Maybe I got spoiled by my PS3, but when I tried to play a PS2 game on my PS2, the graphics seemed really bad. On a standard TV, I didn't notice any problem. It looked nice.

But, I noticed that the picture doesn't fill the entire frame of the TV (changed the aspect and even tried Zoom, and that didn't seem to work).

Is that normal? I think this was the first attempt at playing a PS2 game since I got my new TV.

There are only a few PS2 games that are actually 480p. Even fewer are actually in a widescreen ratio. Since most games are 480i, they won't look so hot when they are scaled to a HDTV's native resolution.

Developers typically underscan their games to compensate for the overscan present in most TVs. Why waste processing power on an image 99% of the users can't see? If you see a black bar around the edge of the image, it's most likely because your TV has a very low overscan.

yeah, the black bars are only on the sides, if I recall correctly.

Guess I'll just play PS2 games on my CRT then. That's a bummer.

EDIT:
Actually, I have my PS2 plugged directly into my TV, and not my receiver. My receiver is supposed to upscale, would it look better if I plugged it into my receiver?

My receiver is a JVC RX-D702b.

Comparing the quality of a TV's & a receiver's upscaler is best left to discussions in the Home Theater section threads.

From what I've heard of Panasonic TVs, and what I know of JVC's wimpy, ordinary receivers (no idea if your model is higher end) - I would trust the TV to do a MUCH better scaling job!

I never liked the results with the PS2 on an HD display.

Maybe I got spoiled by my PS3, but when I tried to play a PS2 game on my PS2, the graphics seemed really bad. On a standard TV, I didn't notice any problem. It looked nice.

But, I noticed that the picture doesn't fill the entire frame of the TV (changed the aspect and even tried Zoom, and that didn't seem to work).

Is that normal? I think this was the first attempt at playing a PS2 game since I got my new TV.

While I don't think the graphics look bad (I'm using the PS2 component cables), the image doesn't fill up the entire screen. The PS2 is underscanning. Very annoying. That's the only complaint I have about owning an HDTV. :)

While I don't think the graphics look bad (I'm using the PS2 component cables), the image doesn't fill up the entire screen. The PS2 is underscanning. Very annoying. That's the only complaint I have about owning an HDTV. :)

It's entirely possible I was sitting too close to the TV. I don't have a controller cable extender, so I need to sit closer.

But, the graphics were much worse than I remember it. But, I hadn't touched the PS2 since December and it was on a CRT, and have been playing the PS3 since January 1st. Maybe I'm just too used to the PS3? Or my 42"?

In any case, I remember playing the game on my CRT and thinking that the graphics were pretty good. But, after playing it on the 42", my eyes wanted to vomit.

welcome in the world of low res consoles and HD TVs. I kept my CRT around to play PS2 and older consoles.