Xbox One's HDMI Pass-Through Can Connect PS4, PCs and More

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Xbox One's HDMI Pass-Through Can Connect PS4, PCs and More

Posted by timothy on Sunday September 22, 2013 @08:00AM from the wish-my-laptop-had-hdmi-in dept.

MojoKid writes "The Xbox One has both HDMI-in and HDMI-out capability. The point of HDMI-in is to allow you to hook up a cable box, with output then running from the Xbox One to your television. As it turns out, however, that's not the only thing the Xbox One can do. Since the HDMI-in port is a standard option, it can accept video input from a PS4 and also accept a video stream from a PC. According to Xbox senior director of product management, Albert Panello, "any application can be snapped to a game... this could be the live TV feed, so if you wanted to play Ryse and Killzone (a PS4 exclusive), you could snap that." Keep in mind, snapping a title to the Xbox One doesn't mean that you can actually keep using Xbox One controllers in the game. If you want to snap in a PS4 game, you still need PS4 controllers. If you want to hook a PC into the Xbox One's video output, you still need mouse and keyboard, though if the Xbox One's controllers are eventually PC compatible, then you might be able to use the same controller on both platforms without doing much more than flipping a switch."

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Non story by OptimalCynic · 2013-09-22 08:04 · Score: 5, Informative

Socket accepts plugs it's designed to accept. What's the story?
1. Re:Non story by OptimalCynic · 2013-09-22 08:16 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Don't jump to conclusions...
  http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4247699&cid=44919409
2. Re:Non story by AK+Marc · 2013-09-22 11:01 · Score: 2
  
  Holy Shit? It's illegal to decrypt protected content, in order to display it? My TV is breaking the law!. And every HDMI compatible TV I've ever seen!
  
  Or, you are an idiot that may have had a valid point regarding intermediate decryption, but it was lost in your hyperbole and overstatements.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
3. Re:Non story by GigaplexNZ · 2013-09-22 12:07 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  That surprised me because they are planning Office on Apple
  Planning? Office for Mac has been around for around 24 years.
4. Re:Non story by blacklint · 2013-09-22 14:38 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  And was released over a year before Office for Windows.
5. Re:Non story by msauve · 2013-09-23 00:21 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  "God you are an idiot."
  
  If you're an atheist, you're confused. If you're religious, you're in trouble.
  
  --
  "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
So what. by kamapuaa · 2013-09-22 08:06 · Score: 5, Insightful

This is one of the most trivial articles I've ever seen on Slashdot.
XBone lets HDMI input pass through it for all sorts of HDMI devices, no just cable boxes.
So what.

--
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
1. Re:So what. by msauve · 2013-09-22 08:15 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  But, by timothy's standards, it's pretty good.
  
  --
  "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
2. Re:So what. by cheater512 · 2013-09-22 10:19 · Score: 2
  
  HDCP will definitely be enabled on the output as well.
  That means it is working by design, you still can't get an encrypted stream.
  Another very common example, audio amplifiers with HDMI.
  They need to decrypt the stream to extract the audio then send it on.
  That is fully allowed by HDCP as long as it sends it on also with HDCP.
3. Re:So what. by Darinbob · 2013-09-22 11:48 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I still can't decode it. What does "snap" and "snapped to a game" mean?
2 Port HDMI Switch by profplump · 2013-09-22 08:07 · Score: 4, Informative

I don't understand why there's a story about a video device including a 2-port HDMI switch. Your TV probably has a much larger one already, and if it doesn't you can buy one for like $9 from Monoprice. How is this news?
1. Re:2 Port HDMI Switch by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-22 08:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The Xbox One's killer feature is that it allows you to use other consoles.
2. Re:2 Port HDMI Switch by fermion · 2013-09-22 08:41 · Score: 2
  
  I think MS wants us to believe that Xbox one can be their central switch of the living room, just like the A/V amplifier used to be. It is standard with MS type hardware. We have more ports than anyone else, so we are better.
  This would tend to prove the idea that MS thinks control of the living room is the primary goal. Simply being hooked up to the ztv is not enough. All content must flow through the XBox.
  
  --
  "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
3. Re:2 Port HDMI Switch by AK+Marc · 2013-09-22 11:04 · Score: 2
  
  The only positive thing out of this is it allows you to game PS3/4 on one half while skyping with Mom on the other half of the TV. But Mom usually hangs up when you start shouting at the game.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
Can. But shouldn't by EdZ · 2013-09-22 08:15 · Score: 5, Informative

It was later clarified by Penello that the latency of the HMDI input would be too high for gaming, and using it to pass the PS4's (or any other console, e.g. 360) output is not recommended, presumably because of the overlay. Odd, as my AV receiver can overlay it's UI with no more than 1 frame of delay, but if it was only intended for overlaying of TV, then MS may never have bothered to optimise it.
1. Re:Can. But shouldn't by lgftsa · 2013-09-22 08:51 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  The intent may be to introduce a delay in the other consoles' UI responses.
  When a non-tech user buys a competing console in a year or so, and it's easier for them to daisy-chain it through the xbox than hunt around behind the TV, it may be enough that they tend to play the xbox more than the new console because it's more responsive and gives a better gameplay experience.
  Too paranoid? Check out the cryptographically signed charging cables from Apple, and then try to persuade me otherwise with a straight face. <sardonic grin>
2. Re:Can. But shouldn't by coolsnowmen · 2013-09-22 10:50 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Input lag has been non-trivial for a while now. One of those non-marketable numbers so not all TV manufacturers spent time on them.
  I remember it was impossible to play certain fast paced games on 1st Gen DLPs ( Car racing games).
you missed the point by frovingslosh · 2013-09-22 08:53 · Score: 5, Funny

This is a great feature for people too stupid to just use the other HDMI input on their TV.

--
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
1. Re:you missed the point by fahrbot-bot · 2013-09-22 09:05 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  This is a great feature for people too stupid to just use the other HDMI input on their TV.
  My TV only has one HDMI input - and my receiver has two. (Not everyone has whatever you have.)
  
  --
  It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
2. Re:you missed the point by aardvarkjoe · 2013-09-22 14:08 · Score: 2
  
  And there are HDMI switches out there that could be used that are much cheaper than the XBO
  Somehow I doubt that the point is for somebody to go out and buy an XBox when they need an HDMI switch. The idea is that if you've got an XBox and a shortage of ports, you don't have to go out and buy an extra switch.
  
  --
  
  How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
3. Re:you missed the point by tlhIngan · 2013-09-22 17:27 · Score: 2
  
  This is a great feature for people too stupid to just use the other HDMI input on their TV.
  How many TVs out there let you see the content of both HDMI ports simultaneously?
  When you "snap" the TV view, it shows side by side your game so you can see both at the same time.
  Not many do, and if you're waiting for your game to load (xbox or ps4), you can snap and play the other while waiting. Or if you're waiting for your friend to get on and log in, no one said you can't play a quick game on the other port while waiting.
  If Sony was smart, they'd put a mode that lets you see your friends on PSN that works well in "snapped" mode so you can monitor your friends list while waiting and playing something else.
4. Re:you missed the point by Blakkandekka · 2013-09-22 21:09 · Score: 2
  
  Kinect isn't only for changing channel, the point is to collect audience data. Think about it: Kinect knows who's in front of the screen, their gender and approximate age (maybe even their race), who's awake, who's shuffling and bored, who leaves the room and at which point in whatever it is they're watching. If MS know who's signal is going through the box then there's a lot of valuable audience response data that production companies currently pay to research right there. If MS goes into production a la Netflix they'll have a lot of big data on tap to guide their commissioning. MS won't need to bother with focus groups any more.
Re:Receiver by ceoyoyo · 2013-09-22 09:10 · Score: 2

Whatever the hell that means. Snap? Like my fingers?
After some Googling, it looks like "snap" is kind of like picture in picture. Whoopdee do.
Re:Snap? by ceoyoyo · 2013-09-22 09:15 · Score: 2

No. It's apparently MS marketing speak for a picture-in-picture type feature. The XBox can display it's own output side by side with the passthrough video from whatever you plug into it.
MS seems to be all about the snap now. Snapping tablets, snapping xboxes.
Re:Snap? by Kaenneth · 2013-09-22 11:19 · Score: 3, Funny

I Snapped my Windows Phone.
it was in my back pocket, and I sat down too hard =(
How is this news? by MikeBabcock · 2013-09-22 16:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

How is this even interesting? Anyone with a receiver has had HDMI pass-through for ages now. My Yamaha receiver has HDMI pass-through and switching, why on earth would I want to use the Microsoft version?
Seriously, there is nearly zero benefit to this (and it sucks more power from the XBOne being turned on while not in use).

--
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
This is an amazing feature by Apharmd · 2013-09-23 03:14 · Score: 3, Insightful

for users who are disappointed that their cable company isn't showing them enough ads. No, but seriously, this feature sucks. You get voice-activated input swapping, but when you go to the Xbone's interface to swap it shows a pane completely bordered by advertisements ala Idiocracy. Who would find such a thing desirable?