Plug & Play HDMI for PlayStation & PS2! Should You Buy the Pound Technologies HD Link HDMI Cable

In this video, we test out the Pound Technology HD Link HDMI Cable for the Sony PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2.

The Sony PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 are two of the most popular video gaming systems of all time. The PS2 sold more systems than any other before it, it helped solidify DVD as a successor to VHS, and the library of games was nothing short of spectacular. Well, both systems have a great library, hooking those systems up to modern TVs can be a little bit of a challenge. Both came out at a time shortly before HDMI was the HD standard, and maxed out with component video output. That was until just recently as pound technology has come out with a plug-and-play HDMI solution that works for both systems.

The HD Link cable is simple in its design, and that's a good thing. There's one connector on either side of the dongle, one that plugs into your system and the other that outputs to the HDMI cable, there's also a micro USB connection on the side which provides power for the HD Link. One of the cool things is that the PlayStation 2 actually has USB ports on it, so you can actually power the cable right from your system.

Having used similar adapters for other systems I was curious to see what the results were like. I started with the PlayStation 1, which while not as bad as the Nintendo 64, the polygons have not aged very well. I will say the PS1 titles looked pretty sharp, audio was authentic, and there was no lag that I could notice. Games like Crash Bandicoot and Gran Turismo looks better than I ever remembered.

Moving over to the newer PlayStation 2, my expectations were quite a bit higher. I remembered this machine being simply amazing and I was hopeful that it would look even better than I remembered. Upon powering on the display was in a shade of green, something addressed in the user's manual for the HD Link. I simply needed to change the video output type to RGB and the green was replaced with the proper colors for the video.

Man, while the PlayStation looked good, the PlayStation 2 really shines with the HD Link. Colors look amazing, the sound was spot-on, and again there was no lag. I had a great time playing Jax and Daxter, a game I honestly have never played before but really want to get into now. Ratchet & Clank looked almost as good as the PlayStation 3 games. I lost track of the time while I was recording the footage for Star Wars Episode 3 because I was enjoying it so much.

Why it RoX:
- Truly plug-and-play
- Very reasonable cost
- Includes everything you need to hook up, including a micro USB cable for power
- Compatible with PS1 and PS2
- Exceptional results
- No noticeable lag or latency introduced
- Games looking sound better than they ever have

What could be Improved?
- Does not allow pass-through video of DVD content
- No power supply included for USB cable
- It's not a miracle worker, you can't fix some of the graphical issues of the PlayStation

Should You Buy One?
Having used the HDMI Adapters for other systems, my expectations for the Pound Technologies HD Link Cable for the PlayStation was pretty high, and it didn't disappoint. I was really very happy with how well both systems looked playing through the cable, it was exactly what I was hoping for.

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)