Is it worth it to get the component video kit for my Xbox. I'm using s-video now and the quality looks really good. I was told unless I was running it on a larger screen it wouldn't make that much difference. I would be running it on a 15 inch screen.

You have a 15" screen with a component input?


I'm guessing you won't see a difference on a screen that small.


Edit: It's dawning on me that this might be an LCD TV, in which case I'd change my answer to say you might see a difference.

When you use the component hook-up does it auto change your X-Box to progessive scan?

you need to set the configuration in the dashboard so that it can do "widescreen" and then all the progressive modes. once that's done, it will auto select whichever mode is best. you only see the higher modes when you use the component cables.

i have it setup to do all the modes including 480p, 720p and 1080i.

Sorry for being off-topic here...

Young -

What is the native resolution to your monitor/TV?

I'm using a widescreen TV with a 1280 x 720 resolution so I've set the Xbox to 'WIDESCREEN' and 'YES' on 480P and 720P but to 'NO' for 1080i.

With this setting, I believe the Xbox takes any 1080i game and scales it to output in 720P.

i have a sony 34hs420... not sure what the native resolution is.

actually, i don't have any games that do 1080i, but when i check my dvd player (thru the hdmi input), i like the 1080i better than the 720p so i just left it on.

i may pick up syberia just to do some testing as it does both 720p and 1080i.

young, I have a Sony 32HS510. I think that's the same family as your TV, except you have the widescreen version. If it's like my HS, it's native 1080i. Mine converts 720p to 1080i.

Centurion, I agree with young, why wouldn't you set all three to 'yes'? I guess it's just a question of where you want the scaling to be done, on your Xbox or on your TV. My Sony always seemed to scale better than my Xbox or PS2 so I let it do it.

Good point.
I haven't done an A-B comparison to see which does the better scaling but I suppose the one in my JVC monitor is better. I'll switch 1080i to 'YES' and give it a shot.

A bit off topic

I thought a DVD's resolution is only 480p?
When you turned on 1080i, what's the difference between 480p, is it better picture(colors, contrast)?
I'm new to this stuff and trying to learn as much as possible. Thanks.

yes, progressive players do 480p (DVD resolution).

but, i have a momitsu dvd player connected via the dvi/hdmi cable and it allows me to output a plethora of resolutions. it's kind of cool b/c it has a button that allows me to change resolutions on the fly so i can sort of compare.

to my eye: 1080i > 720p > 480p >> 480i. i was testing it w/ various dvds but Finding Nemo was an especially good reference dvd for me. just a better picture overall - smoother, more vivid colors, etc.

now, as Gromit says, my tv's native resolution is 1080i so that may be why.

only bad thing about the tv is that it is very heavy (about 200lbs) and my stand is sagging a little. i'm going to have to reinforce it by adding a tabletop and some ikea legs, i think...

young...

Ikea is the king of the "particle board" and since you need something to reinforce your stand maybe you should look into just cutting a piece of pine wood (or any REAL wood for that matter) and painting it to match.
My older tube TV is also a Sony at 27" which weighs more than my 98 lb. JVC at 61" widescreen.

Just bought a 30" (16:9) HDTV and I have a couple of questions.
-The xbox video setting is set to widescreen.
-Using s- video

1) Can it show the games in true 16:9 using an S video? It seems like all the games I tried including Splinter Cell(480 i?) and Prince of Persia(480 p) are a bit stretched.

2) How do I prevent burn ins, if some games aren't hdtv capable like Ghost Recon (zooming it makes me dizzy)

As always, thanks!

Yes, the 16:9 setting will work with any video output.

Both of those games are 4:3.

Calibrate your TV's brightness and contrast levels using a test disc such as Digital Video Essentials or Avia.

You do realize that you don't get 480p over s-video, right? To get 480p or higher resolution, you must use the HD pack and component video cables.

Yes I do. I was testing it out if it would be fine in a 16:9 setting, since DVD's doesn't get stretched out. 2.35:1 you see bars on top and bottom, so I thought it might be the same for the X box. Thanks.