Xtender's PSP2TV Review

Written By Brakken
November 2005
Introduction

Welcome to another ISO-420 Certified Review which one again will tell it like it is and not like the kids and big companies want it to be told. This time around I’ve gotten my hands on Team Xtender’s PSP2TV device which in a nutshell allows to you play you PSP on a external display, such as a TV, HDTV or computer monitor which can be controlled using a normal Playstation 2 controller.

Before I get into the exact install process I would like to comment on it and on other products and the way they work. The PSP2TV is the only product on the market to take the video feed directly from the PSP and output it onto the TV. This is done by capturing the feed directly from the internal components then transmitting them to the device of your choice.

All other products simply use a small camera to capture the screen and whatever may be on it. So if you’d like to see a scratched, dead pixel’ed and blurry screen go buy a competitor’s product as this one is for the real guys – not the teeny bops who think they have something going on. If you’d like to try this method before you buy take your webcam, point it at your TV and take a look at what is on your computer screen. That is what those other products amount to and if you really want to, you could make your own for under $15 using a small camera and some cardboard.

Now – to actually get your PSP2TV install you’re going to have to, now bare with me, take apart your PSP! There is a lot of stigma going around about having to take things apart and solder into them, but guess what – you do not have to solder a thing while installing the PSP2TV.

Is it hard to do? Well, this depends on what type of person you are. If per say, when you got your latest console system and it took you 3 hours and two friends to figure out how to plug in those little red, white and yellow cables then change your TV to Video In then maybe you should skip this one. Though – if you can plug in a new computer, install a surround sound system, put some subs in your car or build a Lego set I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to handle the installation.

In the end – if you’re still in doubt you may way to pay for one of Xtender’s authorized retailers to install the PSP2TV for you, but I would resort to this as a last ditch effort.

Features

Output the PSP Video to an External Source
Output the PSP Sound to an External Source
RCA & S-Video Connectors
4:3 and 16:9 Video Ratios
480x272 Color Output
PS2 Dual Shock Controller Support
Blue, Black and Silver Replacement Faceplate’s

Contents of the Package

Okay, now that I have scared off all of the housewives who can’t seem to park straight, yet can talk on a cell phone, do their makeup and manage to drive on the wrong side of the road lets see what you get when you open that mighty tall box with the PSP2TV logo all over it.

Blue, Black and Silver Faceplate’s
Docking Station & Plate
Super thin PCB
RCA A/V Cable & S-Video Cable
Micro Phillips & Flat Head Screw Driver
PSP2TV Green & Green Logos (x6)
Support Bracket & Screws

Installation - Preperation

Unlike most other modifications out there the PSP2TV actually comes with an instruction booklet and to make things even better they have released a 15 minute video outlining the process along with a screw reference chart. Not only have they done this, but have also included the two screw drivers you will need to get the job done with.

Now before you install the PSP2TV I would read over the entire manual, watch the video and print the screw diagram chart. Not all of this is necessary as all you really need is the installation manual (which is the only resource I used), but knowing what you’re going to do before you do sometimes helps. I would also suggest getting some sort of small flat tool, such as a security knife or razor blade which will help open and close the connectors inside the PSP. Additionally, a small cup for holding the screws is needed.

At first the installation might seem difficult, but it’s actually quiet easier then fitting a modchip or softmodding a console. As you will notice as every other single modification does when publishing the installation specs they list the fastest time it takes for an experienced modder to install the product. Xtender gives it a 15 minute install time, but for your first time I would set aside at least 45 minutes. After your first two installs you can easily get these installs done in 15 minutes (or less in my case).

Installation – Get R’ Done

To sum up the installation process here is what you’re going to do – remove some flat wires (the flat PCB connectors) and replace them with what Xtender gives you and then screw on a new faceplate. That’s it!

I’m not going to go through the installation process step by step as this isn’t a guide, but I will briefly cover what I did and add some helpful hints to make your job a little bit easier. First I started with removing the exterior screws. All seven of them needed to be removed, including two which are located under the PSP’s warranty sticker. Now – after removing this sticker you’re going to void your PSP warranty so if you mess something up you can’t get a refund.

After the top of the case is removed you’ll need to take off the START, SELECT and VOLUME assembly (the small bar thing). Please note on the left hand side there is a small piece of metal holding it on – take your razor blade and bend this up and it will come right off. Don’t worry; you can bend it back when you’re done.

Now you’ll be taking off the PSP TFT screen. Just like the small bar thing above the screen is held in place by four small pieces of metal. Take your razor blade and lift only the two right side pieces of metal and the screen will pop up. Carefully remove it (try not the touch the screen display itself) and bend it over.

You’re finally at the first point where you mess with the little connectors. Okay – when pushed down the connectors are shut and when up they are open. To open them take the razor blade and gently push up and they will open – like a gate; allowing you to remove the thin PCB connectors (wires). There are only two to be removed to get the screen out and after that it’s back to taking out more screws. Remember to put them in the cup! It is technically possible to assemble to PSP without all of the screws, but unless you know exactly where things should be grounded you should keep all of the screws.

Next you’ll remove some internal components which are all plugged into those little open/closed connectors. Once they are all removed you’ll take the Super thin PCB that Xtender included in the package and plug it in by the order outlined in the instruction booklet. It is very important to follow this order or you might end up breaking the PCB (as it’s super thin.)

Once all of the connectors are shut take a little time and pull on each PCB connector to them to make sure they are good and snug. Now you’ll replace the bracket, screen and the start button bar thing. When replacing the screen you’ll have two PCB wires to plug in. The small thin one on the left is the power and the big one in the middle is the video signal. The power plugs in just fine, but the big one is a bit tricky and it needs to be pushed forward all of the way. I would recommend turning the unit around so and pushing it in as far as possible and then closing the open/close connector while still pushing it in. If when closing the connector it closes really easily without having to apply pressure then it’s most likely not all of the way in.

