[Immortaleffectz]

Hello all,

Im thinking of getting the VGA cable as atm i have a 360 premium. Im gonna check my tv tonight to make sure it has the socket for it. Think is does as its not that old. Will there be any difference than using the standard cable? My 360 does not have the hdmi socket and i heard a vga can still improve things?

[Spikester84]

I have a Samsung 32" R88 LCD, and had my 360 (Premium) plugged in using the Component lead, which i thought was good. I decided to get the VGA cable as it upscales my dvd's, and i'm glad I did. The picture is better when watching DVD's and I was able to get a higher resolution which I was happy with. At first the picture can seem slightly different, but VGA is better than component, in my opinion.

Steve

[Immortaleffectz]

Did you notice any difference in games?

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Immortaleffectz

Did you notice any difference in games?

VGA eliminates overscan so compared to Component you will get more image which can only be a good thing.

[Immortaleffectz]

How do you mean "get more image" im new to the tech stuff soim trying to learn as i go.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Immortaleffectz

How do you mean "get more image" im new to the tech stuff soim trying to learn as i go.

When you use Component a certain percentage of the image is lost due to overscan, using VGA removes this problem as you can pick a resolution that exactly matches your display so you get 100% of the image.

[Jambs]

Originally Posted by Spikester84

I have a Samsung 32" R88 LCD, and had my 360 (Premium) plugged in using the Component lead, which i thought was good. I decided to get the VGA cable as it upscales my dvd's, and i'm glad I did. The picture is better when watching DVD's and I was able to get a higher resolution which I was happy with. At first the picture can seem slightly different, but VGA is better than component, in my opinion.

Steve

I totally agree, VGA gets my vote. I spent ages piddling around with the component settings on my Samsung 23" R88, but they all looked fuzzy to me. VGA is lovely and crisp though - also got a DVI to HDMI converter to plug in my PC without having to get a switch box or plug/unplug the VGA all the time.

[Immortaleffectz]

Im going to e getting a VGA lead this weekend. My 360 doesnt have the hdmi ut i hear vga is better than stangard av one.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Immortaleffectz

Im going to e getting a VGA lead this weekend. My 360 doesnt have the hdmi ut i hear vga is better than stangard av one.

Just make sure you get the Official MS VGA Cable, dont go for one of the cheaper 3rd party cables.

As for whether its better than Component, all depends on your screen, might be better, might be worse, you will have to decide.

[Immortaleffectz]

• This is my screen mate
• Screen Size: 40 Inch
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Brightness(cd/m2): 500
• Contrast Ratio: 5,000:1
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• SRS Trusurround XT
• Hybrid Analogue & Digital DVB-T TV Tuner
• Features: DNIe, My Colour control, Dynamic Contrast, Brightness Sensor, Double Screen (Split Screen), 1 Tuner PIP
• Terminals: Antenna In, HDMI In (DVI-HDTV In), 2 x Scart, Component (Y/PB/PR) In, S-Video In, A/V (RCA) In, D-Sub 15pin (VGAWXGA) PC Input, PC Audio In, Headphone Out

[Immortaleffectz]

Where is the best place to buy the VGA lead for the 360. I have had a look at game and they only had a gameware one. I could do with the official microsoft one really. Any ideas?

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Immortaleffectz

Where is the best place to buy the VGA lead for the 360. I have had a look at game and they only had a gameware one. I could do with the official microsoft one really. Any ideas?

There are plenty of places mate...

HMV
Virgin
Gamestation
Currys
PC World
Argos
Tesco

the list goes on.

[jnewton_ot]

I bought a vga cable (madcatz) about a month ago when I bought my tv. I have a Samsung LE40F8 and I felt the picture was alot sharper than component but the colours werent as deep. I there fore sold it to a mate who was using a pc monitor. Since then I got a HD Drive for Christmas, now found that DVD's dont upscale with component and the HD DVD's dont play 1080p (although they r still much better). I am now thinking do I get a new console with hdmi out or shall I try a ms vga lead to see if I get a better colour than the original one I had. gonna try the cheaper option and if I dont like it take it back (get the cable on approval) Most companies should let u do this! Will let u know how I get on!

[thariq]

Maybe the reason you werent getting such a gr8 pic was cos u was using the cheaper option, cos I have MS one and it looks gr8 on my monitor and LCD TV, I did have to tweak the color settings , I used a guide on the AVforum under tv for the Samsung , and the does make a diff tweaking the settings..

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by jnewton_ot

I bought a vga cable (madcatz) about a month ago when I bought my tv. I have a Samsung LE40F8 and I felt the picture was alot sharper than component but the colours werent as deep. I there fore sold it to a mate who was using a pc monitor. Since then I got a HD Drive for Christmas, now found that DVD's dont upscale with component and the HD DVD's dont play 1080p (although they r still much better). I am now thinking do I get a new console with hdmi out or shall I try a ms vga lead to see if I get a better colour than the original one I had. gonna try the cheaper option and if I dont like it take it back (get the cable on approval) Most companies should let u do this! Will let u know how I get on!

