Over the weekend, we reported that some Xbox One owners in the UK are noticing judder when using the console’s TV integration feature to watch live television feed from external set-top boxes such as a Sky+HD box. The problem lies with the fact that the digital TV broadcasting system in the United Kingdom and Europe is based on 50Hz, but the Xbox One outputs 60Hz natively. The resulting frame rate conversion (FRC) introduces judder/ stutter, which is especially noticeable on fast-panning shots in sports programmes, or scrolling news tickers.
While we wait for Microsoft to release a software update to at least enable 50Hz output in full-screen mode on the Xbox One, a HDTVTest reader has alerted us to a workaround to force the console to send out 50Hz instead of 60Hz signal. Commenting on our original article, here’s what he said:
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Here are the precise instructions. First, set your Xbox One to auto-detect HDMI (under Display settings). Then, toggle the resolution from 1080p to 720p (or vice versa), which should trigger a prompt window asking if the screen is displaying correctly, and if you want to keep the new resolution. Select “No” before the 15 seconds is up. This seems to trick the Xbox One into thinking that the TV is not compatible with 60Hz signal, and voila! 50Hz output. Depending on your television set, you may need several attempts to succeed – the good chaps over at CVG have verified that this unofficial fix works too.
Remember that with this method though, a blanket frame rate of 50Hz is applied to ALL content on the Xbox One, meaning that even 30fps or 60fps video games will be displayed at 50Hz, which may look unnatural or even exhibit micro-stutter. Of course, you can manually switch back to 60Hz whenever you want to play games, but this hardly seems like the seamless user experience Microsoft is shooting for. For UK and European owners who are hell-bent on piping live TV broadcast through their Xbox One console, at least this workaround offers a way for them to watch various television programmes without experiencing judder.
I think this will affect NZ and Australia too? We are on 50hz also?
@Adam: Yes, and yes.
I haven’t got my xbone yet, what functionality do we have in this country at the mo with sky for example? I know we dont have a guide yet but can you change channel? Can you pause live tv?
Messing around with the 50Hz setting isn’t ideal. Forza in particular has very noticeable judder at 50Hz.
I would rather just have the TV signal have the judder than the games.
To be honest I don’t really notice it on the TV signal, I only notice it when there is moving text on the screen.
But I do think Microsoft will need to address this issue promptly.
Excuse my dumbness, but if some games are 30fps (DR3) and some games are 60fps (Forza) and I do not need to manually change settings to accommodate this, why can the system not output 50fps.
Is it that 30 is a factor or 60 and thus you can duplicate all frames equally to reach 60fps, of does the xbox only have 2 fps settings. If the latter, surely a 3rd 50fps setting via a patch that naturally runs on TV functionality in Europe?
@merlinjnr
yes 30fps displays easily on 60hz as it is a divisor.
50 to 60 is more difficult as it involves duplicating some frames. Every 5th frame is displayed twice.
The xbox one has two frame rate 50 and 60. The issue here it does not automatically switch between them, it is locked at either 50 or 60. Meaning something will have judder. This can be fixed with a patch but depending on your TV you may experience a moment while the TV switches. The best TV’s will switch to black and swap it quickly. Some TV’s go to a blue screen with text popping up to say its switched. Unfortunately its something we will have to deal with. It’s not really Microsoft’s fault that different countries have different standards, but they should have the option of auto switching. To be honest I don’t notice the stutter in normal viewing so it doesn’t really bother me its just on screens with scrolling text.
“yes 30fps displays easily on 60hz as it is a divisor.”
actually in all these generic threads about the US NTSC/digital ATSC 30fps and 60FPS people always seem to forget
that ITS NOT REALLY a true integer divider of 30/60/120 etc its actually 29.97 frames per second and 59.94 frames per second unlike the Original UK PAL that is a true integer divider of 25 fps/Hz. 50fps/Hz .100fps/Hz, and even 200fps/Hz today.
the best thing the US could do today with all their new digital content would be to start using the real integer divisible PAL HD SYSTEM IN ALL THE digital SoC today and end of life their refusal to take the generic BBC PAL standard once and for all, long term integer divisible PAL has proven its worth over and over after all