# Anyone use a VGA cable for xbox to HDTV?



## internetstalker (Mar 2, 2010)

Is it any good?

better then HDMI?

What do I need to  know?


Thanks!


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

internetstalker said:


> Is it any good?
> 
> better then HDMI?
> 
> ...



I use VGA to my PC monitor and it's grand but I doubt it's any better than HDMI into a HD tv.


----------



## fen_boy (Mar 2, 2010)

If you can use HDMI then you should.


----------



## Kanda (Mar 2, 2010)

VGA cable doesn't carry sound.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

Kanda said:


> VGA cable doesn't carry sound.



No, but it comes with RCA adaptors (red/white). It's why I use a VGA cable.. so I can export sound to my stereo. TV speakers are pants.

I use a VGA cable - games are fine at 1920x1080, but Media Center goes funny. Most games don't go that high anyway, so 1280x768 is fine.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

Do you mean a DVI cable?

VGA cables are analogue...


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Do you mean a DVI cable?
> 
> VGA cables are analogue...



and?


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Do you mean a DVI cable?
> 
> VGA cables are analogue...



No. VGA. It's an Xbox specific cable though, so splits the signal into analogue VGA and analogue stereo sound.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

revol68 said:


> and?



Well, obviously an analogue cable will be _lower_ quality than an HDMI. Not a difficult equation.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Well, obviously an analogue cable will be _lower_ quality than an HDMI. Not a difficult equation.



No, VGA is capable of higher resolutions than HDMI. Digital doesn't mean better.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

Right, but an HDMI cable will do... you know, HD output to an HD device.

VGA... well, won't.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Right, but an HDMI cable will do... you know, HD output to an HD device.
> 
> VGA... well, won't.



It will, minus sound. VGA plus optical out for audio can produce a higher quality signal for both.


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Well, obviously an analogue cable will be _lower_ quality than an HDMI. Not a difficult equation.



I would have assumed so but apparently it's not noticible and secondly the fact the VGA lead provides analogue audio leads means you can use a good set of external speakers rather than the shit ones built into the tV.

Oh and like ChrisFilter say's VGA does higher res.

It's quite funny how a lot of 24" PC monitors are actually dropping their resolutions so they can boast of being 1080p.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

Righto. Naturally, analogue looks better than HD. I forgot you think that.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

revol68 said:


> I would have assumed so but apparently it's not noticible and secondly the fact the VGA lead provides analogue audio leads means you can use a good set of external speakers rather than the shit ones built into the tV.



See, the audio, I'm with you on. Optical out > TV, any day.

The PS3, for example, looks way, way better on the HDMI than on any of the other outputs, including the VGA. I'll admit, I haven't tried it on a monitor, but on my TV, the best resolution you get via the VGA port is 1024x768.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Righto. Naturally, analogue looks better than HD. I forgot you think that.



 When have we spoken about this before? 

I just know that VGA is capable of handling higher resolutions than HDMI.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> See, the audio, I'm with you on. Optical out > TV, any day.
> 
> The PS3, for example, looks way, way better on the HDMI than on any of the other outputs, including the VGA. I'll admit, I haven't tried it on a monitor, but on my TV, the best resolution you get via the VGA port is 1024x768.





So you're getting all narky with me about VGA when you're basing your view on your TV?! 

My 'magical' Xbox cable is nothing special, it's just the official VGA cable.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090108164609AAjLoWA


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> See, the audio, I'm with you on. Optical out > TV, any day.
> 
> The PS3, for example, looks way, way better on the HDMI than on any of the other outputs, including the VGA. I'll admit, I haven't tried it on a monitor, but on my TV, the best resolution you get via the VGA port is 1024x768.



That's a problem with your tv then.

HDMI can go no higher than 1080p, VGA can go way above that, people have been using 2048 x 1536  on PC monitors via VGA for years.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> So you're getting all narky with me about VGA when you're basing your view on your TV?!
> 
> My 'magical' Xbox cable is nothing special, it's just the official VGA cable.
> 
> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090108164609AAjLoWA



Narky? Where? Keep your knickers on Chrissy boy, it's only a _discussion_! 

I'm talking about quite a lot of tellys I've seen, and merely using mine as an _example_. I notice you haven't conveniently haven't questioned the first couple of posts, which appear to agree with what I've suggested by and large... And you'll forgive me, but it seemed the OP was talking about a telly, as opposed to a monitor.

