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| I tried posting this, I don't know where it went and/or what happened to it, my browser crashed. So, to recap, here is an all inclusive thread of a couple products, but one general question: First, I would like to know what signals are carried on which wires in the Component video standard. Or, What goes down the Red wire, the Green wire, and the Blue wire? Second, I ask this because I have a Micron 2100ex computer monitor with 5 BNC connectors on the back, they are labeled R, G, B, H and H/V. I have an Xbox with the HDTV pack. I've been using the component video output to my 20" Vega. But now I would like to try getting 1080i on my monitor. I hooked up the RGB cables with some BNC adapters and the picture was green, and would only display in 480p. Do I need to hook up the H and H/V ports as well? (This is why I asked what signals are on what so I can "split" the appropriate cables.) Or am I just on a fruitless mission? The reason I'm trying all this is because I've read several reviews lately of the Viewsonic NextVision 6. It is said to turn your computer monitor into an HD capable display. I am not trying to watch DVD's or anything like that, I just have one particular game I'd like to play in 1080i. Should I give up trying to connect my Xbox straight to the monitor and drop the 180$ on the NV6 (pricewatch.com)? Please, Please help, I've asked countless people and everyone gives me a blank stare. If you reply with email, please put something like "Xbox HDTV" in the subject line so that it doesn't get deleted. Thanks in advance for any and all advice! |
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Derek | The Red, Green and Blue on component is different than VGA style RGB. Component Blue and Red transmit only the difference they have as compared to the Green signal (see http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/index.htm). RCA, Audio Authority and Digikey make the adapter you want. The viewsonic can accept 1080i inputs but actually doesn't have the bandwidth to output a 1920x1080i signal (see http://www.viewsonic.com/products/video_box_nextvisionn6.htm#specs). Also, your computer monitor MUST be able to display 1920x1600 for you to actually see the 1080i picture in full resolution. You may as well stay with you Wega. Hope this helps. |
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| Those companies make an adapter that will output 1080i? That kind of dissappoints me on the NV6. Even though 720 I'm sure isn't bad. I'm a little behind on all this HD stuff, there seems to be too many labels running around to keep up with any kind of true standard. How will I find out if my monitor can handle that 1920x1600? I just ran my video card up to 1800x1440, but I think that's it's limit. Thanks for the reply btw. |
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Derek | If your monitor and video card can go to 1800 you probably can get to 1920. Visit your monitor manufacturer's web site or look in its owners' manual. |
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| Derek, are most monitors able to display an interlaced signal? I always assumed that most monitors weren't designed for 1080i, just as they can't accept analog RGB from older game consoles. Is it the case that devices such as the audio authority converter take a 1080i signal and output a 1080p signal? I noticed that on the key digital device they say it outputs 1080i/540p http://www.keydigital.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=KD-CTCA2 This seems strange to me, I mean, is it 1080i or 540p? Hope these questions are clear enough. Stephen |
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| Brandon, have you been to www.gamesx.com ? You'll probably find some usefull info there, especially in the RGB forum. Also, I'll note that I've heard Dragon Warrior is choppy in 1080i, and that they probably won't be making very many new 1080i games for the Xbox. Still, if you get a converter the 480p and 720p games will look great. Stephen |
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| Well, the sole purpose is for playing Halo at 1080i. I've done it once on a 36" Sony XBR....and all I have to say is "wow." Thanks for the reference to the other site. I'd really like to find an adapter that will do 480p, 720p and 1080i, then if I can't handle the 1080i, at least I can tune it back some. |
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| Halo? That games only supports 480p. Check out the HD games database Stephen |
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Derek | Every monitor I have tried can do it. It's kind of hard to find a computer video card that will allow it, but the monitors can do it. In a way 540p and 1080i are very similar - they both display 540 horizontal lines at a time. 1080i simply has twice the addressability and is interlaced. We need to seperate Computer resolution from HDTV resolution: When computers run at higher and higher resolutions they devote the same amount of information, processing power, GPU resources and bandwidth to each pixel. When a higher resolution is requested, the computer thinks the display has gotton larger. Not so with HDTV. Higher resolution simply squish more pixles into onto the same picture. The pixle rate doesn't change. The resolution is more dependent upon the phospher resolution than the electronic resolution. That's why I said you may as well stay with your Wega. I have been reading this but I didn't get it until I got my hands on an RCA DTC-100. It has VGA RGB out. I have a Proscan (RCA) 53" TV with two VGA RGB inputs and unless I use Powerstrip, it only does 800x600. When I connect the RCA to my Philips 109B that can do 2048x1600 its resolution doesn't show up in my monitors menu - just the pixle rate. When I switch from 480p to 720p to 1080i HD channels the monitor doesn't blink and the pixle rate doesn't change. When the RCA is connected to the Proscan, low and behold 1080i works. In the end you are not going to gain much by going RGB |
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| [q] When I switch from 480p to 720p to 1080i HD channels the monitor doesn't blink and the pixle rate doesn't change.[/q] I'm not sure what you mean by that. Do you mean that 720p and 1080i didn't display in their full detail? I certainly see the benefits of using a regular HDTV, which is what I use, albiet a small, inexpensive one, but I think brandon just wants to spend a couple hundred bucks to get as much detail as possible out of his Xbox. Isn't 480p, 720p, or 1080i from the xbox, then converted to RGB for his monitor going to be at its full detail, assuming his monitor can handle it? I'm still a little confused be your comment saying he might as well stick with his wega. Don't mean to be nitpicking, but I am a bit confused. Stephen |
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Derek | A. No the detail increased but that's all that increased. Think of 720p as 1080i with unused detail. Yes, the adapter should give him additional detail (including the N6) if his monitor can handle it. If his monitor can do 1920x1600 he will get the full resolution. Most computer monitors can easily outperform an HDTV since most HDTVs can just make it to 720p. Branadon, hopefully 1800x1440 is a limitation of the video card or the monitor driver. Either way, the computer monitor will be sharper. |
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| Thanks again for the info Derek. Brandon, in case you didn't see this on the forum link I gave you, here's a cheap device that will do what you need. http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=221&products_id=3491& I know nothing of the quality or the reliability, but it at least has the features you need. |
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| I would love any help you can give me. I have been looking all over for the best way to play xbox on my monitor. I had the viewsonic N5 and it was blurry and I was very unhappy with it. Then I found out about the The X2VGA High Definition VGA Pack. I am considering buying it but if it performs anything like the N5 I do not want it. Can you please help me with my situation? Please respond to jasy@surewest.net if anyone one has any inforamation about my situation. Thank You |
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Derek | See http://www.keydigital.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=KD-CTCA2 or http://www.audioauthority.com/aacconsumers/9a62detc.html. |
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brendan conroy | can you connect an xbox to a computer monitor? |