Framemeister and PS1 NTSC games on modded PAL console

[aioneldotnet]

Does anyone have any experience with using Framemeister and running NTSC games on PS1 console PAL version that has been modded to be region-free?

I have been playing on the PS1 console PAL version (the original, "fat" edition) since 1996 until it died in about 2000. Since I've been told then it would be cheaper to buy new PSone (the "slim" edition of PS1) than to repair the old one I did so. Both of them have been modded, but rather to play NTSC games that have been never released in Europe (Final Fantasy Tactics, Legend of Mana, Wild Arms 2, SaGa Frontier 1 etc.) along with all other games released in PAL, rather than for running pirated copies. I'm using the modded PSone since then up to now. I'm sorry, but I don't know what modding chip is installed, as it was done at store when buying the console (yep, they did it secretly in the official Sony shop, which was nothing unusual back then).

I have been experimenting with running it on LCD TV both ways: connected via Euro SCART directly to TV and recently by using Framemeister. In all cases connection is done via RGB SCART cable.

I have never experienced any problems with direct connection to TV (other than the obvious image being blurry because of stretching to 16:9 and poor upscaling) but I've got trouble when running it via Framemeister.

It seems that the internal menu (memory card manager/audio CD player) and boot screen (actually both of them - the one with the SCE logo and the one with the PS logo) are running in the "NTSC mode" but after that all PAL games are running correctly in "PAL mode".

While the PAL games are displayed correctly, the "NTSC mode" have some issues. The screen is shaking a bit vertically and some things on the bottom of the screen are either scrambled or displayed on the top of the screen. I was able to remove this problem by increasing Sync_Level from the default 9 to 12. The odd thing is that this internal menu is running at 720x480i with vertical refresh of 59,16 Hz (which I'm calling the NTSC mode) most of the time, but every few boots (it may be connected to playing NTSC game just before rebooting the console, but I'm not sure) it's running in "PAL mode" that is in 720x576i with vertical refresh of 49,99 Hz.

While the screen shaking can be corrected with Sync_Level, there is also something wrong with the black level. I mean it's not that the all colors are too bright, it's just black which is displayed as bright grey, while other colors seems to be looking quite good.

Ok, so this were the issues with the internal menu. Now, the NTSC games. They are all doing all of which I've described above plus all of them are outputing at odd (different for each game) vertical refresh rate like: 59,26 Hz or 59,37 Hz or 59,45 Hz. I'm not sure is that a reason but in those games I see some corruption on the bottom of the screen when the large portion of screen goes either white (like during some explosions) or red (like during the intro movie of Wild Arms 2 where the logo is burning). This makes some of those games unplayable.

1. So what's the solution here? Should I get another not modded NTSC version of PS1 only for playing those games, or something can be done about it using Framemeister settings? Do you think that if the only solution is getting another NTSC console should I also replace my main PAL console with not modded PAL copy too? That would resolve the issues with the internal menu too.

2. I was also wondering if on not modded PAL PS1 consoles the output signal is not lost during some situations, or it has nothing to do with the mod chip, but rather with the PAL version of games? I'm talking about loosing image output during switching between different parts of the game. Some games tend to do that even if the resolution of the game does not change at all. Like for example Pandemonium 1 does this: PS1 boot menu in 480i, image lost, piracy warning in 288p, image lost, distributor logo in 288p, image lost, game developer logo in 288p, image lost, intro movie in 288p, image lost, and finally the main menu in 288p and next no image is lost during playing the game. By "image lost" I mean that the TV is not displaying anything for about 3 seconds (it says "signal lost") and next the image goes back. Framemeister does this when switching between interlaced and progressive content, but at those specific points the resolution of those games is not changed at all...

[Lawfer]

That's because PAL consoles can't run NTSC games properly and the Framemeister picks up on this issue.

Basically your console is outputting a wrong refresh rate of 59.39Hz, rather than 59.94Hz and the Framemeister doesn't like that.

[blizzz]

Modded PAL consoles can't output at the original refresh rate of NTSC consoles because they use a different oscillator to generate the frequencies. The Framemeister is really picky in that regard and messes up the black level. My modded PAL PSOne runs fine though. I had to increase the Sync_Level and mess with the color settings to get a stable picture, but at least in the one game I tried (R-Type Delta) it was fine.

There are mods that change the oscillator, so that the console behaves like a real NTSC model. For example micro's DFO (dual frequency oscillator) has a model that's compatible with the PS1.

[Harrumph]

DFO is available from e.g. Videogameperfection. But depending on your needs it might be easier and cheaper to just buy an NTSC console.

[Lawfer]

There are mods that change the oscillator, so that the console behaves like a real NTSC model. For example micro's DFO (dual frequency oscillator) has a model that's compatible with the PS1.

Yeah there is this mod, but is it really worth it? I mean he could just pick up a used NTSC unit, will be less hassle and cost less or about the same.

[blizzz]

Picking up an NTSC console isn't that trivial here in Europe. Shipping and import tax are quite expensive, while you can pick up a chipped PAL PS1 on any local flea market for next to nothing. With an original NTSC big PS1 in Euroland you'll also need a step down converter.

But I agree, importing an NTSC PSOne (the small one with external power brick) is probably the easiest option.