HDTV: how does last gen look on your hd tv?

hey guys,

i have a 32inch hdtv lcd... and im looking into getting a ps2. does the ps2 look ok on the newer tvs? or do i have to get a ps3? I was looking to play god of war 2 and nba 2k8. i figured ps2 would do the trick.

The way I usually describe HDTV's is that they're like cleaning the windows in your house. You see the garden better, but that includes the weeds. The PS2 isn't the most advanced system out there, and the graphical limitations are very evident on the clarity of an HDTV. If you're fine seeing all the good AND bad of a PS2 image, its fine to play on an HDTV. If you want the games upscaled to look a little better, you'll need to get the PS3.

Either way, I'd wait until the holiday season. I expect price drops or at least bundled extras on both consoles.

I have a 32" Sammy, and I'm not gonna lie:

Last gen looks flat terrible on it. Atrocious. Abominable.

I've noticed the PS2 looks the worst out of the bunch, but I've heard this is due to the PS2 not being locked in with any specific resolutions. Instead of simply 480i/p, there are all sorts of wacky rezes on PS2 games that make even more scaling necessary.

On top of that, I'm still not 100% sold on the benefits of LCD over a good old-fashioned CRT display. CRT's have deeper blacks, no smearing, clouding, or ghosting. And as for plasma? Forget it. Does the ideaof having lifebars and HUDs permanently burnt into your screen sound appealing? If not, forget even thinking about a plasma at this point.

My advice would be to hold off on purchasing an HDTV if all you're going to play on it for the immediate future is PS2 games. The prices continue to drop and the tech continues to improve (just look at the difference in contrast ratios these days, 8000:1 was good last year, while now you can find 15000:1 ratios).

And watching cable television looks like absolute butt on one. Sure, you can pay an extra twenty bucks a month for a hi-def cable box, but that doesn't change the fact that standard def programming (which constitutes 98% of the channels you'd be getting, even WITH a hi-def box) look like butt on a hi-def display.

I have a 32" Sammy, and I'm not gonna lie:

Last gen looks flat terrible on it. Atrocious. Abominable.

I've noticed the PS2 looks the worst out of the bunch, but I've heard this is due to the PS2 not being locked in with any specific resolutions. Instead of simply 480i/p, there are all sorts of wacky rezes on PS2 games that make even more scaling necessary.

On top of that, I'm still not 100% sold on the benefits of LCD over a good old-fashioned CRT display. CRT's have deeper blacks, no smearing, clouding, or ghosting. And as for plasma? Forget it.Does the ideaof having lifebars and HUDspermanently burnt into your screen sound appealing? If not, forget even thinking about a plasma at this point.

My advice would be to hold off on purchasing anHDTV if all you're going to play on it for the immediate future is PS2 games. The prices continue to drop and the tech continues to improve (just look at the difference in contrast ratios these days, 8000:1 was good last year, while now you can find 15000:1 ratios).

And watching cable television looks like absolute butt on one. Sure, you can pay an extra twenty bucks a month for a hi-def cable box, but that doesn't change the fact that standard def programming (which constitutes 98% of the channels you'd be getting, even WITH a hi-def box) look like butt on a hi-def display.

Shame-usBlackley

iwill agree with your overall notion that HD is really irrelevant for a ps2, i think you are being a little overzealous about plasmas, they are fine if you buy a newer set that isnt some budget walmart junk (not saying all tvs at walmart are junk, but they do have some of the real bad quality stuff there also).

standard def doesntook like butt on my 40" 1080psammy though but maybe thats just on a per tv basis. it looks... like standard def. i dont pay anything extra for the HD box i have (cable), and while it isnt as high quality as satellite, it looks superb on the HD channels.

personally, i would say around the holiday is a great time to buy, or even right aftter if you can wait. the deals are outstanding, and sure you can wait for the new tech, but then the price is higher.

however, the OP isnt asking whether or not to buy one, he already has it. will ps2 games look okay on it? sure. they wont be crisp like a next gen system but it will look ok. however, it would look pretty ok on a SDTV also. the ps2 age graphics have NOT aged well. however, i play SNES games on my HDTV and they look amazing.

I have a 32" Sammy, and I'm not gonna lie:

Last gen looks flat terrible on it. Atrocious. Abominable.

I've noticed the PS2 looks the worst out of the bunch, but I've heard this is due to the PS2 not being locked in with any specific resolutions. Instead of simply 480i/p, there are all sorts of wacky rezes on PS2 games that make even more scaling necessary.

