I ran across this problem when moving my Playstation 3 from my parents house to my house. I don't have an HD-TV(yet!!). So when I brough it over from my parents house (who have HDMI), to my TV (composite connection), the TV would just be blank.
This was because I had set the PS3 to output HDMI at my parents house, but forgotten to switch it to composite before bring it over to my house. So driving blind, I would never be able to find the menu to reset it.
By Sony had already though of this problem and there is an easy solution:
- Make sure the system is off.
- Hold down the Power Button for 5-6 seconds - until you hear the second beep.
- That's it, your video settings are reset and you should be able to choose your input and configure it from there.
Simple!!
Update - If this didn't solve the problem, take a look at my updated list of solutions to get your PS3 working again!!
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 03:01 thanks very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 19:12 Thank you, happy holidays.
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 17:11 cheers from middlesbrough
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 15:37 Thanks friend....thought my PS3 was fecked and just got a new copy of COD black op's!
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 06:51 Thank you so much for your sulotion. :)
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 04:54 yep well it worked slicker than snot lol thanx alot
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 04:31 Just moved from teaxas to cali my home town and play some black ops and beat so ass
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 01:17 man u deserve a torpy or somethinq cuz u saved mii life i was about to send my ps3 back to get a new 1
Mon, 01/03/2011 - 00:13 THANKYOUU SOO MUCHHH! i was in a stage of mad panic then :)
Sun, 01/02/2011 - 22:58 GOD bless you!!! THANKS!!!!!
Sun, 01/02/2011 - 17:14 i love you
Sun, 01/02/2011 - 16:56 thank you! you've saved me from college vacation boredom
Sun, 01/02/2011 - 00:48 nigga you da best for rizzle fo shillz dizzle i was about to bust mad caps in my ps3's ass but you saved me nigga for rizzle you a real nigga. Keep grindin'
Sat, 01/01/2011 - 23:37 thanks brother saved me from alot of trouble.
Sat, 01/01/2011 - 23:20 Thanks alot
Sat, 01/01/2011 - 17:14 thank youuuuu
Sat, 01/01/2011 - 09:14 Thank you I know lots of people may have already said thanks but if u were a chick I'd probably cheat on my wife & phuk the shit outta ya. Don't judge me I'm just saying o_O
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 22:34 it did not work
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 20:23 Thank you, you saved my New Year - Sing Start event!!!
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 17:50 You made my day!!!!!!!!! So simple but so complexed. Sony should post this in the manual. Thank you!
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 17:31 thanks
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 08:36 you are the man
Fri, 12/31/2010 - 03:47 Ayyyyy bro you da best me n my homie just saw dis comment and you saved our night before we couldn't figure out what to do now we can play alll night long nh haha but seriously im actully white haha thanks.
Thu, 12/30/2010 - 19:05 WOW...!!! it works !!! thank you thank you !!!
Thu, 12/30/2010 - 00:50 OMG dud you saved me !! you must be a GOD or somthing thank you :) x
Wed, 12/29/2010 - 20:05 Thanks man!
Wed, 12/29/2010 - 10:28 thanks so much dude u rock :D
Wed, 12/29/2010 - 00:09 ABSOLUTE GOD
Tue, 12/28/2010 - 20:04 same prob here... just returned from parents,and don't have HD tele yet... saved my evening!
Tue, 12/28/2010 - 08:14 Dude u fucking rock man!!! I thought my ps3 was messed up for good, I brought it to a friends house and he had an hd plasma and we played it there then I took it back home and played it on my shity tv and nothing! U totally saved me!
Tue, 12/28/2010 - 06:42 u saved me!!!
Mon, 12/27/2010 - 23:17 thankyou i love you :)
Sun, 12/26/2010 - 20:56 Mine still isn'tworking i did what you told to do and still isnt mine during setup is a black/blank screen (HDMI also) **EMAIL**macattack267@yahoo.com
Sun, 12/26/2010 - 17:59 YOU ARE THE BEST
Sun, 12/26/2010 - 03:21 Man i wish i found your answer 4 hours ago. Thank God I did. GAME ON.
Sat, 12/25/2010 - 19:28 YOU DA MAN. YOU DA MAN THAT SAVED CHRISTMAS. THANKS MATE! :-)
Sat, 12/25/2010 - 03:11 You just saved my Christmas day!
Tue, 12/28/2010 - 19:34 Thanks you sooo much, you saved me. And my new years
Sat, 12/25/2010 - 20:06 You saved my sanity I couldn't get my son off the big screen in the living room and back to his room. Thank you
Sat, 12/25/2010 - 00:58 Thank you!!!!!
