Sony PS3 issues ?

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by Rich, Feb 19, 2008.

  1. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    I called the reps and they are pretty much pointless..... all they say is unplug it and re plug it......bleh

    Ever since I bought my PS3 I have had an issue of seeing faint white lines running up the screen.

    I also have an older projection Sony TV. Its in great condition but regardless its just not up to date. So I figured it was the TV.

    But I recently tried out the PS3 on my no name TV in my bedroom and the same thing, white lines. This is my second PS3 as I thought was a bad machine.

    So I was wondering if it the fact that the TV's that I'm using not HD that I'm getting these lines or is it possible that I have recieved 2 bunk PS3's ??

    The lines annoy the hell out of me to the point that I really don't use it as much as I would.

    Should I return it or is it pointless because it not the PS3 but rather the TV's and it time for me to get with the program.

    Any help, advise ?
     
  2. pickleloaf

    pickleloaf Super Deformed

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2007
    Messages:
    5,882
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    [​IMG]



    sorry i couldn't resist

    wish i could help with the actual problem
     
  3. MANIMAL

    MANIMAL Line of Credit

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,657
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    what type of connection to the TV are you using? Component / HDMI / ????
     
  4. devilboy

    devilboy Mini Boss

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2006
    Messages:
    4,829
    Location:
    HELL
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    thread jack...HDDVD is dead and blueray is in as the new tech choice of the future...just announced officially today on yahoo.

    i wish i could advise lash...back to your problem...sorry dude... :evil:
     
  5. lgcolddrink

    lgcolddrink Addicted

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2007
    Messages:
    962
    Location:
    Houston
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Have you checked in the video settings in the PS3 menu to make sure they are all setup correctly?

    I just hope they re-release all the good HD-DVD movies on BluRay very quickly.
     
  6. BloodDrinker6969

    BloodDrinker6969 Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    Messages:
    12,026
    Location:
    Chicago, Like R.Kelly
    Name:
    RockStrongo
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Does it say "Nintendo Wii" on it anywhere? If not you may want to return it for one that does. ;) :lol:
     
  7. jojo the dog faced boy

    jojo the dog faced boy Side Dealer

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2007
    Messages:
    2,074
    Location:
    Melting in the desert....
    Name:
    Jeremy
    flickr:
    jojothedogfacedboy
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    sounds like the machines.....i've had the ps3 for a couple of months and have never experienced anything like this .....and my tv is an old standard 32", nothing special....
     
  8. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    LOL !

    Thank god I bought the replacement plan. I'm just gonna bring the sum I FART A LOT back. I stand by sony all day, but I tell ya PS3 has been nothing but a I FART A LOT since I got it.

    Thanks jojo
     
  9. pickleloaf

    pickleloaf Super Deformed

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2007
    Messages:
    5,882
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    are you plugging it directly into the TV video ports or through some sort of signal split box or VCR aux?
     
  10. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    I have component cables direct to the TV. So there is no middle interference.
     
  11. gatchabert

    gatchabert Prototype

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    6,640
    Location:
    415
    Name:
    Danny_Zuko
    flickr:
    gatchabert
    Instagram:
    gatchabert
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Get an new TV...lol.
    It might be interferance with other electronics near the PS3 or other power cables that are crossing the component cables.
    There's also display settings in the PS3. It might help to tinker with that a bit. It might also help if you say when the white lines occur. Do they occur when you first turn on the PS3? Do they occur when you play a DVD?
     
  12. joshuajh

    joshuajh Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2005
    Messages:
    2,716
    Location:
    san francisco
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    the truth!!
     
