Back when the original Xbox was new there were only a few ways to connect it to a display. Many Xbox gamers were also PC enthusiasts, so a VGA cable was a coveted commodity and was rare. Only some manufacturer no one had ever heard of from DingChong, China were selling them, so they were hard to find for awhile. Microsoft never released an official VGA cable for the original Xbox, but should have. Finally the Xbox 360 guys heard our cries and released a cable that pumps out the new Xbox 360’s graphics in VGA format. It’s also helpful for those of us that want to show off our Xbox 360s at the next LAN party, where HDTV sets are scarce, but VGA monitors abound!
More and more HDTV sets are coming equipped with VGA inputs, and the average family is likely to have a computer monitor over a new high-definition set (many families even have multiple VGA monitors in the house!). The VGA cable makes a lot of sense – it allows the user to experience the true high-definition power of the Xbox 360 without having to spend thousands on a home theater display. All xbox 360 games have high-definition support, so a high resolution VGA cable will deliver a superior experience compared to a standard-definition TV. Consumers seem to agree, as the VGA cable has been sold out whenever I visit my local Best Buy.
Installation is very easy and straightforward, especially if you’re a PC nut. Just connect the AV connector of the VGA HD AV cable to the back of the Xbox 360. The console will not turn on without the SCART plugged in, so no worries about messing up your console. Then connect the VGA cable to the VGA input on your monitor or HDTV. If you are using computer speakers, you can plug the left and right RCA jacks into a 1/8” stereo audio adapter (like those used on many headphones) and plug into computer speakers. There is also an optical SPDIF port for audio connection to an amplifier supporting Dolby Digital. The kit also includes a VGA gender changer (in case you have a monitor with a permanently attached VGA cable, so the 360 cable will act like an extension).
Turn on the console and then navigate to the System blade of the Console settings. Change your Display and Audio to your new settings and you’re ready to rock! If you are using a widescreen LCD monitor, make sure your aspect ratio and resolution is set properly (1280×768 instead of 1280×1024 for widescreen monitors), otherwise your picture could appear “stretched” or “squished”. The 360 will then test your settings (similar to changing resolutions within Windows). If you do not confirm the changes, then the 360 will revert back to its previous safe resolution.
Unfortunately 1600×1050 and 1900×1080 (1080p) resolutions cannot be selected, so basically the highest HD equivalent output of this cable it 720p. Other third-party cables advertise 1080i support, so they may unlock these higher resolutions (although individual games may max out at 720p).
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The Xbox was tested on a Sceptre widescreen 21” LCD (16:10 aspect ratio), and Dell 19″ LCD (4:3 aspect ratio). We also connected the Xbox to a 21” Sony Trinitron tube monitor.
The dashboard is displayed full screen, no matter which aspect ratio is selected. Xbox 360 games are intended for high-definition, and use a 16:9 aspect ratio. Thus, most 360 games displayed on a traditional 4:3 monitor will have black bars on the top and bottom, much like an anamorphic DVD played on a regular TV. At least the console is intelligent enough to know not to stretch the games to full-screen. Some Xbox live arcade games use the entire 4:3 aspect ratio. So basically any content (games or video) with a 16:9 aspect ratio flag will keep that ratio, and the console will display black bars on the top and bottom when the monitor is using a 4:3 aspect.
Although the Trinitron would do 1600×1200, only 1280×1024 was obtainable from the 360. The image quality was supurb and crystal clear. The colors were much richer and the darks much deeper than what can be obtained on an LCD monitor. The nature of LCD technology prevents it from competing with a CRT in terms of color reproduction and contrast (an LCD’s “black” is very gray compared to a CRT’s true black).
The Sceptre widescreen 20.1 inch wide aspect minotor’s native resolution is 1680×1050 (a 16:10 aspect radio compared to the HDTV standard of 16:9). Only the 1280×768 resolution matched the monitor’s aspect ratio exactly. A 1280×720 resolution is supported (16:9 ratio), but when I selected this, the screen shifted to the left and there was a black bar about 40 pixels wide on the right side of the screen. After selecting the correct aspect ratio for my monitor, the Xbox 360 again looked amazing, with much crisper details and a rock solid image. The colors were not as rich as the CRT, but was forgivable given the extra crispness the image has. High resolution games look amazing when played on a computer desktop monitor.
It seems like a waste to connect the 360 to a HDTV’s DVI connector, as the signal is still analog. DVI connectors have different pins for digital and analog signals, so using the DVI connection is not going to convert VGA’s analog signal to digital. It would then be possible to only have 1 cable for high definition TV and monitor support. We did not have a VGA to DVI converter so we were unable to test DVI input on a rear projection set. HDTVs with VGA inputs should have no problem.
Conclusion
If you have a PC monitor (and who doesn’t these days), the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV cable is a must for your gaming arsenal. If you could only afford (or could only get your hands on) the Core system and don’t have a HDTV, then this cable is a no-brainer. It can be had for $39 (the same price as the HD cable kit). You can experience the full potential of the Xbox 360’s visuals without having a Mercedes in the driveway.