Thu, 12/23/2010 - 02:09 FUK YEH!!!! LEGEND!!!!!
Mon, 12/20/2010 - 20:47 dude thank you
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 23:51 BEST THING EVER HAD SHITY DAY BOUGHT NEW 42 INCH AND DIED FROM WINTER BRINGING FROM TRUCK AND SPARKED LOL GOT A SHITY 13 INCH TV N NOW I CAN PLAY PS3 THANK YOU FROM ONTARIO
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 20:56 Thanks alot i was facing the same problem!!!!!
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 17:25 bro thnks me and my homie aint have nutin to do becus it wusnt wurkin we came to google and saw this thank you very much bro i really appreciate it
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 15:56 Jeeze does the video sucks not having a HDMI or a component connection but it sure is better than nothing... Simple great page, thanks for the help.
Sat, 12/18/2010 - 20:19 thanx a lot i thougt i was fucked 4 life now i can play my fifa 11 and wwe11
Sat, 12/18/2010 - 04:48 Thanks so much ^_^
Wed, 12/15/2010 - 23:16 YO MAN THANKS FOR THAT!!! i was thinking i broke it!!!!!!
Sun, 12/12/2010 - 21:39 THANK YOU SO MUCH MAN LIFE SAVER !
Fri, 12/10/2010 - 23:31 how do you switch from component to HD ??
Thu, 12/09/2010 - 18:58 Hey, I have a ps3 slim 120 GB HDD, and I've tried turning on the ps3 and holding the power button. After the first shut down, I repeated to get the 2 beeps. I was really hoping that it would work, but I still have a blank screen. I've tried switching the video cable from ALL OVER the living room's Tv set, but still no picture. I even tried the ps3 in my room, where I had originally used the PS3. I hooked the video cable and buddied it with the composite cable and STILL nothing. I have no sound, no video and I'm beginning to lose my patience, which is something that many people find cool about me. And if this PS3 continues to fail me and succeed in killing off my tireless patience, then I'm going to just....do something. Won't know until I lose....patience.
Thu, 12/09/2010 - 05:35 Thanxs so much it really did work
Wed, 12/08/2010 - 23:54 thanks i can play it now ty
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 15:47 DUDE you are the fucking man, I didnt know what to do, but you saved the day. It's people like you this world needs alot more of, YOU FUCKING ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 17:39 HAHAHAHAHAHA I LOVE YOU JK!! xD your the best your freakin awsome !!!! xD :)
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 15:26 Sir I would happily suck ur balls! Ur amazing
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 05:48 THANK UUUUU!!!!
Sun, 12/05/2010 - 22:59 Awesome! Thanks dude!
Fri, 12/03/2010 - 22:55 Here is the solution which worked for me Step 1 - Switch off everything Step 2 - Hold power button (on PS3). Let it beep twice. After second beep make sure you lift your figure otherwise it will power it down. Step 3 - Now you should be able to see six options on the screen Step 4 - Choose restore file system, this should restore everything. In my case it has restored the data as well. But I can't guarantee that it is going to do that in your case P.S - if you don't see these option then it could be that your hard drive has gone.
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 19:54 you have made me so very very happy
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 17:35 thanks dude , god bless you
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 00:36 THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 17:42 you save my ass bro... :) thanks...
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 01:15 Dude! You fuckin Rock! Thank you so damn Much!
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 21:50 Thanksss! I will suck yo Dick. - Avie Chanhal
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 12:12 Wow! I Was Just Scrolling Through The Comments.... FUCK I Helped Alot Of People I Love You Lot Oh And Remember, Don't Hold The Off Button For Too Long, Because If You Hear A Third Beep... Your Screwed! The Ps3 Does a Whole Factory Reset, Deleting All Your Records And Trophys And Downloads Etc.... So Just Warning Ya!
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 04:15 Roses are red, violets are blue, all my base belong to you.
Sun, 11/28/2010 - 05:16 not going obsess but dude u rock
Sun, 11/28/2010 - 00:20 you should work for the government or something. thank you
Sat, 11/27/2010 - 10:38 u freakin rock sir
Sat, 11/27/2010 - 03:20 I LOVE YOUR FUCKING BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fri, 11/26/2010 - 17:16 thank you thank you soooooo muchhhh
Fri, 11/26/2010 - 04:59 same, forgot to change it over first, your instructions perfect
Thu, 11/25/2010 - 08:29 DUDE THANK YOU MAN!!! IF I WERE A GIRL I'D FRENCH KISS YOU!!!! XD
Wed, 11/24/2010 - 13:45 Thank YOU!!! i am in Spain and i would have been lost without this
Tue, 11/23/2010 - 19:27 What a hero!