  13. toybotstudios

    toybotstudios Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2006
    Messages:
    8,108
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    could be the best single ever made. my college anthem

    (no, i didn't do a lot of coke in college)
     
  14. stealthtank

    stealthtank Post Pimp

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2006
    Messages:
    2,899
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    The problem is most likely caused by emf in your power circuit (ie- wall plugs). You can fix it by using a dvi/hdmi cable, or you can buy the shortest length of a high quality component cable from monster or the like. My ps3 suffered from similar problems. Also, try not to coil your cables beind your tv as this will exacerbate the problem by creating additional bipoles or miniature radio towers. You can also buy a nice power conditioner from powervar or the like and make sure that anything connected to your tv, or the ps3, or the wall receptacle is also hooked into the power conditioner. They are like high end surge protectors, however their primary purpose is to prevent any power anomalies, such as a negative sin wave for example. from compromising your electronics. They are very popular with audio/videophiles. The problem with high resolution gaming and tv is that it increases the visibility of annoying artifacts. Also, the cable company and satellite tv installers have a bad habit of signal boosting/ over powering their lines which also may be causing the problem. I will stop now.
     
  15. gatchabert

    gatchabert Prototype

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    6,640
    Location:
    415
    Name:
    Danny_Zuko
    flickr:
    gatchabert
    Instagram:
    gatchabert
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    wow...thank you Dr. stealthtank. I feel a little smarter after reading that. :D
     
  16. pickleloaf

    pickleloaf Super Deformed

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2007
    Messages:
    5,882
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    oddly enough, this song has been stuck in my head for days

    it's going in SOTD!
     
  17. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Thanks stealth !
     
  18. MrStone

    MrStone Toy Prince

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2005
    Messages:
    224
    Location:
    Saint Paul, MN
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    It's a common issue with the ps3 caused by the ground. Just buy a 2 prong converter plug and it should solve the problem, and will not be a safety issue as long as your using your surge protector.

    I read a long post on this a wile ago explaining the technical issues. I'll see if I can find it.
     
  19. MrStone

    MrStone Toy Prince

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2005
    Messages:
    224
    Location:
    Saint Paul, MN
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Here it is

    You've just got your PS3 home. You unbox it, hook it all up, and turn it on. You notice right away that something is wrong. There are horizontal bars rolling through your picture. They might be rolling fast, or almost at a stand still. They may just be dark bands, they may have a hue of color to them, they may be small or big. If you have your speakers hooked up via the stereo jacks, you might also have a buzzing noise in your speakers. What's worse, is even when your not looking at the PS3, maybe your watching a DVD or TV, the problem might STILL be there. You might also notice that running certain appliances might make the problem worse (i.e. the dryer, etc things with AC motors)

    What you are experiencing is called a ground loop.

    Now if you want an explanation as to why this is happening, then read on. If you just want to skip all that crap and get to what you have to do to fix it, then skip down to "Section 2"...

    A ground loop is formed when a piece of equipment has more then two paths to ground. The path between these points form a "loop" that actually works just like an antenna. It picks up radiated signals and lead resistance converts them to a fluctuating voltage. This adds to the fact that because there are two points of ground, there can be a potential difference between those points. For example, if you have your TV and PS3 hooked up, the ground on the TV side may be +2 volts in reference to the earth ground, while the PS3 may be +5 volts in reference to earth ground. This means there is +3 volts of potential between the PS3 and TV... So when you plug your video cable (wether it be composite, component, or HDMI) you get current flowing over the shields of the cable.

    Now if you've read my explaination on HDMI cables, you probably know that this won't affect the digital signal and cause the problems your seeing. Your right. But in the digital realm it's not the effect this current has on the signal, but rather the effect on the internal electronics of the TV once it get's there.

    If your wondering why your DVD player, or other components don't have this problem, just take a look at their plugs. Most manufactures of this type of equipment do NOT connect these devices to an electrical ground at the outlet. They use a 2 prong plug and let the device "float" without a ground.

    The PS3 however uses a standard "HP Style" cord, which includes a ground connection. Which is how we end up with two connections to ground.

    Now I can here you now... "Nope! This isn't my problem cause my TV doesn't have a ground prong"...

