X-Box -> VGA question... (1 Viewer)

[Doug R]

The Dreamcast had a "VGA Box" which converted the signal for its a/v and S-Video inputs through to a computer monitor and the result looked great.
Looking through X-Box accessories there doesn't seem to be an item like this for immediate release.
However, does anyone know if just regular ole Video->VGA converters might work and improve image quality at all? Possible damage to my monitor? Any thoughts? HELP! =)
Doug
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[Brad Grenz]

MS did market research on the DC VGA box and decided the number of people who would purchase such an accessory was too few for them to bother. A third party might release one down the line but I'm not sure how that would work, exactly. Real VGA support would need to be written into a game, as was the case with the DC, but without a first party VGA device, support might not be there. Maybe a 480p-> VGA setup might be possible (where you tell the Xbox it's attached to a progressive capable TV and then the VGA box converts that signal for output to a monitor), maybe 720p and 1080i too. But I think it's a matter of wait and see. There are VGA boxes for the PS2 that convert the interlaced NTSC output to VGA, so at the very least that would be possible on the Xbox. But generally that doesn't look that great on a monitor and is pointless for anything other than space saving reasons.
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Brad Grenz
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[Michael St. Clair]

The other possibility is that the VGA ability is already there and just needs to be 'unlocked' with the right cable.
That's what the Dreamcast did. The 'VGA box' didn't make VGA, it just jumpered the right pins on the A/V port to tell the Dreamcast to start putting out VGA instead of interlaced RGB. The 'Box' just broke out the connectors and amplified the audio.
The XBox has more than enough pins to already be VGA capable.
One XBox team member has already stated there may be a first or third party solution in the future if demand is sufficient. Demand seems quite high already.