TranceVib’s FAQ on Audio Visual for the Xbox 360

Xbox 360 HD/SD Video FAQ :

By TranceVib

What sort of information is featured in this FAQ?

* Everything you wanted to know about High Definition

* How to purchase an HDTV for your Xbox360

* How to tell if an HDTV is right for you by reading the specs sheet

* How the Xbox360 works with HDTV’s

* How to connect your Xbox360 for HD gaming

* How the Xbox360 goes with SDTV’s

* How to get the most out of your Xbox360 on an SDTV

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Please Note:

I’d like to thank TranceVib of the Xbox.com.au Forums who has graciously given his permission for us to provide this extensive Frequently Asked Questions & Answers segment on Audio & Visual so that you can get the best possible results from your Xbox 360 experience.

TranceVibs has been sharing his expertise with the Australian Forum members now for some time, and has recently become one of the Moderators of the Aust Forums . . . He also works on another major Xbox Community site called …. If you have any particular questions not dealt with here, then you can visit the Australian Xbox Forums and see if the answer has been covered in the thread, or simply ask TranceVib the question yourself from the forum.

He’s usually quite prompt with his replies, given he does this on a volunteer basis, just like many of the Xbox Community do.

If you see a term referred to in this FAQ that you don’t know the meaning to, try checking out the glossary at the bottom of this post.

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Table of Contents

1. Everything you wanted to know about High Definition, or ‘HD’

1.1 What is High Definition, or ‘HD’? – •1.2 What’s the Difference between PAL and NTSC? – What is 50htz and 60htz? – •1.3 What are video modes?- •1.4 What do the ‘i’ and the ‘p’ mean after 480i, 480p and other video modes? – •1.5 What is 720p, 1080i and 1080p? – •1.6 What is this ED I keep hearing about? – •1.7 Wait, I thought 576p *was* HD? – •1.8 What is up converting and down converting (scaling)? – •1.9 What are screen aspect ratios? What does 16:9 and 4:3 mean?- •1.10 What do I need to view HD content?- •1.11 I saw comparison images/videos of a HD signal next to an SD signal on the internet and I couldn’t tell much difference between the two.

2. Choosing an HDTV for Xbox360
2.1 I want to buy an HDTV, what are my options? – •2.2 What am I looking for when I’m buying a HDTV? (aka, here are the specs of a TV I want, is it good?) – •2.3 What’s better, LCD, Plasma or CRT? – •2.4 I want a cheap TV that does HD! – •2.5 When I’m shopping, I see some TV’s listed as EDTV. What does that mean? – •2.6 – What about DLP? They come in really huge sizes and are cheap for their size! – •2.7 The TV I’m looking at supports 720p and 1080i, does that mean it’s HD? – •2.8 What’s the difference between HD Ready and HD Compatible? – •2.9 I’ve decided I want to use a PC monitor with a VGA cable for my Xbox 360. Here are the specs of the monitor, will it do? – •2.10 I already have a TV thanks, but I’d like to know if it’s HD/will run an HD signal – •2.11 Ok, I’ve read the differences between the HDTV technologies, read what I need to look for when I’m buying an HDTV and I know what they all do. Which HDTV technology should I go for; CRT, Plasma or LCD?

3. HD and the Xbox 360
3.1 How can I get HD out of my Xbox 360? – •3.2 Does the Core pack Xbox 360 come with a Component cable? – •3.3 Which video modes does the Xbox 360 support? – •3.4 Will all Xbox360 games support HD? – •3.5 I’ve setup HD on my new Xbox360, but the picture doesn’t look any sharper than my old Xbox, what gives? – •3.6 I’ve setup HD on my new Xbox360, I’ve got the switch over to HD on the cable, but the picture doesn’t look any sharper than my normal Xbox on my HD CRT TV! – • 3.7 Which resolution is better to use with the Xbox360, 720p or 1080i? – •3.8 Will using VGA cables on my LCD/Plasma TV make the image look any better? – Can I use a DVI/HDMI cable with my Xbox360? – •3.9 Can I use a DVI/HDMI cable with my Xbox360? – •3.10 – I’m running my Xbox360 in HD or through the VGA cable, but my game is asking me to change my video mode to 60htz and won’t run! How do I fix this? – •3.11 – I’m using a VGA cable, and I’m trying to play an original Xbox 1 game. The Xbox360 tells me that the video mode is not supported by my game, and to change the display settings. What can I do?

4. Xbox 360 and Standard Definition
•4.1 Which video modes can I use on my Xbox360 in SD? – •4.2 What will happen to my games if I play them on my SDTV? – •4.3 What sort of connections can I use on my SDTV? Which one is the best? – •4.4 Can I use the HD Component cable that comes with the premium Xbox360 on my non-HDTV that has standard component inputs? – •4.5 Is it better to use a 16:9 widescreen TV or a 4:3 standard TV? – •4.6 I bought a Component cable for my Xbox360 and it has a yellow plug too! What’s that for? – •4.7 What are the Red and White plugs for on my cable? – •4.8 I have an SDTV, can I buy a HD Set Top Box and turn it into an HDTV? – •4.9 Why are some of my games full screen, while some of them have big black borders? – •4.10 – My game doesn’t work properly! Maybe the disk is faulty? The graphics are choppy, or the game just won’t load/play…

5. DVD playback
5.1 How does the Xbox360 playback DVDs? – •5.2 Does the Xbox360 output DVDs at 720p/1080i? – •5.3 Why do my DVDs look stretched and ‘fat’/'thin’? – •5.4 Do I need to purchase a ‘DVD remote’ like with the old Xbox, to play DVDs?

