Which GD HD cable?

[Celtic]

Alright I just bought an hd lcd tv today, and boy is it great! But I need to know what cable to buy now for the 360 or if I even have to buy one. The one I have already that came with the system has a TV/HD switch at the base of the cord that you plug into the 360. The other end is split in two on one set it has White, Red, and Yellow the other set has Red, Green and Blue. Now I have looked online and the reviews say that the cord I have is the HD cord and doesnt get better. So I switched from the Red,white and yellow to the Green, Blue and Red, then flipped the switch to HD. But when I turn on Star Ocean or Sacred Angle its still a little blurry,but it looks a hell of A LOT better then before. So I looked at the other cord online and its only has a Red and White with a VGA connector on it and once again people say that this is the cord you want for hd. Will that cord make everything sharp or is the cord I have now fine and I just have to mess with the TV settings?

[Crosshair?]

Does your 360 have an HDMI port? If so get one, and don't bother spending more than $20 on it, they're all the same, and work exactly in the same way.

[Celtic]

Yes it does have a HDMI Right under where you plug in the AV cable. DO I just buy any HDMI cable or what?

[Neo Matrix]

You have to look at what your TV has for inputs, it looks like you already have Component, which should be fine if you take a look at the Display Settings and change them to suit you. Or if you have an HDMI slot you can get any HDMI cable which will do the same job, only digitally.

I'm sure others will pitch in soon though...

[Celtic]

I can do HDMI, AV and 75 ohm cable(coaxle)

So whats so difference between HDMI over just AV? I have seen both on the same tv at a friend's house but I dont really see a difference. Im not trying to come across as an ass either Im just trying to make sure I dont blow tons of money for no reason.

[JakeTheSnakeMan]

You will not notice a difference in picture quality between HDMI and component (red, green, blue) unless you have a TV that is bigger than 50 inches really. Both of those cables are capable of transmitting a full 1080p signal. Standard AV cables (yellow, red, white) are only capable of 480i, standard definition. So I would just stick with the component. I would suggest however that you get a calibration DVD or something like that so you can tune the TV's setting for maximum quality. That could be why its a bit fuzzy.

[Neo Matrix]

You have the TV, and the 360... just about all cables do the exact same job and can retail from around $15 I remember reading in other threads on GW. Where I work has them for £10.

AV is standard visuals, when you used the Red, Green and Blue inputs for Component you must have seen a difference when you switched to HD. The HDMI cable is a digital signal of the same resolutions as far as I can work out. Whether it's better is up for debate as they send the same resolution, just that one is digital and one analogue.

[Mag Launcher]

First you need to know if your TV is full 1080p capable. It will say on the front 720p or 1080p. AV cables are capable of 720p, and HDMI go to 1080p as well as improving sound and color on 720p TV's.

plus the price and digital thing. no more than 20 bucks

[Darth-gamer]

Originally Posted by Mag Launcher

plus the price and digital thing. no more than 20 bucks

Folks...no more than $10. Hell, no more than $5 is you buy it online as I suggest you do. Seriously, find the cheapest one you can online and buy that. I just saw a 6' for $2.98 (that includes shipping) from amazon.

[dimmerwit]

On a related note, if Amazon can sell an HDMI cable for 69p, why is one not included with the system?

Edit: I apologise. I've just seen one for 35p. Half price!

[Mag Launcher]

I was looking at the $0.99 ones but thought how quality can they be? Would the neck break or something? I went with the $15 that had all the good ratings.

[Heretic Monkey]

The only real reason you'd need any HDMI cable above $1 or so is if you plan on switching the cable back and forth from device to device. Really the only difference in the "high priced" cables are the contacts, usually plated gold. There can be some wear-and-tear on the ends of them if you constantly switch from, say, your xbox to ps3, but if you plan on plugging it in and leaving it in, without moving the console/tv a lot, aim for the cheapest.

Originally Posted by JakeTheSnakeMan

You will not notice a difference in picture quality between HDMI and component (red, green, blue) unless you have a TV that is bigger than 50 inches really.

I've always heard the threshold is about 32 or 35 inches, meaning once you go above that, 720 DOES look different than 1080. I haven't had the ability to actually compare them though, as i've only ever used 1080p on my 42" for xbox/ps3.

[Neo Matrix]

Originally Posted by Mag Launcher

First you need to know if your TV is full 1080p capable. It will say on the front 720p or 1080p. AV cables are capable of 720p, and HDMI go to 1080p as well as improving sound and color on 720p TV's.

plus the price and digital thing. no more than 20 bucks

Component can go as high as 1080p from what I've been told in other threads.

Originally Posted by dimmerwit

On a related note, if Amazon can sell an HDMI cable for 69p, why is one not included with the system?

Edit: I apologise. I've just seen one for 35p. Half price!

Because Microsoft's cable retails at £32.99. They want to get all the money they can out of us, and to prove it they've just taken them out of the Elite package.

Originally Posted by Heretic Monkey

I've always heard the threshold is about 32 or 35 inches, meaning once you go above that, 720 DOES look different than 1080. I haven't had the ability to actually compare them though, as i've only ever used 1080p on my 42" for xbox/ps3.

This page should help work out what it's supposed to be. It's distance from TV as well...

[Darth-gamer]

Originally Posted by Mag Launcher

I was looking at the $0.99 ones but thought how quality can they be? Would the neck break or something? I went with the $15 that had all the good ratings.

I've done it. I've done it with Digital Optical as well. They are the same as the more expensive ones. The more expensive cables, like Monster, are hoping that people will think like you and say "WOW, A $99 HDMI CABLE MUST HE THE BEST SHIZ SINCE SLIZED BREAD!!!" But, no, it doesn't how much you pay for it.

[JakeTheSnakeMan]

Originally Posted by Heretic Monkey

The only real reason you'd need any HDMI cable above $1 or so is if you plan on switching the cable back and forth from device to device. Really the only difference in the "high priced" cables are the contacts, usually plated gold. There can be some wear-and-tear on the ends of them if you constantly switch from, say, your xbox to ps3, but if you plan on plugging it in and leaving it in, without moving the console/tv a lot, aim for the cheapest.


I've always heard the threshold is about 32 or 35 inches, meaning once you go above that, 720 DOES look different than 1080. I haven't had the ability to actually compare them though, as i've only ever used 1080p on my 42" for xbox/ps3.

I'm not talking about resolution, I'm talking about the method you use to transmit the signal. You are correct about the threshold for the difference between 1080p and 720p. What I was saying was that the difference between HDMI and component are negligible unless you have a TV that is around 50 inches or more. i hooked up my 360 to my 42" 1080p with component and HDMI to see if there was a difference, and I didn't notice one. I tried it with my friends 58" and I could tell a difference between HDMI and component. HDMI was a bit sharper, with less blurring around the edges.

[quote=Neo Matrix;8246891]Component can go as high as 1080p from what I've been told in other threads.QUOTE]

Yep, I have my 360 hooked up via component and it outputs full 1080p.