I also forgot to ask;
Will this Elite be limited in numbers on launch day, meaning shops are taking reservations?
The Official Zephyr / Elite (Xbox 360 Version 2) Thread
This topic is locked from further discussion.
[QUOTE="subrosian"][QUOTE="g5velocity"][QUOTE="ecuenco"]i have a premium xbox 360 and i just bought it last saturday, im just wondering should i return it and get the elite? and do you think i can return it? hahag5velocityYeah, I got mine late January '07 from Target and they have a 90 day return policy, so I may return my box for the Elite but after finding out it's the same guts which means hot running temps, loud ass fan, and crashes and trying to figure out how to transfer my saves leaves me pondering. It's not the same guts. I am going to get flamed, people who think they are educated are going to "correct" me - but there are important changes going on inside the box that MS is not mentioning to us. Why? Changes happen all the time, the DVD drive, little tiny unnoticed components changing manufacturers, components being combined or removed. They even go back and fix little things they find to be wrong, all in the name of cost cutting. There's one big cost hitting Microsoft right now: repairs. They just promised a one year warranty on all repaired systems, which says to me two things: one, they're getting a lot of complaints about failing 360s, and two, they've isolated something that might be causing 360s to fail, and they know how to fix it. Think about it - let's say 5% (500,000) xbox 360s failed, Microsoft can't offer a one year warranty one repairs unless they know for a fact that those repairs are going to be the last ones they have to do... Not to get conspiracy theory on you, but there are other reasons. The Elite HDMI port requires more than just a quick update, they had to make some serious component changes to the onboard video output. The existing decoder can't do digital output or they would just release a "normal 360 port to HDMI cable" and send out a system update. No... they're making some serious changes in there. And while they're in there, tinkering with the motherboard, they're going to want to reduce repair costs - hence, trying to isolate the source of the problem and fix it. At the same time - it's not that hard for them to make unadvertised interior changes... in the name of both cost cutting (reducing the number of components in the box) and in the name of future cost-cutting, by improving cooling or reducing heat (there are other ways besides a die size decrease) to ensure that these "elite" systems don't get sent back. An entirely different issue is that if you send in a 360 Premium for repair, you can get a refurbished unit sent back, possibly someone else's from a less reliable batch, meaning you can wind up in a cycle of "it broke again" "okay send it back" - with the Elite, even if it were to for some reason break, you're going to get back another Elite - meaning the earliest manufacture date you would get would be from 2007 when they started making Elites. You can never wind up with a refurbished launch unit in the place of your 2007 unit. Damn, good response! I second that. Many people don't realize that changes are constantly happening for the better. I doubt you'll get flamed, your response is concise and well thought out.
I also forgot to ask;
Will this Elite be limited in numbers on launch day, meaning shops are taking reservations?
g5velocity
The only place that actually took preorders was circuit city, but they actually stopped on the 3rd of this month. Gamestop/EB and Best Buy are not doing preorders. I don't think it will be a big deal to get one when it comes out because cc was the only place taking preorders for the whole country, they started on the 28, and it took exactly a week for them to stop. If this was a console that everyone wanted it would have taken a a couple of days. Some of the other guys in this forum had a discussion about the numbers a few posts prior.
with the Elite, even if it were to for some reason break, you're going to get back another Elite - meaning the earliest manufacture date you would get would be from 2007 when they started making Elites. You can never wind up with a refurbished launch unit in the place of your 2007 unit.subrosianBut ending up with a refurbished Elite unit isn't much fun either. I wish there were some way to ensure that the console you send out is the console that you would get back.
[QUOTE="subrosian"]with the Elite, even if it were to for some reason break, you're going to get back another Elite - meaning the earliest manufacture date you would get would be from 2007 when they started making Elites. You can never wind up with a refurbished launch unit in the place of your 2007 unit.2largeadults
But ending up with a refurbished Elite unit isn't much fun either. I wish there were some way to ensure that the console you send out is the console that you would get back.
Put a note in the box explaining that you really love your system and you would like them to do everything in their power to repair, rather than replace, the unit. I've heard stories of this working.
In your case, you have nothing to worry about, as you have to own a 360 for it to break.
