So I recalled this forum was origin of issues like "HD games not quite HD" and so forth and thought the members here would be receptive and understanding of my currently tackled issue.
I'm gonna copy the majority of it that I posted in the GAP, so don't mind those references, but otherwise it's pretty much everything I could say on the topic. Here goes
THE ISSUE: Currently there is no way for 99.9% of people (very rare exception covered later) to configure the PSP (model 2000) and their TV or monitor to get gameplay output at a proper aspect ratio (matching that of the PSP screen - which is 16:9).
If you use it with a widescreen (16:9) display, everything will be stretched horizontally.
If you use it with a standard (4:3) display, everything will be stretched vertically.
Let me preface this by saying I REALLY like my PSP, and I want to see this fixed. But first we have to get Sony to become aware there IS an issue, so I made this demonstrative video to educate and alert others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWJnFHmKzQ
I haven't had total success with people at other venues understanding the problem, but I have faith that B3D members can wrap their heads around it and see how it's something that just shouldn't be there, and hopefully assist in getting a fix out of Sony.
I have a LOT of experience testing inputs/outputs/resolution/scaling/aspects, which is in part why I observed the problem FIRST, and then used simple measurement after to confirm the issue.
I've also had several people from around the internet confirm the issue occurs for them too.
Sony plainly advertises being able to play games with the component video out cable, at least a few instances are found here:
http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Accessories/SCPH-S180
So to those who say "this is a portable system and you shouldn't be trying to play games on a connected display" - well it's clear at least Sony thinks you should be able to, and they created a product that is designed in part to accomplish that. But it doesn't fully work as it should.
I want to mention this occurs regardless of PSP game, whether it comes on UMD or is played off the memory stick.
The problem is most noticeable IMO when playing a game you've played a lot on the PSP already and then moving to a connected display,
and also when viewing things people have a lot of everyday experience with seeing, like faces, bodies, common objects, etc.
It's not enjoyable to see someone's face or body is noticeably fatter or thinner than it normally is.
Now, I freely admit not everyone is going to notice this issue on their own, and of those that do, not everyone is going to care.
That's fine, my goal is not to make you care, but it IS to point out that things are not right, and also make a bit of noise in the hopes of getting some kind of fix.
THE EXPLANATION:
The PSP sends out gameplay in its native resolution of 480x272. That's 16:9.
However it sends this out over a 480p signal. 480p is 720x480. That's 3:2.
So you have a 16:9 aspect image being carried by a 3:2 aspect signal.
All TV's then horizontally squish that 3:2 signal either down to 4:3 if it's a standard display, or has a 4:3 mode,
OR horizontally stretch it out to 16:9 if it's a widescreen display or has a 16:9 mode.
So, what was already at the correct aspect (the gameplay IMAGE) gets squished or stretched too, as it is CONTAINED by the different aspect SIGNAL.
This ALSO explains the black border on all sides, even though the TV is set to full. 480x272 is but a small area/box within 720x480, and appears then as a small area/box on your TV screen, not touching the sides.
Now I said this affects 99.9% of people's setups. There are some VERY rare exceptions in that people might have displays with some odd or unusual scaling modes besides the standard ones.
MOST displays will come with:
-4:3 mode (or the default on a standard screen TV or monitor)
-16:9 mode (or the default on a widescreen TV)
-and a couple ZOOM modes, which maintain the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect, but overscan the image, and cut off some of the image on some or all of the sides.
But it is POSSIBLE a display might have a 3:2 aspect scaling mode. Personally I have not ever experienced one, all the Sony TVs I own and have used certainly do not.
Ironically though, I have used a Dell LCD monitor (the WFP 2407) that has its own problems and displays ANY 480p signal as 3:2 aspect and nothing else (it LACKS 4:3 and 16:9 scaling modes). That's a whole 'nother story though and point is, it takes a BROKEN monitor to be able to see the BROKEN output of the PSP correctly.
But not everybody wants to use the PSP exclusively with that particular monitor or some other rare displays with a 3:2 aspect scaling mode, NOR should they be expected to.
So, what are some solutions?
There are a couple different possible corrections.
One would be that the gameplay is sent already too wide, with a higher horizontal resolution of 540 lines (over 480) if the PSP is to 4:3 mode
OR too narrow, with a higher vertical resolution of 320 lines (over 272) if the PSP is set to 16:9 mode.
Then, when the TV does its horizontal squishing
in 4:3 mode,
OR horizontal stretching in 16:9 mode,
you end up with a proper image, and no loss of resolution. In fact there is a bit of gain of resolution. 12.5% higher in the first scenario, 17.6% higher in the 2nd.
This would take presumably a little more power for the PSP to scale, as it'd be less than the amount of pixels that the PSP uses on its own screen.
