correct, it reduces TV lag.

Interesting observation. I may look at turning it on. I always thought game mode ruins the colors (make them super bright)

Did we ever get to the bottom of optimal settings for the 360?
Its been going back and for that HDMI 1 PC on more is recommended, but then there was a lot of debate with that.

Same here. Its nice to see detail that was not there before due to the crushed blacks.

Funny...I made the changes to PC and everything looks smaller...or finer than before when using Just Scan Mode. I thought Just Scan was the same as 1:1. I notice now that the friends online notification is a lot smaller than before.

I gotta tell you...Dark Areas of the game was too dark before (Crushing Blacks). Now I can see what the developers meant for me to see. Especially in GTA 4! God...never noticed how the Moonlight reflected off of the water!!!

Interesting observation. I may look at turning it on. I always thought game mode ruins the colors (make them super bright)

Did we ever get to the bottom of optimal settings for the 360?
Its been going back and for that HDMI 1 PC on more is recommended, but then there was a lot of debate with that.


It doesnt ruin the colors, just the blacks.

Set hdmi 1 to PC, and HTPC mode off.

It doesnt ruin the colors, just the blacks.

Set hdmi 1 to PC, and HTPC mode off.

Im using HDMI 1 to PC, but I have HTPC mode on... that is what was recommended in original post, no?

I have all my stuff hooked into my receiver, then receiver going to HDMI 1. Do you recommend that I only plug xbox 360 into HDMI 1, and the stuff plugged into the receiver into HDMI 2?

correct, it reduces TV lag.

On the 550 it seems to do nothing... maybe cuz there is no lag to begin with?

Im using HDMI 1 to PC, but I have HTPC mode on... that is what was recommended in original post, no?

I have all my stuff hooked into my receiver, then receiver going to HDMI 1. Do you recommend that I only plug xbox 360 into HDMI 1, and the stuff plugged into the receiver into HDMI 2?

I reccommend plugging in the xbox by itself unless your other components use the PC color gamut also.

On the 550 it seems to do nothing... maybe cuz there is no lag to begin with?

I dont know. When I tried the calibration for lag on guitar hero I'm getting 0ms when set to game mode, and slightly higher when not on game mode. You might want to try it yourself.

I reccommend plugging in the xbox by itself unless your other components use the PC color gamut also.

I have two HDMI items. My 360 and my Charter digital cable box. Then I have a component cable for my wii. You are suggesting that the 360 go into my HDMI 1, then run my HDMI cable from my receiver to my HDMI 2?

That would probably be best.

Thanks. Ill look into doing that. What benefit will I have with going with this type of setup over what I run now though?

These settings are good for your xbox, but probably not for your cable box. You should use normal settings for your cable box or dvd player.

Will these settings apply to the LN52A650? If not has anyone done any calibration settings for the 360 on the 650?

I have the 3292 and have yet to figure out how to unlock the pc mode for xbox (or anything else). I have a pro with HDMI if that makes any difference.

If its greyed out. Then your not using the pc method properly. When in proper use. HTPC becomes unlocked and you can turn it on/off. Keep in mind. As said earlier in the thread. HDMI1 and VGA are the only ones that can do pc levels properly.

PC is greyed out, underneath that though, Home Theater PC is set to ON and not greyed out.

Hi, I'm new to the forums and was told to come in here with my problem.

My Xbox 360 is currently set up to a Samsung 19inch Widescreen LCD TV (19" R7 LA19R71BX) with component cables.

I know its not the greatest TV but its all I can afford at the moment. My problem is that while playing games, there is a slight blur in the backgrounds which is quite annoying. GTA 4 also doesn't appear as crisp as it should on my TV.

The TV's opitmal resolution is 720p and maximum is 1080i. It has one HDMI port on the back. Is there anything I could do to improve this blur problem or is it just a crappy TV I have? Any help would be appreciated.

OK, below is the PQ problem i am having w/ my 360 and sammy lcd.
will this trick fix the below problem, and if i have my pc connected via VGA can i still connect the xbox via hdmi and use the hometheaterPC mode?

OK, has anyone noticed a checkerboard type effect in the blacks with the add-on.

I have my addon with a newer elite connected via hdmi to my samsung lcd. i can't help but notice some little boxes or like a thick window screen pattern over the blacks and other darker colors. it seems to be the xbox, because i hooked up my old vizio and saw the same problem(just less detail which is to be expected). My hd-dvr and computer show none of the similar distortion. I also tried different hdmi cables and inputs and no change. please help. thanks.

Has ANYONE figured out a fix for this. alot of people arent noticing this but its there. This exact problem is on my westy tv. the problem isnt there at all on my ps3 but its there on my 360 i even vied a picture on both my 360 and ps3 at the same time and my ps3 hdmi doesnt have this at all but its really noticable on some images on 360. like lighter blacks/blue/greens. Ive turned off all advanced setting on my tv and ive tryed all 3 ref levels ont he xbox and also tryed all the resolutions its still there. doesnt happen on component but hdmi the stuff looks more crisp around the edges.