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 01:22 Dope man, preciate it
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 02:28 Thanks! I wasted an hour trying to figure the thing out. It only took 5 seconds to look this up and try it. I love the internet!!!
Tue, 11/16/2010 - 00:40 I LOVE YOU !!!! :P :P :P IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM !! THANK YOU ! :D
Mon, 11/15/2010 - 07:05 You are a herooooo!!!!!!!!!
Mon, 11/15/2010 - 03:40 You deserve a medal for writing this! Thx sooo much!!!! :D
Sun, 11/14/2010 - 21:20 omg dude thank you so much u saved my life i had to get off my ps3 at like 6 cus i had To use family tv!
Thu, 11/11/2010 - 20:30 Thanksamillion
Thu, 11/11/2010 - 06:49 I LOVE YOU! thank you so much dude! you saved me from boredom and sadness!
Wed, 11/10/2010 - 09:59 i went to my friends house to go watch movies, what happened is he has the xbox 360 and also purchased a blue ray player, but next 2days came , they stole from him steeling his blue ray player, so i volunteered to take my ps3, he connected his hdmi cable and to his tv,yet it asked me if i wanted to change to hdmi i had no choice i put up yes, after that i went bak home along with connecting to my crappy tv and only saw black, so from here there, i thought it was broken, yet i saw this page and helped sooo much...... THANK YOU VERY MUCH I HIGHLY DO APPRECIATE IT!!!!!!!
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 19:49 thanks so much i thought i could never play bloack ops until you thanks you FUCKING ROCK
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 19:49 thanks so much i thought i could never play bloack ops until you thanks you FUCKING ROCK
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 20:24 phew, i made the switch back to 4:3 while plasma is off the wall. big thanks.
Sun, 11/07/2010 - 13:04 Omfg, if you didn't suggest to hold the power button for 6 sec, i would throw my PS3 out of my window!
Sat, 11/06/2010 - 23:35 I LOVE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sat, 11/06/2010 - 19:27 Thanks So much.... :)
Sat, 11/06/2010 - 13:05 Really helped me out too - I borrowed a PS3 from a friend and had no idea how to get it to work. Googled it and found this. It's a quick and easy fix, clearly explained. Couldn't ask for more. Ta.
Fri, 11/05/2010 - 22:28 Thank you for this!!! We thought the PS3 was messed up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 03:10 Hank you so mucth you saved me from hours of boredom
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 16:15 thanks mate
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 06:34 None of the sites I went to helped! This one did the trick!!! A million thanks!!! :)
Sat, 10/30/2010 - 02:58 Awesome Post! this is a lifesaver!
Wed, 10/27/2010 - 16:53 THANKS ALOT IF MY BROTHER FOUND OUT I WOULD BE DEAD U RULE
Tue, 10/26/2010 - 00:10 You are a champion, I'm going from hdtv of mine to parents sd (yet hdmi enabled strangely) tv and had only sound and no picture, you've been an absolute life saver
Mon, 10/25/2010 - 23:41 U DESERVE A REWARD AT LEAST 4 THIS I THOUGHT IT WAS OVER THAT GOD 4 I phones
Mon, 10/25/2010 - 21:20 Thank you so much u saved me alot of money, God Bless!!!!!!
Mon, 10/25/2010 - 14:12 You are GOD!
Sun, 10/24/2010 - 16:20 Ooooooo! Everyone pray to the mighty lord of PS3 setups! Thanx alot!
Sat, 10/23/2010 - 13:18 thank you your a star
Sat, 10/23/2010 - 03:11 you are amazing in bed!
Thu, 10/21/2010 - 05:52 you saved our DUTY DAY! thannnnk you!
Sun, 10/17/2010 - 23:38 I see how all these ppl say it work but hmm don't look like it here. I'm sticking to xbox f playstation.
Sun, 10/17/2010 - 01:41 wow, thanks, this helped
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:52 thanks, just what i was looking for!!!!
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 00:33 Dude I thought I was a retard or sumtin, but you saved my pride. Thanks a lot. Noy my girl doesn't have to lose respect for a man who can't operate electronics.
