After Microsoft's announcement in Tokyo that the Xbox 360 would support 1080p natively this Fall (we already knew it was capable of it), the FUD hit the fan. Was this "native" 1080p? Was it just upsampled? Would it work with DVDs over component? Wouldn't the long-rumored HDMI cable be appropriate now? Though they didn't answer all of the above, IGN got a hold of Microsoft to try and clear some of the smoke in the air in a short Q&A. So now that we know it can handle "true HD" at 1080p, what about that HDMI cable. MS says, "Our platform is flexible enough to allow support of a digital connection in the future should we choose to do so. When the Xbox 360 was being developed HDMI was nascent and with our current connections we support what the overwhelming majority of consumers have available to them."
Yup yup. True. The reality is, 1080p over component ain't really happening, and 1080p over VGA is only possible for an even smaller minority of HD television owners than the already small 1080p subset. If 1080p support is going to be more than a bullet point, we're going to need to see some HDMI love in the near future. Microsoft on releasing a cable: "We are watching the market closely and will continue to evaluate our solution in the face of consumer demand, but have no announcements regarding additional cables or connections."
We've all been dismissing 1080p as a marginal standard, and a convenient rallying cry for Sony's latest and greatest, but now that we've got the carrot dangling just in front of our gnashing teeth will we actually run for it? Have we gone from "1080p, who cares?" to "give us our damned HDMI cable so we can experience true HD"?
[Via digg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-04-2006 @ 3:08PM
Blue Spotted Frog said...
Every HD set-top box on the market today has a DVI or HDMI port except for the XBox 360. I can't take the HD-DVD drive or the prospect 1080p games seriously until an HDMI cable for the XBox 360 is realeased. Sony added an HDMI for the $499 model of PS3 ( annouced at TGS '06 ). What is Microsoft waiting for? 1080p support without HDMI output is meaningless as far as I am concerned.
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10-04-2006 @ 3:27PM
Ed said...
Why is 1080p without HDMI meaningless? A huge number of native 1080p displays can accept it over their VGA input, and a few can take it over component, too.
Is it because you're paranoid about ICT? It seems pretty unlikely that Microsoft would create an HD-DVD add-on without having a "protected" output unless they were certain the studios wouldn't drop ICT in the near future.
Most displays, also, don't have more than one or two HDMI or DVI+HDCP ports, anyway. Most coming out now have two, but I suspect the vast majority of already-sold HDTVs have, at best, one HDCP-capable input. So what goes there? Your upconverting dvd player? Your set top box? Your Xbox 360? Your PS3?
Do the studios really believe people are willing to drop another $150 on an HDMI switch? Do they think the early HDTV adopters, those with only component inputs, are worth alienating? I don't think so. I would be shocked if ICT went into widespread use before 2012, if ever.
My 1080p HDTV has one HDMI input, one 1080p-capable VGA input, and one incapable component input. Why should I waste the HDMI port on a 360 when I, currently, have no reason to?
You can blather about the benefits of skipping the D->A and A->D conversions, or about the benefits of HDMI 1.3 and 48-bit color, of which no displays out today can take advantage, but I just don't buy it.
The number of people out there with 1080p displays, expressed as a percentage of Microsoft or Sony's userbase, is so ridiculously low that this whole debate is remarkably stupid, and there is virtually no benefit to 1080p over 1080i when it comes to HD-DVDs/Blu-ray.
It's such a stupid pissing contest.
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10-04-2006 @ 3:31PM
Mark Felps said...
I have a 720p set, so I genuinely don't care. That said, my 720p set has a VGA connection. Is it really that rare in higher-end sets?
And can anyone explain if the MS VGA cables include real digital sound output, in either toslink or coax?
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10-04-2006 @ 3:34PM
dish said...
why link to digg and not the true source.
using digg as the source is like using wikipedia as a source on a term paper.
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10-04-2006 @ 3:42PM
xfan said...
FINALLY someone from Microsoft confirms the 360 is capable of supporting HDMI if they decide to do so. For months people have been saying there's no possible way, while others have been saying the box is flexible enough to support the interface, but it's up to Microsoft to allow it.
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10-04-2006 @ 4:01PM
C. Grant said...
Uh, we did link to the source dish. The "Read" link right beneath the via link, the image itself, and the "Microsoft says" link in the body itself.
The Via link is where we found the item in question. It's true that many blogs have no idea what a via link is for, so I'll let you know. Via, Latin, "by way of." The IGN link is experiencing some popularity on digg right now, so we via it. Same as we via anything we find on another site. It's just good blogging etiquette.
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10-04-2006 @ 4:04PM
C. Grant said...
Awesome response Ed. That's what it seems like to me, a pissing contest. No one cared about it a couple weeks ago, and now it's important.
Re: HDMI and VGA. It's my understanding that not every HD television has VGA, especially if they already have HDMI. As for multiple HDMI inputs, many, if not all, higher end recievers all have multiple HDMI ports on them now.
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10-04-2006 @ 4:06PM
Dyer said...