Anyone know a fix?

Has ANYONE figured out a fix for this. alot of people arent noticing this but its there. This exact problem is on my westy tv. the problem isnt there at all on my ps3 but its there on my 360 i even vied a picture on both my 360 and ps3 at the same time and my ps3 hdmi doesnt have this at all but its really noticable on some images on 360. like lighter blacks/blue/greens. Ive turned off all advanced setting on my tv and ive tryed all 3 ref levels ont he xbox and also tryed all the resolutions its still there. doesnt happen on component but hdmi the stuff looks more crisp around the edges.

Anyone know a fix?


I noticed the same thing on my last LCD, and on this one. I think it is the XBOX... it seems to me like the pattern might be there on purpose, to add texture because I only notice on black loading screens and the like. Do you guys see it during gameplay?

So KoRN, what settings are you using now? I've never turned HDMI Black Level to Low, because it seemed to crush blacks. It also seemed like it stayed on for all sources rather than being unique to the source I was watching. My 360 looks really good now, but when watching a blu-ray on my PS3 the other night in darkness, the black bars on the top and bottom had a pretty white-ish look to them.

Also, considering everyone seems to agree that only HDMI 1 is good for PC Input, would it be correct to assume that setting up an hdmi switcher between your components and HDMI port 1 would give you pc levels on everything? I have the one listed below, but don't use it anymore since my new Samsung LN-T4042H has 3 hdmi ports.

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg_images/580/204972580.jpg

Take a look at post #5.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1018097

I am still using the pc method. HDMI black level set to Normal, 360 set to Extended, and set to optimal resolution. HTPC set to off. Never looked back. As the OP originally said. Setting hdmi black level to low. It does make a difference but in a negative way. Normal is the proper setting. Low is for 16-235 levels. From what I have read. Using hdmi 2 or 3 for your ps3. You should be fine.

The ps3 does not have a problem. Its the 360. RGB with hdmi 1 and vga are the only 2 inputs to support it properly. You should not be using rgb with ps3. Unless your using HDMI 1. As for the switcher. Very interesting point. I am not sure how that would work. Unless it had some kind of RGB option. Doubt it though. You could give it a shot and you would notice the difference right away if its working or not.

So KoRN, what settings are you using now? I've never turned HDMI Black Level to Low, because it seemed to crush blacks. It also seemed like it stayed on for all sources rather than being unique to the source I was watching. My 360 looks really good now, but when watching a blu-ray on my PS3 the other night in darkness, the black bars on the top and bottom had a pretty white-ish look to them.

Also, considering everyone seems to agree that only HDMI 1 is good for PC Input, would it be correct to assume that setting up an hdmi switcher between your components and HDMI port 1 would give you pc levels on everything? I have the one listed below, but don't use it anymore since my new Samsung LN-T4042H has 3 hdmi ports.

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg_images/580/204972580.jpg

I shouldn't use RGB with the PS3? Do you mean with Blu-Ray movies? I have my PS3 set to RGB Full, and Blu-Ray's set for RGB. What should I be changing?

As I said earlier. PS3 does not have the problem with RGB. It is the 360. Thats why you need to match things up. Using VGA or HDMI 1 is the only way to do that with the 360. When using your ps3. If using hdmi 2 or 3. If HDMI black level is selectable. Just match up the signals. Just remember. Low is 16-235 and Normal is 0-255. (that should be for your games if going that route) Low would be for movies. In your Sammy's manual. It states. If your source is rgb. HDMI black level will become selectable with in the tv settings. Thats why its important to match things up.

I shouldn't use RGB with the PS3? Do you mean with Blu-Ray movies? I have my PS3 set to RGB Full, and Blu-Ray's set for RGB. What should I be changing?

As I said earlier. PS3 does not have the problem with RGB. It is the 360. Thats why you need to match things up. Using VGA or HDMI 1 is the only way to do that with the 360. When using your ps3. If using hdmi 2 or 3. If HDMI black level is selectable. Just match up the signals. Just remember. Low is 16-235 and Normal is 0-255. (that should be for your games if going that route) Low would be for movies. In your Sammy's manual. It states. If your source is rgb. HDMI black level will become selectable with in the tv settings. Thats why its important to match things up.

It's not the 360, it is the TV.

Your right. My apologies. I meant the tv.

It's not the 360, it is the TV.

As I said earlier. PS3 does not have the problem with RGB. It is the 360. Thats why you need to match things up. Using VGA or HDMI 1 is the only way to do that with the 360. When using your ps3. If using hdmi 2 or 3. If HDMI black level is selectable. Just match up the signals. Just remember. Low is 16-235 and Normal is 0-255. (that should be for your games if going that route) Low would be for movies. In your Sammy's manual. It states. If your source is rgb. HDMI black level will become selectable with in the tv settings. Thats why its important to match things up.

