Gran Turismo to support 480p & 1080i? (1 Viewer)

[Romier S]

Keep in mind that GT4 is not displaying true 1080i. It's displaying the game image at a resolution more along the lines of 640x960i and the "CRTC" part of the chipset (the controller that sends the signal from the console to the TV) is sending the proper signal to upscale the image to 1080i. Which is exactly why you're are not getting the full resolution of 1920x540 (which would have really helped in the reduction of "jaggies"). It's why games like Amped 2 that display at true 720p (or a resolution of 1280x720) looks far smoother than GT4 running in 1080i. Still, it's a neat trick. I'd love to see it makes it way to other games.

Nonetheless you should be seeing a decrease in jaggies when moving from 480p to 1080i. You will also see an increase in image clarity overall. Going from S-video to 1080i will of course make the aliasing more apparent as you are getting a far clearer/sharper picture than before (not too mention a huge increase in clarity/color definition). You're not getting "free" anti-aliasing with S-video, your getting a reduction in clarity and overall picture quality which "blurs" the image as you noted.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Played it for a bit at a buddy's last night along with the new Logitech wheel. Very cool. The opening CG is amazing. He's running an analog 36" Wega so still jagged as hell, though. Would like to see it as described above in 480p and 1080i. Pretty scary to think what GT5 might look like on the PS5 if they push the hardware to the same degree.

 

[JeremySt]

Im loving this game so far. Driving an Audi RS4 around the Norsdschleife is something I'll probably never get to do in real life, so this game is giving me the next best thing. Ive got an HDTV... what do I need to do to take advantage of the increased resolution... get a component video cable for my PS2?


Im currently running my PS2 via S-Video into a DVDO iscan v2, which in turn feeds a 480p signal to my 46" Mitsubishi HDTV. Sounds like this might be the best option. Its looking great to me.

 

[AaronMan]

Get the Mad Catz component cables. They are only 15 bucks and will do the job just fine. I think they are available in most shops like Gamestop, Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, etc.

I still say its got some significant aliasing problems. The 1080i/480p only makes the aliasing sharper (more noticeable).

 

[Christ Reynolds]

let's hope that GT5 comes out before the PS5

CJ

 

[Greg Yeatts]

I've been playing GT4 with the new Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel since yesterday. The wheel makes the game. I've never experienced anything like it. I was taking a license exam driving an inexpensive front wheel drive Mazda. There was torque steer on launch.

Also, driving a Lotus Elise has to be experienced. The tail on that thing really likes to come around. Just the feel of losing traction is perfectly felt through the wheel. The sensation is so accurate that if your car gets a little wiggle at high speed you can feel it and save it.

Rally racing is incredible. You can feel the different terrain types through the wheel as well as when there is more or less traction available.

If you have the means, I would definitely give the wheel a try.

BTW, when plugging in the wheel, plug it in the top USB connector. The wheel doesn't work right on the bottom USB connector. More than one person has had this complaint.

 

[teapot2001]

I've gotten used to the wheel and the experience has been awesome with the big screen and all. I could play this all week long. I still suck, though.

~T

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i used the logitech dfp wheel on GT3, worked pretty well until i manually switched it to 900 degree mode. i know GT3 wasnt designed wiht 900 degree mode in mind, and it shows. GT4 is incredible with the dfp.

i love photo mode. my new wallpaper

CJ

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Oops. Typo. :b

 

[Curtis Lotter]

Any one else seeing "breakup" of the graphices at times. Mostly for the first few seconds of the race and pre-race. The breakup is first noticeable on the pre-race text. The text seems to "tear" horizontally. Any other graphics tear also.

I first played using my computer monitor through a viewsonic VB50 using s-video from the ps2. Breakup was very annoying at the times it showed up. I now have it in my theater room playing through a 65" toshiba using a different s-video cable from the ps2. Still seeing the breakup. No component cables yet to check out the 480P or 1080i.

My only guess is that my ps2 is faulty, but I've never had this problem with other games, or my copy of the game is faulty, if that's even possible.

Otherwise, what a great game! The new tracks are awesome, as are the huge assortment of cars and other features. Picked up the driving force pro wheel. I think the game changes to make the driving experience less forgiving when using the wheel, but it's the only way to go for the complete experience.

