HDMI, VGA OR RGB CABLE

Lenny

Alright guys. gett my new samsun tv, and I'm just wondering whats the best way to connect the xbox to it..
currenty using vga on my tv.
am I better off going with HDMI, keeps with the vga, or will I used the RGB cable supplied with the box?

Carpaydiem

If your new tele is HD, and has a HDMI connection - HDMI all the way.

Lenny

Yea its 1080p and has hdmi.
Guess I'll have to go out and buy another over priced cable too so...

docentore

there is no significant difference between vga, hdmi and component! If you want to waste money go ahead, you won't see difference.

If you going to buy HDMI cable buy the cheap one, 8euro max as there is no difference between this and the cable worth 80e!

Lenny

I thought the xbox hdmi cable would be abbour 25-30 euro now..
could prob pick it up on ebay cheaper I'd say..

Kenny_D

Any standard hdmi cable will do. Here's one on ibood today:

http://www.ibood.com/ie/en

Basq

docentore wrote: »

there is no significant difference between vga, hdmi and component! If you want to waste money go ahead, you won't see difference.

Eh? I've got a HD VGA cable capable of 1080p!

docentore wrote: »

If you going to buy HDMI cable buy the cheap one, 8euro max as there is no difference between this and the cable worth 80e!

GStormcrow wrote: »

Any standard hdmi cable will do. Here's one on ibood today:

http://www.ibood.com/ie/en

Not quite that easy AFAIK..

I thought the Xbox 360 HDMI cable is not a standard HDMI cable.. it's got one of those bastard "rope-ya-in-and-charge-ya-€30" connections to connect to the 360.

See the connection on far-right:



EDIT: Sorry.. just after googling it. That's for audio. Never mind - the lad's advice is spot-on (standard one will do). Picked up a HDMI cable on Ebay for €4 yesterday: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250379690380&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:UK:11

docentore

Your local Argos should have this:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5347964/Trail/searchtext%3EHDMI+CABLE.htm

basquille wrote: »

Eh? I've got a HD VGA cable capable of 1080p!

I don't really understand what did you mean by this

Biro

Some TV's only have 1080p via their HDMI channel, and 720p/1080i via their VGA (if they have one) and Component inputs, so check your specific TV for this. If your TV can accept 1080p through them all then work away.
Regarding the pic of the box above, the HDMI cable is standard, that second thing in the box is a connector that goes in beside the HDMI port on the back of the X-Box and is to take sound out in both L/R and Optical in order to facilitate feeding a seperate sound system. You don't actually need it unless you are using a surround sound system that doesn't have a HDMI input. Even if this is the case you may be able to feed the sound system from the TV rather than from the 360 directly.

Edit : sorry Basquille, I addressed a question that you already edited an answer for!!

greenman09

I get the 1080i for my best pic quality. Xbiox wont go full hd but not complaining.

Basq

docentore wrote: »

I don't really understand what did you mean by this

Sorry.. never mind!

Read component as composite.

Lenny

I've ordered a hdmi cable anyway for the laptop. didn't know it was the same standard one..
The tv I am buying is a le46a686, can't see anywere that says if its 1080p just through the hdmi?

Zonda999

Lenny wrote: »

I've ordered a hdmi cable anyway for the laptop. didn't know it was the same standard one..
The tv I am buying is a le46a686, can't see anywere that says if its 1080p just through the hdmi?

Afaik, all 1080p Samsung tvs can accept 1080p by VGA. Definitely use HDMI, though

honeybadger

philips hdmi cables in tesco poleberry waterford 7.99 last time i looked,im sure all tescos who have that cable are in the same price range and i tink theres only a few xbox games that are 1080p resoloution so it shouldent matter wot cable you are yousing anyway no matter wot the tele is ,unless the tele is full hd compatibility and not full hd compatable type why bother

thebman

The only real difference between HDMI and VGA is that HDMI will also carry sound to your TV.

VGA can't and you have to use a separate audio cable for that.

A standard HDMI cable will do. You get the additional stereo/optical connection with the VGA connector anyway so your not missing anything. You can output your sound over optical to a 5.1 system if you have one.

Carpaydiem

docentore wrote: »

there is no significant difference between vga, hdmi and component! If you want to waste money go ahead, you won't see difference.

If you going to buy HDMI cable buy the cheap one, 8euro max as there is no difference between this and the cable worth 80e!

Your second statement is pretty much correct. No need for overpriced cables.

However, there is a MASSIVE difference between VGA and HDMI - VGA is analogue for a start. Now, if you were thinking of DVI, well then thats the exact same video quality as HDMI.

Component is the same as VGA as far as TV's are concerned (although component is compressed RGB, VGA is pure RGB, but both are analogue), HDMI/DVI will provide the best video quality.

Here's some decent info
http://www.ramelectronics.net/howto-av.ep

docentore

I know the difference between the them. I know which is digital which analogue.

Did you try it yourself? Connecting the same xbox to the same tv/monitor by analog and digital medium? I did. I'd connected my 360 by vga cable and hdmi2dvi cable at the same time to my monitor (samsung 245b). I couldn't see MASSIVE difference as you stated. I would say that difference was barely visible (in dash and in games) not even worth 7.99e for hdmi cable!

Biro

docentore wrote: »

I know the difference between the them. I know which is digital which analogue.

Did you try it yourself? Connecting the same xbox to the same tv/monitor by analog and digital medium? I did. I'd connected my 360 by vga cable and hdmi2dvi cable at the same time to my monitor (samsung 245b). I couldn't see MASSIVE difference as you stated. I would say that difference was barely visible (in dash and in games) not even worth 7.99e for hdmi cable!

I'd agree. Just because the signal is analog doesn't mean it's crap. The difference is probably negligable for most games/movies on most TV's. You'd want to go high end on big TV's and start getting very critical to begin to highlight differences.

Carpaydiem

docentore wrote: »

I know the difference between the them. I know which is digital which analogue.

Did you try it yourself? Connecting the same xbox to the same tv/monitor by analog and digital medium? I did. I'd connected my 360 by vga cable and hdmi2dvi cable at the same time to my monitor (samsung 245b). I couldn't see MASSIVE difference as you stated. I would say that difference was barely visible (in dash and in games) not even worth 7.99e for hdmi cable!

Of course I've tried it myself. Maybe the differences just stand out more to me.

I can see a difference using VGA or DVI from my PC/Xbox on a monitor (though using a decent widescreen monitor does make the differenes more pronounced than a HD TV).

I find VGA generally has washed out colours compared to DVI or HDMI - whether thats the quality of the cables, I dont know, but I definitely would use DVI or HDMI over any analogue solution.

And no, analogue doesn't necessarily mean its crap, but in my experience DVI-D > VGA

thebman

VGA has and is in use on so many computers and is capable of very high resolutions.

The washed out colours could depend on lots of things since it is an analogue connection.

Personally I noticed the same thing when I changed input type but I'd have put it more down the way 360 outputs over VGA or the quality of the 360 VGA cable as I've never had any problems on any Pc over the years or even connecting my laptop to TV over VGA and then doing it over HDMI as my laptop has both outputs.

Its a 360 issue not a VGA issue in my opinion.