HDMI Black Level is always selectable on my tv though with the ps3, regardless of what game or movie I'm playing. Do you have your Blu-Ray movies set for RGB or the other option? I'd really appreciate a complete list of your settings for the PS3. Sorry if I'm seeming noobish but I'm kind of confused. I also have no idea what my cable box signal (rgb or whatever) is because there's no option to change it. It's a Scientific Atlanta cable box from Time Warner.

edit: NM I think I got it. One last question though..... Should I turn HDMI Black Level to normal when watching movies on the ps3?

I got a M86 and the HTPC setting is still greyed out after setting HDMI 1 to PC in the menu and the 360 being connected through that port with expanded range. So this isn't for all models, I'd presume?

bump

I have Samsung Xbox 360 releated question.
Did ANYONE have any problems with hooking up their system with VGA cables?


I hook my 360 with VGA & select the PC source input and it just say's "Mode Not Supported".
I tried renaming teh PC input "PC" & I even tried naming all teh inputs PC, but I still get Mode Not Supported.




I search & found someone said this about the Samsung xx69f models:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=728567&postcount=12
Actually, the owner's manual for Samsung LN-T4669 states that the set supports resolution 1920x1080 at vertical refresh rate 59.934Hz (not 60Hz). Sure thing, 1920x1080/60 signal sent to D-sub input of this TV results in "mode not supported" . However changing 1920x1080 signal refresh rate to 59Hz seems to solve the problem. Go figure...



This is what it says on my A650 manual about VGA resolutions:
http://i31.tinypic.com/29pomr7.jpg

1920x1080 vertical refresh rate 59.934Hz (not 60Hz)!
So VGA will not accept a 60hz signal & it has to be set to 59.934, but how would I change that on an Xbox 360?

Is there a workaround with this?

You need to reset your 360 video settings to there defaults. Google it. I cant remember off hand how you do it.

bump



I have Samsung Xbox 360 releated question.


Did ANYONE have any problems with hooking up their system with VGA cables?


I hook my 360 with VGA & select the PC source input and it just say's "Mode Not Supported".
I tried renaming teh PC input "PC" & I even tried naming all teh inputs PC, but I still get Mode Not Supported.




I search & found someone said this about the Samsung xx69f models:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=728567&postcount=12




This is what it says on my A650 manual about VGA resolutions:
http://i31.tinypic.com/29pomr7.jpg

1920x1080 vertical refresh rate 59.934Hz (not 60Hz)!
So VGA will not accept a 60hz signal & it has to be set to 59.934, but how would I change that on an Xbox 360?

Is there a workaround with this?

You need to reset your 360 video settings to there defaults. Google it. I cant remember off hand how you do it.

Oh my god, I just did that & found a way. Ready to try it out, I went to my old Xbox 360 & it just 3 RRoD on me. :eek:

Even though I barely understood your topic , I recently got a 32' samsung HDTV (LN32A450C1 ) and hooked it up with hdmi, but for example the dashboard looks a little softer and the colors with component look brighter. I though that if I connected it with HDMI it would automatically look better.

does your thread answer my question? will you settings fix my HDMI connection issue?

thanks-

Component is known to have color saturation. HDMI is miles ahead with things looking better. I have the model just before yours came out a LN-T3253H and I noticed a huge difference from using component/vga to hdmi.

Even though I barely understood your topic , I recently got a 32' samsung HDTV (LN32A450C1 ) and hooked it up with hdmi, but for example the dashboard looks a little softer and the colors with component look brighter. I though that if I connected it with HDMI it would automatically look better.

does your thread answer my question? will you settings fix my HDMI connection issue?

thanks-

Will these settings apply to the LN52A650? If not has anyone done any calibration settings for the 360 on the 650?

Anyone know? I'm curious if the 650 also only does true RGB with PC mode.

Something I'm noticing is that using the post 1500 settings on both my PS3 and 360, I'm getting way better color saturation on my PS3. This is strange because, I always used to get richer colors on my 360. I have the 360 set up as PC, just as the instructions stated, but games like Devil May Cry 4 and Sega Rally Revo look much more rich in color on the ps3. Am I missing something here, or is that really how it looks? I know PS3 games are generally brighter due to the graphics card, but I compensate by turning the brightness down a bit. I just can't get the 360 colors to match no matter what I do.

Update...it's the PC switch that's robbing the display of it's color saturation. I know everyone is going crazy over the supposed black level enhancement you're getting, but imo it isn't worth the lose in color. I think you're still getting some black crush with the pc option. After switching back to 720P and Standard Reference levels on the 360, the colors look much better. Yes, the blacks aren't quite as dark as they are under the other option, but you're able to make your brightness lower to compensate. I'm able to use the post 1500 settings and lower my brightness down to 39 without having nearly the crush I had before, and better colors. The loss in color wasn't apparent until I switched between PS3 and 360, noticing a huge difference in saturation.

What settings should I use for my PS3?