We can talk about VGA on monitors, as revol said, but that's not what I was answering, eh.

As for your link, seems to suggest other people's TVs report capability of 1024... what was that supposed to "prove", again?


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

revol68 said:


> That's a problem with your tv then.



Quite a lot of modern TVs, I think you'll find.

Certainly, Panasonic ones. But then, I was answering for TVs, not for monitors...

Besides, it's hardly a "problem". It only really affects the 2 times a year I'd plug in the laptop. Everything else is in HD.


----------



## mincepie (Mar 2, 2010)

The VGA will "ghost" badly at high res over longer distances or with cheap cables. Like this


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Narky? Where? Keep your knickers on Chrissy boy, it's only a _discussion[_!
> 
> I'm talking about quite a lot of tellys I've seen, and merely using mine as an _example_. I notice you haven't conveniently haven't questioned the first couple of posts, which appear to agree with what I've suggested by and large... And you'll forgive me, but it seemed the OP was talking about a telly, as opposed to a monitor.
> 
> ...



Discussion? THIS IS MY LIFE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, DAD 

My link suggests VGA is capable of carrying a higher resolution than HDMI, that's all. The quality of TV has nothing to do with it.

As for the first couple of posts, I don't disagree with them. HDMI is the best option for most people.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Discussion? THIS IS MY LIFE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, DAD
> 
> My link suggests VGA is capable of carrying a higher resolution than HDMI, that's all. The quality of TV has nothing to do with it.
> 
> As for the first couple of posts, I don't disagree with them. HDMI is the best option for most people.





But that's all I was trying to say, too. 

Other than asking a question re: DVI, which wasn't meant to be saying "you're wrong!" to anyone, just wondering aloud.

So, are we all still friends? 

Can I go home with at least that?


----------



## ChrisFilter (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> But that's all I was trying to say, too.
> 
> Other than asking a question re: DVI, which wasn't meant to be saying "you're wrong!" to anyone, just wondering aloud.
> 
> ...



BFF x


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> Quite a lot of modern TVs, I think you'll find.
> 
> Certainly, Panasonic ones. But then, I was answering for TVs, not for monitors...
> 
> Besides, it's hardly a "problem". It only really affects the 2 times a year I'd plug in the laptop. Everything else is in HD.



Everything else is in HD. 

It's fucking hilarious how people have bought into this HD marketing, HD is only a fucking label, PC gamers having been playing in HD for years before anyone ever dreamt up HD Ready  and Full HD.

I played Quake in "HD" for fuck sake.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

I meant via the HDMI, obviously. And for me, 42 > 24. You should know bigger is better, eh?

As for you playing Quake in your bedroom on your 14" monitor, you want a biscuit or something? 

Come the revolution, comrades, the WORLD will be in analogue!


----------



## stupid dogbot (Mar 2, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> BFF x



Yay! 

I'm going now, before revol finds _even more_ ways to prove beyond any doubt that I'm a vile enemy of the people...


----------



## revol68 (Mar 2, 2010)

stupid dogbot said:


> I meant via the HDMI, obviously. And for me, 42 > 24. You should know bigger is better, eh?
> 
> As for you playing Quake in your bedroom on your 14" monitor, you want a biscuit or something?
> 
> Come the revolution, comrades, the WORLD will be in analogue!



HD has nothing to do with screen size, you can buy HD portable tele's ffs.

My point was that HD is just a marketing tool.

Also I don't have a hard on for analogue, my PC is connected to my monitor via DVI and I think it's crisper with better colour depth than VGA, though that might be a matter of being better able to adjust my image settings via my PC than xbox.

If I was internetstalker I'd use the HDMI, I was simply pointing out that VGA can do higher res than HDMI and so would be preferable in some circumstances, of course it's all made moot by the fact DVI is superior to both.


----------



## Citizen66 (Mar 2, 2010)

internetstalker said:


> Is it any good?
> 
> better then HDMI?
> 
> ...



I do. Doubt that it's better than HDMI. I have xbox to vga cable spare if anyone wants it but the dolby surround doesn't work on it (grr @ 3rd party hardware) but the video signal is fine, as is the stereo cables.


----------

