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[irfan]

maybe someones thought of this but i just thought of this on my own.

the problem with many component cables for the xbox is that they produce ghosting.  ive noticed this on the svideo/component switchers ive tried in the past.  also the component output is not nearly bright enough.  its just bad.  but the MS HD pack has the best component quality ive seen (both the old break out box variety and the newer all in one cable)

i have the newer model (no breakout box...) ... now if im not mistaken...
component uses Red Green and blue cables (of course you knew that)... the red and the green are the same pins that supply the greyscale and color to the svideo cable.

so.. if I open the connector of the HD pack and snip the jumper wires that set the video MODE,, and add a switch hardwired to the motherboard to switch between svideo and HD... then i could just add a video splitter to the red component lead and the green one..   one side of those splits will each go with the original blue and serve as the component lead.  the other leads from the split will get wired into a new svideo jack.  then flipping a switch should flip between modes? correct?  this would get rid of the ghosting from poor construction since the construction of the MS pack hasnt changed.

i know interference may occur from the split.. as in some backwards interference from the svideo connector back into the component lead.  are there Unidirectional splitters?  like something utilizing a diode or something that will prevent backflow of information?  i guess i could add them inline before i hook up the svideo jack.. not sure what rating to get tho.


anyways has someone already tried this idea out?  i have my xbox ready with a video mode swtich and just need to go get 2 splitters and diodes tomorrow to try this out.  all other all in one boxes ive tried have given me double imaging and poor color/brightness, im really hoping this fixes the problem. the xbox is in an AV stand so i cant keep reachin back and swapping cables.  and on a 120" screen the bad quality can REALLY show thru.

BTW--- should it matter if I use a mono or a stereo splitter?  id think phono is what i need right?  im also thinking of investing in a component video matrix that will output to 2 outputs simultaneous.. incase i plan to upgrade my TV .. the projector takes component already..  if the ghosting shows up i'll use this and let the matrix split the video and the 2nd output will connect to the svideo jack.

either that or use this: for 12 bucks

[pimpmaul69]

build it inside.. do the vga while you are at it.. have an all in one pack

[irfan]

Yes I am currently sending a long run to my projector.... everything runs from the source (HD cable/ OTA HD/xbox/DVD) into an RCA switcher which im using for component switching.. and onto a 25 foot run to my projector.  I know this is a long run HOWEVER everything is CRYSTAL CLEAR! the original MS pack is PERFECT in this setup, and the DVD and HD cable are also looking great.  

The ghosting/dim picture i saw from the other packs has nothing to do with the rest of the setup since the original MS pack is perfectly fine.  as are other sources.  If the xbox couldnt output a strong enough signal then the MS pack woudl suffer as well. are you suggesting that 6ft of 75ohm cable is pushing the limits of the xbox? i know this is not the case since mine is running close to 30ft and the MS pack looks perfectly fine.

The switcher is NOT causing any (noticible) problems btw... i tested direct into the projector and thru the switcher.. i couldnt tell any difference.  

I dont want to build inside because its too much of a hassle right now.  I dont like soldering onto that tiny video board.

to avoid soldering issues into an svideo jack i have ordered an svideo seperator that splits the svideo into Y/C via RCA female jacks.  this way it will all be plug and play, no soldering.  it'll be next week before it gets here tho   im guessing i get restless tomorrow and try to solder an svideo jack on some left over cable and test it out prematurely

its a shame about the diode eating up .7v  however the diode would be on the svideo end that runs into my AV reciever and then to my 35" Tv.  shouldnt affect the component video, aside from the split.  im less concerned about quality on the Tv than I am on the PJ

[irfan]

here are some screens.  one of them is just the MS HD cable.. the other has a splitter on the Pr and G cables, straight Pb.  I do not have the svideo hooked up to the splitter yet but i still wanted to see the effects of the splitter.  To me, its not noticible.  The images you see are much grainier than in person.. in person its actually very very sharp.  any artifacts you see are camera induced.  the brightness isnt up to par because Its not nighttime outside yet.  I'll take a couple more later one when it gets dark.  

I was looking for ghosting/double images and a drop in brightness, along with color saturation, I didnt notice a difference in anything.  maybe i will upload an RGB test pattern onto the xbox and test with that later on tonite... and a grayscale.

[irfan]

devedander:

I think youve misunderstood the entire project, or maybe i wanst entirely clear.  here is the problem and the proposed solution:

problem:  I have a TV that only takes Svideo, and a Projector that I want to use Component video with.  The way to deal with this usually is to just swap video packs.  however my xbox is in an AV center and I woudl rather flip a switch instead of unplugging a component pakc and plugging the advanced pack.  

In no way am I trying to get component quality video through the svideo.  The cable I require needs an svideo lead (to transmit svideo signal, not component), and component leads.

Solution:  there are a few packs out there that support both connection and require a toggle switch to flip between advanced and HD mode in the xbox .. the switch is inevitible.  Unfortunately every combo pack ive tried is of the shoddiest quality and yields horrible unwatchable component output.  

The MS HD pack , as ive stated before yields a crystal clear 480p/720p/1080i picture.  I did not complain about the MS pack, I praised it.  As I stated in this thread already, the switchbox i am using is NOT faulty, since every signal going thru it looks unaltered compared to a direct feed.  The projector gives a VERY nice picture.. as i said above the pictures.. the graininess and blur is camera induced.  the actual image is very nice.

Now if you look at the quick guide to highdef you will see that the red and green leads of the HD pack correspond to the Y/C leads of the Svideo.  theoretically these 2 leads could be sent into an svideo connector and after switching video modes via a switch, you will get svideo picture out of these leads.  

So i have the Ms pack with RGB leads (ok YPrPb, just making it easier to write) ... the blue will be direct and the R and G will split.. one lead going to the projector to carry component video, and the other lead going to the svideo lead.. carrying svideo signal after the video mode has been switched.  



this is how the original MS pack compares to the generic svideo/component combo cable packs (its pixelated bc the picture was taken from 3 feet away.  From afar is crisp and bright with good color saturation:

now this is the same scene when the generic multipacks are used, pretty horrific:


and this is how good the picture is from DVD through the switchbox and up a 25 foot cable:

[irfan]

60 dollar IR controlled component switcher? i'll have to look at that.  im not concerned about the audio switching, my reciever handles all that (harman kardon avr125).  Ive looked at upgrading the reciever but its hard to find any that downconvert component..  and its not a problem thats worth 200 bucks for me.  

now im just having a hard time popping open the newer style MS HD pack. it now has a hard plastic casing around the connector and houses an optical audio connector.. much more work to open than the old one with the rubber sleeve.

[irfan]

finished results ... sliiiightly out of focus b/c i had to set the cam into manual mode 100 iso, and i dont have  a tripod.  I dont think pics of the install are needed because its jsut simple y-splitters.  I do however have a switch mounted on the console now.. and the video mode jumpers on the HD cable had to be snipped.