Keep in mind: I am not looking for movie mode, rather standard + game mode settings, for gaming. What's the closest setting to what the 360 provides with PC mode? Can't get it to work for PS3, so I have to set the values manually. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the tips. For sure, setting my 360 to "expanded" improved the look. I have the ln46a650 and can't find any setting for "Home Theater PC". I have the hdmi for my xbox in to hdmi 1 and set the label to "pc".

Am I missing somethign?

Also, I have found the tv isn't displaying as smoothly (at times) as my previous hd crt. Setting AMP to high really makes my image more vibrant as does setting my xbox out to 1080i. I played a bit with setting the "e mode" to game. I didn't notice an faster display, just a slightly darker image.

i can't seem to do home theatre pc mode on my new ln46a650:(

Thanks for the tips. For sure, setting my 360 to "expanded" improved the look. I have the ln46a650 and can't find any setting for "Home Theater PC". I have the hdmi for my xbox in to hdmi 1 and set the label to "pc".

Am I missing somethign?

Also, I have found the tv isn't displaying as smoothly (at times) as my previous hd crt. Setting AMP to high really makes my image more vibrant as does setting my xbox out to 1080i. I played a bit with setting the "e mode" to game. I didn't notice an faster display, just a slightly darker image.

Menu on remote.
Then choose setup.

havent really spent much time here at avs lately...i seem to get more interested in my ht stuff as the holidays loom:) my 360 elite is connected to lnt4069 on hdmi 3 but i will be moving it to hdmi 1. i have many issues with sammy lack of support (i.e. fw) but have the following question...could the hdmi port, for selecting pc, be made selectable via fw upgrade to use any of the available hdmi ports? is there also a mechanical reason this cannot be done? seems ridiculous that configuration to any available port is not an option for pc selection.

Just a quick question for anyone who can help:

I've got my launch unit 360 hooked up via component cables to my Sammy LNT 4661 LCD TV. I've got the 360 set to expanded.

Are there any additional settings I need to implement to get a better picture. I believe I have my TV calibrated well enough, but I am curious if HDMI will significantly improve the picture quality on this set. Of course, that would mean buying another 360.

Since your using component. It should be set to standard. Expanded is for watching dvds when using component cables. Your just crushing your blacks when playing on expanded.

Just a quick question for anyone who can help:

I've got my launch unit 360 hooked up via component cables to my Sammy LNT 4661 LCD TV. I've got the 360 set to expanded.

Are there any additional settings I need to implement to get a better picture. I believe I have my TV calibrated well enough, but I am curious if HDMI will significantly improve the picture quality on this set. Of course, that would mean buying another 360.

Just a quick question for anyone who can help:

I've got my launch unit 360 hooked up via component cables to my Sammy LNT 4661 LCD TV. I've got the 360 set to expanded.

Are there any additional settings I need to implement to get a better picture. I believe I have my TV calibrated well enough, but I am curious if HDMI will significantly improve the picture quality on this set. Of course, that would mean buying another 360.

Change the settings back to normal. You might notice a small difference but the color settings are intended for VGA/RGB use. The 360, before the color update, put out a signal that was ideal for a TV/HDTV. That signal didn't look right going through the VGA/RGB cable because any HDTV with VGA input is designed to take visual input from a PC which has different color levels and such than the visual output intended for HDTVs that the 360 was simply passing along via the VGA. So they put out the update which essentially gives you direct output from the GPU, bypassing the TV scaling hardware and such, when using VGA to make it closer to what a PC would send with color settings that allowed different levels to be chosen for whatever coloring looks best on your particular LCD or plasma display.

ok...i read the majority of this thread last night as i am updating ht stuff. i need some clarification on a few details.

the 360 received a colorspace update to allow it to provide the proper RGB signal (similar/same as a pc over vga) when outputting to an hdtv with PC input (via vga or hdmi) correct?

samsung, when set to pc mode, will properly receive and display rgb from the 360 on either vga or hdmi?

the jury is still out as to whether the color reproduction (rgb) is worth the enhanced display of blacks?

has anyone actually tested these settings using DVE HD-DVD and posted the results?

ok...i read the majority of this thread last night as i am updating ht stuff. i need some clarification on a few details.

the 360 received a colorspace update to allow it to provide the proper RGB signal when outputting to a PC, or to hdtv with PC input (via vga or hdmi) correct?

samsung, when set to pc mode, will properly receive and display rgb from the 360 on either vga or hdmi?

the jury is still out as to whether the color reproduction (rgb) is worth the enhanced display of blacks?

has anyone actually tested these settings using DVE HD-DVD and posted the results?

"360 received a colorspace update to allow it to provide the proper RGB signal when outputting to a PC"

The 360 of course cannot output to a PC. Change that statement around a bit to something like this:

..360 received an update to allow it to output RGB levels that are the same as what a PC outputs over VGA.