What I'm actually hoping here is that it will make the regular 360 price drop, so I can actually afford one :Pdawgsfan1447
I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't think we'll see a price drop until the 65nm revision, or Sony decides to drop the price of the PS3. Remember, there aren't 20gb PS3s in stores anymore, so the Elite is rising to fill that $500 price level. I think we might actually see price drops for this holiday season. It seems counter-intuitive, price dropping into a holiday (I'm sure they would have preferred to do it in the spring) - but MS might be planning a big "Halo 3 launch, price cut 360, holiday push" type thing.
I've been waiting for the price drop for so long that I now have an HDTV, surround sound system, and can afford the Elite... I think the cuts are coming this year though... MS knows there are a lot of people hanging in the wings, waiting, and they know how well a $300 game system would sell over the holidays.
n your case, you have nothing to worry about, as you have to own a 360 for it to break.subrosianAhh...so quick to bash. I DO own one. Actually make that three as Best Buy's warranty was kind enough to replace my 1st 2 units. My 3rd unit is running flawlessly. And of course, I can already anticipate the customary "Oh no you don't" reply. Fanboys. :roll:
All it is is just a 360 painted black with bigger memory and hdmi whoopdi do!zerosoljaits a good deal for people getting a 360 for the first time, like me, so its a good move for microsoft.
[QUOTE="zerosolja"]All it is is just a 360 painted black with bigger memory and hdmi whoopdi do!o0George0oits a good deal for people getting a 360 for the first time, like me, so its a good move for microsoft. I don't think a lot of people are willing to concede this one to us. I mean - $400 vs $480, at that point, honestly, $80 isn't a big deal - and given that the 360 is the only system I'm picking up this generation, the cost is a bit of a non-issue.
yea im pretty much set on not getting the Elite. if you do not have a TV that will support and HDMI imput. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. yes the graphical difference running on HDMI compared to standard def is noticable, but not and extra $500 and the vast time of transferring game saves.bigjmac2789All Xbox 360s can output in HD via component or vga. HDMI does not offer an improved picture quality, though some 1080p HDTVs that lack VGA and cannot take a 1080p signal via component are the exception to this, most people don't own a TV that falls into this category. The main advantage of Elite is the larger hard drive size.
[QUOTE="g5velocity"][QUOTE="ecuenco"]i have a premium xbox 360 and i just bought it last saturday, im just wondering should i return it and get the elite? and do you think i can return it? hahasubrosianYeah, I got mine late January '07 from Target and they have a 90 day return policy, so I may return my box for the Elite but after finding out it's the same guts which means hot running temps, loud ass fan, and crashes and trying to figure out how to transfer my saves leaves me pondering. It's not the same guts. I am going to get flamed, people who think they are educated are going to "correct" me - but there are important changes going on inside the box that MS is not mentioning to us. Why? Changes happen all the time, the DVD drive, little tiny unnoticed components changing manufacturers, components being combined or removed. They even go back and fix little things they find to be wrong, all in the name of cost cutting. There's one big cost hitting Microsoft right now: repairs. They just promised a one year warranty on all repaired systems, which says to me two things: one, they're getting a lot of complaints about failing 360s, and two, they've isolated something that might be causing 360s to fail, and they know how to fix it. Think about it - let's say 5% (500,000) xbox 360s failed, Microsoft can't offer a one year warranty one repairs unless they know for a fact that those repairs are going to be the last ones they have to do... Not to get conspiracy theory on you, but there are other reasons. The Elite HDMI port requires more than just a quick update, they had to make some serious component changes to the onboard video output. The existing decoder can't do digital output or they would just release a "normal 360 port to HDMI cable" and send out a system update. No... they're making some serious changes in there. And while they're in there, tinkering with the motherboard, they're going to want to reduce repair costs - hence, trying to isolate the source of the problem and fix it. At the same time - it's not that hard for them to make unadvertised interior changes... in the name of both cost cutting (reducing the number of components in the box) and in the name of future cost-cutting, by improving cooling or reducing heat (there are other ways besides a die size decrease) to ensure that these "elite" systems don't get sent back. An entirely different issue is that if you send in a 360 Premium for repair, you can get a refurbished unit sent back, possibly someone else's from a less reliable batch, meaning you can wind up in a cycle of "it broke again" "okay send it back" - with the Elite, even if it were to for some reason break, you're going to get back another Elite - meaning the earliest manufacture date you would get would be from 2007 when they started making Elites. You can never wind up with a refurbished launch unit in the place of your 2007 unit. I'm not flaming you, because your mostly correct, but the BenQ drives have been in the 360 for a few months now, the fan cooling redesign was also done a little while back, the motherboard redesign is not going to happen by launch of the Elite, it seems likely it will debut when the 65nm chips do. Your right about the cycle of defects though. The problem is, is that even with newly made units, people are still having some troubles, so obviously the bugs are not worked out entirely, but we know the fixes are coming, and most people are not going to be satisfied with a few little tinkerings, when wholescale changes are on the horizon, and it's the smart thing to do, to think about waiting or not buying the Elite right now, because such changes are coming, they dwarf the things that have been done inside to date.