On top of that, I'm still not 100% sold on the benefits of LCD over a good old-fashioned CRT display. CRT's have deeper blacks, no smearing, clouding, or ghosting. And as for plasma? Forget it. Does the ideaof having lifebars and HUDs permanently burnt into your screen sound appealing? If not, forget even thinking about a plasma at this point.

My advice would be to hold off on purchasing an HDTV if all you're going to play on it for the immediate future is PS2 games. The prices continue to drop and the tech continues to improve (just look at the difference in contrast ratios these days, 8000:1 was good last year, while now you can find 15000:1 ratios).

And watching cable television looks like absolute butt on one. Sure, you can pay an extra twenty bucks a month for a hi-def cable box, but that doesn't change the fact that standard def programming (which constitutes 98% of the channels you'd be getting, even WITH a hi-def box) look like butt on a hi-def display.

Shame-usBlackley

I have a 32" Sammy, and I'm not gonna lie:

Last gen looks flat terrible on it. Atrocious. Abominable.

I've noticed the PS2 looks the worst out of the bunch, but I've heard this is due to the PS2 not being locked in with any specific resolutions. Instead of simply 480i/p, there are all sorts of wacky rezes on PS2 games that make even more scaling necessary.

On top of that, I'm still not 100% sold on the benefits of LCD over a good old-fashioned CRT display. CRT's have deeper blacks, no smearing, clouding, or ghosting. And as for plasma? Forget it. Does the ideaof having lifebars and HUDs permanently burnt into your screen sound appealing? If not, forget even thinking about a plasma at this point.

My advice would be to hold off on purchasing an HDTV if all you're going to play on it for the immediate future is PS2 games. The prices continue to drop and the tech continues to improve (just look at the difference in contrast ratios these days, 8000:1 was good last year, while now you can find 15000:1 ratios).

And watching cable television looks like absolute butt on one. Sure, you can pay an extra twenty bucks a month for a hi-def cable box, but that doesn't change the fact that standard def programming (which constitutes 98% of the channels you'd be getting, even WITH a hi-def box) look like butt on a hi-def display.

Shame-usBlackley

lol thanks guys,

yeah maybe ill wait for the holiday season. out of college working with some extra money now. the rumor of $399 40 gig model with spiderman 3 blu-rays really got me tempted. well see if that pans out. youre right about the new tv's looking like butt. my cousin has a sony bravia. and i hooked up my gamecube on it to play RE4. looked TERRIBLE. on a $3000 tv.

So im guessing unless i have a ps3 with hdmi cables, anything else will look just as bad.

I think he already has the HDTV and wants to know if he should even try playing PS2 games on it or if he should get a PS3 to upscale them. You're dead right on LCD vs CRT, though--I made sure to get a CRT when I I got mine, and I'm not sorry. It's big and heavy, but looks teriffic and scales beautifully. Unfortunately, manufacturers and retailers are slowly killing CRTs off.Shifty_Pete

Slysdexia strikes again! :P

Yeah, I thought he had the PS2 but not the TV, but I still say he's going to be mad disappointed when he hooks a PS2 up to an HD. Perhaps not as much as I was when I went from using a standard-def CRT to a hi-def LCD, though. Here I had a brand new TV, and the games on my PS2 looked worse than on my supposedly crappy old CRT.

And speaking of CRT, it's a crying shame that they're dumping them. They look much better in my opinion.

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

I have a 32" Sammy, and I'm not gonna lie:

Last gen looks flat terrible on it. Atrocious. Abominable.

I've noticed the PS2 looks the worst out of the bunch, but I've heard this is due to the PS2 not being locked in with any specific resolutions. Instead of simply 480i/p, there are all sorts of wacky rezes on PS2 games that make even more scaling necessary.

On top of that, I'm still not 100% sold on the benefits of LCD over a good old-fashioned CRT display. CRT's have deeper blacks, no smearing, clouding, or ghosting. And as for plasma? Forget it. Does the ideaof having lifebars and HUDs permanently burnt into your screen sound appealing? If not, forget even thinking about a plasma at this point.

My advice would be to hold off on purchasing an HDTV if all you're going to play on it for the immediate future is PS2 games. The prices continue to drop and the tech continues to improve (just look at the difference in contrast ratios these days, 8000:1 was good last year, while now you can find 15000:1 ratios).