P.J.

have no idea why i typed outputting to a pc..meant outputting "as a pc" which isn't technically correct either. thanks for the correction..i edited my post;)

ok...i read the majority of this thread last night as i am updating ht stuff. i need some clarification on a few details.

the 360 received a colorspace update to allow it to provide the proper RGB signal (similar/same as a pc over vga) when outputting to an hdtv with PC input (via vga or hdmi) correct?

samsung, when set to pc mode, will properly receive and display rgb from the 360 on either vga or hdmi?

the jury is still out as to whether the color reproduction (rgb) is worth the enhanced display of blacks?

has anyone actually tested these settings using DVE HD-DVD and posted the results?

Basically it changed the signal output levels and color formatting through the VGA/RGB cables to what it should have been in the beginning.

Yes, via VGA/RGB if your set accepts the signal properly. Not all sets are created equal when it comes to taking RGB/VGA. Some expensive ones stink and some cheaper ones are magnificent.

Yes. Your mileage will vary with your setup and tweaks. Everyone has their own opinions but I didn't like the VGA output one bit on my 360 when I tried it just for fun after the update.

I have no idea but I'm sure someone somewhere has done something along those lines.

So using Expanded, with a Samsung HDTV, and HDMI1 set to PC is not correct?
The setting on the 360 should be set to "normal?"

So using Expanded, with a Samsung HDTV, and HDMI1 set to PC is not correct?
The setting on the 360 should be set to "normal?"

It should be set to standard unless the expanded color is actually visible through HDMI and looks pleasant. Microsoft hasn't mentioned anything about the VGA fix translating to HDMI but I think it would be likely that it could have some tangible effect like it did via component video though I hope it would look better over HDMI given how close it is to DVI. You'll just have to look closely at your set when you flip the settings on the TV and the console and see if it does make any difference.

Since your using it with pc levels. Expanded is correct. Also be sure to select optimal resolution.

So using Expanded, with a Samsung HDTV, and HDMI1 set to PC is not correct?
The setting on the 360 should be set to "normal?"

The only time expanded should be selected is as follows:

1. when using vga

2. when using component and wanting to watch dvd in 480p. I believe it even says to set it to that in the 360 settings when watching dvds.

3. when using hdmi-dvi cable with a pc monitor. or if your tv can accept pc levels through hdmi like the Samsung.

There middle setting needs to go. There is no such thing and just confuses the consumer. It is either 16-235 or 0-255 simple as that.

It should be set to standard unless the expanded color is actually visible through HDMI and looks pleasant. Microsoft hasn't mentioned anything about the VGA fix translating to HDMI but I think it would be likely that it could have some tangible effect like it did via component video though I hope it would look better over HDMI given how close it is to DVI. You'll just have to look closely at your set when you flip the settings on the TV and the console and see if it does make any difference.

so did anyone figure out how to make a samsung tv display the xbox360 via VGA?? I get nothing but "Mode not supported". Any help is appreciated.

so did anyone figure out how to make a samsung tv display the xbox360 via VGA?? I get nothing but "Mode not supported". Any help is appreciated.
I just bought a samsung 52850 and I just hooked up the vga and it worked perfectly, but to be honest the picture looks better with component.

I actually figured out my original question. Had to reset the xbox and change resolution to get picture. Now I just have to figure out where on the tv I would plug in the red and white audio jacks that split off the vga cable. Thanks for help in advance.

I actually figured out my original question. Had to reset the xbox and change resolution to get picture. Now I just have to figure out where on the tv I would plug in the red and white audio jacks that split off the vga cable. Thanks for help in advance.

You may have to get an RCA to stereo jack plug if your TV has a stereo jack attached to the VGA input. Quite a few TVs have that. You'll plug the RCA cables into the appropriate female receptacles on the cable and it simply plugs into the stereo jack. You can get the cable at Radio Shack or any other place that has a decent selection of audio accessories.

yeah thats what i ended up having to do. just went up to radio shack and they had what I was looking for for $5. Thanks alot. Now I'm having a hard time keeping my xbox360 connected to the internet wirelessly.

I have a 4661 TV and recently bought a refurbished 360 (with HDMI) off ebay.
I have it connected via component.
What are the ideal settings for both the TV and the 360?
Right now I am using the infamous "1500" settings on my TV.
When I got my 360, it was set to 480i so I changed it to 1080p.
Is this the best setting or should it be at 720p or 1080i?
Will I get much better PQ using HDMI?

I'm getting my tv professional calibrated. I'm getting a X-box 360 elite and PS3 tommorow. A friend got my some Moster cables for 60% off of what they are in the stores.

I'm new to the flatscreen High Def Gaming (PS3 & X-box 360 elite), High Def direct tv. Are there different settings my x-box and PS3 should be on. What about movies I will watch blu-ray and regular high def dvd's.

The cables are Monster Cable Ultra 1000 HDMI series. Should I get the 1.3 cables?? I heard these are best for 1080 P PS3. The xbox elite which comes with its own cable in the box?

I'm getting my tv professional calibrated. I'm getting a X-box 360 elite and PS3 tommorow. A friend got my some Moster cables for 60% off of what they are in the stores.