[QUOTE="subrosian"][QUOTE="g5velocity"][QUOTE="ecuenco"]i have a premium xbox 360 and i just bought it last saturday, im just wondering should i return it and get the elite? and do you think i can return it? hahaSchumi7WDCYeah, I got mine late January '07 from Target and they have a 90 day return policy, so I may return my box for the Elite but after finding out it's the same guts which means hot running temps, loud ass fan, and crashes and trying to figure out how to transfer my saves leaves me pondering. It's not the same guts. I am going to get flamed, people who think they are educated are going to "correct" me - but there are important changes going on inside the box that MS is not mentioning to us. Why? Changes happen all the time, the DVD drive, little tiny unnoticed components changing manufacturers, components being combined or removed. They even go back and fix little things they find to be wrong, all in the name of cost cutting. There's one big cost hitting Microsoft right now: repairs. They just promised a one year warranty on all repaired systems, which says to me two things: one, they're getting a lot of complaints about failing 360s, and two, they've isolated something that might be causing 360s to fail, and they know how to fix it. Think about it - let's say 5% (500,000) xbox 360s failed, Microsoft can't offer a one year warranty one repairs unless they know for a fact that those repairs are going to be the last ones they have to do... Not to get conspiracy theory on you, but there are other reasons. The Elite HDMI port requires more than just a quick update, they had to make some serious component changes to the onboard video output. The existing decoder can't do digital output or they would just release a "normal 360 port to HDMI cable" and send out a system update. No... they're making some serious changes in there. And while they're in there, tinkering with the motherboard, they're going to want to reduce repair costs - hence, trying to isolate the source of the problem and fix it. At the same time - it's not that hard for them to make unadvertised interior changes... in the name of both cost cutting (reducing the number of components in the box) and in the name of future cost-cutting, by improving cooling or reducing heat (there are other ways besides a die size decrease) to ensure that these "elite" systems don't get sent back. An entirely different issue is that if you send in a 360 Premium for repair, you can get a refurbished unit sent back, possibly someone else's from a less reliable batch, meaning you can wind up in a cycle of "it broke again" "okay send it back" - with the Elite, even if it were to for some reason break, you're going to get back another Elite - meaning the earliest manufacture date you would get would be from 2007 when they started making Elites. You can never wind up with a refurbished launch unit in the place of your 2007 unit. I'm not flaming you, because your mostly correct, but the BenQ drives have been in the 360 for a few months now, the fan cooling redesign was also done a little while back, the motherboard redesign is not going to happen by launch of the Elite, it seems likely it will debut when the 65nm chips do. Your right about the cycle of defects though. The problem is, is that even with newly made units, people are still having some troubles, so obviously the bugs are not worked out entirely, but we know the fixes are coming, and most people are not going to be satisfied with a few little tinkerings, when wholescale changes are on the horizon, and it's the smart thing to do, to think about waiting or not buying the Elite right now, because such changes are coming, they dwarf the things that have been done inside to date. The Elite has motherboard revisions simply because they are needed for HDMI. As a port it requires digital sound and video to be output to it, and likely required some updates to the encoder / decoder inside the 360. As far as the 65nm revision is concerned - that's the point where we are going to probably see the first price cuts. I picture a pricing tier along the lines of $430 elite / $350 premium / $250 core, simply as a means to get the pricing closer to being $200 cheaper than the PS3 come the holiday shopping season. That leaves them room for another $50 drop in Summer 2008, a more ideal time to have a price drop. However, I don't think the 65nm revision is going to add anything as far as the consumer is concerned - there's really nothing more to add, it's simply yet another step towards being cooler and quieter for the 360. You are correct about the BenQ drives - which was the noise-generator of the 360. The Spring update will further quite the drives (possibly) though I somewhat doubt these rumors simply because so many games constantly stream data in the background - how often does the drive really have a chance to idle? In any case, I don't intend to wait forever to get an Xbox 360. The Elite is a great update to a great piece of hardware, the games are there, with quite a few more on the way, and I'm ready to Jump In.
