CRT Monitor supporting Sync-on-Green + PlayStation2 = success?

I'm sitting on a Sony CRT Monitor which supports Sync-on-Green (SoG). I'm also sitting on a PlayStation2, which can output RGB (SoG) over component. My aim is to connect the PS2 to the VGA port of the CRT. Would this setup work?

(Output PS2 multi-AV port ->) Multi-AV component cable


-> Component 3xRCA to VGA adapter cable (-> input CRT VGA port)

Yes, but almost all PS2 games output 480i so make sure the CRT will accept interlaced resolutions.

nomu said:

Yes, but almost all PS2 games output 480i so make sure the CRT will accept interlaced resolutions.

Click to expand...

Pardon my ignorance, but I've googled around and concluded that:

576i = Horizontal 15KHz + Vertical 50Hz scan frequency (576i since I'm in PAL territory)

and the specification says:

Horizontal scan range: 30-96kHz
Vertical scan range: 48-120Hz

Does this mean I'm screwed due to the horizontal frequency being out of range?

The specification can be found here: https://www.ad.no/pdf/Sony/Cpdg200.pdf

Do you have any games that support progessive scan (480p)?

There is an official PS2 VGA cable, but be aware that most games do not support it and it was only included with the PS2 Linux kit. Maybe some of the games that support 1080i will let you use it as well (yes, the PS2 actually runs some games at that resolution).

I don't think your monitor can display interlaced resolutions. That limits you to games that support 576p...on PAL you can probably count those games on one hand. You need a VGA box

Armatoste said:

Do you have any games that support progessive scan (480p)?

Click to expand...

Doesn't seem like it after checking the Wikipedia entry.

nomu said:

I don't think your monitor can display interlaced resolutions. That limits you to games that support 576p...on PAL you can probably count those games on one hand. You need a VGA box

Click to expand...

Sad but true. One of the reasons I'm doing all of this though is to try the waters for a future PS3 setup without a VGA box, since PS3 games obviously do progressive scan. But does the PS3 even do RGsB over component in the same way that the PS2 does? EDIT: A quick trip to Google indicates that the PS3 does not support component RGB, only YPbPr. Poo.

(If I could get hold of a PS2-compatible PS3 it would be even better since I believe the PS3 does PS2 games in 480p/576p )

For the hacking inclined... I did find this utility which tries to patch 480p support into any given PS2 game disc ISO image, although I had to do a little porting to get it compiling on Linux. I have no idea whether it actually works for any of my games, as I haven't got the means to load patched games on my PS2.

The 480P forcer only works on a handful of titles. More likely it just causes video glitching or blank screens. A handful of titles (e.g. Star Ocean 3) support 480P directly, but most do not. If your goal is to play on a CRT, I'd recommend just getting an XRGB2 instead. While you can use a PS3 w/ BC, from what I hear the scaling algorithm is kind of lazy and introduces some minor lag compared to a proper upscan device.

alamone said:

The 480P forcer only works on a handful of titles. More likely it just causes video glitching or blank screens. A handful of titles (e.g. Star Ocean 3) support 480P directly, but most do not. If your goal is to play on a CRT, I'd recommend just getting an XRGB2 instead.

Click to expand...

I see. It was a bit of a longshot, also considering that I'd have to invest in mods to run the patched games. I'm not sure whether a VGA box is worth its price - hence I was curious to see whether it would work without one. Is there even a CRT monitor that does both RGsB _and_ interlaced resolutions?

alamone said:

While you can use a PS3 w/ BC, from what I hear the scaling algorithm is kind of lazy and introduces some minor lag compared to a proper upscan device.

Click to expand...

I've heard that as well, it's like 2-3 frames (which at 50fps is 40-60ms)? At any rate it seems I can't use a PS3 with my CRT either, since the component RGB option that was present in the PS2 seems to be missing from the PS3. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Sounds like it's time for a VGA box. Or a new monitor. Or both.

silent-circuit said:

Or a new monitor.

Click to expand...

Bah! You'll have to pry my CRT from my cold, dead hands!

...seriously though, you're right. Seems like I can't get what I want this time. I'm a bit bummed that Sony aren't making their consoles more friendly to computer monitors. RGBHV, 16:10 output and an official VGA cable, is that too much to ask?