VGA To Svideo

5 Comments on “Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable”

1. 
   David Goebel
   August 15th, 2010 at 6:52 pm

   Review by David Goebel for Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
   Rating:
   The reason that I ended up buying the VGA cable was due to the fact that the component signal (both 720p and 1080i) is subject to overscan. This means that the screen “zooms in” slighty so that you are sure to see a complete picture with no black or static edges. This is a problem though with the Xbox 360 because it ends up cropping the image. For example, the HUD in GRAW is cutoff on the corners when using the component cables. This really bothered me so I gave the VGA a try and viola!

   I can now go into the dashboard settings and specify 1360 x 768 which closely matches my LCD’s native resolution of 1368 x 768. Thus, I am able to see the whole screen without any overscan/cropping. The only downside is that the overall image gets “washed out” when using the VGA cable. However, this is not really a big deal because most of the newer games (GRAW, Oblivion) have an in-game setting for brightness which you can turn down to eliminate the washed out look.

   I highly recommend that you at least give the VGA cables a try. Depending on your TV, you may or may not like them. No big deal though because you can just return them. However, you may find that you really like them and will be glad that you tried them out! Check out my VGA vs Component pictures at http://spaces.msn.com/theshepherdsbag/photos/ and read about my detailed testing on my blog at http://spaces.msn.com/theshepherdsbag/blog/ and you can check out this xbox forum thread for further insights at http://forums.xbox.com/2885313/ShowPost.aspx

   Lastly, I have the Samsung LNR238W and there is NO ghosting issues when using the VGA cable.

2. 
   Aaron
   August 15th, 2010 at 7:46 pm

   Review by Aaron for Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
   Rating:
   I read all sorts of reviews about this cable providing a “washed out” image compared to component. This has nothing at all to do with the cable but everything to do with the display being used.

   If you examine the XBOX 360 output, you’ll find that the same RGB pins are used to create component or VGA outputs. VGA adds the HSYNC and VSYNC pins already present in RGB signal for component.

   So why do people complain about the “washed out” effect? That’s because they haven’t calibrated the display properly or their display can’t be calibrated properly using the VGA input (my display and probably most displays have different calibration settings and processing hardware for each input). My display only allows me to set contrast, brightness, sharpness and color temperature on the VGA input, however, the hue and saturation are almost spot on from the factory so the VGA cable is the best for me since I can make use of the DVD upconversion and the XBOX 360 seems to do a better job of scaling 720p/1080i to the 1360×768 resolution of my display than the display itself using component.

   If Microsoft allowed brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and temperature adjustments from the 360, this cable would truly be the best to get the highest quality output from the 360 for everyone with a VGA capable HD display.

   Do yourself a favor and purchase/rent the Avia Guide to Home Theater DVD or Digital Video Essentials DVD and use this to calibrate your display for the best results using any cable.

3. 
   RPG Fan
   August 15th, 2010 at 8:05 pm

   Review by RPG Fan for Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
   Rating:
   I, too, am a college student (seems to be a trend, eh?) and don’t have a 50-inch X brand HD whatever. I got this cable to hook up to my flat-panel computer monitor which is of course better than my TV. My monitor isn’t big, mind you, but the improvement is definitely noticable. I can harness my XBox 360′s potential much more than with standard AV cables.

   Also, as far as sound is concerned, if you’re hooking this up to your computer system: the cable comes with a Y adapter that can be plugged into your standard audio card (the green, blue, and pink colored slots in the back). I have awesome speakers on my comp (not Dolby surround but a 200-watt 2.1 system) and had to look everywhere on the internet to see if this cable would be able to connect to them. I finally found it somewhere. In short, yes you can hook the audio adapter into your computer for sound (your computer has to be on to do so). My comp speakers plug into the green slot then the VGA cable (via the adapter) plugs into the blue one. Bingo, seat-rattling explosions and gunfire.

   Even if you’re not like some of the Richie Riches that are using this cable for their $2,000 TV and want to hook it up to your computer system, then you absolutely MUST buy this cable. You’re really cheating yourself out of the full gaming experience if you stick with standard AV.

4. 
   Susan S. Scutti
   August 15th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

   Review by Susan S. Scutti for Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
   Rating:
   I bought this in order to play my 360 games on my 17″ CRT flatscreen monitor. It was really fast to hook up and worked without any problems whatsoever.

   Please note that the cable comes with a RCA to 3.5mm jack and a VGA f/f gender changer.

5. 
   Rachel Brown
   August 15th, 2010 at 8:58 pm

   Review by Rachel Brown for Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
   Rating:
   I purchased these cables because, along with the new Xbox Live update, you can view games and movies in 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution). Your system will give you the option to turn on 1080p with the new update, but it won’t work. These cables are the only cables that will allow you to view 1080p on your 360. And with the HD-DVD drive add on… wow. High Def movies in 1080p will make you quiet and teary-eyed.

   Beware of a few things though to make your experience less of a hassle:

   1) You have to have access to Xbox Live and a 1080p television or monitor that can display 1920×1080. Otherwise you’re only looking at a minimal upgrade in quality most times that doesn’t justify the cost over the component cables that came with your 360.

   2) Check your TV or monitor’s vga audio inputs. This cable comes with a red and white set of audio wires but a lot of monitors and TV’s, especially a lot of the new full 1080p TV’s, require an optical audio cable. You can get these everywhere and cheap ones are just as good as expensive ones. Best Buy has one specifically for the Xbox 360 for $8. One end hooks into the base connection on the VGA cables. Not only is the audio quality increased 10x, but it’s no hassle or mess at all unless you didn’t know you needed it.

   3) Some TV’s don’t allow you to adjust as many picture options on their VGA component channels because they assume you’re connecting a PC, which usually has it’s own visual adjustment controls. I found little problem here after a few changes in the visual settings available to me but video-philes may be disappointed depending on their individual TV’s or displays. For me, in particular, I had no color issues or washed out picture problems unless I dropped into lower resolutions… which is pointless to do if you’re buying these for the 1080p compatibility.

   Do some research and avoid all of these possible headaches and you’re in for a treat.

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