I'm new to the flatscreen High Def Gaming (PS3 & X-box 360 elite), High Def direct tv. Are there different settings my x-box and PS3 should be on. What about movies I will watch blu-ray and regular high def dvd's.

The cables are Monster Cable Ultra 1000 HDMI series. Should I get the 1.3 cables?? I heard these are best for 1080 P PS3. The xbox elite which comes with its own cable in the box?

Even 60% off is overrpriced Monster ****.

HDMI 1.3 is HDMI 1.3. get the cheapest you can find with thick cables. I heard monoprice sells them for cheap. No pq difference than HDMI cables that cost $50,000.

Trust me, don't go Monster. Maybe back in the day when inputs were analog, but a digital signal is 0's and 1's. All you're paying for now is the Monster name for the same quality as cables that cost 99% less.

Anyone with an HDMI Xbox 360 and a Samsung 61/65/69/71/81 series is not getting the correct quality picture, please read this!

I remember a time just before I bought my Xbox 360 Elite... I was using the 360 VGA cable with my Samsung LNT4661. Microsoft updated the 360 dashboard to included "reference level settings", and I found that reference level "expanded" coupled with the Samsung "Home Theatre PC" mode set to "ON" fixed the washed out image VGA produced, very rich picture, but didn't kill my shadow detail.

I got my HDMI 360, and was expecting a very similar picture, maybe better black level control and shadow detail, and maybe a sharper image without ghosted text, etc. I dialed in the infamous "1499 settings", looked good, but not what I remember, and definitely not the picture IQ that I received from my PS3 over HDMI. Fast forward 6 months.... I figured it out, and you should too!

I knew something wasn't right and tried to probe AVS, Samsung, Microsoft for some answers about which combo of reference levels, and HDMI black levels, the general consensus was HDMI black level "Low" + Reference Level "Normal" was acceptable, and the same was true about the opposite (HDMI black level "normal" + reference level "expanded") produced the same black levels. The picture quality difference between the PS3 and 360 over HDMI got me thinking... Shouldn't HDMI "Low" coupled with 360 "Expanded" produce full RGB? NO. It looks rich, but your shadow detail will suffer big time...

Anyway, for Xbox 360 if you want the image quality to look outstanding, NO COMBINATIONS OF SETTINGS BESIDES THESE ARE CORRECT, it is the only way to use RGB colorspace with 360 and a Sammy LCD, giving you rich colors, great black levels, and accurate shadow detail:

ON YOUR 360:
-Plug your 360 into HDMI 1
-Set the reference level on the purple tab to "Expanded"

ON YOUR SAMSUNG LCD:
-Label HDMI 1 "PC" on the "inputs" tab along the left side of your TV menu
-Go to picture settings and reset them (last option), then use the following settings:

Picture mode: Standard
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 44
Sharpness: greyed out
Color: greyed out
Tint: 50/50 (may be greyed out)
Backlight: 3-6
HDMI Black Level: greyed out (normal)
Black Adjust: off
Dynamic Contrast: low or medium
Gamma: 0
Color Gamut: Auto
Home Theatre PC mode: On (this tells the TV to look for true RGB)
DNIE: On (I think it is greyed out)
DNR: off
White levels: default, all 15
color levels: default, all 15

You may have to power cycle your TV, but I found resetting your picture settings had the same effect, but the important things to note are:

-HDMI 1 is named PC
-Home Theatre PC "ON" (and NOT greyed out anymore)
-Xbox 360 reference levels Expanded
-some options get greyed out when correctly activated (sharpness, etc.)

PLEASE TRY THIS, YOU CAN PLAY WITH THE ACTUAL PICTURE SETTINGS, BUT THE 3 ABOVE ARE CRUCIAL.

I am surprised it took this long to figure it out, but I am confident I am correct, and you will immediately notice how amazing the picture is, no compromises.

I think this should be a sticky... Very important, easily overlooked.

Nothing else is true RGB.;)
I've done everything like you said but the Home Theater option is still greyed out, what am I doing wrong?

I've done everything like you said but the Home Theater option is still greyed out, what am I doing wrong?

what model do you have? Are you using HDMI-1?

what model do you have? Are you using HDMI-1?

LE32S81 and yes I'm using HDMI 1.Everything is as it should be except for the Home Theater option still being greyed out. Thanks for answering btw.

LE32S81 and yes I'm using HDMI 1.Everything is as it should be except for the Home Theater option still being greyed out. Thanks for answering btw.

have you tried 0-255 black test images using a PC/notebook to confirm it's working? (despite the HTPC being greyed out) I think your model is UK/Euro? I can't be positive if your model even needs to be coaxed into accepting/displaying Full RGB.

have you tried 0-255 black test images using a PC/notebook to confirm it's working? (despite the HTPC being greyed out) I think your model is UK/Euro? I can't be positive if your model even needs to be coaxed into accepting/displaying Full RGB.