6. The HD-DVD Player
6.1 What is HD-DVD? – •6.2 How do I get HD-DVD playback on my Xbox360? – •6.3 How does the HD-DVD player work? – •6.4 Will I be able to tell the difference? – •6.5 What will happen if I run my Xbox360 at 720p or below when the movies are 1080p?

7. Still Having Problems?

8. Glossary of Terms

9. Contact, Terms of Use and Shout Outs!

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1. Everything you wanted to know about High Definition, or ‘HD’!

1.1 – What is High Definition, or ‘HD’?

A. Put simply, High Definition is a TV image which is displayed at a higher resolution than what you used to get (Standard Definition).

The Xbox, Gamecube and Playstation 2 all run in Standard Definition in Australia.

The Xbox 360 will let you start using High Definition capable TV sets to their full potential. You will get a much cleaner image, full of bright, strong colours and crisp lines when running in HD.

You *must* have an HDTV to be able to receive HD content on your TV set.

1.2 – What’s the Difference between PAL and NTSC? What is 50htz and 60htz?

A. PAL is the video standard they use in Europe and here in Australia. NTSC is the video standard they use in Japan and America

Standard PAL runs at a vertical resolution of 576 lines, where NTSC runs at a vertical resolution of 480 lines. If you see 480i or 576i listed anywhere, you know that they are talking about standard PAL and NTSC resolutions.

PAL and NTSC also differ in their ‘refresh rates’. PAL will run at 25 frames – 50 fields per second, or a 50htz refresh rate. NTSC will run at 30 frames – 60 fields per second, or a 60htz refresh rate.

PAL and NTSC also differ in the way the reproduce colour, and it is usually considered that PAL has better colour than NTSC.

There is also a video standard known as PAL 60, which runs at the NTSC standard 480 vertical resolution and 60htz refresh rate, but uses the PAL standard colour reproduction._All these video modes are known as ‘SD’ or Standard Definition.

1.3 – What are video modes?

A. Video modes are signals which display a video image within the bounds of the rules set by that video mode. Here is a list of common video modes used to display images on a TV screen:

PAL Countries:
SD Video Modes:

576i (PAL) (Screen Resolution 720×576, 50htz)

480i (PAL 60) (Screen Resolution 720×480, 60htz)

ED Video Modes:

576p (Screen Resolution 720×576, 50htz)

HD Video Modes

720p (Screen Resolution 1280×720, 50htz)

1080i (Screen Resolution 1920×1080, 50htz)

“Full HD”* Video Modes:

1080p (Screen Resolution 1920×1080, 50htz)

NTSC Countries:
SD Video Modes:

480i (Screen Resolution 720×480, 60htz)

ED Video Modes:

480p (Screen Resolution 720×480, 60htz)

HD Video Modes:

720p (Screen Resolution 1280×720, 60htz)

1080i (Screen Resolution 1920×1080, 60htz)

“Full HD”* Video Modes:

1080p (Screen Resolution 1920×1080, 60htz)

Note that these video modes aren’t bound by their countries of designation; you can buy TVs in PAL countries that support NTSC modes.

• “Full HD” is a term Sony has given to the 1080p video mode, and has stuck through the industry.

1.4 – What do the ‘i’ and the ‘p’ mean after 480i, 480p and other video modes?

A. ‘i’ means ‘Interlaced’ and ‘p’ means ‘Progressive’.

Interlaced means the image you are seeing is made up of oddly updated lines to create a whole image. In other words, every second line is being flashed up onto the screen during one screen refresh, and every other line is being flashed up on the next screen refresh. This creates a whole image on screen over 2 screen refreshes. It’s a little harder on the eyes compared to Progressive.

Progressive means that the whole image (every single line of resolution) is being flashed up onto the screen during each refresh. Remember that PAL has 50 frames per second, or 50 screen refreshes per second, and NTSC has 60.

1.5 – What is 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

A. These are the High Definition or ‘HD’ video standards. When you hear ‘HD’, you know that this is what is being talked about.

720p, of course, means that the image being displayed has 720 lines of vertical resolution, and that it is a progressive image. 1080i means there are 1080 lines of resolution, and that the image is interlaced, and 1080p is the same but progressive. 720p runs at a 1280×720 resolution, and 1080i and 1080p run at 1920×1080.

1.6 – What is this ED I keep hearing about?

A. ED (Enhanced Definition) is usually the banner they place the progressive forms of SD resolutions under. So, 480p and 576p is what you would call ED.

They aren’t HD resolutions (Unless you’re in Australia, more later…), as what is being displayed is still technically the same resolution as it’s interlaced SD counterpart, but you are getting a lot more information for a much cleaner image.

1.7 – Wait, I thought 576p *was* HD?

A. Well, actually, you would be right! But that’s only here in Australia. The government, when they were deciding what the specs for HDTV would be in Australia, chose the two resolution modes 576p and 1080i. 720p has just been added to the standard as well

ABC uses 720p for their HD channel. Everywhere else in the world considers 576p to be an ED standard. The jury is out with viewers in Australia whether they themselves consider 576p to be an HD or an ED standard. It’s totally up to you.