guys, i just pre-ordered an Elite
Â
im going to sell my xbox360 premium. i have 2 harddrives so all my info is on 1 and a clean one im selling w/ the console is on the other
Â
how will i get my save games from HDD 1 onto my elite one? does this "transfer" cable only apply if you have 2 xboxs? or will it connect via USB adapter or something?
 or will putting things on my memory card 1 by one and putting them on the new 120gb hdd work too?
i have no big content, just a few save games i dont want to lose
bestbuy.ca is taking pre-orders there are about 90 leftI also forgot to ask;
Will this Elite be limited in numbers on launch day, meaning shops are taking reservations?
g5velocity
I dont know if anyone covered this but I was wondering if the Hdmi will add a significant increase in quality. I have a 42' sharp aquos and just wanted to know if the hdmi is alot better than component.stealthone
no. the picture quality is the same. As far as 1080p is concerned, most games are 720p, and your HDTV has a scalar built in, which is all the 360 does when it sends out a 1080p picture (upscaling) for non-1080p material.
HDMI mainly exists to simplify cabling and so that the industry can implement HDCP, however in terms of actual picture quality, component and hdmi are equal.
You'll hear a relatively retarded argument coming from salespersons and novices that HDMI allows a "pure digital signal, no compression, no conversion" or something along those lines. This is utter bunk. The format HDMI sends along the cables is not the format your DVD player has the discs encoded in, nor the format that your HDTV uses to display an image. Conversion occurs at both ends regardless of whether the signal is analog or digital.
In some cases, the digital cable used in HDMI actually creates a worse signal, especially over longer cable runs. This has a lot to do with component cables being built with higher quality shielding than HDMI cables - which rely on cheapy twisted-pair wiring. This is why you can run a component cable 50' without any noticeable signal degradation (with high quality cables) whereas at lengths as small as 15' you can have "digital snow" or even total signal loss with HDMI.
Â
The biggest technical advantages of HDMI would exist if the Xbox 360 could put out uncompressed 7.1 audio, but since it does not do this, and very few receivers actually exist that decode sound via HDMI (as opposed to pass-through and still using an optical input for sound) using HDMI right now is simply pointless.
What Microsoft said at the beginning of the generation holds true - we don't need HDMI. It does not offer video quality improvements, it won't change your gaming experience, and if you think it looks better on your HDTV, this is only because you have not properly calibrated your component inputs (there are excellent DVDs on the market for doing this, however make sure you understand the service menus and write down your values before attempting this).
Long story short: no. HDMI is irrelevant for the Xbox 360.
I've always thought it went like this: VGA (equals) component (less than) DVI (equals) HDMI, in terms of video quality (ignoring the fact that HDMI sends audio as well, I mean)
(stupid gamespot, not letting me use greater than and less than signs without thinking it's 'improperly formed' HTML)
[QUOTE="stealthone"]I dont know if anyone covered this but I was wondering if the Hdmi will add a significant increase in quality. I have a 42' sharp aquos and just wanted to know if the hdmi is alot better than component.subrosian
no. the picture quality is the same. As far as 1080p is concerned, most games are 720p, and your HDTV has a scalar built in, which is all the 360 does when it sends out a 1080p picture (upscaling) for non-1080p material.
