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OG Xbox Forums => Hardware Forums => Xbox Audio/Video Technical => Topic started by: naten8n on January 06, 2004, 09:52:00 PM

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: naten8n on January 06, 2004, 09:52:00 PM

I have a problem (really just a big annoyance) that I have been researching at least once a week for the past two months on these forums, and haven't seen anyone that has the same problem... maybe a lot of people with mods don't use HDTV's with component cables (480p and higher resolutions) so they would never KNOW if they have this problem or not.

I have an xecutor2.2lite+ running the Evox 4977 bios and using v1.8.3921 of the EvoX dash. I used the Slayer's autoinstaller to get up and running almost 3 months ago.

First off, let me say that I am able to watch DVD's in 480p without ANY problems if I play them with my mod chip enabled after I boot into EvoX. I can also play ALL games in 480p provided I boot straight to them from the DVDrom with my modchip enabled, WITHOUT going into the Evox dash first. Evox dash runs in 480p fine.

Here's where my problems start. About 50% of all games I have copied to my hard drive don't run in 480p. Morrowind, Halo, Return of the King, and Crimson Skies are good examples of games that don't work for me in 480p. They work fine off of the DVDs, but when I try and play them from the hard drive... or even trying to run from the DVD after booting into EvoX, they don't work in 480p. Other games... like Deus Ex 2, Prince of Persia, and Sphinx work great in 480p from the DVD and the hard drive. I would really like to cut down on load times mainly in Morrowind by having it on the drive. My confusion is in the inconsistency with the games that do and don't work.

I know a lot of people in these forums ask questions about how to use the progpatch... It doesn't seem necessary to me. As long as your dash is set to 480p and you're using a component cable and HDTV capable TV you SHOULD be able to view everything in 480p without patching. My Dash runs 480p fine without patching. So do movies, so do games that run from the DVD rom.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: DBZRacer on January 06, 2004, 10:16:00 PM

QUOTE

As long as your dash is set to 480p and you're using a component cable and HDTV capable TV you SHOULD be able to view everything in 480p without patching

This is not true. When your dash, evox, MS Dash, or any other dash is patched to 480p, thats all that is set to 480p. It does not automatically mean it will launch EVERYTHING in 480p. If you meant that you have enabled 480p through the MS dash video settings, then it is still untrue. If you have your system configured properly, your xbox will first try to run the game in 480i. And IF and only IF the game is 480p compatible (via the a progressive patch or normal 'HDTV' compatiblity), your xbox will automatically switch to 480p via the HD pack. So on and so forth for 720p and 1080i. But the games that you listed there should all play in 480p.

Not to look down on your problem, but are you sure you set the MS Dash Video settings to enable 480p? From memory I think from the MS Dash it was Settings, Video, then choose yes for 480P. And if your set supports the other resolutions, set that to yes as well.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: ww1997 on January 06, 2004, 10:55:00 PM

I had some of these 480P problems too. Two games, broken sword and hunted mention, wouldn't work in 480p. The picture was distorted. I'm sure my MS dash has been set to enable 480p. And I'm connecting to HDTV through component cable. Also, most other games work fine. I'm just not sure whether the game's region/system would be a problem? In Evox the video is set to NTSC. Would it be the problem that the game I downloaded was PAL?

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: rekphour on January 07, 2004, 12:14:00 AM

would really like to see the problem for this thread, i bought a 1000 dollar HDTV JUST for xbox, nothing else is plugged into it, all my friends think its a waist but i dont, also the modchips are in the mail to mod my boxs, ill ttyl then and tell you if i have this problem with morrowind, the loading times in that game SUCK but are really worth it.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: ChrisF on January 07, 2004, 02:56:00 AM

First - I am in the US - NTSC.  I use the Evox dash below.  Every game I have, Halo, Morrowind, CrimsonSkies (we have these in common) all launch in 480p without any problem.  This includes launching from the Evox dashboard which is also 480p and autodetects that setting after changing the settings and enabling 480p in the MS dashboard.

There something curious in your post:

1) You mention that you can watch DVDs in 480p.  Did you patch the xboxdash.xbe file or use a hex editor on it?  Because the dash and the dvd player are always 480i regardless of video settings.  You have to alter the code to get 480p and it doesn't happen automatically.

This tells me that you are only displaying 480i since you don't mention applying any type of patch.

First thing I'd do is check your television and make sure you have your component cables in an input that handles 480p, 480i, and either 720p/1080i (some tv's have limitations with certain inputs).