    Well, your right that it probably doesn't have a ground prong (most don't), but your wrong that it doesn't have a ground. You know that coax cable that goes out to either your antenna or the cable company? Either one of them will be grounded. If it's an antenna it plugs into your TV and hence is another path to ground. If it's the cable company it either plugs into your tv, or your cable box which in turn plugs into the TV and again is another path to ground. So even though your TV may not be grounded directly, it does have a path to ground.


    Section 2:

    Okay, so you know what the problem is, how do you go about fixing it. There are several solutions for that, but the bottom line is, you need to make sure your TV only has one path to ground, or that all grounds are at the exact same potential.

    1) You can unhook everything that has a path to ground (most likely just the cable or antenna connection(s)) whenever you want to use the PS3. That's not very practical I know.

    So the other option is to remove the path to ground the PS3 has, in other words, "float" it... This can be done several ways....

    2) You can break the ground prong off the plug of the PS3. If your concerned about keeping your cord in original condition you can get a spare computer cord and use that instead.

    3) You can break the ground at an intermediate point. In other words, get an old surge suppressor, extension cord, etc... Plug your PS3 into it, then break the ground prong off the other end and plug it in.

    4) If you can isolate the problem to your cable connection (i.e. you unhook the coax and your problem goes away, then this could be resolved by using a surge supressor with a coax loop through. Many of the ones designed for home theater use include these. You'll need an extra jumper with F connectors (the normal coax connection for cable). This will ground the cable to your household ground. While this won't prevent the loop, it will drastically cut down on the potential differences.

    5) You can also use an adaptor. These are available at hardware stores, etc... Here is an example of one at RadioShaft. You can break the small metal tap off of this and you'll have a nice adaptor you can use between your PS3 and the outlet to float it.

    Now I can hear there screams out there already! "That's not safe!!!"

    There are two things to consider about that. First, just like your DVD player or LOTS of other household electronics or appliances, it's not uncommon to have devices that float off the ground. I'll go into more detail in a sec, but if you STILL feel unsafe, then consider this....

    Your NOT really removing the ground from the PS3... REMEMBER that the whole reason you HAVE this problem is because your PS3 has MORE THEN ONE path to ground.... We are only eliminating ONE of those paths...

    Okay, I've had a LOT of people in other posts make comments about how "safe" or "un-safe" this was to do... I've even seen some wild claims like "Ohh, the first time you get a surge it'll fry your PS3 etc..." So in order to help people understand what EXACTLY the purpose of having a ground in the first place is, here's the details...

    Your outlet's (at least newer ones) will have three "receivers" for the plug... The top left is the "neutral", the top right is the "hot" and the bottom center is the "ground"...

    Now here's some info for you... The "neutral" and "ground" are the EXACT same thing... They are BOTH earth grounds... In fact, if you take the time to remove the panel from your breaker box you'll see a nice big strip in there where all the "neutrals" connect to... That big strip happens to also be DIRECTLY connected to the ground strip as well...

    So why have three prongs if two are the same? Here goes...

    An alternating current needs something to "work against"... You can think of the current as "pushing and pulling" against a car... If the car isn't there, your not pulling or pushing against anything and your not doing any work are you?

    AC current uses the EARTH GROUND to "push and pull" against... That's how it get's it's work done...

    This is the purpose of the neutral wire... It gives the "hot" something to work against....

    So what about the ground? Why's it in there?

    Well, simple.. First off... Take a look around your home. Notice that almost all the things that have three prongs have METAL cases? Like your washer, dryer, refridgerator, etc....

    Imagine this scenario... Something goes horribly terribly wrong in your washer... Somehow the "hot" wire inside that feeds one of the motors falls off... It just happens to also make contact with the metal case of the washer... What happens???

    NOTHING!!!! That's right... Nothing at all (other then the washer doesn't work)... Why? Because it still has nothing to "work against". But now you come in (wondering why the washer isn't working) and somehow manage to ground yourself while at the same time touching the metal case of the washer...

