XBox and Monster 400x (1 Viewer)

[Ritchie T]

Alrite, I just got Monster's 400x Component cables hooked up to my Sony 40xbr700. Im finally using my component inputs.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...u0sFhT&Dept=tv

but last years model. But I got a few questions, not sure if this should be in video games or some other forum.

Well I only got 3 games, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and Mechassualt, no Dragons Lair. So I guess the best I would get is 480p. Im guessing my tv is HDTV-Ready, and it doesnt have the HDTV tuner built in. So I was wondering, am I getting HD? Or do I need a tuner just to recieve that from my xbox? And will I only be getting true HD from a 1080i game? Im also guessing the tuner is only for broadcast channels.

I tried playing ghost recon, and to me it looks like the red is bluring out a little (this is during the loading screen, when it shows the emblem of elite,veteran, etc. difficulity level). Other than that, everything seems alrite. But the thing is that I really dont notice too much of a difference than my older monster 300x s-video cable.

And for anyone with a Sony, what setting do you set your tv to when playing? Pro? Standard? Etc. And do you use the enhanced 16x9? Also, should I set my tv for standard, widescreen, or letterbox for the xbox? Im really just looking for advice to put my tv and cables to better use.

Another questions is about a seperate DVD player I have. Its an older panasonic with progressive scan. I also have that hooked up with component cables (AR MS291). I really do not see too much of a difference than my older s-video cables. Anything I should do to enhance my viewing experience?

and by the way, I do not have my TV calibrated. So besides doing that, any other tips on what I should do?

Thanks!

 

[JamesH]

You probably don't have the Xbox set to output in HD if "red is blurring on the screen", unless you mean that the red is so bright that it practically bleeds off the screen into your living room. Make sure to go into the Xbox system menu and turn on 480p and 1080i.

If it still doesn't look right, you just need to recalibrate your TV. I had to make different presets for standard and hi def. In general, for hi def(as compared to standard), you'll want to lower the color saturation a decent amount, slightly lower sharpness, hue will depend on your TV set, white level(contrast) may need to be lowered, and I'm not sure as to black level(brightness) since mine stayed close to the same with Avia.

I should think you'd see a HUGE difference between S-video and component video in HD, especially with Splinter Cell, so make sure your Xbox is sending a 480p signal to the TV. However, the difference between Svid and component if you're not using HD won't be all that large.


Oh, and you don't need a tuner to use the high def on the Xbox, but you do need a tuner to get OTA HD signals. Also, you're generally only going to get 480p from Xbox games(although there are a few 1080i and 720p), but 480p still looks great.

 

[Ritchie T]

thanks for the feedback James,

I already turned my xbox to output both 480p and 1080i. But Ill try to adjust my setting like how you recommded.

By the way, what is OTA HD signals? Is that similar to digital cable programming?

Thanks again

 

[Mike Pattee]

OTA = over the air normal broadcast you pick up with an antenna.