Tue, 10/12/2010 - 23:47 thank you! i thought i was going to have to restrain my son from throwing something, expensive- through the wall. you were the first hit on my search - thanks again - problem solved
Sun, 10/10/2010 - 00:39 man thanks a hit ton
Fri, 10/08/2010 - 21:08 THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
Wed, 10/06/2010 - 20:04 it worked (: thank you so much :p
Tue, 10/05/2010 - 21:17 as above
Tue, 10/05/2010 - 03:33 sir...i am in your debt...may you live a long and prosperous life lol, thanx heaps
Tue, 10/05/2010 - 03:33 sir...i am in your debt...may you live a long and prosperous life lol, thanx heaps
Mon, 10/04/2010 - 06:04 Thanks a lot for this I really appreciate it. God bless everyone.
Mon, 10/04/2010 - 05:26 thanks bro so much
Sun, 10/03/2010 - 09:38 ifucken luv you <3
Wed, 09/29/2010 - 22:08 Damn man your the shittt !!!!!!! i thought my ps3 was messed up for a second! thanks man !!!!
Wed, 09/29/2010 - 00:29 omfg thank you so much ive been going crazy looking for the way to do this.. my boyfriend moves to y house and we were going crazy we could hear it but couldnt see it .. we got so exited wen we saw this thank love
Sun, 09/26/2010 - 16:18 thanks dude i never would have figured it out COD TIME
Tue, 09/21/2010 - 19:15 You have just saved my marriage....great stuff!
Mon, 09/20/2010 - 00:53 OMG THIS WORKED!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Sat, 09/18/2010 - 06:37 thank you veru very much i realy love you
Fri, 09/17/2010 - 20:24 from a mother with a 13 year old....thank you so much
Fri, 09/17/2010 - 02:21 i just bought a PS3 hooked it all up but my screen is black. It works with the av cable but not hdmi. When i had my xbox 360 the setting auto changed on the TV to HD. When my ps3 is on it says 720 rsolution. not 1080.
Fri, 09/17/2010 - 00:55 does this work for the slim>?
Thu, 09/16/2010 - 07:16 fuck yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!thanx dude
Wed, 09/15/2010 - 13:27 dude! awesome!!! youre a legend!!!!
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 15:11 this worked great for me, thanks for the info..
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 04:14 thank you dude i would have been without a ps3 for a year
Mon, 09/13/2010 - 23:59 In a hotel for the week and you saved my sanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Mon, 09/13/2010 - 15:14 Nice article posted by you to provide the information that how to switch one to another. You can also find some important info of video switch at http://www.smartvm.com/video-switches-c1293.htm Great work :) Thanks
Mon, 09/13/2010 - 14:57 Hey thanks man. You are freakin awesome!!!!! I was a hour away from returning my ps3. Now no worries. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 23:55 I love you
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 23:55 I love you
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 22:36 Thank you so much for tip. This has saved my video game life.
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 20:21 IT REALLY WORKED THANK YOU
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 06:56 Dude thanks so Much!!!! That was the best help ever!
Thu, 09/09/2010 - 22:05 OMG you are my jesus!!!!! i was shitting my pants when my tv went blank thank you so fuckinggggggg much!!
Thu, 09/09/2010 - 01:40 Your awesome!
Tue, 09/07/2010 - 22:28 thank you so freaking much dude your a life saver!
Tue, 09/07/2010 - 17:19 Thanks so much Purazar! I was afraid the PS3 120GB Slim I got was broken. I was seeing why I got it from a New York pawn shop on eBay. Plus, this 120GB Slim is the newest model. It hasn't even been out for over 3 or so months! Just needed this for switching from HDMI to composite. Thanks so much for Google and finding your post! :D :D
Sun, 09/05/2010 - 20:16 Thanks dude. I thought my PS3 was toast. Works like a charm.
Sat, 09/04/2010 - 16:40 tight ass motherfucker this shit is fukin badass
Sat, 09/04/2010 - 05:58 I LOVE YOU MAN IT WORKED HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Fri, 09/03/2010 - 03:40 seriously, thanks, i had the same issue (went from hd at dads to non-hd) now i dont have to make a trip just to change it back haha
Wed, 09/01/2010 - 20:46 I FUCKING LOVE GOOGLE!!! THANKS man I was really getting mad then I had forgot I change it to HD wen I was at home I'm in Afgan now! THANKS AGAIN YOUR A GENUS LOL
Mon, 08/30/2010 - 02:34 Wow thank you that totally saved me from a heart attack..
Sun, 08/29/2010 - 20:00 I fucking love you
Sat, 08/28/2010 - 19:22 man dis shyt didnt wrk man plz help my ps3 bas been lik this for days.