You might also try a different set of cables just to trouble shoot but this doesn't make a lot of sense since you have the HDTV options in your video settings.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: Mr Ed on January 07, 2004, 06:50:00 AM

While no one has posted a solution, a LOT of posts exist stating that games that run in HDTV mode off a DVD do not do it off the hard drive.

I have no reason why, but wanted to let you know there have been a lot of posts about that issue. :(  

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: naten8n on January 07, 2004, 09:36:00 AM

OK... A little more info on the problem that I didn't give before. I live in the US and all of the games I am using are NTSC. This may be WAY off... but after looking at a list online of games that support different hi def modes, I noticed that all of the games that work for me are 16:9, and all of the games that don't work are not. may be a coincidence.

I have not tried any PAL games, so I'm not sure if they have problems.

Chris F, I might try switching from Evox 3921 to Evox 3752? Not sure if that would make a difference. I somebody that is reading this has all games from the HDD working at 480p, please post your evox.ini so that I can see if it might be something in there.

Thanks Mr. Ed. I hadn't noticed that in the threads... I usually search the forums for "480p" or "Progressive".

Others... I definitely have 480p enabled in my msdash and I also have applied the progpatch to my evox dash... I think... sheesh... can't remember! It might have been one of the first things I tried when I started noticing it being inconsistent between games.

I just think it is odd that DVD movies work fine... and about 30% of the games that are on the HDD work fine but the rest of the games don't.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: ChrisF on January 07, 2004, 09:53:00 AM

You shouldn't have had to patch Evox - it supports 480p.

It doesn't matter if DVDs work or not - you won't have 480p DVD playback unless you have done some manual modification to the Xbox dash.  You are seeing an interlaced signal.  Same with the Xbox dash.

All my games are 480p off the harddrive - no issues.  I've actually never heard of this issue but I guess from above it's been mentioned before.  Maybe play with your other video settings - widescreen/normal/letterbox and see what happens to the games that aren't working.

I have a question - how do you know that the signal being received is 480p and not 480i?  My tv shows me the resolution when I change sources.  I'm just skeptical since you stated 480p dvd playback - I doubt you hex edited the ms dash and didn't mention it so I'm wondering how you are determining a 480i or 480p signal.

I copied my ini file below (note that I maintain a patched xboxdash.xbe that does support 480p - pxboxdash.xbe is the name).  I left out the bios section but all in all fairly standard stuff and no weird settings.  If I were you I'd start with a clean Evox and don't attempt to patch it as it doesn't need it if you have your settings in the MSdash correct.



#
Flash      = 0x01d5,"AMD - Am29F080B",0x100000
Flash      = 0x04d5,"FUJITSU - MBM29F080A",0x100000
Flash      = 0xadd5,"Hynix - HY29F080",0x100000
Flash      = 0x20f1,"ST - M29F080A",0x100000
Flash      = 0xbf61,"SST - 49LF020",0x40000
#Flash      = 0x378c,"AMIC - A29002",0x40000
Current      = 0xc349c2b047a3d6c2de2e1c10185ecf86
Flash           = 0x01d5,"XECUTER2",0x100000"

[Network]

SetupNetwork   = Yes
StaticIP   = No
Ip      = 192.168.1.66
Subnetmask   = 255.255.255.0
Defaultgateway   = 192.168.0.1
DNS1      = 0.0.0.0
DNS2      = 0.0.0.0
SkipIfNoLink   = No
SetupDelay   = 10

[FTP]

Enable      = Yes
Password   = xbox
IGR      = No

[Telnet]

Enable      = Yes

[RDTOOLS]

Enable      = Yes
Name      = EvoX
IGR      = No

[Clock]

JumpToMsDash   = No
JumpIfNoLink   = Yes
Use24      = No
SwapDate   = Yes
SNTP_Server   = 216.244.192.3

[IGR]

Start_Button   = Yes
Back_Button   = Yes
L_Trig      = Yes
R_Trig      = Yes
White_Button   = No
Black_Button   = No
A_Button   = No
B_Button   = No
X_Button   = No
Y_Button   = No

[Misc]

AutoLaunchGames   = No
AutoLaunchDVD   = No
DVDPlayer   = "c:pxboxdash.xbe"
AutoLaunchAudio   = No
UseFDrive   = Yes
IGR      = No
Fahrenheit   = Yes
SkinName   = Porsche
UseItems   = Yes
ScreenSaver   = 5
Fahrenheit   = No
ShadeLevel   = 90

[Skin_Original]

