Xbox 360 HD plasma TV to use HDMI or to not use HDMI

[drifter]

I have the satellite reciever hooked up via HDMI and have a second HDMI port available on the TV.  I have my XBOX 360 and the Wii hooked up via the 5 component (or is it considered composite?) cables.  Couple of people, one is the Dish satellite tech., told me not to bother with the HDMI cable for the Xbox as it wont look any better than it currently does.  If I wont really see any gain then I certainly dont want to spend the money on the HDMI cable.

It looks great as it is now so would HDMI really make any difference on the Xbox 360?

What do you people think?

[leo8877]

Get a $5 cable from newegg or amazon.  It's the same quality as the $100 at BB.  It will look basically the same as component, but it's audio and video in 1 cable, so that's nice.

[Azhag]

Need HDMI if you're planning to use the xbox dvd player to upconvert dvds.

[PeteRock]

I have the satellite reciever hooked up via HDMI and have a second HDMI port available on the TV.  I have my XBOX 360 and the Wii hooked up via the 5 component (or is it considered composite?) cables.  Couple of people, one is the Dish satellite tech., told me not to bother with the HDMI cable for the Xbox as it wont look any better than it currently does.  If I wont really see any gain then I certainly dont want to spend the money on the HDMI cable.

It looks great as it is now so would HDMI really make any difference on the Xbox 360?

What do you people think?

When my 360 was returned after repairs I received a brand new unit with the HDMI port.  I was considering connecting my new 'Box with HDMI, but I received the same advice, that I wouldn't notice any improvement in picture quality.  Considering the labarynth of wires and cables behind my TV, plus the need to first move said TV, which is located snugly between two book cases, and associated stand, which weighs enough to make for an exhausting ordeal, I decided to remain with a Component connection.  It just didn't seem to be worth the effort for such minimal gains (if they'd even be visible).  And since I have two 400-disc DVD changers, I have no need to use the 360 as a DVD player, so the upconversion potential was a moo point for me. 

[The Grue]

When my 360 was returned after repairs I received a brand new unit with the HDMI port. 

Damn you. I was hoping this would happen to me when I got my 360 back on Monday, but no HDMI for me.

[rickfc]

While I can't say yay or nay with the 360, I did notice an image quality loss when I switched my AT&T U-Verse box from HDMI to component.  Text looked fuzzier, and you could see artifacting similar to JPG compression more on the HD channels than with HDMI.  I would imagine that it would also be the case with the 360.

[IkeVandergraaf]

I seem to recall that you can only get 1080p with HDMI cables.  Then again, I may have made that up.

[rickfc]

I seem to recall that you can only get 1080p with HDMI cables.  Then again, I may have made that up.

You can get 1080p out of the 360 with component; it's getting your TV to accept 1080p over anything other than HDMI that's the trick

[The Grue]

I seem to recall that you can only get 1080p with HDMI cables.  Then again, I may have made that up.

You can get 1080p out of the 360 with component; it's getting your TV to accept 1080p over anything other than HDMI that's the trick

I forget how it works, but either movies or games are not available in 1080p if you use component.  I am thinking it is movies, but can't remember.

Edit - Here's the proof:

Component:

    * HD DVD - 1080i resolution maximum, limited by AACS
    * DVD - Upscaled to 480p maximum, limited by CSS
    * Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p, also supports native-1080p games in the future

[drifter]

My TV is an LG that only goes to 720 P so I dont think I will be worrying about the cable.

rock band is the fo shizzle.  Did I mention my wife sings really well and i do enjoy the gratuitous booty shaking she does sometimes whilst singing.

[Purge]

That is too much sharing.

[Destructor]

While I can't say yay or nay with the 360, I did notice an image quality loss when I switched my AT&T U-Verse box from HDMI to component.  Text looked fuzzier, and you could see artifacting similar to JPG compression more on the HD channels than with HDMI.  I would imagine that it would also be the case with the 360.

That's pretty much what I saw when I went from Component to HDMI on my PS3 - things got a bit sharper. Is it a huge thing in my mind? No. But on the flip side, $5 from Monoprice can get you a (slightly) better picture, so why not use it?

[Purge]

And less cable mess.

[drifter]

Ordered a 6ft cable from there for $9 shipped

[CeeKay]

And less cable mess.

amen to that.

