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[XanTium]

Xbox 360 Video Cable and Modes Comparison

Posted by: XanTium  Nov 17 2005, 08:14 PM

Xbox 360 Video Cable and Modes Comparison-- Posted by XanTium on November 17 14:07 EST
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6139690/index.html has a great article where they compare the image produced by the different video cables and modes.
They have mouse-over image comparisons of the following:
* RF/Composite Comparison
* Composite/S-video Comparison
* 480p/720p Comparison
* VGA 1024x768/1280x1024 Comparison

The conclusion:

In our basic tests, we've seen that different cable types can greatly affect image quality. If you're currently using RF, we suggest that you make the switch to a better video cable. The Xbox 360 doesn't have an RF cable option, and it's not worth buying an adapter to create your own. Going from RF to composite video or S-Video produces significant improvements in image detail and color quality. The next major step comes when you move to component video, but the biggest benefits are the increased resolution options and progressive scan output. If you don't have an HDTV, you can buy a set of Xbox 360 VGA cables to turn a computer monitor into a high resolution Xbox 360 display.

Check out the 2-page article on http://www.gamespot.com/features/6139690/index.html.

[Keva]

looks crap on anything but VGA but then again it might be the game?

[jgalty]

My TV only does either 480p or 1080i.  Will any of the games run in 1080i or will the xbox down scale to 480p?

[Ballz2TheWallz]

xbox360 can pretty much scale to any native res of majority tvs, but yes it internally render game at 720p then the scaler chip upconverts it to 1080i for you

[kdx80boy]

On that site, it shows vga, but than shows a picture of the component cables.  Are component cables also called vga, because I thought vga was a different connector?

[VariableElite]

QUOTE(kdx80boy @ Nov 17 2005, 03:38 PM)

On that site, it shows vga, but than shows a picture of the component cables.  Are component cables also called vga, because I thought vga was a different connector?

They just screwed up when they put the image in. This is the one that should actually be shown: Linkage

[ksteiner]

vga looks nice but then again i dont think u would like to play on a 17 inch monitor....lol

[ZildjianKX]

Why is VGA in 1280x1024 and 1024x768?

480p is 640x480
720p is 1280x720
1080i is 1920x1080

I'm just super confused on the VGA resolutions...

[adamscybot]

Thats becuase TV's and PC Monitors are a totally different story.

Tv's have things like you said:

480p is 640x480
720p is 1280x720
1080i is 1920x1080

Monitros use VGA and they use different resolutions like:

800x600
1024x768
1280x1024

etc

For me it's a choice of an old 640x480 TV or a 1280x1024 19" monitor.

Well, I'll try it on both and see whats best - but the TV has a big size advantage.

Adam

This post has been edited by adamscybot: Nov 17 2005, 11:47 PM

[JonCMU99]

You should note that widescreen monitors are capable of 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080 as well as higher resolutions.

It might even be better to say that TVs are capable of those three resolutions and computer monitors are capable of those and more.

I have a 50 inch widescreen HDTV which supports 1080i, but sadly not 720p (which I think looks better) and a 19 inch monitor. I plan on hooking the 360 to both to see which I prefer.

[jimk72]

When people say size advantage its kind of wrong. I noticed this with halo 2 it can be a disadvantage when playing games. Last year I bought a new 55" HDTV Widescreen tv and I was used to playing on my 21" samsung flatscreen monitor. The image looked a little better on the pc monitor and it was easier to see everything that was going on. When I played on the widescreen there was alot going on all over the screen and you had to actualy look around the screen and not just at the screen. I ended up setting it up for both so when I played online I was on the pc monitor and other times I played on the HDTV. Luckily my PC is only 8ft from my tv.

Would I trade my 55" wide screen for a 21" screen NO but it was easier to play on the 21" screen.

I will also say that a good quality PC monitor looks amazing when setup right.

Does anyone know if some of the games will be 1080i?

With xbox they had a couple games that supported 1080i and they looked amazing. Or will they only support 720 and all games will be upscaled?

If you are in the market for an HDTV make sure it supports 720P. When I got mine I thought HDTV was HDTV and all HD signals were compatible. I was not to happy when I tried to get my xbox to display 720P and found out my tv did not support it.

[ZildjianKX]

QUOTE(ZildjianKX @ Nov 17 2005, 02:38 PM)

Why is VGA in 1280x1024 and 1024x768?

480p is 640x480
720p is 1280x720
1080i is 1920x1080

I'm just super confused on the VGA resolutions...

So would the 1280x1024 VGA image be letterboxed with black bars on the bottom?

[deadparrot]

Nope.  It's a full screen size.  I run my 17" PC monitor at 1280x1024, and will be running my 360 at 720p.

If I can resurrect my dead 15" monitor, I'll mount it on my xbox and run it at 1024x768.

Anyone have a Dell e151fpp with a working PSU board?  That's all I need, and it's driving me crazy!

[Ballz2TheWallz]

that RF shot was done by retards, im almost 100% sure if they look on the back of there rf modulator theres a switch that changes the line voltage, or something and when you switch it things dont look like there on %300 brightness

[twistedsymphony]

QUOTE(Ballz2TheWallz @ Nov 17 2005, 08:09 PM)

that RF shot was done by retards, im almost 100% sure if they look on the back of there rf modulator theres a switch that changes the line voltage, or something and when you switch it things dont look like there on %300 brightness

you're completely right... RF looks worse than Composite but not THAT much worse.

I have an RF modulator right in front of me and I tell you for a fact that is what RF looks like when you have the line voltage set incorrectly...

Where's the S-Video vs. component in 480i comparison?

Where's the Component vs. VGA on an HDTV comparison?

I guess it's just flat out impossible to get good reviews of stuff these days.