Forcing 'unsupported' console resolution over HDMI (PS4)

[sj33]

This is a bit of a complicated one. Basically, I have an LCD HDTV (Sharp Aquos LC-32D10) with a native resolution of 1366x768 and 'officially' supports 480p, 720p and 1080i over HDMI (as well as PC resolutions, of course). However, it does 'unofficially' support 1080p input - this is not automatically detected, but can be forced and correctly scales down to the native resolution of the TV. This obviously gives a noticeable resolution boost over 720p and 1080i. With the PS3, I could force 1080p and it would work perfectly fine.

Annoyingly, it seems this cannot be done with the PS4. The PS4 automatically detects supports for 480p, 720p and 1080i, but the 1080p option is greyed out with no way to force it like you could with the PS3. Extremely annoying. This TV appears to handle 1080i extremely well, but obviously I'd like to just use 1080p if possible,

Short of buying a new TV (I had to save pennies just to buy the PS4 itself), can anybody think of a workaround for this? Maybe some way to trick the PS4 into recognizing support for 1080p?

[paulus]

Plug it into a mates "more modern set", set it to 1080p only. Take home, plug it into yours, pray, turn on.

[J0e Musashi]

My older sets were the same as this. However, the 1080p wasn't greyed out. Are you sure your TV can do that? It should be available to select it if so. The PS4 can force it exactly the same as the PS3 could.

[smouty]

This obviously gives a noticeable resolution boost over 720p and 1080i.

Surely your 720p TV is just that...720p??

[J0e Musashi]

Some 720p sets can accept a 1080p signal via HDMI, though it doesn't sound like the one in question can actually do it from the greying out of the selection.

[sj33]

Surely your 720p TV is just that...720p??

Nope, its 1366x768. So if I feed it a 1080p signal, it downscales it to 1366x768.

My TV does actually accept 1080p input, just not from the PS4. Works fine from the PS3.

[wakka]

Practically every 720p 'HD Ready' used to be 1366x768 I think. My old one was.

[Brad]

Is your PS4 plugged into the same HDMI socket as the PS3 was? Some TVs will report support for different resolutions on their "PC" input during the HDMI handshake. Basically your TV was telling your TV that it supported 1080p but is telling the PS4 that it can't. Something must have changed?

[smouty]

The point being that a 720p TV cannot display more resolution than that. There may be a question of which scaler is best but feeding a 720p TV @1080p cannot give a resolution boost (unless you count 48 pixels as noticeable).

[sj33]

I did try that with no luck. Even with the PS3, it doesn't actually automatically detect 1080p by itself, it just lets me force it.

I wonder if it has something to do with the PS4 currently forcing HDCP, and thus forcing whatever resolutions are stated in the EDID. I'll try it again when the new firmware is released this week that removes HDCP.

Smouty - A 1366x768 TV will display exactly that amount. 720p will be upscaled to that resolution. It's not actually a 720p TV, it's a 768p TV that accepts 720p, 1080i and 1080p input.

The difference is actually noticeable. Try switching between 1280x720 and 1366x768 on your PC, you'd be surprised.

[dvdx2]

i would just stick with 720p and not worry too much about it; on a screen of that size i doubt a downscaled 1080p image would be noticeably any better than 720p

[smouty]

A PC will look better when it can run at the native resolution but for video such as TV/DVD and consoles it is not so important.
I have a HD plasma which has a native res of 1024x768 but I don't ever run anything at that.
I used to have a 768 TV and as it isn't a true VESA res it was difficult like you have mentioned.