The government however considers it to be HD. So if you’re in Australia (of which you are!) and you either think it’s HD, or ED, you would be correct._As far as the Xbox360 is concerned though, 576p isn’t HD.

1.8 – What is up converting and down converting (scaling)?

A. Before we get into this, it is important to know that LCD’s and Plasma TV sets are fixed pixel displays. This means that any resolution that is above, or below the screens native resolution (the actual amount of dots the screen displays) will be squeezed or stretched to fill the space the screen allows.

eg. You own an LCD TV that has a native resolution of 1366×768. You feed a 720p signal to this display. 720p has a resolution of 1280×720, so of course, that means it fits into a smaller area of your LCD’s screen.

What your TV will then do, is stretch the smaller image up to the size of your TV set, so that it fills the entire screen.

This is known as “up converting”, or “up scaling”, as it is scaling the image up to the screens native resolution to fit it across the entire screen. You’ve probably guessed it, but when you feed a signal of 1080i to this same screen, it will of course, have to “down convert” the image to fit on the screen, as 1080i has a resolution of 1920×1080, which means it fits on a screen much bigger than the one you’re trying to display it on.

CRT’s don’t usually have to worry about this, as it can adapt its pixel count depending on the resolution that is fed to it. This means it can display many resolutions as if it were its native resolution. CRT’s have their limits though, and currently can’t display a resolution up to the level of 720p, and so has to either down convert it to 576p, or up convert it to 1080i.

CRT’s can do 1080i as there is less information (540 lines) displayed during one refresh, compared to 720 lines that 720p requires.

1.9 – What are screen aspect ratios? What does 16:9 and 4:3 mean?

A. You’ll see many different numbers like these… 4:3, 16:9, 15:9, 16:10… anywhere you go looking for HDTV’s. These little numbers tell you the ‘ratio’ of the screen. Basically the easiest way to look at it is 16:9 = widescreen while 4:3 = standard.

With a bit more detail – it’s basically saying, using 16:9 as an example, that for every 16cms horizontal, there are 9cms vertical when measuring the length and height of the actual screen.

You will see 15:9 or 16:10 quoted around too. These panels cannot be considered real “widescreen” TV’s, as they are slightly shorter than full 16:9 and will chop off some of the image when viewing 16:9 widescreen material, or leave some black borders around the image to show the whole picture.

Many movies are shot with a screen ratio of 16:9. This is why you will see black bars at the top and bottom (letterboxing) when watching widescreen DVDs on your standard 4:3 TV.

All Xbox 360 games are designed to run in 16:9, although they can run on a 4:3 TV too – either the game will actually support it properly, or it will run in a letterbox just like 16:9 movies do.

1.10 – What do I need to view HD content?

A. You will need an HD Ready HDTV. See “2. Choosing an HDTV for Xbox360″ to learn how to buy an HDTV. With the Xbox360, you can also use a PC Monitor to view content in HD.

1.11 – I saw comparison images/videos of a HD signal next to an SD signal on the internet and I couldn’t tell much difference between the two.

A. You can never tell just how different it is with these videos and pictures. The only way you’ll be able to see it is if you go and see it purely with your own eyes. Go down to your local JB hi-fi or Harvey Norman and ask to see what HD looks like. If you’re into the best quality TV images around, you won’t be disappointed!

2. Choosing an HDTV for Xbox360

2.1 – I want to buy an HDTV, what are my options?

A. There are quite a few options for you, but the most common are CRT, LCD or Plasma displays.

CRT is the same technology you’ve always used in your old TV sets since they were first invented, just advanced for HD.

LCD is the same old LCD you’ve seen in Laptops and PC monitors, yet vastly better than they were in the 1990’s.

Plasma is a fairly old technology, but has only been successfully used in mainstream television products since the advent of Digital TV.

2.2 – What am I looking for when I’m buying a HDTV? (aka, here are the specs of a TV I want, is it good?)
A. Here is a check list you can refer to when shopping for a new HDTV. To get the most compatibility out of your set, you’ll want to answer ‘yes’ to all these points.

Couple this with the other check lists down below for your specific type of set.

Check the specifications page on the TV manufacturers website, or the TV’s manual to find the information you need. It is not always important that you know what everything means here, just that the TV has it.

Manufactures Specification check list:

* Does it support 1080i and 720p? (If you want it, 1080p too )

* Can it do 1080i and 720p at both 50htz and 60htz? (Note: It is rare to find an HDTV that can do 720p at 50htz, so don’t let this discourage you too much! Also, the Xbox360 will *need* 60htz for HD)

* Is the vertical resolution higher than or equal to 720?

* Does it support ED signals 480p and 576p?

* Does it have either or both a HDMI port, or DVI-D port with HDCP compatibility?

* Does the TV support HD modes over Component? (specifically 1080p if that is important to you)

* Does it have a VGA port? (if you want to use your PC or another VGA source on your set)

* Does it have enough inputs for your needs?

* Is the TV big enough or small enough to view comfortably from your main seating position?

* Is it “HD Ready”? (If you can see *this logo* then that’s a very good indication that the TV is up to standard)

* Does the image look good? *very important, don’t be afraid to ask questions and play with the set! Even take in your fave console and test it out!