#
# <Time>   =
# <IP>     =
# <Name>
# <Version>
# <CD>
# <BIOSVer>
# <KernelVer>
# <RDName>
# <SpaceC>
# <SpaceE>
# <SpaceF>
# <SpaceX>
# <SpaceY>
# <SpaceZ>
#
Text   =       30,37,0.5,0x000000,0,"<Time><CrLf>MB Temp <Temp1><CrLf>CPU <Temp2>"
Text   =       28,39,0.5,0x808080,0,"<Time><CrLf>MB Temp <Temp1><CrLf>CPU <Temp2>"
Text   =       620,420,0.5,0x000000,1,"<Name> V<Version>"
Text   =       618,422,0.5,0x808080,1,"<Name> V<Version>"
Text   =       620,37,0.5,0x000000,1,"<CD>"
Text   =       618,39,0.5,0x808080,1,"<CD>"
Text   =       30,420,0.5,0x000000,0,"RD Name : <RDName>"
Text   =       28,422,0.5,0x808080,0,"RD Name : <RDName>"
LogoType=   0

[Menu]

Section "Root"
{
      
      Item "Media Player 2.4","f:xbmp24default.xbe"        
      Section "Applications"
             {
              Item "BoXplorer","f:BoXplorerdefault.xbe"
         Item "DVD2XBox","f:dvd2xboxdefault.xbe"         
              Item "XBcopy","f:XBcopydefault.xbe"
                  Item "DVDX","f:dvdxdefault.xbe"
                 }
      Section "Games"
                  SortStart
                  AutoAddItem "e:games"
                  SortEnd
                  AutoAddItem "f:games"
                  SortEnd
                  SortAll   
                 }
                 {
               Section "Emulators"
         {                              
                  Item "Arcade","f:Mame-Xdefault.xbe"  
                  Item "Atari 2600","f:Ataridefault.xbe"
         Item "ColecoVision","f:Colecovisiondefault.xbe"
         Item "Commodore Amiga","f:Amigadefault.xbe"                                            
                  Item "GameBoy","f:extremegbdiscdefault.xbe"
         Item "Intellivision","f:Intellivisiondefault.xbe"
                  Item "Lynx","f:Lynxdefault.xbe"        
                  Item "Nintendo","f:NesterXdefault.xbe"
         Item "Nintendo 64","f:pj64_7default.xbe"    
                  Item "Sega Genesis","f:Genesisdefault.xbe"
                  Item "Sega Master System","f:SMSdefault.xbe"
         Item "Sony Playstation","f:Playstationdefault.xbe"        
                  Item "Super Nintendo","f:snes9xdefault.xbe"   
        }
      Item "Gentoox Linux","E:gentooxx.xbe"
      Item "Launch DVD",ID_Launch_DVD
      Item "MS Dashboard Progressive","c:pxboxdash.xbe"
               Item "MS Dashboard Standard","c:xboxdash.xbe"
           Section "System Utilities"
             {
         Item "Backup",@11
         Item "ConfigMagic","f:ConfigMagicdefault.xbe"
         Item "EEpromer","f:EEpromereepromer.xbe"
         Item "EvoX Bios Flash",@1
         Item "FlashX Bios Flash", "f:Flash Xdefault.xbe"
                  Item "Settings",@9
         Item "Skins",@13
#      Section  "Install Menu"
#      {
#         Item "Install 4043",@210
#         Item "Action 11",@211
#         Item "Action 12",@212
#      }
              }
                   Item "Reboot",@5
                   Item "Power Off",@10
              }
                 }

[Action_10]

LogFile      = "f:test.log"
Info "Install 4034 Dashboard"
Warning "This will format all drives"
Warning "Install msdash 4034"
Warning "Flash BIOS to Evox 2.4"
Progress "Now Installing 4034 Dashboard"
#
# This will format alle drives ,copy the dashboard c: and flash the bios
#
ConfigSector "dash4034config.bin"
Format c:
Format e:
#Format f:
Format x:
Format y:
Format z:
copy "dash4034c" "c:"
# the flashbios will force a "power off" after the bios is flashed
flashbios "biosevox V2.4.bin"

[Action_11]


[Action_12]

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: DBZRacer on January 07, 2004, 12:34:00 PM

I would defintely upgrade evox to a newer clean version that you didn't "patch". This sounds like it may be the problem as your hex edit to the evox .xbe may have changed the way evox launches the games off the HD. While your at it, upgrade to MXM, Ava, or UnleasX while your at it! lol

Try this test with the games that launch in 480p from DVD.

1. Launch the game with the DVD in the drive when you turn the xbox on. Then check to see if it is running in 480p.
2. Turn on xbox and let it boot to evox. Then launch the game from evox using your launch DVD/game item. Then check to see if it is running in 480p.
3. Turn on xbox and let it boot to evox. Once in evox insert your game disk and launch your MS Dash. See if it launches in 480p there.

