Be Excellent To Each Other

I've just got hold of a new Xbox that has a HDMI connector. Firstly is it actually worth getting a HDMI cable instead of just continuing to use the component?

If it is then can I just get any old HDMI cable and continue to use the optical audio out which is on the current connector thing or do I need to get a special Xbox one that has the optical out on it too?

cheers

You may find that your telly has a digital audio output because of problems like this that HDMI causes. Also: HDMI probably isn't much of a noticeable improvement over component.

on my TV HDMI looks sharper than component.

I run it at 1080p output from the 360, as my TV albeit a 720p TV, can take 1080p inputs, and it looks best like this. I have tried all.

The sound comes over the HDMI cable for me, I have no optical connectors.

Yes.

Is there not an optical output on the back of the Xbox?

No. In order to use optical and HDMI you apparently need an adapter or some butchering because the component one covers up the hdmi slot.

Or so they tell me, my xbox pre-dates such lunacy.

You should ask Grim.. where you can get one of his super special £150 cables.

Hmm. I've got one, but I don't remember doing any of that. I'll take a look tonight.

There doesn't seem to be, it's on the back of the connector that also has the component leads.

But my telly does have the optical out so after hearing all these claims I think I'll take a punt and spend a whole tenner on Argos's second cheapest HDMI cable.

ProTip: buy the cheapest.

Your TV's out almost certainly only does 2 channel.

this

you need an adaptor like this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41lfHItkIVL.jpg

Really? Why's that?

Mine Samsung telly only outputs 2 channels as well, which is infuriating. Why the hell even bother with an optical output if stereo's the best it can manage?

Yeah seems my Samsung will only do 2 channels via the optical out.

Oh well looks like a £5 HDMI cable and a screwdriver attack on the component cable it is then:

http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

Because TVs are almost universally shit and won't pass full sound from the HDMI to their own optical.

I don't know why but there's a whine about it 3 times a week on SA.

My Elite came with a cable that plugs into the slot at the back for connecting an optical cable/stereo phono cable....the HDMI slots in next to this.

Not sure how much they are to buy separately...presumably your xbox didnt come with such an adapter? I imagine you should be able to pick one up off ebay quite easily as there are probably more people who dont need hdmi than those who do

I'm told it's yet another bloody anti-piracy measure, given HDMI is (optionally?) encrypted and optical isn't.

Though it could just be down to cost too -- the commonly found versions of TOSLink et al use the lower banwidth standards (ie cheaper) which means it can do 2.0 PCM, and more channels need compression (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.), which means the TV would have to be able to compress/transcode incoming audio on the fly in many cases (ie where it couldn't just do pass-through). More expense for a feature I suspect only a few would use...

Well, that or TV designers just hate us all.

HDMI's slightly sharper than component for me though if I weren't flipping between them on something I'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. (Toshiba 46" TV here).

I just went with HDMI because I didn't have spare component ports -- the Wii and the multichanger DVD nabbed 'em already, and the latter's the only player I have that plays Region 2 DVDs.

I got the official kit as an open-box discount (about a tenner in proper money), but if I hadn't gotten that, I'd just have hacked up the included component cable's connector -- if you don't, it partially covers the Xbox's HDMI port.

I don't know that I'd have bothered if I'd had spare component ports, the difference is pretty slight, especially without being able to compare them all the time.

It does, a lot of crappy TVs won't accept 1080P over component though.

My Samsung does. I'd use HDMI but my Box doesn't have an HDMI port. It's too old for such whizzery.

Still looks ace at 1080p over component mind.

I thought 360 only did 720 over component.

It's a common myth because a lot of people have crap TVs.

To confuse matters further, although for games the 360 will do 1080p over component, for HD-DVDs, it only does 1080i. This is slightly annoying, as my tv only has three HDMI inputs, and they're all in use.

Is there any disadvantage to using VGA rather than component?

No sound via VGA which wont matter if you use optical out of the 360.

Otherwise you get the full gamut of resolution options I beleive.

The Xbox 360 VGA cable splits off with two red/white phono cables for sound. I know, because I have some plugged in to my Subwoofer. It's also got an adapter in the box to turn it in to a headphones style jack.

Watch out though, as some games tear badly over VGA (eg Dead Rising).

I think my tv is the opposite - it will only do PiP with VGA. (My tv is generally lovely, but has some bafflingly stupid "features".)

I think I might stick with component if tearing is a problem on games on VGA. I use the 360 more for games than HD-DVDs (sort of the opposite of the PS3 in that respect) and can't see myself building up a big library of HD-DVDs in the long term.

Thanks for the info, chaps.

What happens if you plug in both VGA and component at the same time? It might be possible to use one for games and one for HD-DVDs. (And one or the other for PiP, depending on your tv.) I might give this a try.

How would you plug them both into the 360 at the same time?

Is this your way of saying that is physically impossible? I'm at work now, so can't check it.

I was assuming you had some kind of multi-end cable yes, everything except HDMI uses a single multi-out port on the 360.

EDIT : Here we are.

Ah bugger. Bloody proprietary sockets! That's probably the end of that idea then, sorry.

DVD only updates once every 24 seconds, so it makes no difference.

Now THAT'S a shitty framerate.

Hahahahaha! Whoopsie!

I still enjoyed EDF, though.

I played through it for the first time only about 2 weeks ago actually.

Best giggle per second ratio of any game for some time.

This is a good point. I was going to add that it looked alright to me anyway.