LCD TV
* Does it have a resolution of 1280×720 or over? (1920×1080 for 1080p sets)

* Does it have a response time at or below 8ms? (The lower the number, the better. Play with the set to make sure it doesn’t ghost too much for you!)

* Is the contrast ratio at or above 1000:1? (Generally, the lower the number the brighter the blacks [Black shades look grey instead of black])

* Does the TV have a good “dead pixel” warranty? (You’ll want one that has a “no dead pixel warranty” – so if you find a dead pixel, you can get it replaced!)

CRT TV
* Does it upscale 720p to 1080i? (Some CRTs will downscale 720p to 576p, which means you lose resolution)

Plasma TV
* Does it have a resolution of 1280×720 or over? (1920×1080 for 1080p sets) (A lot of Plasma’s have strange resolutions. Make sure you know what you’re buying. Some come in 1024×768, which is fine if you don’t mind it! It does lose a little horizontal resolution though)

* Does it have measures to stop burn-in from happening?

* Does the TV have a good “dead pixel” warranty? (You’ll want one that has a “no dead pixel warranty” – so if you find a dead pixel, you can get it replaced!)

Last, but not least:

*Do not buy a TV set without first seeing it running. I can’t stress this enough. This includes ebay! (Personally, I wouldn’t buy a TV set from ebay at all!)

*I urge you to check out the HDTV guide that TeamXbox.com has put together, namely *this* page. It’s for Americans, but most of the information is applicable to Australia too. It has extremely valuable information on how to buy an HDTV. Don’t go shopping without having read this!

*1080p sets are available right now. The Xbox360 supports this resolution via both component and VGA. If you’re wanting to get HD-DVD or support future 1080p games, you’ll want one of these “Full HD” sets!

2.3 – What’s better, LCD, Plasma or CRT?
A. Well, really, there is no answer to this. They all have their positives and negatives. The only real way to see what’s better is to watch them all in person and to choose based on your own personal tastes.

Here are some common positives and negatives to each technology to look out for:

LCD

• + Very thin
• + Cheap HD solution at smaller size
• + Bright, beautiful colours_+ Excellent resolutions
• + No geometry or convergence issues
• + No risk of permanent burn-in
• - Can have contrast problems (bright blacks)
• - Can have ghosting problems (Blurring on screen when movement occurs)
• - Can suffer from dead or stuck pixels (dots of black or single colours on the screen)
• - Can be very expensive at higher screen sizes

CRT

• + Amazing contrast ratios (Very black blacks, while still having very bright whites and colours)
• + Non-Fixed Pixel display (ability to change its pixel count, so that it can display many resolutions as if it were its native resolution, mostly no scaling)
• - Can have convergence issues (gun colours not meeting up properly so you see red or blue framing another colour)
• - Can have geometry issues (images being warped into strange shapes on screen, rounded lines that are supposed to be straight)
• - Very big and heavy as the screens get bigger
• - Inability to display a real 720p image (the guns just can’t go up to that huge resolution, either have to up convert to 1080i or down convert to 576p)

Plasma

• + Thin_+ Excellent black levels and contrast ratios
• + Bright, beautiful screens
• + No geometry or convergence issues
• + New models last for a very long time
• - Doesn’t come in HD models at lower sizes
• - Can be very expensive for HD models
• - Screen resolutions can be pretty crazy

2.4 – I want a cheap TV that does HD!
A. LCD’s at smaller sizes and CRTs tend to be on the cheaper side of HDTV’s. The absolutely cheapest way to get HD out of your Xbox360 is to use your existing PC monitor with a VGA cable!

2.5 – When I’m shopping, I see some TV’s listed as EDTV. What does that mean?
A. EDTV is a buzzword created to sell low resolution Plasma panels. These panels come in resolutions of 852×480, and are very cheap. Notice that the resolution is 480, which means it is SD!

These EDTV panels will NOT output HD, ever. They will say they are “HD Compatible”, but that only means you can feed it a HD signal, it won’t actually show the full HD resolution. The only true video modes these plasma’s are good for are 480p/i. They’re not even very good for SD and ED PAL modes, as you’ll notice that the resolution is much lower than 576, the PAL standard.

Don’t buy one of these TV’s if you want HD out of your 360!

2.6 – What about DLP? They come in really huge sizes and are cheap for their size!
A. If you like the image, sure, go for it! Again, make sure it displays the right HD signals for you. These are projected displays though, so make sure you aren’t against them at all before you buy. Test them out well and truly before you lay your money down.

Also a thing to note is that these sets require that you replace the globe that lights up the screen every 3000 hours. These lamps are extremely expensive, and so it really isn’t suited to everyday use for someone on a budget (Source: TeamXbox.com).

2.7 – The TV I’m looking at supports 720p and 1080i, does that mean it’s HD?
A. No, it doesn’t mean it’s HD. If it’s an EDTV (meaning it has a resolution of 852×480) then no, it will never output a real HD signal. If it’s anything at or over a vertical resolution of 720, then yes, it would be considered HD.

2.8 – What’s the difference between HD Ready and HD Compatible?
A. HD Ready means that it will process HD signals and a real HD resolution. See the manual for which ones it will do. HD Compatible means it will process HD signals, but it won’t display it in a HD resolution. These are usually EDTV sets.

