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PS2 Getting DVD Upgrade & Progressive Video?
blues5150 writes "ZDNET is reporting that Sony is going to be upgrading the PlayStation 2. According to the article "The new design will support most recordable DVD media, including DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW. The new PS2 will also support "progressive scan", a playback method used by some TV sets for clearer images, and it will come with a built-in infrared receiver for using a remote control to control DVD playback." The bad part of all of this is that they don't have dates for availability in North America or Europe."
This is a weird step, all of the protection schemes sony has been putting on the PS2, and now they are taking steps to allow dvd-r/dvd-rw to be completly supported, maybe they think backing up is fair use? Isen't sony part of the RIAA? I am a bit confused.
Posting useless rant since 2003.
Wonder if it will support VCD's this time... that would be great
Hmmm, is the removal of the firewire port a sign that Sony is moving away from making PS2 a digital hub type appliance. Perhaps they are focusing on PS3 instead in this regard. It's interesting that they never really did anything in this regard. Even having simple dv editing (once you add a hd) would have been possible and one could have imagined that you could have done some cool effects.
Sony's also getting rid of the iLink/FireWire/1394 port, some people used this for linking multiple PS2's for multiplayer.
At least mine does. Had an original one that didn't. Got this one at BestBuy about 4 months ago, and it has progressive scan as an option in the setup. It requires the use of a component cable, such as the monster GameLink(TM) 400.
Will there be an upgrade path for those of us with existing PS2's. Also I hope Sony are going to make this a PS2 - Special Edition, i.e. upgrade the CPU/graphics as well and as such they give it the ability to play new special games that won't work on the original PS2.
Now if they could have a special mode on new games that would take advantage of that cool.
Also the i.Link (firewire port is going). Only time I've seen it used is in a 3 screen display og Gran Turismo 3
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
And of course this will be another $300 for those of us who already bought the thing.
If we want the new features that is.
I'm not even THINKING about it until I hear it supports VCDs. I know the quality of a VCD is terrible compared to DVD, but a VCD is comparable to my camcorder and is sometimes the only format in which some Chinese and Japanese material is available.
I was PISSED when I tried to play a VCD of my sister's wedding in my PS2 and it didn't work.
The sickening thing is that the DVD player in the PS2 was based on hardware that CAN play VCDs, they just disabled it.
"Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
Sony SCPH 50000
Why age they getting rid of the Firewire Port? I actually have games that us it! I never understood the logic of putting expansion bays on products, then, because of "lack of support" remove it later, after I have something that uses it, forcing an interesting situation. Probbably I won't be able to use the Linux kit with the new model either. I'm willing to bet that the US release ditches the HD slot as well, as it seems that there is little chance of it being used outside of the linux kit.
Bork Bork Bork!!
I'm really suprised that burned DVD's will be supported. It looks like the reasoning is for DVD movie playback, but to me it looks like its inviting movie/game piracy. There must be more to it then just playing any burned DVD, but whatever protection is used is just asking to be hacked. I really don't see where Sony is going with this one.
take off every sig for great justice
Progressive scan and a quieter fan. This makes the PS2 much more compatible with home theatre setups. One of the things I don't like about the current PS2 is it's extremely loud fan (well if you're watching "quiet" movies or listening to music).
One "benefit" to Sony with supporting dvd-r is that they will probably sell more dvd-r burners now. Someone mentioned vcd, it makes no sense to support vcd as doing so will not drive more sales of other Sony products. I know that I'm more likely to buy a burner now since we use the PS2 as our primary dvd player and we are constantly worrying about the kids scratching up their dvd's.
If you bought your wife a PS/2 for Christmas this year, I'd bet you're STILL sleeping on the couch.
Seriously. Even the most
advanced PS/2 Models only had a Pentium-60 chip.
Next time, don't be such a cheapskate. At least get one of those Lintendo systems from Walmart....
