Xbox 360 and the HD DVD Player(external)

BaggedLancer
BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
edited December 2006 in Electronics
Ok, so I am considering purchasing an Xbox360 with the HD DVD player. However, it says that it is all hooked up through component cables.

With all the reading I have done I thought the only way to get a true HD picture is through HDMI or DVI cables. What am I missing here? Why can Xbox use component cables for an HD image?

I want to be able to get the full 1080p image from the 360, but is that possible?

Looking for some advice before I go waste my money.....
Post edited by BaggedLancer on
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Comments

  • polksda
    polksda Posts: 716
    edited December 2006
    You can get 1080i from the 360 via component on HD-DVD discs; SD-DVDs will not be upconverted over compenent.

    You can get 1080p from the 360 using the VGA connector (optional cable not included).
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  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited December 2006
    Honestly, a lot of people still use component hook ups (not to be confused with composite). There is something to the argument that the colors are richer and more vibrant currently through components, an effect that I've seen myself. The only difference between the two is that HDMI/DVI is digital and component is analog. You are going to get a very crisp picture either way and you should be able to run video in 1080p with no problems.

    Sorta like asking if you like LPs or CDs better.
    Lovin that music year after year.

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  • mrbigbluelight
    mrbigbluelight Posts: 9,878
    edited December 2006
    From what I understand, BaggedLancer, the video from the XBox external HD DVD player is great.

    But if you're thinking of running it through your HT system, forget it.

    Go to XBox.com, there's a ton of info on this subject. I was thinking about getting the same drive for my sons for Christmas for their Xbox 360, but they both gave it a BIG thumbs down.

    Check out www.xbox.com forums.
    Sal Palooza
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited December 2006
    It seems like you want the best picture possible out of your 360. You can get 1080p through vga like polksda said. However, the hd-dvd box itself is connected to the 360 through a usb connection. It is limited by the connectivity of the 360 console which was never engineered to be an hd movie playback device. So although you can get analog, you are basically shut-out of all digital improvements that will be coming in the next year.

    With no hdmi 1.3, that means no increased bandwidth allowing 48-bit color depth instead of 24-bit and no hdmi support for the highest resolution lossless audio formats.

    Will it matter to you? You seem to want 1080p over 1080i. So you seem to want the best of the best no matter how small an improvement it will make. Well the future of the hd formats is through hdmi although the display and audio hardware won't be out until mid to late 2007 to take advantage of it. So you can get a fine picture out of the hd-dvd add-on for $200 bucks. But you should buy it knowing that it will never be able to meet the new cutting edge stuff just around the corner. And if they ever do turn the down-rez flags on the movies on (to prevent pirating a pristine 1080p picture over analog) the 360 will cease being a viable hd player for future movie releases since the flag forces the halving of the output resolution over anything but hdmi so you won't even be able to get a 720p picture. It's the cheapest hd 'player' on the market for those that already have a 360, but it comes at the cost of a very early obsolescence curve.
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited December 2006
    Well, I want the best of the best right now while still staying on somewhat of a budget(whats a budget anyway? :) ) As far as the new technology coming next year.....well we'll see when the time comes. I just started a new job and hopefully by then I will be situated enough that I can purchase a "real" HD DVD player, possibly even one of the new universal ones that will play blu ray and HD DVD.

    I guess problem #2 I am seeing with the VGA cables is that how am I supposed to split that cable and send the VGA to the TV and the 2 audio cables to the receiver? For sure my receiver isnt next to the tv......

    http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/viewer.aspx?productId=994&assetTypeId=1&shotId=0
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited December 2006
    mrbigbluelight wrote:

    Go to XBox.com, there's a ton of info on this subject. I was thinking about getting the same drive for my sons for Christmas for their Xbox 360, but they both gave it a BIG thumbs down.

    Check out www.xbox.com forums.

    Been reading all morning. Apparently there is alot of discussion about this and quite a few upset people. In May 2007 the Xbox HD DVD will no longer support the new movie technology and the HDMI 1.3 so in essence the Xbox HD DVD player will be obsolete. Any movies after May with the new technology will be downscaled to 480p.

    It also seems like alot of people on that forum have no clue what they are talking about.
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