And watching cable television looks like absolute butt on one. Sure, you can pay an extra twenty bucks a month for a hi-def cable box, but that doesn't change the fact that standard def programming (which constitutes 98% of the channels you'd be getting, even WITH a hi-def box) look like butt on a hi-def display.

phonghua

lol thanks guys,

yeah maybe ill wait for the holiday season. out of college working with some extra money now. the rumor of $399 40 gig model with spiderman 3 blu-rays really got me tempted. well see if that pans out. youre right about the new tv's looking like butt. my cousin has a sony bravia. and i hooked up my gamecube on it to play RE4. looked TERRIBLE. on a $3000 tv.

So im guessing unless i have a ps3 with hdmi cables, anything else will look just as bad.

not at all. its particularly the ps1/2 because of all the jaggies all over it. SNES and earlier games look great, gamecube games are decent, and anything current gen looks great. even the wii which is basically a gamecube looks good on HD.

personally if you think the $399 ps3 will happen, or can save an extra hundo i would go that route. at least that way if you arent happy with how ps2 games look, you have a next gen system that makes use of the HD set.

480p looks ok on my Sharp Aquos 32" 1080p

But 480i doesn't look really good.

Pretty good... if they have progressive scan, they'll look great; if not, they'll still look okay.

Metroid Prime and Starfox Adventures look almost next-gen on my 40" 1080p Bravia...

It varies a bit between how the different consoles will look on a HD set. Something you should get from the start is getting either a set of component or rgb scart cables to go with the console. That will make the picture sharper than the composite cables the PS2 comes with.

If all you've ever played is last gen consoles and games, don't worry about how it will look. It's when you've tried the current gen and go back to play the older two the experience becomes a bit jarring.

The way I usually describe HDTV's is that they're like cleaning the windows in your house. You see the garden better, but that includes the weeds. The PS2 isn't the most advanced system out there, and the graphical limitations are very evident on the clarity of an HDTV. If you're fine seeing all the good AND bad of a PS2 image, its fine to play on an HDTV. If you want the games upscaled to look a little better, you'll need to get the PS3.

Either way, I'd wait until the holiday season. I expect price drops or at least bundled extras on both consoles.

Shifty_Pete

This is one of those issues that really depends on the TV. I don't own a PS2, but my GC games look fine on my 37" LCD, not necessarily better than they would on a CRT, but not worse either (except for obviously having black bars on the sides on 4:3 games).

Thing you have to realize is that different TVs perform better at stretching images to fit them. This is a big part of why some HDTVs don't display standard cable very well (other do, for the record).

That said, if you have a high-definition display, you'll probably be happier playing high-definition games (or at least games with true support for 480p widescreen). So current gen is the best bet right now.

Regarding the issue of LCDs versus CRTs, I'm now an LCD user on both my monitor and television, and I'm never going back. Colors are brighter and more vibrant, there's no annoying hum or high-pitched whine of any kind, they use far less power (lower energy bills), generate less heat, and everything typically looks crisper and sharper. Even compared to my dad's 720p tube HDTV, my LCD is better.

It's true that they have worse definition in darks, but it's improving, and if you have a good TV it's not a problem at all.

PS2 games look damn good too me with my Samsung playing in Game-mode. Although I play just a few PS2 games on it.

Tekken 5 looks incredible, Ace Combat 4 & 5 look a little better, Socom Combined Assault looks a little better. And all of this is in 480i using S-Video.

This is one of those issues that really depends on the TV. I don't own a PS2, but my GC games look fine on my 37" LCD, not necessarily better than they would on a CRT, but not worse either (except for obviously having black bars on the sides on 4:3 games).

Thing you have to realize is that different TVs perform better at stretching images to fit them. This is a big part of why some HDTVs don't display standard cable very well (other do, for the record).

That said, if you have a high-definition display, you'll probably be happier playing high-definition games (or at least games with true support for 480p widescreen). So current gen is the best bet right now.

Regarding the issue of LCDs versus CRTs, I'm now an LCD user on both my monitor and television, and I'm never going back. Colors are brighter and more vibrant, there's no annoying hum or high-pitched whine of any kind, they use far less power (lower energy bills), generate less heat, and everything typically looks crisper and sharper. Even compared to my dad's 720p tube HDTV, my LCD is better.

It's true that they have worse definition in darks, but it's improving, and if you have a good TV it's not a problem at all.

OremLK

the picture difference between flat panels and CRTs is a debatable issue of choice, but eventually as time goes on, flat panel tech is just going to get better and better. CRT isnt going to get any better. itis a dying dinosaur and with good reason.

My Wii and PS2 look awful. Yes, Wii is last gen.

My PS3 upscales my PS2 games though and they look smoother than the PS2 on SD did.