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since 1st May 1998
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TV/Monitor 50/60Hz Compatibility
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Buying an imported games console is great! The latest games, often
months ahead of release in your country. But what if your television
won't support it? Using a SCART cable is fine if your television
can't handle the colour system used, but what do you do if it rolls?
With some televisions you can adjust the rolling using the Vertical
Hold (or V-Hold) control on the back of the set, but with others
it's hidden away inside, often without any markings to indicate its purpose.
Some have no Vertical Hold control at all!
That's what this list is for. Look for your television in the
list. If it's there, you can determine whether or not it can handle
different frame rates, and what modifications, if any, are required.
If your television isn't in the list, you can add it yourself. You
can also use this list if you intend purchasing a new or second-hand television
and wish to use imported game consoles, or a VCR capable of multistandard
(NTSC/PAL/SECAM) playback.
Benefits of adding your TV to the list
-
Other people who are looking for a new TV can find out what to avoid and
what to go for
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Your name will appear in the credits at the bottom of the list
Benefits of not adding your TV to the list
-
Other people can buy a non-compatible TV like yours, so at least you won't
be alone
-
Manufacturers can continue producing crap that won't support foreign frame
rates, annoying anyone who's just spent £500 on a VCR with multistandard
playback facilities and another £500 on a TV that won't support it
-
You save having to type anything in
Click here to add your TV to the list, or to
correct an existing entry in the list.
Click here for the TV Compatibility List.
It's an ordinary text file, so you can print or view it anywhere you like.
Click here to e-mail the author
of this page.
Click here to go back to my home page.
Click here for the truly excellent PlayStation FAQ.
Click here for information about Chromagic digital PSX colour correction ICs.
The key to the key
There is a key at the top of the list. Here's a more detailed
explanation:-
5 These sets can
only support pictures that are refreshed (redrawn) on the screen fifty
times a second (50Hz). SECAM and PAL transmissions (except PAL-M)
use this standard.
6 These sets can
only support pictures that are refreshed (redrawn) on the screen sixty
times a second (60Hz). NTSC and PAL-M use this standard.
E These sets can
be adjusted to handle 50Hz signals. They can be adjusted to handle
60Hz signals. However, they cannot be adjusted to handle both.
In other words, if the set is adjusted for 50Hz signals, 60Hz signals will
roll. If the set is adjusted for 60Hz signals, 50Hz signals will
roll. Unless you fit some sort of switch to let you toggle between
two V-Hold controls, you'll have to keep adjusting the set.
B These sets can
handle (or be adjusted to handle) 50Hz and 60Hz signals without rolling.
In other words, one adjustment and that's it.
WARNING
There are VERY high voltages present inside a television set, typically
around 25,000 volts, even when the power is switched off. THESE VOLTAGES
CAN KILL. Do not mess around inside your television unless you know
what you're doing. I accept NO responsibility for damage, injury
or death arising from the use or misuse of this article and/or the associated
list, or from any errors in the list.
Why I developed this list
Having purchased a Nokia SP63D1 second-hand from a person around 30
miles away, I tried it on my PlayStation to find that it couldn't handle
foreign games. Nor did it have any form of vertical hold control!
The hardware appears capable of handling 60Hz signals, but the main CPU
instructs the sync chip to accept only 50Hz. What a bummer,
eh? If I'd had access to a list such as this, I would have left the
TV well alone (I wish I had now, there's also a problem with the teletext
decoder chip locking up!). So I decided to create this list, adding
to it any televisions I came across whilst out chipping PlayStations.
Up until recently nobody knew about this list, as I hadn't publicised it.
Then I spotted that Channel
Technology were going to create a similar list. I e-mailed them,
suggesting that they link to this page instead, and they took up the offer.
So now there should be a bit more publicity, and a lot more tellies! Of course,
if I mention Channel then I can't go without also mentioning
Page Technology, who have supplied me with PSX mod chips
right from the start.