HDMI mainly exists to simplify cabling and so that the industry can implement HDCP, however in terms of actual picture quality, component and hdmi are equal.
You'll hear a relatively retarded argument coming from salespersons and novices that HDMI allows a "pure digital signal, no compression, no conversion" or something along those lines. This is utter bunk. The format HDMI sends along the cables is not the format your DVD player has the discs encoded in, nor the format that your HDTV uses to display an image. Conversion occurs at both ends regardless of whether the signal is analog or digital.
In some cases, the digital cable used in HDMI actually creates a worse signal, especially over longer cable runs. This has a lot to do with component cables being built with higher quality shielding than HDMI cables - which rely on cheapy twisted-pair wiring. This is why you can run a component cable 50' without any noticeable signal degradation (with high quality cables) whereas at lengths as small as 15' you can have "digital snow" or even total signal loss with HDMI.
Â
The biggest technical advantages of HDMI would exist if the Xbox 360 could put out uncompressed 7.1 audio, but since it does not do this, and very few receivers actually exist that decode sound via HDMI (as opposed to pass-through and still using an optical input for sound) using HDMI right now is simply pointless.
What Microsoft said at the beginning of the generation holds true - we don't need HDMI. It does not offer video quality improvements, it won't change your gaming experience, and if you think it looks better on your HDTV, this is only because you have not properly calibrated your component inputs (there are excellent DVDs on the market for doing this, however make sure you understand the service menus and write down your values before attempting this).
Long story short: no. HDMI is irrelevant for the Xbox 360.
Ive done the research on the HDMI and kudos to subrosian....i tottally agree with u
uh, Subrosian? Correct me if I'm wrong (and that's not an impossibility or anything :P) but isn't HDMI digital as opposed to component, which is analogue? If that's the case, there should be a sharpness difference that's hard to describe. I've played with VGA (analogue) and DVI (digital) on my LCD monitors before, and the VGA produced the same resolutions and everything, it just looked... blurred slightly. I was actually quite shocked with how 'sharp' things looked in UT2004 on DVI after being so used to VGA.Digital is not automatically better than analog when it comes to *signals*. Storage is a different issue. Also keep in mind an individual monitor *cannot* be used as the judge. In the past, there was an advantage on LCD monitors when used with DVI, an advantage that has been negated by improving decoder technology. I only quote the so called experts on this, so your mileage may vary, but from what I've seen with my own eyes, and what I've heard, monitors and HDTVs can have extreme variation in the quality of their digital vs analog decoding. For my own purposes, we're discussing higher-end monitors and HDTVs, where the differences on most sets is minimal, especially in the arena of home theater use. After all, 720p HDTVs have an impossible-to-obtain resolution of 1366x768 - something videocards are not willing to output to, and certainly not something the Xbox 360 will deal with - six pixels of stretch removes far more crispness (I don't use the term sharpness as I associate that with the negative "false edges" that 3D Y/C and turning Sharpness above 0 on a set produces) than any real or imagined signal loss. In any case, whatever is right for you. Again, if you have an HDTV one of the advantages it has over a monitor is being able to get in the service menus (even when not connected to a PC) and really adjust all of the settings, something that only high-end monitors offer. I think you'll find that with a properly calibrated monitor, the differences are insignificant - which is generally what the videophile community, and Microsoft, have stated. I've found the truth can be simplified to this: 1) Your Mileage May Vary: whether HDMI or Component is better depends largely on your set, and has almost nothing to do with the actual signal quality. 2) HDMI is Not Needed (for the 360): The Xbox 360 has no use for HDMI. The vast majority of games will use the sweet spot of 720p, and for most users 1080p content will be a non-issue, or something they can access via the VGA cable and the spring update (which should fix the vga color issue). 3) HDMI on your HDTV: this is the one area where I agree with having HDMI, not because it matters now, but because you never know how long you might wind up hanging onto your HDTV. It might be ten years later, you might have a new HDTV, and decide to retire your current one to the bedroom. Oh wait, the digital cable box now requires HDCP! Ah crap... you want to make sure you can get the most of your set in the future. Honestly though, for the Xbox 360, it's a non-issue. In the future? We'll see. Component has reached its limit, but then, that limit is also the limit of the sets most of us are using, so the HDMI port we have built in, even if it has all this extra bandwidth, will never get to do anything fun with it for our current HDTVs, since we'll have to upgrade to a higher-resolution set and a digital 7.1 system to get all that sound....