The HD Ready logo is an excellent indication that the TV you’re looking at is up to standard. Which looks like:

2.9 – I’ve decided I want to use a PC monitor with a VGA cable for my Xbox 360. Here are the specs of the monitor, will it do?
A. If you’re using an LCD monitor, try and go for one with a fixed resolution that matches one of the ones the Xbox360 outputs. This will give you the best image quality. Ask yourself the same questions that you would when buying an LCD HDTV;

* Does it have a resolution of 1280×720 or over? (or 1920×1080 for full 1080p style resolution)

* Does it have a response time at or below 8ms (The lower the number, the better.)

* Is the contrast ratio above 700:1? (Try to get 1000:1 or above)

If you’re using a CRT monitor, you’ll want to make sure it goes to a high enough resolution too.

Using a PC monitor will give you excellent results for a cheap price.

2.10 – I already have a TV thanks, but I’d like to know if it’s HD/will run an HD signal
A. Easiest way to tell is to read your manual. It will list all the video modes it can run. If you’ve lost it or thrown it out, get the model name/number and do a search on http://www.google.com which should hopefully bring back some results. If you still can’t bring up any results, here are some things to look for.

• Does it have Component (a video input that consists of 3 plugs for video, one red, blue and green)? If yes, it might do HD.

• Is it an LCD or Plasma? If yes, your chances are good, but you can get LCD’s and Plasma’s that don’t do HD (see “When I’m shopping, I see some TV’s listed as EDTV. What does that mean?”).

• Does it have a DVI or HDMI plug on the back? If yes, your TV is HD or supports processing of an HD signal.

2.11 – Ok, I’ve read the differences between the HDTV technologies, read what I need to look for when I’m buying an HDTV and I know what they all do. Which HDTV technology should I go for; CRT, Plasma or LCD?
A. If you’re tossing and turning over which technology to go for, what you need to do is play. Go down to your local retailer of HDTVs, and just stand there and watch them all. Experience them all first hand. If a store clerk comes over to offer help, say “No thankyou, kind sir/madam!” and continue your business!

You have all the tools you need now, you can do this without a clerk feeding you misinformation, the chances are by now you know much more than they do! This is the only way you’ll be able to choose. It may take a while, but it will all come to you.

You’ll be standing there, and then *BAM!*, it’ll hit you, *this* is the technology for you! No one can tell you which one to buy. Everyone is different, and chances are you won’t have the same opinion as Joe Shmoe from next door. You need to come to this decision yourself, as that is the only way you’ll ever be truly happy.

Buying a new TV is a huge thing to do. It will be what you sit and stare at for many hours of your life, for years to come. This is vital – you need to do the work here. Only you can decide what you want! Good luck, and take your time!

3. HD and the Xbox 360

3.1 – How can I get HD out of my Xbox 360?
A. You will need either an HD Component cable, or a VGA cable.

The Premium Xbox 360 pack comes with a HD Component cable as standard. Make sure you have either of these inputs on your TV set before you buy!

Component cable inputs look like standard AV ports, but you’ll find a row of Green, Red and Blue inputs all just for video. If you have this, you’re good to go for component. If your TV also supports HD through component, you’re good for HD too!

The VGA cable should work on all PC monitors, although depending on the way your monitor takes the VGA you may need a female-to-female VGA converter (included with the official Microsoft VGA cable for Xbox360).

3.2 – Does the Core pack Xbox 360 come with a Component cable?
A. Nope, it doesn’t, just a standard AV composite cable. If you want HD out of your Core pack Xbox 360, you’ll need to buy either the HD Component cable or VGA cable separately.

3.3 – Which video modes does the Xbox 360 support?
A. The Australian Xbox360 supports:

• SD: 576i (PAL 50htz)_480i (PAL 60htz)
• ED: 480p (60htz)
• HD: 720p (60htz)_720p (50htz – this is only for movies, games and the dashboard will not run at this screen mode)
• 1080i (60htz)
• 1080i (50htz – this is only for movies, games and the dashboard will not run at this screen mode)
• 1080p (60htz)_1080p (50htz – this is only for movies, games and the dashboard will not run at this screen mode)

If your HDTV set *only* supports 1080i at 50htz for HD, you will have problems running your 360 in HD, your HDTV needs to support 60htz. Also note, that some games will not work when the system is set to PAL 50. Set your console to PAL 60 to get them to work

If you’re using a VGA cable with your Xbox 360, the following video modes will be available to you:

Standard – 640 x 480

Widescreen – 848 x 480

Standard – 1024 x 768

Widescreen – 1280 x 720 – (Equal to the resolution that 720p outputs)

Widescreen – 1280 x 768

Standard – 1280 x 1024

Widescreen – 1360 x 768

Widescreen – 1920×1080 – (Equal to the resolution that 1080p outputs)

All the VGA video modes are 60htz.

3.4 – Will all Xbox360 games support HD?
A. Yes, mostly 720p, but we may see some 1080p games in the future.

3.5 – I’ve setup HD on my new Xbox360, but the picture doesn’t look any sharper than my old Xbox, what gives?
A. Have you flicked the switch over to “HDTV” on the component cable?

