US DVD movies on PAL PS2

[softy]

I am getting my nephew in Brazil a PS2.
The thing is if I go to Brazil and buy a PS2 PAL it is going to
be US$ 500, instead of US$ 200.
So what I would like to do is buy him a US NTSC and break so he can watch PAL DVDS. Is that possible?
Ive read thru many forums and they all say that there is no way playing NTSC movies on an US PS2.

IS IT REALLY NOT POSSIBLE??? IF NOT WHY?

I tought I could do that with the chip or maybe with the DVD Region X



Please help

[Rotosound_rb666]

They're all the same ps2, dude. You can use Gameshark/Action Replay 2, version 2+ or DVD region x to unlock the region, and they play, BUT: this is a problem with the t.v., not the ps2. There are solutions: dual format television that works with both ntsc and pal input (very pricey), next, a stupid stand alone video signal converter, (sorta pricey) or go with my choice: etiher a Redeant "vga box" or the Sagestar vga adaptors, these both resolve ntsc or pal, and you get the bonus of the vga moitor's high resolution, (absolutely, positively nothing better, the picture is so much better than any t.v. set could ever manage) for under $70, and old computer monitors are a dime a dozen, they're a whole lot less than any new t.v., and 10 times better for use with ps2, games or DVD's.

[softy]

Sorry but ive made an error in my post. I want to play PAL DVD movies on a NTSC PS2.

So if i buy the VGA box i can then play PAL DVD movies on an US PS2, right?

I only ask because someone told me that:
NTSC(US/Asia) PS2 cannot play PAL films due to the difference in frame buffer lenght.


Thank you again.

[charlie_ps2]

Here is a complete answer. In short, an NTSC PS2 will NOT play a PAL DVD.

SYNOPSIS

Since PAL and NTSC are not that different in the way they encode colour signals, it's not difficult to modify the signal to achieve reasonable colour reproduction at the same time. This is achieved for PS2 with the NTSC/PAL Colour Fix.

You then end up with a signal having the frame rate/scan line characteristics of the original TV system, but the colour coding and sub-carrier characteristics of the local TV system. This hybrid provide a very effective way of "painting over the cracks" and allowing reasonable display of material in the other TV system.

Hybrid Standard...Sub-Carrier...Scan Rate...Lines...Usage
Pseudo PAL..........4.43MHz......60Hz.......525....For PAL TV
Pseudo NTSC.........3.58MHz......50Hz.......625....For NTSC TV


NTSC vs PAL

NTSC is characterised by 525 lines, scanned in two passes with alternate lines, at a scan rate of 60Hz (based on the electric mains) and with a colour carrier frequency of 3.58MHz. US TVs, for example, are manufactured to understand this.

PAL is characterised by 625 lines, scanned in two passes with alternate lines, at a scan rate of 50Hz (based on the electric mains) and with a colour carrier frequency of 4.43MHz. European, African, Australian, NZ, Hong Kong, etc. TVs are manufactured to understand this.


THE PS2

The PS2 puts out the back whatever video signal belongs to the game that is playing. So if you have an NTSC PS2 with a no-swap chip and you play a PAL game, then the PS2 will put PAL out the back to your TV.

Most of the world uses PAL standards, The USA, Japan, Latin America, Canada and a few other South Asian countries use NTSC.


THE TV PROBLEM

Rolling Screen
In theory, modern TVs from anywhere should be able to resolve either 50Hz or 60Hz. The relevant IC is normally made with this tolerance so that manufacturing can be universal. yet, for protectionist reasons, US manufacturers generally put 60Hz only ICs into their TVs making it very difficult to view anything to do with PAL - the picture rolls because of the scan rate difference.

By contrast, TVs made in Europe (except the real budget models) are able to resolve both 50Hz and 60Hz and so rolling of the picture does not occur if it sees an NTSC TV signal.

Colour/Color
Unless the TV is multi-system, (most modern off-the-shelf European TVs are), your NTSC TV will not display a PAL signal in colour and your PAL TV will not display an NTSC signal in colour.

So the PS2 offers the NTSC/PAL Colour Fix, which is documented in various places including the Messiah 2 Install Guide.

All that this fix does is to force video signal output to the colour sub-carrier frequency of your TV.

If your TV is NTSC....
... and you want to view a PAL game in colour, there is a colour fix point on the PS2 which, if connected to 3.3v forces the PS2 to put out Pseudo-NTSC (see table above). If the picture rolls, then there is little you can do to stop it as explained under Rolling Screen above.

If your TV is PAL....
... and you want to view an NTSC game in colour, there is a colour fix point on the PS2 which, if connected to Ground forces the PS2 to put out Pseudo-PAL (see table above). If the picture rolls, then, as with the NTSC case, there is little you can do to stop it as explained under Rolling Screen above.

[Gladiator]

Here in Brazil most TV's(if not all new ones) have both PAL(PAL-M) and NTSC capabilities, I have a US PS2 and games and movies work perfect. Also most movies that you find in Blockbuster and other rentals are still NTSC , just different region (region 4). The only instance i have found a PAL media was when I found a demo PS2 game included in a magazine.
I had the same inquiries as you before moving down here. BTW dont forget that 110V/220V converter!
Hope this helps.

[sioivo]

Originally posted by softy

I only ask because someone told me that:
NTSC(US/Asia) PS2 cannot play PAL films due to the difference in frame buffer lenght.

Yes. Both NTSC U/C (US) & NTSC/J (Japan) PS2 cannot play PAL films. But about Asian PS2. Its still base on NTSC/J. But the funny thing is Asia PS2 can play PAL films. Because I can play PAL films on my 30006R (Asia, HK) PS2. But I guess I need color fix my 30006R or something. Because there are no Rolling Screen when I trying to play PAL films. But the color became black and white. Notice my TVs are America NTSC 60Hz only, because I live in US

[charlie_ps2]

Originally posted by sioivo
Yes. Both NTSC U/C (US) & NTSC/J (Japan) PS2 cannot play PAL films. But about Asian PS2. Its still base on NTSC/J. But the funny thing is Asia PS2 can play PAL films. Because I can play PAL films on my 30006R (Asia, HK) PS2. But I guess I need color fix my 30006R or something. Because there are no Rolling Screen when I trying to play PAL films. But the color became black and white. Notice my TVs are America NTSC 60Hz only, because I live in US

Yes - my 39006 v8 has the identical characteristic. The reason is that Hong Kong is a PAL country so far as DVD movies are concerned. The region code is different from Japan (which is NTSC) thus:

Region Areas
1 USA, Canada
2 Europe, Middle East, Japan, South Africa
3 S.Korea, Taiwan, HK, ASEAN
4 Australia, NZ, Latin America
5 Ex-Soviets, Indian sub-continent, Africa
6 China
7 Reserved
8 International territory (airplanes, cruise ships, etc.)

So if you have a US TV then the Color Fix is necessary to force NTSC - but I don't think that works on DVD movies, only games. I might be mistaken.

[Sephiroth]

The color fix will work with games however there is no way to play PAL DVD movies on an NTSC console.

You will receive an error that says "TV not compatible" when the PS2 tries to change video modes.