I've always thought it went like this: VGA (equals) component (less than) DVI (equals) HDMI, in terms of video quality (ignoring the fact that HDMI sends audio as well, I mean)
(stupid gamespot, not letting me use greater than and less than signs without thinking it's 'improperly formed' HTML)ClandestineZero
[QUOTE="bigjmac2789"]Ive done the research on the HDMI and kudos to subrosian....i tottally agree with u
walton13
cant beat uncompressed Sound though, unless you use fiber cables This is another issue *entirely* I would like to address. I see far too many people here who have a $1000+ HDTV and yet either have no sound system at all, or bought one of those sub-$200 Home Theater in a Box systems that Sony, JVC, et cetera make. *ugh* The Xbox 360 DOES NOT output uncompressed sound over HDMI. The limit is 5.1 digital sound - I'll use an optical cable, it's fine with me. Again, no advantage for HDMI (for the Xbox 360) - we're not discussing HDMI vs Component here in general, just with regards to the Xbox 360.
so this week i will be gettin the Samsung 56" 1080p DLP HDTV, Model: HL-S5687W ...it'll have the HDMI imput and components or w.e but its pretty much set that there will be little graphical diffence with the elite and HDMI cable? i also have the Sony 7.1 channel surround system also.bigjmac2789
Hey there. I have the same DLP as yourself.
What subrosian is saying is that there will be NO difference between the 360 component and 360 HDMI visuals unless you haven't calibrated your TV.
Also it doesn't matter that you have a 7.1 sound system as the 360 only outputs 5.1.
Speaking of Calibration which DVDs do you recommend sub?Â
hey subrosian, are you a magazine editor?
In addition, what is your age please.Â
[QUOTE="666TRYME666"]ok bottom line the new 360 has what?? i need specifics, please *Sighs* Basically, the following: HDMI port 120GB HDD Black No idea if it's bundled with any games.hey subrosian, are you a magazine editor?
In addition, what is your age please.Â
ghost89x
is there a chance to trade my Prem 360 for a Elite one, if i have 1 year warranty in GS/EB games...
paying the 80 bucks ?Â
[QUOTE="bigjmac2789"]so this week i will be gettin the Samsung 56" 1080p DLP HDTV, Model: HL-S5687W ...it'll have the HDMI imput and components or w.e but its pretty much set that there will be little graphical diffence with the elite and HDMI cable? i also have the Sony 7.1 channel surround system also.Deyee
Hey there. I have the same DLP as yourself.
What subrosian is saying is that there will be NO difference between the 360 component and 360 HDMI visuals unless you haven't calibrated your TV.
Also it doesn't matter that you have a 7.1 sound system as the 360 only outputs 5.1.
Speaking of Calibration which DVDs do you recommend sub?
Honestly you can make your own if you google some sites that have the usual JPEGs... just read the guides - and see if your HDTV lets you do individual color settings, brightness, and contrast all from the main menus. It's really great if you can turn off edge enhancement, 3D Y/C, et cetera all within that menu, because it gets really complicated (and risky) if you mess with the service menus (I wouldn't do it if your set isn't within 30 day return period unless you really know what you're doing). Avia is supposed to be a great DVD, though I haven't used it myself. I've only started balancing my VGA port on my HDTV simply because I use it to play Halo CE on my PC - I won't likely be doing anything with calibration until next week thanks to some free time before summer job starts and getting my speakers / stands to finish my setup (for now - until I get summer job for an Xbox 360).[QUOTE="stealthone"]I dont know if anyone covered this but I was wondering if the Hdmi will add a significant increase in quality. I have a 42' sharp aquos and just wanted to know if the hdmi is alot better than component.subrosian
no. the picture quality is the same. As far as 1080p is concerned, most games are 720p, and your HDTV has a scalar built in, which is all the 360 does when it sends out a 1080p picture (upscaling) for non-1080p material.