3.6 – I’ve setup HD on my new Xbox360, I’ve got the switch over to HD on the cable, but the picture doesn’t look any sharper than my normal Xbox on my HD CRT TV!
A. Your CRT TV might not support 720p properly. Try setting your Xbox360 to 1080i, and see if that makes it look better!

3.7 – Which resolution is better to use with the Xbox360; 720p, 1080i or 1080p?
A.

• LCD and Plasma: This depends entirely on the type of TV that you have. Do you have a 1080p “Full HD” set? If so, most definitely use the 1080p setting. If you have a 720p set, use 720p. The only reason you’d want to use 1080i is if you want to watch HD-DVDs that are 50htz encoded, your set supports 1080i at 50htz, and doesn’t support 50htz at either 720p or 1080p or you have a 1920×1080 native screen, and your TV doesn’t support 1080p over component or VGA.
• CRT TV: Try and see. Either the Xbox or the TV will be doing some scaling, so test out both to see which one looks better. If your TV always down converts 720p to 576p or 480p, you’ll want to set your Xbox to 1080i. CRT TV’s do not support 1080p.
• VGA PC Monitor: Use the resolution setting that’s the closest to your monitor’s native resolution for the best image quality. Try and get it at or over 1280×720 so you don’t lose any game resolution.

3.8 – Will using VGA cables on my LCD/Plasma TV make the image look any better?
A. The VGA cable will usually produce sharper lines, and a clearer image. I would suggest that you don’t even consider VGA cables unless your TV has Contrast, Brightness and Colour controls when the TV is switched to the VGA input, and to please make sure that if you do purchase a VGA cable, the store you bought it from has a good return policy just in case it doesn’t give you the results you need.

3.9 – Can I use a DVI/HDMI cable with my Xbox360?
A. There is no official word on that at the time of print, but as soon as we hear more I’ll update this just as soon as we do.

3.10 – I’m running my Xbox360 in HD or through the VGA cable, but my game is asking me to change my video mode to 60htz and won’t run! How do I fix this?
A. If you go and try and fix this, you’ll see that there is no option to set your Xbox360 to 60htz when you’re running it in HD.

So what you’ll have to do is turn off your Xbox, flick the little switch on the component cable to “TV”, turn your Xbox back on, go into your video settings and change the “PAL settings” to “PAL 60″.

Turn your console off again, flick the switch back to “HDTV” and try your game again. If you’re using the VGA cable, you will need to get your component/composite cable to perform this.

3.11 – I’m using a VGA cable, and I’m trying to play an original Xbox 1 game. The Xbox360 tells me that the video mode is not supported by my game, and to change the display settings. What can I do?
A. When it asks you this, it’s because the game requires 50htz. The VGA cable is unable to output a 50htz signal, so you can not play this game while you are using the VGA cable.

You will need to use a cable that supports a 50htz signal such as the Component, or S-Video cable.

4. Xbox 360 and Standard Definition

4.1 – Which video modes can I use on my Xbox360 in SD?
A. There are 2 video modes you can choose from. These are PAL and PAL60. See “1.2 What’s the Difference between PAL and NTSC?” to see how these video modes differ.

Please also note that some games do not work at PAL 50, and will only work when the system is set to PAL 60.

4.2 – What will happen to my games if I play them on my SDTV?
A. As you no doubt know, Xbox360 games are programmed to run at a resolution of 1280×720, or 720p. The Xbox360 will scale down this resolution to match the resolution you choose to run your Xbox360 in on your SDTV.

4.3 – What sort of connections can I use on my SDTV? Which one is the best?
A. There are quite a few connections you can use for your SDTV with your Xbox360. If you have investigated this with your original Xbox, then you should know most of them, as they are the same sort of connections! I’ll go from worst type to best type.

Note that your TV has to have support for any of these connections for you to be able to use them.

• Composite (AV)
• This connection consists of 1 yellow plug for video. Having only one plug for the video means the quality you get won’t be all that good. You will notice the colours are washed out, the lines are blurry and you will see “Dot-crawl”. Dot-crawl happens when one strong colour meets another, you’ll see a line of jaggered dots where you would normally see a perfectly straight line.
• S-Video (SVHS)
• This connection is much better than composite on a standard TV. It consists of 1 yellow plug for video (which looks like a p/s2 mouse or keyboard plug on your PC). S-Video will have better colour, and get rid of that awful dot-crawl you see with composite. You can’t get a much better quality picture on a standard TV.
• Component
• Yes, this is the same component you find on HDTV’s, only you won’t set the Xbox360 to send through a High-Def signal. The connection consists of 3 plugs for video (Red, Blue and Green). This will give you the best colour and picture sharpness, although you probably won’t notice the difference too much on a standard TV compared to S-Video. If you can though, go for this connection.
• Scart (RGB)
• This connection isn’t normally found on Australian TVs. It delivers an RGB signal which does give a slightly better image than component, but it probably won’t be noticeable on a standard TV. The plug is long, big and D shaped.

Check your TV’s manual to see which connections your TV supports before you buy any expensive cables!

4.4 – Can I use the HD Component cable that comes with the premium Xbox 360 on my non-HDTV that has standard component inputs?
A. Yes, the HD Component cable will take care of both HD and SD component signals.

4.5 – Is it better to use a 16:9 widescreen TV or a 4:3 standard TV?
A. Xbox 360 games are designed to be in 16:9 widescreen, so it is always better to use a Widescreen TV.

