X-Box 360 HD Options

soundwave · 17 Feb 2006 at 17:14

Guys,

Really daft question here I think but this weekend I'm seriously tempted to buy a 360 but I'm not sure what options it has for HD Displays???

Basically what it is, is I have just got myself a nice shiny JVC HV32P37S CRT which is HD compatible via component @ 1080i
So does the 360 allow me to use HD goodness @ 1080i or is only 720p for the full flavour experience??

Ta for the help.

Neil

Datamonkey · 17 Feb 2006 at 17:16

1080i all the way dude, you need to get the premium pack which comes with the leads, or if you get a core you will need to track down the hd cable set.

soundwave · 17 Feb 2006 at 18:41

Excellent ta for the help.

Just hope that my local Game have some premiums left now then...they had loads when I was in there today but I dont get paid till monday so need to do the Debit card thing tomorrow so the money doesnt come out till Monday

Thanks again

Neil

Alrik · 17 Feb 2006 at 18:58

It will work even if the games only support 720p the 360 has a built in scaler which will display it at 1080i so you got nothin to worry about

Flanno · 18 Feb 2006 at 03:05

However there is one caveat.

All LCD TV's (unless you count the brand spanking new Phillips Cineos 37" 1920x1080 model) display a max of 1366x768 (slightly higher then 720p (1280x720). While 1080i is in fact 1920x1080, so impossible to display on LCD TV's. When a TV company advertises their LCD as 1080i they mean it can take a 1080i input, but it compresses the image back down to 1366x768 to display it. It does NOT output 1080i. You would need something like a PC LCD panel like a Dell 2405 FPW for 1080i output, as it's native res is 1920x1200.

In the case of the 360, games are rendered internally at 720p (1280x720) or lower (rumours are that COD2 and NFS are native 1080i), and if you have you 360 set to 1080i output, the image is then upscaled by the 360 to 1080i (1920x1080), and outputted that way to your LCD TV which as advertised can take a 1080i input. But the TV compresses it back down to 1366x768. Personally I think you are better off setting the 360 to 720p as this is closest to your LCD TV's native resolution, and it means the 360 won't upscale the image, or the tv won't compress it back down. You will just get the 360 1270x720 image displayed on your TV, but stetched to 1366x768 (unless your TV has some way of doing a 1:1 image output, then you would get slight borders). Plus at 720p, the image is progressive as opposed to interlaced like on 1080i, so you should not experience any artifacts or other unusual behaviour during fast moving scenes that some people have observed.

<edit : I just realised it's a CRT you got>

buckeejit · 18 Feb 2006 at 10:57

my telly is only 1024x1024. What should my resolution be for the xbox?

Flanno · 18 Feb 2006 at 11:34

It sounds like a plasma (1024x1024).

I guess you should experiment but 720p sounds best (1280x720). The horizontal should be compressed to fit 1024, and the vertical steteched to to fit 1024. Try the 1080i though, and let your eyes be the judge.