The image on your screen is black, distorted, or choppy while playing an Xbox 360 game

You cannot play an Xbox 360 game on your console. You might experience the following problems:

• The screen is black or distorted
• The game is slow to start
• Gameplay or in-game video is choppy
• An error message is displayed

These problems might occur when you try to play an Xbox 360 game and the console display is set to PAL 50 Hz. Some games might not support PAL 50 Hz.

Set your Xbox 360 console to PAL 60 Hz. For instructions about how to set your Xbox 360 console to PAL 60 Hz, by following the instructions below.

Important

• Some older televisions do not support PAL 60 Hz. If you do not know whether your TV supports PAL 60 Hz, contact the manufacturer of your TV or see the owner's manual.
• The PAL setting options are only available when your console is connected to a TV with a composite A/V cable or a component HD A/V cable with the HDTV switch set to TV.

If you have a standard-definition television

1. Go to the Settings hub, and choose System.
2. Select Console Settings.
3. Select Display.
4. Select PAL settings.
   
   Note If you do not see this option, make sure that your TV is standard-definition. If you have a high definition TV, follow the steps in one of the other sections below.
   
   
5. Select PAL-60.
6. Confirm the settings.
7. If your TV screen is still black or distorted, there might be a problem with your TV or cable. Connect the console to another TV and see if you have the same problem.
8. If you have the same problem, try another cable. If you still have the same problem, your console might need to be repaired. Please see the Request a repair section.

If you have a high-definition TV and are using the component HD A/V cables

1. Turn off the Xbox 360 console.
2. On the component HD A/V cable, set the HDTV switch to TV.
   
   
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3. Turn on the console.
4. Go to the Settings hub, and choose System.
5. Select Console Settings.
6. Select Display.
7. Select PAL settings.
   
   Note If you do not see this option, make sure that the HDTV switch on the cable is set to TV.
   
   
8. Select PAL-60.
9. Confirm the settings.
10. Turn off the console.
11. Set the HDTV switch on the cable to HDTV.
    
    
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12. Turn the console and TV on again.

If you have a high-definition television and are using an HDMI cable

If your TV is connected to your console with an HDMI cable, you must change the cable to either an Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable or an Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable before you can change the console display setting to PAL 60 Hz.

1. Switch to an HD A/V cable. Here’s how:
   1. Turn off the Xbox 360 console.
   2. Disconnect the HDMI cable that links the TV and the console.
      
      
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   3. Reconnect the TV to the console by using either the Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable or the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable that came with your Xbox 360 console.
      
      
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      Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable
      
      
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      Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable
      
      For more information about how to connect these cables, see the following articles:
      906144  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906144/ ) How to connect your Xbox 360 console to your TV or monitor using an Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable
      906303  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906303/ ) How to connect your console to a TV or monitor using an Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable
   4. If you use the component HD A/V cable, make sure that the HDTV switch on the cable is set to TV.
      
      
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   5. On your TV, change the A/V input setting to match the socket on the TV that you used to connect your cables.
2. Change the console display to PAL 60 Hz. Here’s how:
   1. Turn on the console.
   2. Go to the Settings hub, and choose System.
   3. Select Console Settings.
   4. Select Display.
   5. Select PAL settings.
      
      Note If you do not see this option and you used a component HD A/V cable, make sure that the HDTV switch on the cable is set to TV.
   6. Select PAL-60.
   7. Confirm the settings.
   8. Turn off the console, remove the HD A/V cable, and then re-connect the original HDMI cable.
      
      Note On your TV, select the input option that that matches the HDMI port that you plugged the HDMI cable into.
      
      
   9. Turn the console and TV on again.

If you have a TV and are using a VGA cable (high-definition or standard)

If your TV is connected to your console with a VGA cable, you must change the cable to either an Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable or an Xbox 360 Component HD AV before you can change the display setting to PAL 60 Hz.

1. Switch from the VGA cable to an Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable or an Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable. Here’s how:
   1. Turn off the Xbox 360 console.
   2. Disconnect the VGA cable that links the TV and the console.
      
      
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   3. Reconnect the TV to the console by using either the Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable or the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable that came with your Xbox 360 console.
      
      For more information about how to connect these cables, please see the following Knowledge Base articles:
      906144  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906144/ ) How to connect your Xbox 360 console to your TV or monitor using an Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable
      906303  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906303/ ) How to connect your console to a TV or monitor using an Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable
   4. If you use the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable, set the HDTV switch on the cable to TV.
      
      
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2. Change the console display to PAL 60 Hz. Here’s how:
   1. Turn on the Xbox 360 console.
   2. Go to the Settings hub, and choose System.
   3. Select Console Settings.
   4. Select Display.
   5. Select PAL settings.
      
      Note If you do not see this option and you used a Component HD AV Cable, make sure that the HDTV switch on the cable is set to TV.
      
      
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   6. Select PAL-60.
   7. Confirm the settings.
3. Turn off the console, disconnect the HD A/V cable, and then re-connect the VGA cable.
4. Turn the console and TV on again.

Games that support PAL 60 Hz

This is a partial list of games that support PAL 60 Hz:

• The Outfit
• Elder Scrolls Oblivion
• NBA 2K6
• NHL 2K6
• Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
• Top Spin 2
• Dead or Alive 4 (DOA4)

Request a repair

If the solutions above did not resolve the problem, your console needs to be repaired at our service center. Start the repair process (https://myservice.xbox.com/) .

Note Online console repair service is not currently available in all countries and regions.

Xbox Support

Please visit the following website for information about how to contact Xbox Support: