Xbox 360 Video Comparison

GameSpot Hardware writes "GameSpot has compiled a detailed evaluation of what to expect from the upcoming Xbox 360 based on the type of cabling that you are forced to use. The article shows multiple image overlays to show the quality difference created when you take the unit down from its high definition origins." From the article: "In the name of gaming science, we went out and purchased an RF modulator just to see how our 360 looks using the connection. Unsurprisingly, the RF cable offered the worst image quality of all the cable types we tested. Even with our Canon S400, the colors appeared noticeably more faded, akin to a '70s-esque sepia effect. That might look OK if you're taking shots of your friends discoing out to Saturday Night Fever, but it doesn't fly while playing Xbox 360 games."

Comments

Re:Obvious shortcomning in Xbox360 spec

[the computer guy nex]

Microsoft researched this and found there was no quality difference between component and HDMI. They did you a favor by not offering 150$ cables that were no improvement, but I'm sure you weren't ever buying a 360 anyway.

Re:Obvious shortcomning in Xbox360 spec

[egomaniac]

I have a high-end theater in my home, with an Infocus 7205 projecting onto a 160" scren (that's over thirteen feet diagonal).

During the installation, I very carefully compared component video quality against DVI video quality using a high-end DVD player. With good component cables and proper calibration, no one in my family (myself included) was able to tell the difference between the two.

My theater is about the most demanding environment you can find, with a very large screen, completely dark room, and a thirty foot cable run from the equipment closet to the projector. My wife is a professional digital photographer, and as a result both of us are very sensitive to image quality. And even while carefully scrutinizing the screen we couldn't tell the slightest difference.

Now, I confess that ended up using DVI over component for the main DVD hookup. But it's purely practical -- my DVD player won't output an upscaled signal over component, and the image is better if the DVD player does the upscaling rather than the projector. (The DVI vs. component test had to be done at 480p for that reason). Also, I have been able to tell the difference when using crappy component cables (but crappy DVI cables are even worse).