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PS3 Era - My PS3 HDMI Output stopped working, can't access Safe Mode! What can I do?

Metalmurphy

Metalmurphy

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
542
So I decided to dust off my PS3 and see what games on my backlog I might be interested in playing, but for some reason I wasn't getting any image, it seems to be something HDMI exclusive as everything else seems to be working.

I wouldn't normally post these types of threads but searching for a solution online is turning out to be extremely frustrating as with all the replies I can find is just people assuming the person with the problem isn't following the steps correctly, so let me just get this out of the way, I AM following the steps correctly, Safe mode is simply not working on what seems to be a perfectly working PS3 other than the HDMI not outputting. So the Steps would be to hold the power button from Stand By until you hear two beeps after 5-7 seconds, the problem is those two beeps never happen and after about a minute or two the PS3 just shuts down from what seems to be a poweroff override option.

If I connect the PS3 through SCART everything seems to work just fine, it's just when I switch to HDMI that I get no picture, it's not the cable as I tested multiple and they work on my PS4, it's not the TV either. What I wanted to know is, is there another way to entire the Safe Mode? Maybe through a USB drive or something?

Also, what could cause an HDMI output to stop working when everything else seems just fine? Fans work, HDD not making weird noises, games work without GPU glitches, etc. Is it reparable? I'm OK with opening it up and switching parts if it's not overly complicated (complicated soldering required for example).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
 
gebler

gebler

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,278
Metalmurphy said:
all the replies I can find is just people assuming the person with the problem isn't following the steps correctly, so let me just get this out of the way, I AM following the steps correctly, Safe mode is simply not working on what seems to be a perfectly working PS3 other than the HDMI not outputting. So the Steps would be to hold the power button from Stand By until you hear two beeps after 5-7 seconds, the problem is those two beeps never happen and after about a minute or two the PS3 just shuts down from what seems to be a poweroff override option.
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Looking at the instructions on playstation.com , they have a longer procedure with more steps than you describe. Perhaps the extra steps are needed in some situations, but not always? Could be worth trying, anyway:
  • Check that the power indicator on the PlayStation 3 system is solid red.
  • Press and hold the PlayStation 3 system's power button for ten seconds. The PlayStation 3 system will shut down.
  • Release the power button.
  • Press and hold the power button for seven seconds. Two short beeps will be emitted and a message will be displayed on-screen.
  • Press the PS button on the wireless controller to start the PlayStation 3 system in Safe Mode.
Also, since the PS3 seems to work fine when using SCART, I guess you could get into the display settings (using the UI via SCART) and try different HDMI settings without needing safe mode. Safe mode uses the lowest HDMI resolution available without any extra options such as deep color, so you could try that first.
 
OP
OP
Metalmurphy

Metalmurphy

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
542
I believe the first two steps are just a fool proof way to guarantee the person is attempting to boot from an off state, regardless I did try that, even tried starting from complete power off (removing cable power) but no go. It just seems that the regular Safe Mode is broken some how. Those 2 beeps just never happen.

I also tried going from SCART to HDMI but there's still no signal after I switch to HDMI. Reason I wanted to try Safe Mode is to see if the "Restore PS3 System" option could possibly fix it, even though I realize it's unlikely, doesn't hurt trying.
 
MazeHaze

MazeHaze

Member
Nov 1, 2017
8,647
Metalmurphy said:
I believe the first two steps are just a fool proof way to guarantee the person is attempting to boot from an off state, regardless I did try that, even tried starting from complete power off (removing cable power) but no go. It just seems that the regular Safe Mode is broken some how. Those 2 beeps just never happen.

I also tried going from SCART to HDMI but there's still no signal after I switch to HDMI. Reason I wanted to try Safe Mode is to see if the "Restore PS3 System" option could possibly fix it, even though I realize it's unlikely, doesn't hurt trying.
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Isn't there a thing where you hold down the power button until it beeps to switch it from composite to hdmi?
 
Dash Kappei

Dash Kappei

Member
Nov 1, 2017
4,898
Something crazy was happening to my friend PS3 (MGS4 fatso), his hdmi out wasn't working either, he boxed the ps3 a year prior with everything working. Then he noticed he didn't update in ages, so he updated the firmware and bam! Next startup it went from black-screen on hdmi to having the white text asking if the ps3 was showing the image at 60hz etc. After that it started working properly again.
Still we don't know what was the problem, maybe handshake-related.
 
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