AV troubleshooting
AV Troubleshooting
Most PlayStation 2 video problems come down to a mismatch between the cable, the television input, and the mode the console is trying to output. Work through the symptoms below methodically before assuming hardware failure.
No picture at all
- Confirm the television is set to the exact input the cable is plugged into.
- Reseat the multi-AV connector firmly; a partial connection often kills video while leaving audio.
- If you forced a progressive or unusual mode with homebrew, the TV may not accept it. Reset the console to its default video mode.
Wrong or missing colours
A green-tinted or black-and-white picture usually means the cable type and the TV input do not match. Component plugs swapped out of order produce strange casts, so verify green-to-green, blue-to-blue, red-to-red.
A SCART or "component" cable that only carries composite internally can show a dim or monochrome image when plugged into RGB or YPbPr inputs. Test the cable in a plain composite input to confirm what it is actually wired for.
Rolling, flickering, or no sync
A picture that rolls or refuses to lock is often a region and refresh-rate mismatch. PAL games output at 50Hz and NTSC at 60Hz; a display that does not support the incoming rate will not sync. Use a console or game that matches your TV's supported frequency, or a set that handles both.
Mode and progressive issues
- If a forced 480p mode shows a cropped or shifted image, that title may be incompatible with the mode selector. Revert to 480i.
- If native progressive will not engage, confirm you are on component and that the game's specific enable method was used.
- When in doubt, return to composite at 480i to establish a known-good baseline, then change one variable at a time.