    VIOLA! Now the current has something to work against.... YOU!!!

    THIS! and THIS ALONE!!! Is the reason some appliances (again mainly with metal cases) are grounded... Inside, that ground wire does NOTHING except to connect to the metal case itself... This way, if a hot wire falls off and contacts it, it has something to work against... and because there's little resistance, it trips the breaker.. .You know something is wrong, even if you reset it it does it again... And it's impossible for you to "get in the middle of it"...

    The reason the PS3 has a ground prong is because it seems to have carried a lot of things over from it's "Personal Computer" cousin... Since most computers have metal cases, they also have a ground wire... Hence the PS3 got one as well... Why they didn't go the "AV Device" route, like your DVD player, etc.. I dunno... They should have, as it would have avoided a lot of these problems people have cropping up...
    One last comment... I've also see a lot of posts saying to get a UPS, or Surge supressor, etc. The only UPS that would solve this problem would be a very large industrial UPS.. These have big iron core transformers inside that create their OWN ground... Typical consumer UPS's do NOT do this, they just normal the ground through, so it will NOT solve the problem... Surge supressors are the same, they normal the ground straight through as well... Hence, no problem solving... You CAN buy some power conditioners that have isolated grounds... As long as it isolates the ground, then it should fix it... Otherwise, it's just as pointless as anything else... The only fool proof method of fixing this is to eliminate the multiple paths to ground that exist.

    Please note... I've seen a lot of posts on this board in reference to this where responsed have suggested getting a UPS to resolve the problem. A UPS will NOT resolve this problem. Since a UPS simply normals the ground through just like any other surge supressor or anything else, it will do nothing to solve this problem
     
  20. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    I think I will try booth as I noticed that even without the PS3 connected i get the lines and when the Ps3 is connected it just gets wose. I found a monster power conditioner with coax so I will give that a shot as need a better surge protector regardless. I will also go to radioshack and grab an adapter and remove the prong and go from there.

    Thanks for all the BEST help I could ask for.

    THIS was what I was looking for. Sony has to invest in informing there reps like this !

    Any thing would be better than the old.... unplug it..... wait 5 minutes and replug it....
     
  21. stealthtank

    stealthtank Post Pimp

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2006
    Messages:
    2,899
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Removing the ground prong will defintiley remove any incidence of ground loop, however the result is a floating ground, a situation which insures that any surge whatsoever will be directed into your electronics instead of the ground. Most surge protectors have fuses which trip with fluctuations of +/- 7 volts. Fluctutations can happen constantly and alot of damage can be done on electronics with constant pings in the +/-6 volt range and below. In otherwords, turn on your blender= a small surge; turn on your microwave= small surge, etc. If you get a real power conditioner, ground is normalized and reset to a clean 120 volts to your equipment. It all depends on how good your power is, and your personal aversion to risk. The ground in your house is there for a reason.
     
  22. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2006
    Messages:
    12,339
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Well after months of being stumped and stumping the reps at Sony the white line issue is over !!

    I bought a monster brand power strip with a built in power conditioner. As well I bought the adapter to turns a 3 prong outlet into a 2 prong. After properly installing everything and running the wires properly the white lines are gone and the system just seems to run cleaner.

    Thanks SOOOOOOOOO much for all the help from stealth and stone !

    I recommend this to anyone that has this issue. Although I would use a quality power conditioner as recommended. A floating current is like plating Russian roulette.

    I also used my THX optimizer to to get all my colors perfect. Gonna celebrate watching 300 on blu ray :)

    My next step when I have the money is to get the Monster brand PS3 composite cables. Its all about the shielding !
     
  23. stealthtank

    stealthtank Post Pimp

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2006
    Messages:
    2,899
    Sony PS3 issues ?
    Eureka!!! :D
     

Share This Page