This is the same way anamorphic DVDs work, and also all console games that have true widescreen modes over standard definition. Like Perfect Dark, or God of War or Soul Calibur III.
This is also called scaling - and the PSP IS capable of scaling as you can see the menu/XMB in the video IS scaled to 16:9 properly - it fills the screen and is of the correct aspect.
The other less desirable solution is pretty much the same thing, but with decreasing the horizontal or vertical resolution instead of increasing it.
That is, the gameplay is sent already too wide, with a lower vertical resolution if the PSP is to 4:3 mode
OR too narrow, with a lower horizontal resolution if the PSP is set to 16:9 mode.
You would end up with a correct aspect again, though you would lose image detail due to the lower resolution.
This would take LESS power for the PSP to scale, as it'd be less than the amount of pixels that the PSP uses on its own screen.
Perhaps a 3rd method of correction would be a combination of both of the previous, some decrease or resolution along one axis, and a compensatory increase of resolution along the other, so that overall resolution is about the same.
This would take no extra power to scale, as it'd be the same amount of pixels as the PSP sends to its own screen.
IDEALLY, the PSP would use the entire 720x480 resolution of the 480p signal, and fill that with gameplay imagery.
In addition to being in the correct aspect in the end, it would fill the entire screen and not be in a small box.
Of course this takes the most work from the PSP in terms of scaling, as the resolution is being more than doubled over that of the normal resolution of the PSP screen. (256% higher resolution)
Now a question remains as to whether the PSP has a software or hardware scaler and how Sony could implement a solution
and IF they can implement a solution with the current hardware.
I am inclined to believe it CAN be fixed because clearly the PSP is capable of scaling the XMB properly.
The issue might be that scaling is turned off currently for gameplay because of the extra work it MIGHT take (see various correction scenarios, not all require outputting MORE pixels).
Possibly there is no power leftover to do that (unlikely, as they have shown how they could unlock the CPU to run at higher speeds, only at the cost of battery power),
or that battery life is an issue.
I would GLADLY take an OPTION to turn on proper scaling at the expense of some battery life, than be forced to view all my games in the distorted mess they currently are.
I don't think anybody could object to an option. If the distortion doesn’t bug you, then you wouldn’t have to enable it, and you'd have the battery power you always do.
Nevertheless I think this is a topic and issue ripe for discussion and I think Sony needs to speak up about what's going on with it and what they plan to do.
This is 2008; we shouldn't be futzing around with screwed up aspects still. That's so 1997.
I'm gonna copy the majority of it that I posted in the GAP, so don't mind those references, but otherwise it's pretty much everything I could say on the topic. Here goes
THE ISSUE: Currently there is no way for 99.9% of people (very rare exception covered later) to configure the PSP (model 2000) and their TV or monitor to get gameplay output at a proper aspect ratio (matching that of the PSP screen - which is 16:9).
If you use it with a widescreen (16:9) display, everything will be stretched horizontally.
If you use it with a standard (4:3) display, everything will be stretched vertically.
Let me preface this by saying I REALLY like my PSP, and I want to see this fixed. But first we have to get Sony to become aware there IS an issue, so I made this demonstrative video to educate and alert others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWJnFHmKzQ
I haven't had total success with people at other venues understanding the problem, but I have faith that B3D members can wrap their heads around it and see how it's something that just shouldn't be there, and hopefully assist in getting a fix out of Sony.
I have a LOT of experience testing inputs/outputs/resolution/scaling/aspects, which is in part why I observed the problem FIRST, and then used simple measurement after to confirm the issue.
I've also had several people from around the internet confirm the issue occurs for them too.
Sony plainly advertises being able to play games with the component video out cable, at least a few instances are found here:
http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Accessories/SCPH-S180
So to those who say "this is a portable system and you shouldn't be trying to play games on a connected display" - well it's clear at least Sony thinks you should be able to, and they created a product that is designed in part to accomplish that. But it doesn't fully work as it should.
I want to mention this occurs regardless of PSP game, whether it comes on UMD or is played off the memory stick.
The problem is most noticeable IMO when playing a game you've played a lot on the PSP already and then moving to a connected display,
and also when viewing things people have a lot of everyday experience with seeing, like faces, bodies, common objects, etc.
It's not enjoyable to see someone's face or body is noticeably fatter or thinner than it normally is.
Now, I freely admit not everyone is going to notice this issue on their own, and of those that do, not everyone is going to care.
That's fine, my goal is not to make you care, but it IS to point out that things are not right, and also make a bit of noise in the hopes of getting some kind of fix.
THE EXPLANATION:
The PSP sends out gameplay in its native resolution of 480x272. That's 16:9.
However it sends this out over a 480p signal. 480p is 720x480. That's 3:2.
So you have a 16:9 aspect image being carried by a 3:2 aspect signal.