If test 2 or 3 result in 480i display instead of 480p, then it is most likely evox screwing things up.

So to clear some things that appear to be lost in the posts between you and some of the other memebers: For your to play DVD Movies from your XBOX in 480p using the MS Dash/Dongle combo, you need to have either manually hex edited the xboxdash.xbe or used the prog patcher from the tools section of XS. This is completely different from ENABLING 480P support in the video settings of the MS Dash. If you have not patched your xboxdash.xbe manually, then you are only displaying at 480i hence no 480p playback of DVDs from the MS Dash/Dongle combo. A simple test would be this, take out your old composite A/V cable (Yellow, red, white) and just use that as a standard connection to your tv set. Then go through your normal steps access the MS Dash which is supposedly 480p patched. If your set displays black or garbled up images from the single Yellow video connection, then you have your Dash patched to 480p. But if you can view the dash or still able to play DVDs while just using the single yellow video cable, then your dash is only at 480i and was never patched.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: naten8n on January 07, 2004, 12:58:00 PM

Chris F, my mistake... I ran a utility called progpatch on a copy of my xboxdash.xbe (I think called pxboxdash.xbe also), NOT on the evox dash. I think that is how I got DVD's in 480p. To be honest I didn't realize that I could run DVD's in 480p until a few weeks after I ran the progpatch on the pxboxdash.xbe because I just ran DVDs on my xbox with the mod disabled.

When I get home from work I will try the Widescreen, normal, letterbox settings change and see if that does anything. That is a good suggestion. I think you are right though... I may just reinstall evox. Hmmm... I actually installed it the first time off of the slayer's autoinstall 2.5 and I'm not sure if I can renstall off of that without reformatting... I'll check when I get home. That could end up sucking. Would you recommend a different version of evox? I have the same bios that you do... and I don't think that is an issue at all.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out, and for posting your evox.ini.


BTW, I am positive that I am viewing movies (and games) in 480p because my panasonic 36" hdtv (with component cables... yes... and MS HD pack) shows whether it is in HD (480p and up) mode or SD (480i) mode if you press the enter button twice on the remote. Also... it is pretty easy for me to tell on games and movies if they are running Progressive or not just by the way they look.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: DBZRacer on January 07, 2004, 02:09:00 PM

naten8n: Simplest way for you re-install evox is to take your slayers disk and pop it in your DVD.

FTP into your xbox and copy the default.xbe file from the D: root directory over to your XBOX C root directory.

DELETE or RENAME your old version of evoxdash.xbe to evoxdashold.xbe

VERY IMPORTANT: RENAME the default.xbe you had transfered over from slayers disk on the C partition to 'evoxdash.xbe'

Reboot your xbox and you just replaced your default dash. Please note this is the exact same steps one does when upgrading to MXM, UnleashX, or a new version of evox with the addition of copying over the associated secondary config file.

There might be an option in slayers to do this all automatically but hey, you got learn sometime what going on in the background right?  :beer:

This post has been edited by DBZRacer: Jan 7 2004, 10:11 PM

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: naten8n on January 08, 2004, 10:11:00 AM

DBZ racer and Chris F,

Last night I just backed up my evoxdash.xbe and my evox.ini and replaced them with version 3935 that I donloaded a few days ago. That took care of it... I wasn't sure if there was a folder that needed to be replaced too. Apparently not. Anyway, everything works really well now.

Thanks so much for the help... Not sure what the problem was, but replacing the dash with version 3935 took care of the problem. Hopefully this thread will help some other people out there...

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: ChrisF on January 08, 2004, 10:40:00 AM

Glad to hear it's working for you.  I have no idea why Evox was interfering and a different version fixed it.  Then again...better that it's something easy to fix than a continued mystery.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: Azilla on January 10, 2004, 08:54:00 PM

Had the same problem with my TV guys. most games on HD wouldnt go High Def. I was gettin pissed off finally i disable IN GAME RESET! BAM!! ALL My SHit works.  Running Newest EvoX and MXM. Works great no more problems. Only problem i have is with MSDASH i cant get progressive always have to unplug my cables Piss's me off.

Title: 480p Problem
Post by: ChrisF on January 10, 2004, 09:37:00 PM

QUOTE (Azilla @ Jan 11 2004, 06:47 AM)

Only problem i have is with MSDASH i cant get progressive always have to unplug my cables Piss's me off.

Check out the sticky at the top on how to Hex edit the MS dash.  Of course if you are looking for 480p when connected to Live you are SOL.