What reference level do you have set?

[jnewton_ot]

Thats what I am thinking 'thariq'. I know when u plug it in vga the tv is then in PC mode which gives u less settings to change.

Indiana Jones, what do u mean by 'what reference?' resolution?

I will get a ms vga lead tomorrow (monday) and will give it a go in the evening. Expect a post back here late tomorrow or tuesday

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by jnewton_ot

Thats what I am thinking 'thariq'. I know when u plug it in vga the tv is then in PC mode which gives u less settings to change.

Indiana Jones, what do u mean by 'what reference?' resolution?

I will get a ms vga lead tomorrow (monday) and will give it a go in the evening. Expect a post back here late tomorrow or tuesday

When using VGA or HDMI you get different Reference levels in the Display settings, these allow you to tone down the washed out look so colours are colourfull again and blacks are no longer grey.

[Immortaleffectz]

Im going to be getting vga soon myself.

[jnewton_ot]

Right! Managed to get a ms vga cable but I dont see much difference myself. I would say that the text isnt so sharp on title pages on games and dvd. It is now saying on my tv 1080 when playing dvd's but no longer saying 1080i on the hd dvd. I dont know whether when it just says 1080 it is actually 1080p or not. I personally dont find the vga cable better! I am gonna have to get a new xbox 360 with hdmi out then I will be fully satisfied that I am getting the best picture possible on my tv. Trade in is £140 so for a £100 I can get me a new one and also a new warrenty so no worries of the red ring! Please I am very interested in hearing what others have thought!

BTW Indiana I have it set to expanded

[Desmo]

Originally Posted by jnewton_ot

It is now saying on my tv 1080 when playing dvd's but no longer saying 1080i on the hd dvd. I dont know whether when it just says 1080 it is actually 1080p or not.

Most TV's will only display the "i" if it is interlaced, so your TV just showing 1080 is showing it's a progressive signal

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by jnewton_ot

Right! Managed to get a ms vga cable but I dont see much difference myself. I would say that the text isnt so sharp on title pages on games and dvd. It is now saying on my tv 1080 when playing dvd's but no longer saying 1080i on the hd dvd. I dont know whether when it just says 1080 it is actually 1080p or not. I personally dont find the vga cable better! I am gonna have to get a new xbox 360 with hdmi out then I will be fully satisfied that I am getting the best picture possible on my tv. Trade in is £140 so for a £100 I can get me a new one and also a new warrenty so no worries of the red ring! Please I am very interested in hearing what others have thought!

BTW Indiana I have it set to expanded

It really does come down to your TV, some will give a better pic through VGA, some will offer a worse pic and others just as good as Componet.

Also, you can only get a progressive picture when using VGA so all DVD's and HD-DVD's will be output to the resolution you set.

[mr-monday]

Are there any other downsides to using VGA? I've heard reports of graphics "tearing" and 50hz only games not working...

[Caveman643]

Originally Posted by mr-monday

Are there any other downsides to using VGA? I've heard reports of graphics "tearing" and 50hz only games not working...

Some of the old backwards compatible original Xbox games are only 50Hz so won't play with the VGA cable. AFAIK all new 360 games are 60Hz so will play fine. I use VGA and for my TV it's better than the component cable. It gives a much sharper, more detailed picture. However, it hasn't improved my game play. I'm still rubbish at Halo on-line

[DongaTon]

Originally Posted by mr-monday

Are there any other downsides to using VGA? I've heard reports of graphics "tearing" and 50hz only games not working...

Capcom games seem to have an issue with this, but only with some people on VGA. When you spin round quickly/pan round in Dead Rising then you sometimes get a wee line for a millisecond. In can be annoying to some, i don'[t mind it at all, it's much better for me than component on 99.9 percent of games...

[mr-monday]

Thanks guys. My official VGA cable arrived this afternoon so I'll try it out on COD4 tonight! Hopefully I'll like the results so I can leave my HDMI port free for when I get V+ installed next week.

[DongaTon]

Remember to set your settings to the tv's native res, and I set the Reference Level to "Expanded' and it looks mighty fine.

On my 507

Component: Crisp, Bold, Sharp, Deep Colours (720p,1080i)

VGA: Smooth, Light Colours, Not Very Deep (1280x768)

Standard AV component, 100% better.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by HDPio

On my 507

Component: Crisp, Bold, Sharp, Deep Colours (720p,1080i)

VGA: Smooth, Light Colours, Not Very Deep (1280x768)

Standard AV component, 100% better.

Were you using the 'Expanded' reference setting?

[hekoheko]

VGA if you play and watch NTSC material. PAL DVD judders with VGA since it can only do 60hz when component can do 50hz but only 576p.

[rage99]

VGA on 1360 x 768 looks slightly dull but very natural

Component on 720p looks bright, vivid and sharp.