Why Can't I watch PAL DVD's on my region B PS3 + a Samsung 661F TV? - Blu-ray Forum

Mermen79 · 01-14-2008, 06:44 PM

I have a rather unique situation... After much much, trouble I was able to import a REGION B UK PS3 to the US with the help of a special friend. The reason I did that is to be able to watch current and future region locked Blu Ray's. Anyways, I set it to automatic resolution and everything is fine. Once I insert in a PAL UK DVD and try to play it, my television says "mode not supported."

I don't know what's causing the problem. I'm running it through HDMI and it is on 1080P resolution. I also have the upscale option set to "full." I have a Samsung 661F television so it's not a low-quality brand either. Any ideas?

The good news is that UK BD's run fine which is a huge relief, however, I would like to be able to enjoy my collection of region 2 DVD's with the PS3's good upscaler. Any help?

This is the television I have: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LNT466...0374633&sr=8-1

Luis_A51 · 01-14-2008, 06:51 PM

arent PAL dvds at 50hz? North American tvs run at 60/120hz. Thats probably why your UK dvds wont work

clyon · 01-14-2008, 06:53 PM

Because you probly have region '1' DVD's & they will ONLY work on a region 1 player or Region 0 (or also know as region free player).

DVD's:

REGION 1 -- USA, Canada
REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia
REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
REGION 6 -- China
REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use
REGION 8 -- Resevered for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc...
REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide, however, PAL discs must be played in a PAL-compatible unit and NTSC discs must be played in an NTSC-compatible unit.

Mermen79 · 01-14-2008, 10:40 PM

Did I forget to mention that I'm trying to play PAL DISCS ON A PAL PS3. It's not about region issues, it's about the television not picking up the signal when I click "DVD." Like I said before, UK BD's play fine.

CAB · 01-14-2008, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luis_A51

arent PAL dvds at 50hz? North American tvs run at 60/120hz. Thats probably why your UK dvds wont work

What he said.

owa · 01-14-2008, 10:45 PM

Do you only have 1080P selected as supported resolutions on the PS3? If so, try adding the others if your TV can handle it, just to see if that helps.

Bullseye · 01-14-2008, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djepic112

Did I forget to mention that I'm trying to play PAL DISCS ON A PAL PS3. It's not about region issues, it's about the television not picking up the signal when I click "DVD." Like I said before, UK BD's play fine.

Are your DVDs UK versions?

tofur69 · 01-14-2008, 10:52 PM

Your tv must also be able to handle PAL. If it does not, no dice.

Mermen79 · 01-14-2008, 10:58 PM

Is there anyway for me to uncheck the first resolution? In this case, 576. I noticed that on US PS3's you can't uncheck 480, right?

I'm confused cos I have the upscale option on, it's running through HDMI, and it's in 1080P. I thought the image is scaled to 1080p, which the television does support, right?

terjeber · 01-14-2008, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djepic112

it's about the television not picking up the signal when I click "DVD." Like I said before, UK BD's play fine.

Your TV doesn't do PAL.

Mermen79 · 01-14-2008, 11:50 PM

Is there a way to uncheck the first resolution through HDMI? In this case 576, other cases, 480. I can't uncheck it when I try. I wonder if I can force the PS3 to always be in 720 or 1080.

theknub · 01-14-2008, 11:52 PM

umm, i don't know if it will make a difference. however, if i remember correctly, there is a place to go into manual resolution settings. in there you would do something along those lines... i think

been awhile since i messed around in there

Deciazulado · 01-15-2008, 01:46 AM

I would asume that if the source is a PAL DVD (which are 50i) you'd have to check if the upscaled 1080 output is being sent as 50Hz instead of a 60i/60p conversion. As European TVs accept both 50/60, it might only come out as 50 Hz? If that's the case your display would need to accept a 50Hz signal. (Some displays do but not many)

Mermen79 · 01-15-2008, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

I would asume that if the source is a PAL DVD (which are 50i) you'd have to check if the upscaled 1080 output is being sent as 50Hz instead of a 60i/60p conversion. As European TVs accept both 50/60, it might only come out as 50 Hz? If that's the case your display would need to accept a 50Hz signal. (Some displays do but not many)

I think you nailed it... I'm pretty upset. I wish I knew the Samsung 661F was not compatible with 50hz. I wish the PS3 has a setting to change the hz output. Shame but I'm glad that the Blu Ray's play fine which is the main reason I got it. Thank you for your input.

p.s. Is there any HDMI devices that change 50hz to 60hz? If there is, would it cause a degration in quality?

Mermen79 · 01-16-2008, 05:08 AM

Is there anyway to force the PS3 to output in 60hz? Right now it outputs the PS3 menu and BD's at 60hz but not DVD's (and games I'm assuming). I think the 360 has the option of selecting 50 or 60hz. Hmm, I wish a future firmware would add this feature but I doubt it.

Is there anyway to convert an HDMI signal from 50 to 60?

Icemage · 01-16-2008, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djepic112

Is there anyway to force the PS3 to output in 60hz? Right now it outputs the PS3 menu and BD's at 60hz but not DVD's (and games I'm assuming). I think the 360 has the option of selecting 50 or 60hz. Hmm, I wish a future firmware would add this feature but I doubt it.

Is there anyway to convert an HDMI signal from 50 to 60?