The cables to connect to the PC came with the TV, right? If so I will try it out first thing in the morning to see if it is indeed working. Also, yes the TV is Euro.

OK, so I tried it, the PC worked fine, I was able to turn HTPC on too. I tried again with the HDMI1, setting the name to PC and the HTPC option still is greyed out.

can someone point me in the right direction for settings:

Xbox 360 component (launch) direct to Samsung LNT 4661F

All the avsforum threads I read are pretty much about VGA connections. Would I be better served connecting via VGA?

These setting in the original post seem to work ok with the new dashboard update.
Anyone have any comments or tweaks to the original post they would like to share?

The OP missed a setting to set, what color tone do we set it to? By default it's cool, but should we change it?

The OP missed a setting to set, what color tone do we set it to? By default it's cool, but should we change it?

I'm using warm2

I think I found the perfect settings combination, but need some feedback and testers.

I have an LNT-4065F model and here's the settings I am using...

HDMI1 (edited name to PC to enable full RGB)
Mode: Standard
Contrast 100
Brightness 45
Game Mode: On (I've tried with it off, but when it's off, it crushes black and there's more lag, trust me and just try it.)
Sharpness: 75 (greyed out)
Color: 55 (greyed out)
Tint: 50 (greyed out)
Backlight: 8
Color Tone: Normal
HDMI Black Level: Normal (greyed out)
Home Theater PC: Off (This is an important one, when I enable this one, the colors are so off, like WAY off,if you want proof, then on the 360 NXE dashboard with the theme set to xbox 360 (default) switch it on and off and look at the green color at the top left, it looks so bizarre with this mode on and is not accurate, you will still get full rgb with this off so don't worry)

On the 360...

Set the reference levels to expanded to match the above settings to allow full rgb.
HDMI Color Space should be set to source, not sure if there is a difference between auto and source, very confusing to the consumer lol. The reason why it needs to be on source is that so when you watching videos or movies on your 360, it switches over from RGB since videos and movies are not rendered in RGB.

Let me know what you guys think, I am playing dead space and didn't even have to move the brightness slider to calibrate it and the blacks are not crushed, yet a pure black still exists so these settings must be it.

You might want to look at this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1087510 As it stands. The 360 does not do 0-255 rgb using pc levels properly over hdmi. Only vga does.

I think I found the perfect settings combination, but need some feedback and testers.

I have an LNT-4065F model and here's the settings I am using...

HDMI1 (edited name to PC to enable full RGB)
Mode: Standard
Contrast 100
Brightness 45
Game Mode: On (I've tried with it off, but when it's off, it crushes black and there's more lag, trust me and just try it.)
Sharpness: 75 (greyed out)
Color: 55 (greyed out)
Tint: 50 (greyed out)
Backlight: 8
Color Tone: Normal
HDMI Black Level: Normal (greyed out)
Home Theater PC: Off (This is an important one, when I enable this one, the colors are so off, like WAY off,if you want proof, then on the 360 NXE dashboard with the theme set to xbox 360 (default) switch it on and off and look at the green color at the top left, it looks so bizarre with this mode on and is not accurate, you will still get full rgb with this off so don't worry)

On the 360...

Set the reference levels to expanded to match the above settings to allow full rgb.
HDMI Color Space should be set to source, not sure if there is a difference between auto and source, very confusing to the consumer lol. The reason why it needs to be on source is that so when you watching videos or movies on your 360, it switches over from RGB since videos and movies are not rendered in RGB.

Let me know what you guys think, I am playing dead space and didn't even have to move the brightness slider to calibrate it and the blacks are not crushed, yet a pure black still exists so these settings must be it.

I see, read the whole thread just now.

I understand that the expanded feature just expands the 16-235 spectrum to 0-255 and isn't the exact same as vga. So with the famous 1499 settings in the other thread, which should I pick?

Setting HDMI 1 to PC, 360 to expanded and HDMI black level set to normal...

or...

Leaving HDMI 1 as it is, 360 to standard, and HDMI black level set to low?

Also can someone clarify if xbox 360 games are designed in the 16-235 spectrum or the 0-255 one.

Until MS fixes the 0-255 issue over hdmi. I would use the following as suggested by others as well. Which is also my current setup on my Sammy lcd.

HDMI 1 (name it any thing else but PC)
HDMI black level with in the tv settings set to Low
HDMI black level with in the 360 settings set to Standard
HDMI color space with in the 360 settings set to Auto
720p if tv is native 1366x768

I see, read the whole thread just now.

I understand that the expanded feature just expands the 16-235 spectrum to 0-255 and isn't the exact same as vga. So with the famous 1499 settings in the other thread, which should I pick?

Setting HDMI 1 to PC, 360 to expanded and HDMI black level set to normal...

or...

Leaving HDMI 1 as it is, 360 to standard, and HDMI black level set to low?

Also can someone clarify if xbox 360 games are designed in the 16-235 spectrum or the 0-255 one.

