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[snaildog]

I've got a 4:3 size TV, and when I play widescreen DVDs on it with my PS2, for a lot of DVDs it just stretches the image to fill the screen, so everything is too tall. The weird part is that when I push Select, go to Setup, and try to change the TV Type from 16:9 to 4:3, it just refuses - the option is 'stuck', and it won't bring up the submenu. I can change it to 4:3 in the options screen on the PS2 when it doesn't have a disc in it, but it jumps back when I play a DVD. I've tried it on two different TVs. Has anyone else had this problem or know how to fix it? Cheers!

 

[Diablos]

you have to press STOP, then access the menu while the screen is black.
n00b!

 

[snaildog]

:lol Thankyou! WTF have I been doing with my life?!

 

[themadcowtipper]

WTF have I been doing with my life?!

Wasting it apparently

 

[snaildog]

A few of my DVDs, even from when they were brand new, seem to freeze in one particular place on the PS2 but work in my computer. Do you guys have similar problems? Is there much wrong with the discs or is the PS2 that bad?

 

[Miniboss]

A few of my DVDs, even from when they were brand new, seem to freeze in one particular place on the PS2 but work in my computer. Do you guys have similar problems? Is there much wrong with the discs or is the PS2 that bad?

The PS2 sucks as a DVD player. When I bought Kill Bill Vol. 2 on DVD, I decided to watch it on my PS2 (for whatever reason). It was fine until it got to the very last chapter of the movie. The DVD stopped playing and the PS2 was complaining about a disc read error. There was not a single scratch on the DVD.

 

[snaildog]

Hmm, it does suck doesn't it. Would a really cheap DVD player (the kind you find in supermarkets!) be any better? Or how about an Xbox?

 

[mrkgoo]

Snaildog: I got my PS2 back when it was around $6-700 (release of GT3). I remember having the exact same problem witht eh ratio setting! Common issue. You'd think they'd sort it out by now (or atleast provide a warning when you try to change while playing.

Also, the PS2 seems ot be pretty dodgy in terms of layer changes. A combination of particular disc and particular player cna cause skips, or disc-read-errors at the layer change point (typically about 1:17ish into a movie). It's not really a disc thing, but it can help to get different copies of discs. It's not really a player thing, either, but rather acombination of poor disc/poor pleyer. It's REALLY frustrating for me - everytime I get a new DVD, it becomes a stressful experience to see if it has layer change issues with my PS2 (my only player at the moment), seeing as it's particularly difficult to return DVDs. I still do though. A few movies have issues and I try to return them (whitcoulls). The scenario is nearly always like this:

Me: Hi, I got this DVD yesterday, and it skips/stops playing at around this point.

(I know it's not really the disc, and is kind of because I use a PS2, but having a new disc can sometimes help, so it's not entirely the player problem either)

Them: Ok, let's see.

*puts the disc into a flash DVD player on display and fast forwards to the point I say*
(naturally, I get scared, because the skip NEVER shows up on other players)

Them: Doesn't seem to be a problem here.

Me: Well, I've had issues before, and getting a new disc normally solves the problem.

Them: IF there's no fault, we can't accept a return for piracy reasons.

Me: Well, I've just bought a disc from you that I can't watch then. What am I supposed to do with it? It's not like I'm asking for my money back, I jsut want anotehr copy of the disc. If I were to have copied it, why would I want the same movie again?

Them: *stares at me*
Me: *stares at tehm*

Them: Ok, we'll get you a new one.


God, I hate having to go through that. I should just suck it up and get a proper player some time.

Snaildog: Did you get an old PS2 or a new PSTWO? Curious, because I was wondering if later models improved the layer prob.

 

[xsarien]

A few of my DVDs, even from when they were brand new, seem to freeze in one particular place on the PS2 but work in my computer. Do you guys have similar problems? Is there much wrong with the discs or is the PS2 that bad?

It's the layer change, you can't do much about it. Some DVD players just handle it more gracefully than others.

Edit: Oh, I thought you meant a brief freeze and then it'd continue on. Nevermind.

 

[Nerevar]

Hmm, it does suck doesn't it. Would a really cheap DVD player (the kind you find in supermarkets!) be any better? Or how about an Xbox?

xbox is luck of the draw (depending on who manufactured the drive inside the big black box). It isn't too hot on IQ though. I've found cheapo-progressive scan DVD players to be much better.

 

[mrkgoo]

It's the layer change, you can't do much about it. Some DVD players just handle it more gracefully than others.

Edit: Oh, I thought you meant a brief freeze and then it'd continue on. Nevermind.

Nope that's definitely the layer chagne issue. It's just that the PS2 can handle it so 'ungracefully', that it skips after that, or fails to read entirely. I've found as my ps2 gets older, it develops the layer change pauses (brief pause then continue, as you desribe), on discs that it never had a problem with before. Crap machine build I say.

Although, I hear that sometimes the discs get air in between the layers, and it eventually causes problems. Digital age -no loss of quality over time, my buttocks!