[Simon]

We have a 42" plasma and the other month I tried out Bioshock using component and HDMI to see the difference. I have to admit I did notice a slight increase in detail, but it wasn't enough for me to want to pick up the $50 cable and start rewiring the whole thing.

[drifter]

i just bought a 6ft HDMI cable from monoprice.com and it was $9 including shipping

[Simon]

That doesn't have the audio hookup though right? I think the MS one has an adapter to connect the audio cables with the HDMI connection.

[drifter]

Standard HDMI also runs the audio through it.  I would expect it to work that way on the Xbox 360 as well.

[Kevin Grey]

Standard HDMI also runs the audio through it.  I would expect it to work that way on the Xbox 360 as well.

Only works if your receiver accepts HDMI.  However if you are using optical out, on the 360 is actually on the cable not the console. 

[leo8877]

Standard HDMI also runs the audio through it.  I would expect it to work that way on the Xbox 360 as well.

Only works if your receiver accepts HDMI.  However if you are using optical out, on the 360 is actually on the cable not the console. 

Or if you're a sad sap like me and use audio through the TV.  1 HDMI cable is all you need.

[drifter]

I just send my HDMI receiver for the satellite to the TV and the TV feeds the sound into the surround sound system we have, so no worries there

[Kevin Grey]

I just send my HDMI receiver for the satellite to the TV and the TV feeds the sound into the surround sound system we have, so no worries there

You're lucky- a lot of TV's won't pass through 5.1 audio.  Mine doesn't. 

[gellar]

I just send my HDMI receiver for the satellite to the TV and the TV feeds the sound into the surround sound system we have, so no worries there

You're lucky- a lot of TV's won't pass through 5.1 audio.  Mine doesn't. 

I just found out (via my borrowed 360) that mine does.  That makes me quite happy.

gellar

[Jag]

Monoprice.com is the cable supplier of choice for the freaks at AVS forum. I just ordered a bunch of HDMI cables from them.

[Misguided]

I don't order from monoprice because I don't have a clue what I'm ordering there.
I go through Amazon instead. You can get them for 15-20 bucks and I get
them sent 2-day for free as a Prime member, or overnight for 3 bucks.
But sure, if you can make heads or tails of the monoprice site, they seem
to have a good reputation and the prices are great.

[CeeKay]

I don't order from monoprice because I don't have a clue what I'm ordering there.
I go through Amazon instead. You can get them for 15-20 bucks and I get
them sent 2-day for free as a Prime member, or overnight for 3 bucks.
But sure, if you can make heads or tails of the monoprice site, they seem
to have a good reputation and the prices are great.

I did the same thing.  It was easier at Amazon- too many options at Monoprice and I didn't want to have to do several orders getting it right.

[disarm]

i've always had good luck going with pretty much the cheapest option at Monoprice.  find the type of cable you need (HDMI/component/VGA), make sure it has the right connections on each end (male/female), choose the length, then go with the lowest price.  i've ordered from them several times, and even their cheapest cables seem to be of good quality...and they're unbelievably cheap compared to almost any other source.

[Destructor]

and even their cheapest cables seem to be of good quality...and they're unbelievably cheap compared to almost any other source.

HDMI is a digital signal. Being a digital signal, it can't be interfered with via outside sources. As such, they should ALWAYS be dirt cheap to buy, as there's no way to make the connection 'better' contrary to what Monster wants you to believe.

[Purge]

and even their cheapest cables seem to be of good quality...and they're unbelievably cheap compared to almost any other source.

HDMI is a digital signal. Being a digital signal, it can't be interfered with via outside sources. As such, they should ALWAYS be dirt cheap to buy, as there's no way to make the connection 'better' contrary to what Monster wants you to believe.

FALSE.

Digital cables still have quality issues; they just don't suffer from analog / RF interference. Signal attenuation, cable grade and poor connections can still cause artifacts and impact the overall bandwidth. The advantage to digital cables is that their overall tolerance to those issues is better. The downside to digital vs. analog is sound/video reproduction is not always better than the original (if the original was an analog recording... and it generally is).

The only reason the picture grade would be better with the digital connection from a HD source to an HD display is that they are both, ultimately digital native, and use conversion for analog. A game from a console is ultimately a digital source.

As to using monoprice.com and not knowing what to order... ASK US (GT forums). We'd be glad to help.

[drifter]

BTW cable showed up today and works just fine with the Xbox360.

[Purge]

nice.