HDMI > DVI-D or VGA?

[fallenangle]

Now I've finally bought a decent size PC monitor, Dell U2412M and I also want to use it with my XB360 (fat). Unfortunately the one thing it doesn't have is HDMI, 'only' DVI-D, VGA and DP.

The PC is going to be attached via the DP so I have to decide which of the others to use with the XB360.

Obviously I'll need a HDMI to DVI-D cable (+ HDMI S/PDIF adapter for optical audio out) and I was just wondering if there are any issues with these types of adapter leads and how they fare against good old analogue VGA, through a decent cable of course.

One thing I've thought about which is concerning me is the fact that a HDMI > DVI-D cable will have to be from an 'independent' manufacturer. I was wondering if the physical size or shape of a HDMI plug on such a cable has ever been known to foul the HDMI S/PDIF adapter?

[J0e Musashi]

Why don't you just use VGA?

[fallenangle]

I would normally be happy to use VGA I'm certainly not somebody who thinks digital automatically means better PQ. But you do need to use a decent VGA cable to avoid the problems you can have with analogue connections.The official MS VGA is expensive. Cheapest I've found is ?20+ from Argos. There are dozens of less expensive alternative out there in eBay and Amazon land but the reviews are very variable. Hence my reluctance to commit to buying what I think I'd have to choose: an official MS VGA cable, when what would be a cheaper HDMI > DVI-D solution is also available.

[speedlolita]

Make a wanted thread here maybe. I know I have one still but I figure I may as well hold onto it for the eventuality of repurchasing a JP 360 and a PC monitor for some TATE action. Think I got it here for a tenner, and sold my previous one here for about that too.

Really is much better than any third party cable, I've had a few and the image was off.

[fallenangle]

I've come a across a few used MS VGAs myself whilst looking into this matter and I might well try that route.

Has nobody here had experiennce with HDMI > DVI-D cables then?

There's some dodgy information out there about HDMI > DVI-D cables. From the information I've found HDMI (1.3), passively ie. without a converter is compatible with DVI but only supports matching Single Link DVI-D resolutions. This means up to 1920x1200 and including 1920x1080 (HDTV), what I assume what the XB360 outputs. Confusingly the DVI-D plugs used with these cables are the full 24-1 pin DL-DVI-D ones rather than 18-1 pin SL-DVI-D so even though only the SL connections are being used some retailers still describe it as DL.

The real question is does it actually work with the XB360? That's one of the things I'm trying to confirm without having to purchase the cable.

[speedlolita]

It will, the 360 doesn't have HDCP I believe.

[fallenangle]

Thanks. The HDCP issue is not really something I'd thought about so I'll have to check that but I would have thought HDMI is in its specification HDCP compliant. I think you might be forgetting the XB360 didn't have the HDMI port in its early days, only VGA and Component HD options, and so originally it wasn't HDCP compliant.

The issue here with the XB360 is what happens when you're using a HDMI > DVI or other port type which may or may not be be HDCP compliant. The Dell U2412M monitor is HDCP compliant via DVI-D and my PC's GPU is HDCP compliant through DVI-D too. Ideally I'd be using this option for the PC if I wasn't for the XB360. However if a using a HDMI > DVI-D cable with a XB360 removes the necessary HDCP signals then I need a rethink and more research.

It is looking as though using the XB360 via VGA would be the easiest solution all round and then I could simply use DVI-D to the monitor's DVI-D for the PC and ignore the DP completely even though DP is apparently (Wiki) HDCP compliant too.

[monel]

I'm not sure if this will be any help, but when I had to purchase a hdmi to dvi adapter or lead, I read reviews and a lot of console users had complained that hdcp had caused problems. I didn't know a lot about it at the time, but I bought a decent lead which was on sale at the time, by the same manufacturer. The hdmi plug end is the same size as a normal hdmi lead. The bad reviews may have been from ps3 users so I'd check Amazon or something.

Someone thought the image looked better than the vga lead I had been using but I don't think it made much difference, it was just handy for me at the time.

The official 360 vga lead was always fine for me, I think I had to get a used one as the day I purchased the 360 no shop in my area had any of the vga cables in stock.

Note- my monitor is hdcp compliant and the lead was fine for me, I think some users complained about other cables that were available. But, it was a couple of years ago...

[fallenangle]

HDMI > DVI-D does seem to be problematic according to some in various forums I've come across too. Hence my original post. But when I've looked at some quite technical articles there actually shouldn't be any issue as regards HDCP and these cables. The only criteria is that the monitor or TV must be HDCP compliant via DVI-D or whatever other digital connection is being used too. Picture quality shouldn't be an issue with any digital conection type ie. DP/MiniDP (which BTW can also carry analogue VGA), DVI-D and HDMI. They should all be equally good even through a passive adapter cable. The question is whether VGA with the XB360 is as good as digital. There's no reason for it not to be but the evidence suggests it is more dependent on the quality of the cable than digital.

[sj33]

The 360 is actually designed with HDMI->DVI cables in mind, it should actually expose all PC resolutions if it detects it's being connected to a PC monitor.

Saying that, VGA should look identical assuming the capabilities of the monitor are equal, it's probably going to be an 8-bit RGB signal regardless.

[fallenangle]

It's really the HDCP issue that is the problem and if the information I've found is correct you can't have a PC and XB360 connected to the monitor and both be HDCP compliant unless you use a DVI-D splitter. Not sure if that is a good idea - any opinions?

Contrary to what I'd read previously the MS Knowledge thingy on the subject states MiniDP/DP will not be recognised as HDCP compliant in Win7 Media Center, only HDMI and HDCP compliant DVI-D connections are allowed. As Shakey_Jake33 indicates and other sources suggest an HDMI > DVI-D cable should be fully compatible.

So it looks as if when I want to display stuff with HDCP using the PC or XB360 I'm going to have to buy a HDMI > DVI-D cable for the XB360 anyway and then change the cable when necessary.

Therefore the question is now which would be more useful to have set up as the prime HDCP compliant machine, the PC or the XB360?

If the PC then I'll just use that with DVI-D > DVI-D and the XB360 with VGA or, possibly HDMI > DP if there is a suitable adapter cable of this type. If the XB360 is to be the prime machine then I'll use that with a HDMI > DVI-D and the PC via the GPU's MiniDP > DP.