My brother has a hdtv with sky hd and he says the picture is better through component as aposed to hdmi...
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10-04-2006 @ 5:09PM
Goose said...
Dyer,
On most TVs the difference between Component and HDMI are not visible. The reason HDMI would be important for the 360 is the ability to pass a 1080p signal. Component can pass 1080p, but relatively no TVs accept 1080p through component, however for the most part all TVs that can accept 1080p signals are able to receive the it through HDMI.
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10-04-2006 @ 5:15PM
jc said...
My 720p set looks great through VGA, but honestly... not as good as component. If the X360 would upscale over component, I would put my VGA cable away for good (aside from the occasional LAN party, a monitor is easier to move around).
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10-04-2006 @ 5:22PM
Jason said...
Everyone, please stop spreading FALSE information!
Read Ed's post carefully.
All 1080p displays with VGA ports CAN support 1080p content over the VGA port.
Very few can support 1080p over the component port, but almost all can support 1080i over component.
The necessity of HDMI (and DVI) is the ability to display 1080p HD-DVDs with HDCP copy protection enabled. HDMI has HDCP built in on ALL displays. DVI has HDCP built it only if the manufacturer specifies it is built in.
VGA and component have NO HDCP copy protection, so if you try to watch an HDCP-protected HD-DVD over the VGA or component cable hooked up to a 1080p display, the movie will be downscaled to probably 720p or even lower (not sure).
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10-04-2006 @ 5:27PM
KineticOnline said...
If you have a LCD set that is 1080p capable and it doesn't support VGA then your the fool for buying it. Its a bloody computer monitor with a tv unit added. And if you really want it that badly just use a converter or adapter
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10-04-2006 @ 5:33PM
AoE said...
"Have we gone from "1080p, who cares?" to "give us our damned HDMI cable so we can experience true HD"?"
Not I... I've got a 1080i TV that is big enough, and was enough of an expense that it's not getting replaced until it breaks or is really outdated... considering how many 1080p TVs exist in the wild right now 1080p is more of a bullet-point for the boxes of both consoles than anything; but then we're also at the beginning of the generation; I'm sure it'll be a different story in a few years.
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10-04-2006 @ 5:44PM
Shamma Banks said...
I only have DVI on my TV, how will this affect me?
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10-04-2006 @ 5:46PM
Goose said...
Jason,
"All 1080p displays with VGA ports CAN support 1080p content over the VGA port."
This is completely false. Few RP HDTVs can display 1080p over VGA
Proof: Sony KDS-60A2000
Max VGA Resolution 1360 x 68
http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/documents/specifications/KDSA2000.pdf
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10-04-2006 @ 5:50PM
Goose said...
"I only have DVI on my TV, how will this affect me?"
Your TV most likely doesnt support 1080p, however if Microsoft came out with a HDMI cable and you wanted to use a digital connection you could purchase a HDMI -> DVI adapter.
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10-04-2006 @ 5:58PM
DeadPlasmaCell said...
Hey Mark, the MS VGA cable has the same digital out that the normal MS Component cables have. I'm using them right now.
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10-04-2006 @ 7:31PM
JimJimBinks said...
My TV only supports up to 720p/1080i, and doesn't have a VGA Input (Only HDMI and component)
I'm considering buying the VGA cable, and a VGA to HDMI adapter (If such a thing exists, if not I'll be buying a VGA to DVI adapter, and use it with the DVI to HDMI adapter I already own for my media center PC) just because I really like the idea of the 360 HD-DVD Player upconverting my DVD's.
If this doesn't work, I don't really care 'cause I'll still be able to watch my HD-DVD's at 1080i over component.
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10-04-2006 @ 8:23PM
james f. said...
Since they CAN implement hmdi on the 360's i guess my question is HOW would they do so?
New boxes with hdmi plugs on the back? Or would it just be a new(expensive)proprietary plug? Anyone in the know on this?
Oh and just to chime in on the 1080p over VGA issue very few 1080p monitors allow full def thru the VGA port. Interestingly the new XBR LCoS Projection Sonys, actually WILL allow full 1080p over VGA. Which makes me wonder if my next tv purchase, which was going to be the kds-a2000 should be stalled of in view of its more expensive big brother.
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10-04-2006 @ 8:46PM
SuicideNinja said...
My 51" HDTV doesn't have HDMI. It doesn't have DVI or SVGA either. It only has component. I wasn't aware of HDCP until a month after I bought the TV or I would have gone with future-proofing. I could buy another TV with the support, but why should I have to? Is it worth it? No, is my findings.
One room mate has a 26" LCD HDTV and another has a 32" CRT HDTV. Both have HDMI, and they use it.
The HDMI difference in either of their respective setups wasn't very impressive for the cost of those cables. I obtained about the same amount of difference just going with Monster Component Cables (which I picked up for a fraction of the regular cost in a bundle on ebay).
Component will look better to some because everything will not appear as jagged. An analog signal results in a slightly softer picture. Digital connections can actually be too sharp. LCDs seem to accentuate this problem as well.
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