XBox 360 HDMI vs Component

[The Glider]

Hope it's ok to start a new thread. I've gone through a few pages of topics here, but I'm just getting more & more confused, so I'm hoping you can be gentle with me.

Right. I've built up some credit with Gamestation & I've decided to buy an Elite in the New Year, although I'm confused as to what the best connection will be to my TV.

I have a 32" Panasonic Viera LCD TV which has 2 HDMI connections. One is used for the PS3, the other for a recordable DVD player. The component connection is used for the Wii, which hardly gets used.

I use the PS3 every day so don't want to unplug it & the same with the DVD player. I do have a non HDMI dvd recorder, so if pushed I could use that with scart.


So ideally, I'll connect the 360 using a Component HD AV Cable (is there any real difference in quality, ie official XBox cables vs GAME's own).

Is there much difference in picture quality when using HDMI over component? Is HDMI the preferable route?

Many thanks.

[charlesr]

Does it have a VGA port? If so, use that if you don't want to keep cable swapping. You'll need to buy a cable.

[Spatial]

HDMI is usually the preferred route for connecting stuff as it's supposed to offer the best quality.

I know on my set (which isn't a Panasonic btw) there is a very slight improvement in the picture quality. More in respects to better colour depth and reproduction than anything else but it is noticeable.

You could always see about a cheap HDMI switcher to plug the PS3 and 360 into?

edit: something like this will even switch things over automatically for you when you turn each console on

[sj33]

HDMI *should* be the best, but the reality is that both should look pretty similar, and any difference will be more down to the capabilities of your TV rather than anything else. If you don't have a spare HDMI port on your telly, don't feel as if you're missing out by going Component.

VGA happens to be superior to HDMI on my telly.

[The Glider]

I've got a port on the back of the TV marked PC. I know I'm being thick but is that VGA?

As for a switching box, Amazon have this one with positive reviews.

So:

Component cable ?14.97

or

HDMI lead ?12.99 + ?19.95 HDMI switching box

or

VGA cable ?14.99

[Oldgamingfart]

I've got a port on the back of the TV marked PC. I know I'm being thick but is that VGA?

As for a switching box, Amazon have this one with positive reviews.

If the port looks like this, then yes it's a VGA port. Come to think of it, I don't think I've come across a Panasonic LCD that doesn't have one.

[The Glider]

Yep, exactly the same , just a different colour.

[Mayhem]

Do Elites come with the component/HDMI cables anymore btw? Mine did but the Elite my brother's gf bought him for Xmas was missing either, only had composite inside. At least I had my spare component to give to him to connect it up (his TV doesn't have HDMI on it anyhows).

[fuse]

Don't forget if you use VGA that you'll be getting sound through the 2 phonos rather than via the video connector too. If you've got phono in on the TV or a sound system nearby that'll do that job, but it's not like HDMI where you just use the one cable to the TV and it handles the rest.

[SteveStuart]

Do Elites come with the component/HDMI cables anymore btw? Mine did but the Elite my brother's gf bought him for Xmas was missing either, only had composite inside. At least I had my spare component to give to him to connect it up (his TV doesn't have HDMI on it anyhows).

Same here, I bought my lad an Elite for Xmas and it just came with composh1te and a scart block. Thankfully my machine in the lounge is hooked up via VGA (old premium, no HDMI), so the component was going spare.

Pretty stingy on the part of MS imo.

[Link83]

I thought it was quite well known that Microsoft had stopped providing Component/HDMI cables with Xbox 360 consoles?

http://kotaku.com/5339432/elite-360-no-longer-ships-with-hd-cables

The most annoying thing is that they also removed the optical audio adaptor/dongle as well

...They also upped the price in the UK on the Arcade console and some accessories:-

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ms-increases-arcade-360-price-in-uk

and it seems they have got rid of the Premium/Pro bundle entirely?

I was considering buying an Xbox 360 for Christmas until Microsoft did all this, I think I will wait a bit longer now

Sorry for going sightly off topic, just my little rant!

[charlesr]

Don't forget if you use VGA that you'll be getting sound through the 2 phonos rather than via the video connector too. If you've got phono in on the TV or a sound system nearby that'll do that job, but it's not like HDMI where you just use the one cable to the TV and it handles the rest.

Same goes for component.

[The Glider]

Getting more & more confused. On the back of my TV where the Wii component goes, I've got five connections - 3 for video & 2 for audio.



Looking at the 360 component, there are 6 connections.



Where does the other one go?

[SteveStuart]

Look at the 360 one carefully, see how it's split? The red an white on the right are for audio. On the left you have the Red, Green and Blue for component OR the single Yellow for composite. It's an all-in-one cable, you'll have a spare connector(s) however you set it up.

[charlesr]

In case you dont know, composite/yellow is rubbish.