This is what I was able to find on the PS3's DVD playback:

http://www.edepot.com/playstation3.html

Looks like, at least for the moment, you're stuck with 50Hz playback on PAL DVDs on your UK PS3. I think this frequency peculiarity is specific to DVD playback, however - it should not affect any Blu-ray games, though it might apply to European PS2 games.

kingofgrills · 01-16-2008, 03:51 PM

At this point your best bet would be to check out an Oppo universal DVD player to play PAL DVDs on your set. They're inexpensive, and offer really good performance through HDMI. They upscale to either 1080i or 1080p depending on the model, have region free DVD playback, and also play SACDs.

I've never tried playing a PAL coded DVD through one, so verify it converts the signal correctly to 60 Hz for your set before getting one. It also offers up to 1080i through component cable output, so that might be a solution too.

Good luck.

01-14-2008, 06:44 PM	#1
Mermen79 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:3	Why Can't I watch PAL DVD's on my region B PS3 + a Samsung 661F TV? I have a rather unique situation... After much much, trouble I was able to import a REGION B UK PS3 to the US with the help of a special friend. The reason I did that is to be able to watch current and future region locked Blu Ray's. Anyways, I set it to automatic resolution and everything is fine. Once I insert in a PAL UK DVD and try to play it, my television says "mode not supported." I don't know what's causing the problem. I'm running it through HDMI and it is on 1080P resolution. I also have the upscale option set to "full." I have a Samsung 661F television so it's not a low-quality brand either. Any ideas? The good news is that UK BD's run fine which is a huge relief, however, I would like to be able to enjoy my collection of region 2 DVD's with the PS3's good upscaler. Any help? This is the television I have: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LNT466...0374633&sr=8-1 Last edited by Mermen79; 01-15-2008 at 04:25 AM.

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01-14-2008, 06:51 PM	#2
Luis_A51 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Calgary, AB Blu-ray reviews:4	arent PAL dvds at 50hz? North American tvs run at 60/120hz. Thats probably why your UK dvds wont work

01-14-2008, 06:53 PM	#3
clyon Special Member Member since:Feb 2007 Location:Just left of the Alpha Quadrant 4K collection:57 Blu-ray collection:824 Blu-ray reviews:8	Because you probly have region '1' DVD's & they will ONLY work on a region 1 player or Region 0 (or also know as region free player). DVD's: REGION 1 -- USA, Canada REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico) REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa REGION 6 -- China REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use REGION 8 -- Resevered for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc... REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide, however, PAL discs must be played in a PAL-compatible unit and NTSC discs must be played in an NTSC-compatible unit.

01-14-2008, 10:40 PM	#4
Mermen79 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:3	Did I forget to mention that I'm trying to play PAL DISCS ON A PAL PS3. It's not about region issues, it's about the television not picking up the signal when I click "DVD." Like I said before, UK BD's play fine.

01-14-2008, 10:45 PM	#6
owa Blu-ray Knight Member since:Apr 2007 Blu-ray reviews: 96	Do you only have 1080P selected as supported resolutions on the PS3? If so, try adding the others if your TV can handle it, just to see if that helps.

01-14-2008, 10:52 PM	#8
tofur69 Active Member Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Westminster, CO	Your tv must also be able to handle PAL. If it does not, no dice.

01-14-2008, 10:58 PM	#9
Mermen79 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:3	Is there anyway for me to uncheck the first resolution? In this case, 576. I noticed that on US PS3's you can't uncheck 480, right? I'm confused cos I have the upscale option on, it's running through HDMI, and it's in 1080P. I thought the image is scaled to 1080p, which the television does support, right?

01-14-2008, 11:50 PM	#11
Mermen79 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:3	Is there a way to uncheck the first resolution through HDMI? In this case 576, other cases, 480. I can't uncheck it when I try. I wonder if I can force the PS3 to always be in 720 or 1080.

01-14-2008, 11:52 PM	#12
theknub Blu-ray Guru Member since:May 2006	umm, i don't know if it will make a difference. however, if i remember correctly, there is a place to go into manual resolution settings. in there you would do something along those lines... i think been awhile since i messed around in there

01-15-2008, 01:46 AM	#13
Deciazulado Site Manager Top contributor Member since:Aug 2006 Location:USiberia Home Theater Gallery:6 4K collection:1162 Blu-ray collection:7058 DVD collection:4065	I would asume that if the source is a PAL DVD (which are 50i) you'd have to check if the upscaled 1080 output is being sent as 50Hz instead of a 60i/60p conversion. As European TVs accept both 50/60, it might only come out as 50 Hz? If that's the case your display would need to accept a 50Hz signal. (Some displays do but not many)

01-16-2008, 05:08 AM	#15
Mermen79 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:3	Is there anyway to force the PS3 to output in 60hz? Right now it outputs the PS3 menu and BD's at 60hz but not DVD's (and games I'm assuming). I think the 360 has the option of selecting 50 or 60hz. Hmm, I wish a future firmware would add this feature but I doubt it. Is there anyway to convert an HDMI signal from 50 to 60?

01-16-2008, 03:51 PM	#17
kingofgrills Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Dec 2007 Location:PDX Home Theater Gallery:31 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:81 Trading Score:31	At this point your best bet would be to check out an Oppo universal DVD player to play PAL DVDs on your set. They're inexpensive, and offer really good performance through HDMI. They upscale to either 1080i or 1080p depending on the model, have region free DVD playback, and also play SACDs. I've never tried playing a PAL coded DVD through one, so verify it converts the signal correctly to 60 Hz for your set before getting one. It also offers up to 1080i through component cable output, so that might be a solution too. Good luck.

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