New TV/Component/360 questions

[Pavey]

Hello all

Got myself a new tv today,a Panasonic TX32LXD500,and am very impressed.

Im running the 360 through it at the moment with the supplied component cable,and have selected 1080i on the 360 dash. TBH i dont know too much about hi def/resolutions etc,so did i do the right thing in selecting that resolution,and is it correct to think that the higher the better?

Is the component cable the best picture you can get from a 360? What is vga,and is this better?

For the GC,X-box and PS2 do i now need to get component leads to get the best quality from them?

What is progressive scan,as ive heard this mentioned a lot when the GC is talked about,and will the component cable give me prog scan?

With regards to the Dreamcast,i have a vga box,but it looks like i need some additional cables to go between that and the tv. Also where does a vga cable plug in,is it just through a scart plug?

Are component splitters available,like the famous Argos rgb one?

Think thats it for now,thanking you.

[mr_sockochris]

'Im running the 360 through it at the moment with the supplied component cable,and have selected 1080i on the 360 dash. TBH i dont know too much about hi def/resolutions etc,so did i do the right thing in selecting that resolution,and is it correct to think that the higher the better?'

It shoudn't look noticably different, but if you're using an LCD TV then set it to 720p as they're better suited to progressive sources not interlaced like 1080i.

'Is the component cable the best picture you can get from a 360? What is vga,and is this better?'

Horses for courses. Component looked best on mine, but some TV's are better with VGA than others. They're essentially the same thing so Component is fine.

'For the GC,X-box and PS2 do i now need to get component leads to get the best quality from them?'

Yes.

'What is progressive scan,as ive heard this mentioned a lot when the GC is talked about,and will the component cable give me prog scan?'

Progressive scan is 480p (instead of 480i) and yes, you'll need component for progressive scan.

'With regards to the Dreamcast,i have a vga box,but it looks like i need some additional cables to go between that and the tv. Also where does a vga cable plug in,is it just through a scart plug?

Your TV will have an VGA that looks like this if it supports VGA: http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/ba/bg/m...2_VGAinput.gif

'Are component splitters available,like the famous Argos rgb one?'

Joytech are releasing this soon which is ideal for up to 4 consoles through Component as it switches optical inputs and ethernet cables too.

http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=XT0053&title=joytech_av_control_centre

If you're looking for a cheaper option, many of us use this which seems to work perfectly.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-n-77-8-15-component-70-3cb.html

[sj33]

Im running the 360 through it at the moment with the supplied component cable,and have selected 1080i on the 360 dash. TBH i dont know too much about hi def/resolutions etc,so did i do the right thing in selecting that resolution,and is it correct to think that the higher the better?

You should set it to the resolution that closest matches the native resolution of your set. That would be 720p.

In the case of games in particular, it's better to use 720p because it's Progressive, which games benefit greately from.

Is the component cable the best picture you can get from a 360?

Strictly speaking, VGA is the best, though the difference is pretty small, not enough to worry about. I favour VGA, but I'm more anal than most.

What is vga,and is this better?

VGA is the type of connection your PC uses. It's what PC monitors use.
It's recently become more common on LCD TV's and the like.

For the GC,X-box and PS2 do i now need to get component leads to get the best quality from them?

With regards to the Dreamcast,i have a vga box,but it looks like i need some additional cables to go between that and the tv. Also where does a vga cable plug in,is it just through a scart plug?

Your TV either has a VGA port or it doesn't.

Try to forget about Scart. It is now essentially a legacy form of connection you will only ever now use for old consoles.

[Pavey]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Seems a lot clearer now.

I do have a vga connection. Do you think i should just use it for the DC and leave the 360 with component?

[dvdx2]

Hello all

Got myself a new tv today,a Panasonic TX32LXD500,and am very impressed.

Im running the 360 through it at the moment with the supplied component cable,and have selected 1080i on the 360 dash. TBH i dont know too much about hi def/resolutions etc,so did i do the right thing in selecting that resolution,and is it correct to think that the higher the better?

Is the component cable the best picture you can get from a 360? What is vga,and is this better?

For the GC,X-box and PS2 do i now need to get component leads to get the best quality from them?

What is progressive scan,as ive heard this mentioned a lot when the GC is talked about,and will the component cable give me prog scan?

With regards to the Dreamcast,i have a vga box,but it looks like i need some additional cables to go between that and the tv. Also where does a vga cable plug in,is it just through a scart plug?

Are component splitters available,like the famous Argos rgb one?

Think thats it for now,thanking you.

Try out both 720p and 1080i and gauge for yourself what looks best. The Sony Bravias 1080i xbox360 image is more pleasing than 720p,(crisper and more vibrant looking), via component. Havent tried VGA yet, as a i cant find a bloody cable! Anywhere.........

[Concept]

Personally, I wouldn't bother shelling out the cash needed to pick up decent component cables for the GC, PS2 and Xbox. Standard definition content looks blocky on non-native 640x480 sets, and came as something of a shock to me. I've gone back to RGB on my SD 28".

720p however is stunning through component, though I personally prefer an out and out VGA signal if one is available.

[capcom_suicide]

Personally, I wouldn't bother shelling out the cash needed to pick up decent component cables for the GC, PS2 and Xbox. Standard definition content looks blocky on non-native 640x480 sets, and came as something of a shock to me. I've gone back to RGB on my SD 28".

720p however is stunning through component, though I personally prefer an out and out VGA signal if one is available.

I am really confused!

I have a Grundig Xantia 28 inch 100Mhz TV.

It has a VGA D SUB which supports 640x480 and 848?480 Widescreen

When I used the supplied Scart cable the picture was OK, but it was hard to read the dashboard on small text. Sort of fuzzy.

So I plugged in the Joytec VGA cable & I have it set to 848x480 Widescreen on the dashboard, and the picture is absolutly amazing! It's like looking at my PC monitor.

Does anyone know about normal CRT TV's with VGA?

I wonder, am I basically getting a low res, but perfect RGB picture? In terms of HD, what is 848x640? (I know it's not HD, but how does it compare?)

I have used the VGA from my PC a few times for Divx, but the quality has never looked like this! The colours are so vibrant & the text so clear. Not a shadow in sight!

The TV was expensive 2 years ago, but I wonder what VGA ona Grundig CRT really is??? Odd!

/C_S

[Concept]

You're talking about the 360, yes?

848x640 is somewhat off 'true' HD for the 360, but it will be obviously better than 640x480. 720p (the most common standard at the moment for something to be hi-def, despite Sony's 1080p claims) is a resolution of 1280x720 with non-interlaced vertical lines.

I find VGA to be very clear. The DC for example outputs in SD resolution over VGA but looks stunning (it's the only SD content on this set which still retains its beauty up close).

The shadowing people are talking about seems to be with component (though I tested my PS2, GC and XBox today and despite some, none were as evident as the 360 in this area). I don't know how VGA fares here - though it would seem from your words pretty well.

It depends on the input how the quality of VGA will vary.

[sj33]

848x640 is for Plasma screens I think, which has non-standard shaped pixels (IIRC).

I wouldn't bother with the 360 VGA, as it's not particularly good. The Dreamcast VGA however is essential.