There is a small black bracket you’ll be screwing in the front of the PSP just above the external connector for the Docking Station. Even though this connector has been painted with a non-conducting paint I would still recommend placing a small piece of electrical tape beneath it as over time it might short out the connectors.

When you go to fit the Docking Station connector make sure to screw in the two screw posts as hard as you can because if you don’t they might get attached to the screws in the Docking Station itself and then you’ll have to do a little tinkering to get them out. This isn’t a defect – its common sense.

Make sure to look at your PSP TFT screen before you put the new cover on as you may have gotten some finger prints on it. I would advise you to use some eyeglass cleaner or some soap and water to clean it with. Do not apply the cleaning solution directly to the screen, but dab a small piece of soft fabric such as silk in the solution and then wipe the screen free of fingerprints, dust and/or cat hair (Omni decided to jump up on the table a few times while I was working on the PSP. Bad kitty, bad!)

That was the hard part (if you call it hard) and next you’ll just swap over the buttons from the old PSP faceplate to the new one of your choice (you’ve got 3 colors to choose from) and then screw it all back together. If you were smart you would have not yet removed the plastic covering for the inner plastic window for protection, but make sure to remove it before you put the faceplate of your choice on. Leave the top plastic on until you’re sure the unit is working.

Please, I beg of you refer to the screw chart while screwing the unit back together. Say for instance you accidentally put the D screw in an E screw slot; you may end up crushing something and that wouldn’t be too good.

Once it is all put back together it is time to test to make sure it is outputting video to both the video ports and the original screen. You can see in my picture I checked to make sure the screen was still working before I put it back together, but I would not recommend this for novice users as if when the power is on and you touch something wrong you could fry your entire unit. So don’t try to be cool like me and wait until it’s all put back together to test it out.

Usage

Take the Docking Station and use either the RCA (Red, White & Yellow) or S-VIDEO (Single Connector) cables and hook them up to your device of choice. When putting the PSP into the Docking Station make sure it fits tight and snug and then screw in the two holding screws into the screw posts that you screwed in as tightly as possible. Don’t screw the Docking Station screws down really tightly though, but just enough to hold the PSP in place.

Next, if you would like, plug in a PS2 controller. To finish it off plug in the power cable that came with your PSP into the docking station and turn the sucker on. If everything went well you will have the PSP displaying on both your TV and original PSP screen. If for some reason it only displays on the TV, but the PSP screen lights up that means it’s getting power and not the video signal. So go back up and refer to my advice about installing the video cable correctly and you’ll be fine.

Tests

I didn’t get too in-depth with testing the unit, but I did happen to listen to some MP3’s, launch and eBook reader, run some emulators, some games and mess around with the dashboard. The sound is perfect as it is a direct feed, but the video is another issue. Due to the small size of the PSP screen the video size needed to be increased using a filter (most likely done inside the Docking Station itself) and the end results aren’t bad, are much better then using the $15 method I mentioned in the introduction, but I believe the filter could have been enhanced further.


The end image you get looks better then a PS1 game, but not as good as a PS2. I’d say it’s in the middle. One issue I had is with small text as some of it – due to the filter – is a bit hard to make out on larger TV’s, but if you plug it into a smaller TV or your computer monitor it looks a lot better.

Of course if you use the S-VIDEO cable instead of the RCA for the video signal you’ll receive a much better image, but this still doesn’t help too much with the filter issue. I believe the filtering is actually done in the Docking Station so maybe in the future we will see a more accurate solution with more options, such as composite and HDTV output just by replacing the Docking Station!


Depending on the game or display unit you have you can change from 4:3 or 16:9 on the fly, with of course 16:9 looking the best on wide screen HDTV’s. Both settings worked flawlessly.

The game play itself was flawless – as it should be – with no slowdown, blurring or defects in the video of any kind. This is really going to come in handy when Final Fantasy VII the game comes out for the PSP as I usually spend at least 8 hrs per day playing Square’s RPG’s until I beat em’.


Lastly is the portability issue. There is none! You can simply remove the PSP from the Docking Station and use it just fine. The only difference is the slick new skin and the small output bar at the bottom that doesn't get in the way what-so-ever.

Positives

Full Screen PSP on the TV
New Solid Faceplates
Variety of Faceplate Colors
PS2 Controller Support!
Professional Design
Included Installation Materials

Negatives

Taking Apart the PSP
Video Filter not 100% Accurate

Conclusion

Team Xtender’s PSP2TV is by far the best; most accurate and professional product currently available for playing your PSP on the TV. With the added bonus of using a Playstation 2 controller plus a variety of different faceplates to go along with it makes it a very solid product. Installation was a breeze and left an old school modder like me feeling that I hadn’t done enough, but this would be a really good thing for someone new to the scene.

I would recommend this product to reviewers, news sites and the hardcore gamer that would love to sit back for hours and play a game without having to squint the entire time or have their hands hurt due to the ergonomic design of the PSP. Additionally, if your PSP has a bad screen with defects such as dead pixels, stuck pixels or discoloration you wont be bothered by these ever again.

Links

Team Xtender's Homepage

-=[ Xtender's PSP2TV Review Discussion Thread ]=-

Product(s) were received from the website above. ISO-420 will always link back to whomever sent the product(s) *respect*, but please remember that the reviews are independently written by our staff and are not subject to alteration by whomever supplies us with the review product(s).