV HD TV. No image ever appears through the latter as if no signal is recognized. I am set correctly to component 2 input. While connected on the 24 inch TV, I tried 'forcing' YGB output and HDMI is set to off on the PS3 to no avail. Any ideas?

[57]

What's the make/model of the RPTV? Set the output format to 480i or 1080i. Did you try component 1? Make sure the cable colours are correct red to red, etc. Here's a list of things to check:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=19694

[Tanta]

Thanks 57, component 2 input works perfectly with my bluray player; but doesn't recognize the PS3. Do you mean setting the output format at the PS3 end? I am not sure it is that specific on the PS3 menu, but I will have another look. The TV model is in my signature; manufactured by Samsung but branded under Akai (2004).

[jumpy27]

Make sure the PS3 is set to output 1080I.

[Tanta]

The way the PS3 works is that it tests the chosen resolutions; my 24 inch SDTV does not support 1080i, so after 30 secs, the PS3 reverts to standard NTSC. I cannot save this resolution for use on my HDTV, and cannot force it to stay at any other resolution. I cannot get to the menuing system on the PS3 from my HDTV. Stuck!

[jayoldschool]

Press and hold the power button on the PS3 until the SECOND beep. This will reset the video output, and allow you to go through the setup.

[Tanta]

I tried that first, and many times with the TV on or off first relative to the PS3. The PS3 shuts off right after the second beep - about 5 seconds - even if you remove your finger from the power switch very quickly - the button turns red and the system powers down. This changes nothing on my HDTV. Looking at the menu on my SDTV, I see that it is mostly at default settings (i.e. No HDMI). On my TV which does not support 1080i, can I hit 'X' twice after selecting the 1080i resolution and then exit keeping that setting?

[Neild]

Originally Posted by Tanta

I tried that first, and many times with the TV on or off first relative to the PS3. The PS3 shuts off right after the second beep - about 5 seconds - even if you remove your finger from the power switch very quickly - the button turns red and the system powers down. This changes nothing on my HDTV. Looking at the menu on my SDTV, I see that it is mostly at default settings (i.e. No HDMI). On my TV which does not support 1080i, can I hit 'X' twice after selecting the 1080i resolution and then exit keeping that setting?

It is supposed to power down quickly like that. You are doing a video reset of the PS3, which it takes it down to basic video levels. It's designed for the situation where you maybe had the PS3 plugged into a modern 1080p television set for 1080p output, and then you move the PS3 to some older more basic TV that can't accept the signal.

That's very much your case I believe as your 55 inch RPTV is, sad to say this, pretty old.

TV's of that vintage didn't support many of these higher modes. And sometimes, even if a TV like that did at one time accept say 720p, it would be at the borderline of what the circuit boards could accept, and over time their ability to process the higher bandwidth was sketchy.

Anyway I think the reset takes it down to 480i or 480p and clears the check boxes for those higher modes.

Can you hook up the composite connection to troubleshoot this? I believe you are calling that 'SD' right? (NTSC is not an relevant here) You may know this already but composite is the single wire video, usually carried over a cable with yellow ends and typically called 'AV' input on a lot of TV's.

I would recommend booting up and viewing the PS3 XMB menu screen over your composite video. Using that, then change your component display settings down to the lowest possible, 480i.

Triple check your wiring to make sure you are indeed using red-red blue-blue and green-green. I have seen dozens upon dozens of cases where people mixed the blue and green wires because they can look similar in dim light.

If you can get 480i to work, they progressively test better display resolutions in that XBM display test function that it sounds like you are familiar with.

If 480i doesn't work, try 480p. Also try the component 1 vs component 2. Old TV's like that sometimes only had the 'good' circuit attached to one of the inputs, meaning that one of them can accept the higher progressive signal and the other sometimes can't.

[Tanta]

Thanks NeilD, I will try that tomorrow morning, once the effects of the champagne have worn off! Happy New Year!