If you use a 4:3 standard TV, the game will either be letterboxed (meaning you will get black bars at the top and bottom of your screen) or the game view will be cropped (meaning you will lose what was on the left and right sides of the widescreen image to fit in your 4:3 screen).

It is up to the developer to decide what road to take when games are used on a 4:3 screen.

4.6 – I bought a Component cable for my Xbox360 and it has a yellow plug too! What’s that for?
A. If you’re using component you’ll want to ignore this yellow plug. The plug is there for Composite (AV) connections. Use the Yellow connection for Composite, or use the Red, Green and Blue connections for Component.

4.7 – What are the Red and White plugs for on my cable?
A. They’re for left and right audio. If you’re not using the optical port for audio on your cable, plug in the red and white plugs into your TV or receiver.

If your TV only has a white plug, just plug that in and set your Xbox to mono sound output.

4.8 – I have an SDTV, can I buy a HD Set Top Box and turn it into an HDTV?
A. No, All the HD Set Top Box does is tune into Digital HD TV channels. Using an HD Set Top Box on your SDTV will still show everything at an SD resolution.

The only way you can get HD out of your Xbox360 is by plugging it into a real HDTV, or a PC monitor with the VGA cable.

4.9 – Why are some of my games full screen, while some of them have big black borders?
A. Xbox360 games have a requirement to fully support 16:9 widescreen TVs. They don’t however, need to support 4:3 TVs. Some games will support 4:3 TVs, and that’s when you will see them filling the whole screen, but when they don’t support it they will be letterboxed (have the big black borders).

Some will prefer the letterboxed games as it shows the games the way they were intended to be played, while others will prefer their games full screen as it will make the most of their 4:3 TV set.

4.10 – My game doesn’t work properly! Maybe the disk is faulty? The graphics are choppy, or the game just won’t load/play…
A. Before you worry about your Xbox or disk being faulty, check to make sure the game isn’t a 60htz only game – if you’re running your console in 50htz, change it over to 60htz.

5. DVD playback

5.1 – How does the Xbox360 playback DVDs?
A. The Xbox360 works as a progressive scan DVD player, which means you’ll be able to enjoy DVDs without combing and interlacing artefacts that were present with the original Xbox’s DVD playback.

You can even access the guide while watching a DVD, have notifications pop up (which can be turned off), and access your friends lists, chat, or messages!

5.2 – Does the Xbox360 output DVDs at 720p/1080i?
A. Yes and no. If you are using a VGA cable, your DVD will be upscaled to the output resolution. However, if you are using a component or other type of cable, there will be no upscaling performed.

5.3 – Why do my DVDs look stretched and ‘fat’/'thin’?
A. This could be due to a few different factors, and I will go through them all here as best as I can. You can check on the back of your DVD’s box to see what aspect ratio the video is in.

Are you watching a 4:3 ratio video on a widescreen TV, and the image appears stretched horizontally and ‘fat’? Use the aspect feature on your TV to set the screen ratio to 4:3

Are you watching a widescreen video on a widescreen TV, but you have big black borders at the top and bottom of the image, and the image appears to be stretched horizontally and look ‘fat’? Set your Xbox to “widescreen” in the display menu on the system blade.

Don’t confuse this error with “ultra widescreen” movies, where you will get black bars at the top and bottom of your screen, even when everything is setup correctly.

Are you watching a 16:9 ratio video on a 4:3 TV, and the image appears stretched vertically, and ‘thin’? You need to set your Xbox360 to “Standard” in the Display menu under Console Settings on the System blade.

5.4 Do I need to purchase a ‘DVD remote’ like with the old Xbox, to play DVDs?
A. No, DVD playback is included as standard.

6. The HD-DVD Player

6.1 – What is HD-DVD?
A. HD-DVD is one of the new HD format movie disks. The disk is the size of a standard DVD or CD, but can hold up to 30gigabytes of information.

By comparison, a standard Xbox360 DVD can hold around 9gigabytes, while a CD can hold 700megabytes. This huge amount of space will allow you to view HD movies on your HDTV.

Microsoft have adopted the HD-DVD movie format via an add-on drive for your Xbox360. HD-DVD supports movie resolutions up to 1080p.

6.2 – How do I get HD-DVD playback on my Xbox360?
A. You must purchase the Xbox360 HD-DVD drive, which is sold separately.

6.3 – How does the HD-DVD player work?
A. The HD-DVD player for Xbox360 is an external drive which you will plug into the Xbox360 via a USB cable. All video and sound will be sent through the Xbox360’s outputs.

6.4 – Will I be able to tell the difference?
A. Who knows! Depends on a lot of things. How big your HDTV is, and how far away you sit from it… How good your eyes are… How good your TV is… What resolution you’re running it in… so many factors. It is best to try before you buy, that way you can’t possibly be disappointed when you bring ‘er home!

6.5 – What will happen if I run my Xbox360 at 720p or below when the movies are 1080p?
A. Your movies will get scaled down to the set output resolution. They will still appear at a higher than DVD resolution if you have a 720p HDTV or have the Xbox set to output that video mode.

If you’re running at 480i/p, I’d seriously consider not buying an HD-DVD player – you won’t be able to tell them apart from normal DVD movies!