Sat, 08/28/2010 - 19:22 man dis shyt didnt wrk man plz help my ps3 bas been lik this for days.
Sat, 08/28/2010 - 03:41 ur my hero man. i would of never figured this out
Fri, 08/27/2010 - 23:02 thanks a lot !!!!!!!!
Fri, 08/27/2010 - 21:47 thanks
Fri, 08/27/2010 - 14:13 Good looks! I too thought I was gonna have to buy another ps3! Thanks!
Wed, 08/25/2010 - 17:18 my friend you truly are a legend
Wed, 08/25/2010 - 10:17 Thanks bro, that helped the first time around. My husband was ready to belt the kids and throw the PS3 out the window. THANK GOD! Appreciate it!
Mon, 08/23/2010 - 15:54 mateeeee u r a ledgend !!!!!!! i love uuu !!!!! mannn
Sat, 08/21/2010 - 20:22 THX THX THX THX You're like a Wizard, that makes people happy with magic..! I love you 4ever...!
Thu, 08/19/2010 - 14:20 thank you soooooooooo much!!! i was really bummed out but thx 2 u it worked
Wed, 08/18/2010 - 22:13 thank u so much man u r my hero!
Wed, 08/18/2010 - 03:26 OMG... youre the best person ever.... thanks a ton!
Wed, 08/18/2010 - 01:08 Thank you
Tue, 08/17/2010 - 20:15 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Sat, 08/14/2010 - 05:00 Outstanding!!!
Sat, 08/14/2010 - 00:33 U RULE DUDE! AND SONY DOES TOO! I LOVE SONY...AND HACKERS...SONY AND HACKERS...AND U DUDE!
Sat, 08/14/2010 - 00:27 One more to love you dude!!!
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 22:20 Ha thnks Dude youre Tha best!!
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 02:02 your awesome
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 17:56 man u solve everyones problems u are the man thanks
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 17:56 man u solve everyones problems u are the man thanks
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 17:56 man u solve everyones problems u are the man thanks
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 07:53 Just another fool who thought the ps3 was fukkeddd untill i read thisss. THANKSSS!
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 06:43 u r the man
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 05:53 DUDE this is gd too know if ur going on a trip and u dont have time to switch over and the place ur going to might or might not have HD TV's thanks
Sat, 08/07/2010 - 23:51 Thank you so much!! I switched from a HD TV to another HD TV but I only had my HDMI cable and the other TV kept saying "Invalid Format" so I reset the Video Settings with the power button and BLAOW it worked.
Sat, 08/07/2010 - 22:06 that didnt work for me still getting a black screen, any other suggestions?
Sat, 08/07/2010 - 15:19 Dude THANK YOU like million times
Sat, 08/07/2010 - 04:20 thanks i totally thought i was screwed
Fri, 08/06/2010 - 03:55 thank you so much!
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 18:32 Great job man great job
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 14:06 Does this technique work on the ps3 slim as well?
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 05:10 Thank you soooooo much. This problem has been messing with me for about two and a half years now. But before when it used to do it, I would just chalk it up and say "no movie or game tonight", but you just put a end to that. I owe you a beer for this, thanks a million!
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 04:29 DUDEEEE!!! I FREAKING LOVE YOU!!!
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 15:47 wow well if it was not for you iwould of thrown the freaking thing.. right on thank you
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 15:43 I love you <3
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 15:34 i did this.. ermmm does it reset any of your progress of your games? i went on my eyepet. and i made 2 pets.. one which was almost an adult (which means i almost finished it) and another which was only days old. the one which was only days old was saved onto there. but the adult one wasnt. i also went on avatar.. and my avatar was gone!?! i got so far into the game. please dont tell me that everythings gone?
Sat, 07/31/2010 - 04:47 I am away on vacation and for the third time I brought my baby and she has not been working at these over priced no DVD or hdmi hotels ... you have saved me from another night of just HBO and regular chans...
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 01:43 Wow, this saved my butt! I already had my cell phone go this week; not being able to play my ps3 would of sent me through the roof!
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 02:44 Thanks, this actually helped.
Wed, 07/28/2010 - 00:21 you are a leaged i was so pissed wal i got was a blank screen
Tue, 07/27/2010 - 07:45 SAVED ME A HEAP OF TIME AND EFFORT!!!!
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 15:44 thanks cuz i had the same problem as you
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 14:19 i love you...in a nongay form
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 13:38 Thanks a lot, it worked also on my PS3 Slim!
Thu, 07/22/2010 - 15:06 thanks alot it worked straight away