 

[Romier S]

It's more than likely a v-sync issue in the game and not a problem with you're television. Here is a small description of what v-sync does in the computer world. It should help you get a better understanding of what the problem is and why it happens. The short and skinny of it is that v-sync is more than likely being turned off in Gran Turismo to preserve the best framerate possible. Invariably this is causing the tearing and visual anamolies you're noticing. I've noticed the tearing more when watching replays at 1080i and also at 480p. Though it does appear at the standard resolution as well (though I must admit I'm not seeing it anywhere near as often as you seem to be.) Here it is:

VSYNC is basically the synchronizing of buffer swaps with your monitor's refresh rate. With VSYNC enabled, frame rates will not exceed the monitor's current refresh rate for that particular resolution. For example, if your monitor is using a refresh rate of 85Hz at 800x600, with VSYNC enabled, you will theoretically never exceed 85fps. So the refresh rate creates an artificial barrier that limits the frame rate.

So what happens if you are playing on an older monitor that only supports a 60Hz refresh rate? Will you have to live with a maximum of 60fps (assuming that your system can generate more fps)? Not necessarily. Newer video cards give you the option of disabling VSYNC. What happens is that this allows the buffer swapping to occur without synchronizing with the monitor's refresh rate. If it really was the refresh rate limiting you, disabling VSYNC may allow you to obtain frame rates in excess of 60fps. This, unfortunately, can also cause what are called 'visual anomalies': image tearing and flashing polygons. Some games run fine with VSYNC enabled, while other games crumble when VSYNC is disabled.

You can read more here .

 

[teapot2001]

For those with a steering wheel, where do you hold it with your hands? I've been holding it at 10 and 2, but I saw a video of a guy driving incredibly and he was holding it at 9 and 3.

~T

 

[Christ Reynolds]

as a paddle-shifter, i hold it at 9 and 3 as well.

i just achieved the 25% mark, which means now i can do endurance races. 24 hour nurburgring race, here i come!

CJ

 

[teapot2001]

Here's the video of the guy I was talking about:
http://www.tdotaquaria.ca/gt4-best14.wmv

~T

 

[Christ Reynolds]

if my ears are as finely tuned to the sound of cars as i think they are, he is using the mazda 787B car. he is just about the best GT4 player you will find, maybe a handful of players in the world can top that time on that track.

he is paddle-shifting as well, hence the 9 and 3 grip. the paddles on the rear of the wheel enable you to shift up and down, making it more like an F1-style shift. for me, it is easier than taking your hand off the wheel to shift using the sequential shifter. very impressive movie.

CJ

 

[Christ Reynolds]

re-watched that video clip, i'm pretty sure he was using the formula gran turismo, which is the F1 car. he hit a top speed of 365 k/h, which is almost 227 m/h. that is even more evidence that it is an F1 car, lower top speeds, the mazda 787B and the audi R8 (and a bunch of other cars in the same class) can hit 250 easy, but nothing handles like those F1 cars

CJ

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Amazing performance. What's interesting is how much that wheel feeds back. You can see it fighting at high speeds on the straights.

Curious how the Nurbergring in GT4 compares with Project Gotham 2. Clearly the experience will be different with the sim focus on GT4. I'm wondering about the environment itself.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

nurburgring is in project gotham 2? i may have to pick that up just for the 'ring, amazing track.

the wheel feedback is actually quite amazing. when you drive up onto a surface that is about an inch higher than the normal road, you feel a bump, the same way you would feel if you had done it for real. you feel the rumble strips exactly as you would in real life. also, there is a license test that you have to do, there is this track with a 4 mile stretch, and you drive this insanely fast nissan up to 260+ mph i believe, and the wheel shakes a LOT, you have to struggle just to keep the thing going straight.

the DFP is one of my favorite pieces of entertainment technology ive ever purchased. if you have GT4, it is well worth the high price. i found it refurbished for $55 online, but amazon has it for $112. take a look at the reviews, only one 4-star review, the rest are 5-stars. the wheel is excellent.

CJ

 

[NickSo]

Nurburgring on PGR2 is so fun to drive... sure not anywhere near realistic as GT4, but its a blast...

I also notice with PGR2 the force feedback is very similar to how you describe GT4... you can feel every dimple in the road it seeems, the vibration changes going from different road surfaces, and over bridges with the gaps, you feel each gap. Also you can feel when the wheels start to break out and lose traction, or when you start to over or understeer.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i'm a GT fanboy for sure, but i'm interested in checking out some other racing games. PGR2 sounds good, and forza looks promising. things have come a long way since rad racer.

CJ