I am getting my son a samsung 330 32" 720p this weekend as an early christmas present, anyone have any troubles with this TV and the 360/ps3? it will be connected via hdmi

Until MS fixes the 0-255 issue over hdmi. ...

What issue?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1087510

What issue?

Posted by Parasite:

Ok guys here is where it gets interesting.
I tried the test pattern on PS3 and to my suprised it passed with flying colors. But the amazing part is this. The pattern was passing the test using both limited and full range rgb. That doesnt make any sense whatsoever. I guess the conclusion I have come to is this. The xbox does not pass pc colors correctly unless you are using a vga cable and expanded. The PS3 will pass the pattern using both limited and full range with zero visual difference.
This could be why people tend to think ps3 games are washed out. The ps3 is expanding 16-235 to cover the 0-255 color space, which will have a huge impact on black levels, contrast, gamma ect.. Neither company is doing full range correctly on hdmi, and PS3 is not even doing limited range correctly. When will they get this figured out, its not rocket science?

In other words, if you want correct 0-255, you must use VGA. Until Microsoft fixes the HMDI issue you are either getting 16-235 or the 360 is expanding the range of 16-235 to 0-255.

Interesting..................thanks for the heads up

hi. I have a samsung le40m86/87 cant remember which and even though i set the hdmi 1 input to pc it still doesnt give me the option to turn on home theatre pc. help appreciated.

not to worry you just have to use hdmi input 2 on my tele

Hey guys,

Im using a Samsung LE32R74BD - I dont have the PC HT mode but I do have an option to change to something in the setup menu just named PC but it is greyed out?

Does this mean I am not able to access advanced picture settings?

If this is the case, could anyone tell me what the optimum settings would be for me using an HDMI cable? (or refer me to a post that has those details already)

I would be eternally grateful for any help/advice on the problems Im having sorting out the correct settings.

Cheers again!

please help. i have taken the steps in this thread and found pc mode and htpc makes colours less rich. i turned off my t.v and when i returned to it, un-named the input pc. PING, the colours and vibrancy were perfect and much better than the previously washed out image. as soon as i turn the t.v off, it goes back the way it was. for a few days i went through the process of naming the input pc, turning it off and then re-naming it nothing producing deep colour. shortly after, i found the process to not be working anymore and everything became washed out and blurry. i switched to component which has always looked perfect and to my shock it looked blurry too. theres no doubt it has something to do with the fiddling i did but know not how to restore my panel to its original condition. any ideas.

cheers Joe

ps i have not changed any settings on the xbox itself nor the t.v settings and have performed a hard reset on both

#1. So much for SAMSUNG being the "official" TV brand of the Xbox 360, chosen by Microsoft.

#2. Please research, Samsung S panels C panels, and A panels. You never know what you are buying and unles syou get an S panel made by Samsung gaming is going to have bad input lag because they are MVA Panels

#3. Try checking which Model Number your TV starts with its on the side or back of the unit.

After owning 2 Samsung HDTV's and doing alot of research I went with a Panasonic TC-L32S1

WHY? because

#1. Its uses a 10-bit (not 8-bit) IPS Alpha panel also know as IPS Pro.

#2. These IPS panels In Plane Switching are hands down the best for Gaming, No Input Lag its been tested

#3. IPS panels are what high end photographers and digital artists use in hollywood and for graphics work.
Apple also uses IPS panels for its Cinema Displays and its new iPad

#4. Amazingly clear, view angles

#5. Consumer Reports ranked it #3, among 32" LCD's

#6. IPS Alpha panels handle motion better than any other type of LCD panel, so no blurry motion on sports etc.

#7. I tried Game Mode on several types of LCD's and it does not help much. Its the TYPE of panel that makes all the difference.

Look on YouTube, for Samsung trailing, ghosting, or Overdrive, or smear. you will see.


http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Televisions/All-VIERA-Flat-Panel-HDTVs/model.TC-L32S1_11002_7000000000000005702

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29229915@N08/2724432912/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29229915@N08/2723611571/ vibrant rich

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29229915@N08/2723611165/ (samsung can't do that)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoNEC86cGyI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IRFtqfKtlw



There are many different Flavors of LCD panel types

of all IPS is the best for Gaming period.

If you are MLG Sponsored like me you need a proper Gaming equipment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD

IPS is great and all, but who plays games from such a wide angle? Most people would never have any issue with a non-IPS display for TV or gaming. People that complain about viewing angles, just complain to complain. In reality, most people watch TV from a very small angle in their living rooms, and for PC gaming, well the monitor is right in front of you.

IPS is great and all, but who plays games from such a wide angle? Most people would never have any issue with a non-IPS display for TV or gaming. People that complain about viewing angles, just complain to complain. In reality, most people watch TV from a very small angle in their living rooms, and for PC gaming, well the monitor is right in front of you.

Good point and true but forget about view angles, Thats just an added benefit. The real importance is zero Input lag. Unlike other types or flavors of LCD panels where you are 2-3 or 3-4 frames behind the action. Its just not acceptable.