7. Still having problems?

• Check the user manuals!

• If you’re having problems with your TV set, look up your TV manufacturer’s website. They usually have user manuals for their current range of TV sets.

• Having problems with the Xbox 360? Check *here* for a list of user manuals

• Customer Support is your friend!

• TV manufacturers usually have a customer support number on their website. Be careful of phone call charges and also make sure you’re calling a number designed for Australia, or you may wrack up some horrible fees.

• Xbox Customer Support line is 1800 555 741. Make sure you have your Xbox’s serial number handy, and you have also registered your Xbox console online.

8. Glossary of Terms

Black to Black – When talking response times, “Black to Black” means they’re measuring the time it takes a pixel that starts at the colour black, to go to full white, and back to black again. Response times can also be measured “Grey to Grey”. “Black to Black” is more impressive than a “Grey to Grey” response time.

Contrast – The difference between how bright white is to how dark black is at the same time.

Contrast Ratio – A numeric representation of the difference between how dark black is compared to how bright white is on screen at the same time. (eg. 500:1 [the higher the number on the left, the better the contrast is])

CRT – Cathode Ray Tube (Visit *here* if you’re interested in learning how these work)

DVI - Digital Video Interface – A cable designed for transferring HD video signals digitally. Comes in 3 variations; DVI-D for digital signals, DVI-A for analogue signals, and DVI-I for a combination of both for compatibility with both digital and analogue signals. DVI-D is backwards compatible with HDMI.

Fixed-Pixel Display – A display that cannot change its resolution. Any image with a resolution that isn’t the screens native resolution will be scaled to the screens native resolution.

Full HD – The term Sony uses to describe the 1080p video mode. Many other brands are using the “Full HD” term as well.

Grey to Grey – When talking response times, “Grey to Grey” means they’re measuring the time it takes a pixel that starts at the colour grey, to go to full white, and back to grey again. Response times can also be measured “Black to Black”. “Grey to Grey” is less impressive than a “Black to Black” response time.

HD - High Definition (see 1.1 – What is High Definition, or ‘HD’?)

HDCP - High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. A form of copy protection for HDMI and DVI-D interfaces.

HDMI – High-Definition Multimedia Interface. A cable designed for transferring HD audio and HD video signals digitally. HDMI video is backwards compatible with DVI-D.

Interlaced Video - See “1.4 – What do the ‘i’ and the ‘p’ mean after 480i and 480p?” for a description.

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display (Visit *here* if you’re interested in learning how these work)
Native Resolution – The native resolution is the actual resolution of the screen. If you had a 1280×720 screen, and you outputted 1280×720p to that screen, you would be displaying that image at the screen’s native resolution.

NTSC – The name of the video mode used in America and Japan for analogue television. See “1.2 What’s the Difference between PAL and NTSC? What is 50htz and 60htz?” for more information.

PAL – Phase-Alternating Line. A way of encoding colour for broadcast. Also used as the name for the 50htz, 720×576i, PAL colour video mode. See “1.2 What’s the Difference between PAL and NTSC? What is 50htz and 60htz?” for more information.

Pixel – A small area on an LCD or Plasma screen that produces a single colour. The resolution of the screen determines how many pixels that monitor has. A typical 1366×768 screen has 1,049,088 pixels.

Plasma Display – a display technology (Visit here if you’re interested in learning how these work)

Progressive Video – See “1.4 – What do the ‘i’ and the ‘p’ mean after 480i and 480p?” for a description.

Resolution – A ratio of pixels determining a screen’s possible level of clarity.

Response Time – The time it takes for a pixel to change from one colour to another. Commonly, response times are measured “Grey to Grey”, but can also be measured “Black to Black”.

STB – Set Top Box – This is the common name for any digital television receiver. Most TV’s don’t have a digital receiver, just an analogue one, so if you want digital TV you’ll most likely have to buy one of these. They come in Standard Definition and High Definition flavours.

8. Contact:

If you have any queries, picked up any mistakes, got any new info you think should be added, or just want to say hi, PM me (tranceVib) on the official Xbox.com.au forums, and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP!

Terms of Use:

This FAQ is provided to give you information that I have collected over time. It isn’t the ‘be-all, end-all’ of information regarding HDTV and Xbox360. As far as I’m aware, information contained in this FAQ is correct at time of printing. Always check other sources for information, before you buy any expensive HDTV’s, as it is always good to get many viewpoints on such matters, so that you are properly informed. I’ve done my best to make sure this is a fair, informative FAQ, without bias, just the facts. If you’re unsure of anything, please ask questions

I take no responsibility for any damage or any loss due to use/misuse of information contained in this FAQ._If you don’t agree to these terms please don’t use this FAQ

This FAQ is only to be published on the official Xbox.com website, unless I’ve explicitly allowed otherwise.

Shout outs!

I’d just like to thank JJMeH, KingCaleb2, Toast76, jMANhcc, Manny M and Tyepo for your valuable input! Also thanks to Xtramalt and MightyOat for setting up and maintaining the FAQ for me, totally appreciate it all guys! Thanks to the semi-official Xbox.com.au IRC channel for entertaining me so much! Oh and thanks to everyone who has asked questions too, if you never ask, you’ll never know. © 2008 TranceVib

Xbox HD FAQ V1.7