~NBVB
The Xbox has already been through a major hardware revision (v1.0 to 1.1) which offered many of the same improvements: it eliminated a 40mm fan from the GPU, which quietened the unit considerably, and replaced the bloody awful Thomson DVD drive with a shiny Samsung that can, for the first time in an Xbox, play CD-Rs (note that some units do still come with the middle-of-the-road Philips drive though). Oh, and it has a 20gig hard disk instead of the 8 in the original Xbox, too.
Funny how Sony made a song and a dance about it and Microsoft didn't, though. Not like MS to miss a marketing trick.
You win again, gravity!
I bought my PS2 the day they came out, as a dual-use DVD player and console. Worked fine for about a year and then I got bit by the now-infamous Disk Read Error.
After the usual cleanings and whatnot the problem degraded to the point where I just got fed up and bought a brand new PS2. This time, I checked the model numbers very carefully. Here's what I found... there have been at least 7 revs, all with new capabilities. The first number of your serial indicates what you have:
Serial Number on rear of machine begins with:
version 1 = serial number (refer to yellow rectangle in right of image) start with "U1" and has 10 case screws.
version 2 = serial number (refer to yellow rectangle in right of image) start with "U0" and has 10 case screws.
version 3 = serial number (refer to yellow rectangle in right of image) start with "U2" and has 10 case screws.
version 4 = serial number (refer to yellow rectangle in right of image) start with 'U3' 'U4' 'U5' or a 'U6' and has a total of 8 case screws.
version 5 = model number contains the letter 'R' (refer to the red rectangle in right side of image) at the end (example SCPH-30001 R).
version 7 = 3900X is the new PS2 Version 7 (what I have)
Once you have esatblished what version you have, examine the limitations using this chart:
Version 1 - Basic playstation 1&2 Games no dvd-r,dvd-rw compatability, NO DVD+R, NO DVD+RW COMPATABILITY
Version 2 - Basic playstation 1&2 Games dvd-r,dvd-rw compatability, NO DVD+R, NO DVD+RW COMPATABILITY
Version 3 - Basic playstation 1&2 Games dvd-r, compatability, NO DVD+R, NO DVD-RW,NO DVD+RW COMPATABILITY
Version 4 - Basic playstation 1&2 Games dvd-r compatability, NO DVD-RW, NO DVD+R, NO DVD+RW COMPATABILITY
Version 5 - Basic playstation 1&2 Games dvd-r compatability, MILD DVD-RW, MILD DVD+R, MILD DVD+RW COMPATABILITY
SECOND GENERATION PS2 VERSION 7 - (SECOND GENERATION PS2) Basic playstation 1&2 Games DVD+R,DVD+RW,DVD-R,DVD+RW compatability
Also, the latest version (available now) does away with the 2MB code that had to sit on your 8MB card just to use the DVD remote. It also seems a bit faster to load, and the fan noise is quieter.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
v8 seemed to be a test bed for some new anti DVD-r protection. They added some extra checks for DVD media on this model (which have already been cracked by two mods).
Bottom line is that new DVD game media checks were added on the v8 console, these are most deffinatly going to roll over to the v9 if not getting improved in the process. This is to protect sony from burned games since the console will read burned media so well now.
As for progressive output, yes the ps2 had support for progressive output but in games only, DVD progressive output requires a de-interlacer which the current PS2 models do NOT sport. It is impossible for the current ps2 models to output progressive DVD movie output.
This new model will also allow the remote to turn the console on/off and eject the drive tray with a newer model of remote. The older remote requires the controller port IR dongle and does not support eject power on/off features.
As far as modding is concerned, its a wait and see situation. Hope is always there for compatability with v8 compatable mods but sony may have very well added some other sort of check.
If it supported mp3 and dvdrw then happy days. Alas it appears not
With a mod you can boot the divx player and play mp3s from there
There is a new model comming soon (unknown when) SCPH-55000 that is speculated to include a 40gig HDD and NIC (Maybe modem also?). Exspected retail price is around US $350