Hi all, I just got myself a fancy new 50 inch Panny Plasma 85U. I had originally had a 30 inch Sony crt that only did 1080i so HDMI wasnt much of a problem. I have one of the older Xboxes that doesnt have the HDMI port on it. Now should I get one of the connectors or just wait and splurge on a new 360? I was wondering how well the connectors worked as it didnt seem like it should work in that capacity. Any help is greatly appreciated.

when you say connectors do you mean that mad catz thing? that answer is no.

Also, you don't really NEED HDMI, although it helps if your TV won't do 1080p via VGA.

yes i meant the mad catz thing

I thought that to get 1080p you HAD to have HDMI

To get 1080p upconversion of regular dvd's or 1080p HDDVD you need HDMI. If you want to play games in 1080p you can use component. Just be sure that you're set (and possibly receiver) can accept 1080p via component. I have a Panny 65P750 and 37L750 and neither accepts 1080p (even though they are both 1080p sets) via VGA or component. So you might be out of luck unless you have an HDMI 360. To me, the difference I saw from playing games in 1080p from the 360 is worth buying a 3rd Arcade 360 with the HDMI port.

To me, the difference I saw from playing games in 1080p from the 360 is worth buying a 3rd Arcade 360 with the HDMI port.
i'm just curious, which games are we talking about here, because the list of 1080p games for the 360 is few and far between...

i would say use component and set the dashboard to 720p. if your system ever needs to replaced, THEN get a newer system with an HDMI port, but you don't NEED it though. unless, of course, you feel like you may want or need a larger HD...

using the 360 as a dvd player pretty much sucks, no matter how you set it up, and no matter how good the tv is! you would get much better results from spending less than $100 or so on a good upconverting DVD player...

i'm just curious, which games are we talking about here, because the list of 1080p games for the 360 is few and far between...

i would say use component and set the dashboard to 720p. if your system ever needs to replaced, THEN get a newer system with an HDMI port, but you don't NEED it though. unless, of course, you feel like you may want or need a larger HD...

using the 360 as a dvd player pretty much sucks, no matter how you set it up, and no matter how good the tv is! you would get much better results from spending less than $100 or so on a good upconverting DVD player...

well, ive got a PS3 so the DVDs arent an issue

i'm just curious, which games are we talking about here, because the list of 1080p games for the 360 is few and far between...

i would say use component and set the dashboard to 720p. if your system ever needs to replaced, THEN get a newer system with an HDMI port, but you don't NEED it though. unless, of course, you feel like you may want or need a larger HD...

using the 360 as a dvd player pretty much sucks, no matter how you set it up, and no matter how good the tv is! you would get much better results from spending less than $100 or so on a good upconverting DVD player...

All games. I noticed a good amount of difference in detail from playing in 720p/1080i and 1080p. I would stick with component but there are so many sets out there that don't accept 1080p via component (all 3 of my HD sets don't). It would definitely be worth it to upgrade to an HDMI 360. The arcade can soon be had for $200.

Its funny, I asked a Panny rep about this today. He said the set would take 1080p off of component, so I went and tried it and lo and behold it didnt work.

Its funny, I asked a Panny rep about this today. He said the set would take 1080p off of component, so I went and tried it and lo and behold it didnt work.

What a surprise. It kind of irks me too. I wanted to utilize the VGA port to see how VGA compared to HDMI at 1080p and I couldn't. Oh well.

Hi all, I just got myself a fancy new 50 inch Panny Plasma 85U. I had originally had a 30 inch Sony crt that only did 1080i so HDMI wasnt much of a problem. I have one of the older Xboxes that doesnt have the HDMI port on it. Now should I get one of the connectors or just wait and splurge on a new 360? I was wondering how well the connectors worked as it didnt seem like it should work in that capacity. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Short answer. Don't waste your money on those connectors.

So does anyone know when the Arcades will be down to 200? I dont want to waste money if it isnt necessary

I have the Mad Catz HDMI conversion thingy and while the video looks MUCH better than VGA (Toshiba 46RV530 doesn't do VGA in 1080p), I have no audio from the HDMI port. Usually not an issue because I use my A40 cans with optical but its a pain to switch to VGA every time I wanna play rockband or watch a movie.

Price drop is supposed to be September 7th.
While component or VGA still look good, the HDMI difference is noticeable on my projector. Colors are more vibrant, and the sharpness is improved, but don't expect a night and day difference.

It's been said a million times before but results will vary by display as to which connection gives the best results ;) .

- Jason