Help W/ My Hdtv... Options

[chief]

OK, I just bought a new SONY 42" WE610 LCD rear projection hdtv and I don't know crap about how to use it. What do I need to do to play games in HD? I have ordered xbox component cables and they should be here today. Do I just need to go into the ms dash and change some settings? or will it work automatically? are most games 1080 or 720 or 480 or what? will they be displayed in 16:9? I think my tv supports all of them, but I am not sure...

Also wtf is a progressive scan dvd player and why is it better? Is xbox progressive scan? I saw that pinned thread in this forum, but i wasn't sure what it is all about... i use mxm if that matters.

thanks in advance.

-chief

[mzenone]

hi...
most games that are in hdtv, which arent that many- are typically 480i
counter strike is one of them, and it looks sweet-

as far as enabling the hdtv capability of the xbox, once you connect the component cables, you will have a new option in your ms dash under hdtv, IMO just enable all 3- 480i to 1080i

tip: you also may want to scroll to "picture" on your hdtv, and turn the picture down...mine is perfect at -13...

hope this helps!

[ChrisF]

480i is the standard resolution that all NTSC tv's display.
480p is progressive scan that an HDTV or an EDTV can display - most xbox games support this resolution.
720p/1080i are true HD resolutions. There are a little more than a handful of games that support these with 720p support being much more common than 1080i.

You need one of the xbox compatible component video packs for 480p/720p/1080i. The Xbox lacks the power to handle many games at true HD resolutions (720p and 1080i). There won't be a landslide of new games coming anytime soon. Just keep your eyes peeled for one every now and then.

Take a look at Mr. Ed's signature. I think there's a link to a chart of all xbox games listing resolution compatibility and 16x9 support (vs. stretching).

Enjoy your new TV - Xbox is a blast on it but for true HD gaming a home theater PC is the best solution right now.

[chief]

thanks for the help mzenone and ChrisF...

i have one more question though. would i get better picture for dvd movies through my xbox (connected to tv w/ component cables) or through my non progressive scan dvd player (connected to tv w/ s-video cable)? is xbox progressive scan??

thanks again for the help guys.

[sega27]

When you get the cables, you need to set the settings in the dashboard to YES on 480p, 720p, and 1080i.

Most games: Will be in 480p (.34 megapixles) and do not support Widescreen.
Some games: Will support 720p (.9 mp) and 480p widescreen
All games: That are in 720p or 1080i (2/2 mp) are widescreen
Very few games: Support 1080i or only run at 480i (.34/2 mp)

Progressive scan is 480p. By default, your Xbox DVD player plays in 480i. 480p is better because you get twice the pixles per frame and no artifacts... basically better picture quality.

[sega27]

QUOTE (chief @ Jan 31 2004, 03:59 AM)

thanks for the help mzenone and ChrisF... i have one more question though. would i get better picture for dvd movies through my xbox (connected to tv w/ component cables) or through my non progressive scan dvd player (connected to tv w/ s-video cable)? is xbox progressive scan?? thanks again for the help guys.

480i (non progressive scan/interlaced) is still better than S-video.

[chief]

so the xbox dvd player is non progressive?

[ChrisF]

QUOTE (sega27 @ Jan 31 2004, 04:03 AM)

480i (non progressive scan/interlaced) is still better than S-video.

S video = 480i (non progressive/interlaced)

Only component cables can pass a 480p signal on the xbox.

480p off the xbox will likely look better than a 480i dvd player - however a lot of this depends upon your television's internal line doubler. Try and see. You could also do 480i through component cables if you want.

Anyway, the xbox DVD player is 480i. You need to patch the xboxdash file to enable 480p DVD ouput. See the sticky at the top for detailed instructions. Free hex editors are all over the place - try xvi32 (I think that's the name).