HDMI mainly exists to simplify cabling and so that the industry can implement HDCP, however in terms of actual picture quality, component and hdmi are equal.
You'll hear a relatively retarded argument coming from salespersons and novices that HDMI allows a "pure digital signal, no compression, no conversion" or something along those lines. This is utter bunk. The format HDMI sends along the cables is not the format your DVD player has the discs encoded in, nor the format that your HDTV uses to display an image. Conversion occurs at both ends regardless of whether the signal is analog or digital.
In some cases, the digital cable used in HDMI actually creates a worse signal, especially over longer cable runs. This has a lot to do with component cables being built with higher quality shielding than HDMI cables - which rely on cheapy twisted-pair wiring. This is why you can run a component cable 50' without any noticeable signal degradation (with high quality cables) whereas at lengths as small as 15' you can have "digital snow" or even total signal loss with HDMI.
Â
The biggest technical advantages of HDMI would exist if the Xbox 360 could put out uncompressed 7.1 audio, but since it does not do this, and very few receivers actually exist that decode sound via HDMI (as opposed to pass-through and still using an optical input for sound) using HDMI right now is simply pointless.
What Microsoft said at the beginning of the generation holds true - we don't need HDMI. It does not offer video quality improvements, it won't change your gaming experience, and if you think it looks better on your HDTV, this is only because you have not properly calibrated your component inputs (there are excellent DVDs on the market for doing this, however make sure you understand the service menus and write down your values before attempting this).
Long story short: no. HDMI is irrelevant for the Xbox 360.
Good point..thanks!
Please refrain from posting your own thread about the much rumored and discussed Zephyr / Elite for the time being. The issue is that everyone wants to make a thread about the new system and rather than a forum for talking about all sorts of things involving the 360 the whole forum just becomes about the Zephyr. Thanks for your understanding.
Links to news articles about the Zephyr / Elite or whatever you want to call it:
Gamespot
KotakuQuck Stats (some confirmed, some not confirmed):
Word has it that the new system will have a 120GB hard drive and an HDMI video port, and will come in black (oooooh).
Rumored price, $479 (with HDMI cable).
Existing 360 owners will have the option to buy the 120GB hard drive for "under $200."
Let the discussion begin.
duxup
[QUOTE="subrosian"][QUOTE="stealthone"]I dont know if anyone covered this but I was wondering if the Hdmi will add a significant increase in quality. I have a 42' sharp aquos and just wanted to know if the hdmi is alot better than component.cjnwo4life
no. the picture quality is the same. As far as 1080p is concerned, most games are 720p, and your HDTV has a scalar built in, which is all the 360 does when it sends out a 1080p picture (upscaling) for non-1080p material.
HDMI mainly exists to simplify cabling and so that the industry can implement HDCP, however in terms of actual picture quality, component and hdmi are equal.
You'll hear a relatively retarded argument coming from salespersons and novices that HDMI allows a "pure digital signal, no compression, no conversion" or something along those lines. This is utter bunk. The format HDMI sends along the cables is not the format your DVD player has the discs encoded in, nor the format that your HDTV uses to display an image. Conversion occurs at both ends regardless of whether the signal is analog or digital.
In some cases, the digital cable used in HDMI actually creates a worse signal, especially over longer cable runs. This has a lot to do with component cables being built with higher quality shielding than HDMI cables - which rely on cheapy twisted-pair wiring. This is why you can run a component cable 50' without any noticeable signal degradation (with high quality cables) whereas at lengths as small as 15' you can have "digital snow" or even total signal loss with HDMI.
The biggest technical advantages of HDMI would exist if the Xbox 360 could put out uncompressed 7.1 audio, but since it does not do this, and very few receivers actually exist that decode sound via HDMI (as opposed to pass-through and still using an optical input for sound) using HDMI right now is simply pointless.
What Microsoft said at the beginning of the generation holds true - we don't need HDMI. It does not offer video quality improvements, it won't change your gaming experience, and if you think it looks better on your HDTV, this is only because you have not properly calibrated your component inputs (there are excellent DVDs on the market for doing this, however make sure you understand the service menus and write down your values before attempting this).
Long story short: no. HDMI is irrelevant for the Xbox 360.
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