All TV's then horizontally squish that 3:2 signal either down to 4:3 if it's a standard display, or has a 4:3 mode,
OR horizontally stretch it out to 16:9 if it's a widescreen display or has a 16:9 mode.
So, what was already at the correct aspect (the gameplay IMAGE) gets squished or stretched too, as it is CONTAINED by the different aspect SIGNAL.
This ALSO explains the black border on all sides, even though the TV is set to full. 480x272 is but a small area/box within 720x480, and appears then as a small area/box on your TV screen, not touching the sides.
Now I said this affects 99.9% of people's setups. There are some VERY rare exceptions in that people might have displays with some odd or unusual scaling modes besides the standard ones.
MOST displays will come with:
-4:3 mode (or the default on a standard screen TV or monitor)
-16:9 mode (or the default on a widescreen TV)
-and a couple ZOOM modes, which maintain the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect, but overscan the image, and cut off some of the image on some or all of the sides.
But it is POSSIBLE a display might have a 3:2 aspect scaling mode. Personally I have not ever experienced one, all the Sony TVs I own and have used certainly do not.
Ironically though, I have used a Dell LCD monitor (the WFP 2407) that has its own problems and displays ANY 480p signal as 3:2 aspect and nothing else (it LACKS 4:3 and 16:9 scaling modes). That's a whole 'nother story though and point is, it takes a BROKEN monitor to be able to see the BROKEN output of the PSP correctly.
But not everybody wants to use the PSP exclusively with that particular monitor or some other rare displays with a 3:2 aspect scaling mode, NOR should they be expected to.
So, what are some solutions?
There are a couple different possible corrections.
One would be that the gameplay is sent already too wide, with a higher horizontal resolution of 540 lines (over 480) if the PSP is to 4:3 mode
OR too narrow, with a higher vertical resolution of 320 lines (over 272) if the PSP is set to 16:9 mode.
Then, when the TV does its horizontal squishing
in 4:3 mode,
OR horizontal stretching in 16:9 mode,
you end up with a proper image, and no loss of resolution. In fact there is a bit of gain of resolution. 12.5% higher in the first scenario, 17.6% higher in the 2nd.
This would take presumably a little more power for the PSP to scale, as it'd be less than the amount of pixels that the PSP uses on its own screen.
This is the same way anamorphic DVDs work, and also all console games that have true widescreen modes over standard definition. Like Perfect Dark, or God of War or Soul Calibur III.
This is also called scaling - and the PSP IS capable of scaling as you can see the menu/XMB in the video IS scaled to 16:9 properly - it fills the screen and is of the correct aspect.
The other less desirable solution is pretty much the same thing, but with decreasing the horizontal or vertical resolution instead of increasing it.
That is, the gameplay is sent already too wide, with a lower vertical resolution if the PSP is to 4:3 mode
OR too narrow, with a lower horizontal resolution if the PSP is set to 16:9 mode.
You would end up with a correct aspect again, though you would lose image detail due to the lower resolution.
This would take LESS power for the PSP to scale, as it'd be less than the amount of pixels that the PSP uses on its own screen.
Perhaps a 3rd method of correction would be a combination of both of the previous, some decrease or resolution along one axis, and a compensatory increase of resolution along the other, so that overall resolution is about the same.
This would take no extra power to scale, as it'd be the same amount of pixels as the PSP sends to its own screen.
IDEALLY, the PSP would use the entire 720x480 resolution of the 480p signal, and fill that with gameplay imagery.
In addition to being in the correct aspect in the end, it would fill the entire screen and not be in a small box.
Of course this takes the most work from the PSP in terms of scaling, as the resolution is being more than doubled over that of the normal resolution of the PSP screen. (256% higher resolution)
Now a question remains as to whether the PSP has a software or hardware scaler and how Sony could implement a solution
and IF they can implement a solution with the current hardware.
I am inclined to believe it CAN be fixed because clearly the PSP is capable of scaling the XMB properly.
The issue might be that scaling is turned off currently for gameplay because of the extra work it MIGHT take (see various correction scenarios, not all require outputting MORE pixels).
Possibly there is no power leftover to do that (unlikely, as they have shown how they could unlock the CPU to run at higher speeds, only at the cost of battery power),
or that battery life is an issue.
I would GLADLY take an OPTION to turn on proper scaling at the expense of some battery life, than be forced to view all my games in the distorted mess they currently are.
I don't think anybody could object to an option. If the distortion doesn’t bug you, then you wouldn’t have to enable it, and you'd have the battery power you always do.
Nevertheless I think this is a topic and issue ripe for discussion and I think Sony needs to speak up about what's going on with it and what they plan to do.
This is 2008; we shouldn't be futzing around with screwed up aspects still. That's so 1997.
