[nmcnair]

I thought this deserved its own seperate thread since its not really related to the HDDVD update, but certainly effects it especially for VGA users.


I do have a question on my own with this.. does anyone know how it effects component cables with SD content? Before when I calibrated with DVE DVD (since the HDDVD side wont play still) I could ge the blacker than black to display, but no matter what I did, everything was too dark when properly set up. When I watched the test pattern (the two people eating) I couldnt make out any details on the guys black sportcoat.. it was just all one mess.


I since adjusted the black level on the 360 to "extended" and recalibrated, and now when I watch the video, I can make out the finest details of the coat.


Is this correct, or am I washing out my blacks?

 

[chrisherbert]

Wait, you see MORE shadow detail at extended than at standard? That doesn't sound right.

 

[nmcnair]



Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisherbert /forum/post/0


Wait, you see MORE shadow detail at extended than at standard? That doesn't sound right.

yeah, I know... but for whatever reason, on Standard everything looks crushed (it looked this way prior to the update since this was the output the 360 was defaulting to).


I see more detail on extended (Im conected through component). It doesnt make any sense at all, Im going to guess that my TV's grayscale/gamma sucks...


Ive allways thought I had a crushed black problem even when everything was properly calibrated.

 

[eric.exe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisherbert /forum/post/0


Wait, you see MORE shadow detail at extended than at standard? That doesn't sound right.

From dailytech:



A long-standing complaint of the VGA output on the Xbox 360 is its washed out picture quality, where colors on the screen would not appear as bright and vibrant as compared to running the console to the TV using component cables.


The culprit for this problem is the difference between how HDTV and PC displays interpret black levels. A correctly calibrated HDTV typically expects a black level to be at 7.5 IRE (with anything below that to be blacker than black), while a PC display has its black set to zero. The Xbox 360, which is tweaked for televisions, has its IRE tuned for the HDTV norm of 7.5 IRE.


However, due to the fact that most HDTVs manufacturers expect that VGA inputs are for use with PCs rather than the Xbox 360, most televisions have its IRE for VGA at zero to accommodate a PC video card's output. The result of this is that while the Xbox 360 is sending out a 7.5 IRE for calling for black, the HDTV is interpreting that as a call for something less than black, like a pleasant shade of grey.


The Spring Update adds a new feature allowing users to tweak the IRE setting that the Xbox 360 sends out to the television. Both Xbox 360 Elite and current Xbox 360 units will have a spring (console) update which adds support for different video levels for VGA output (7.5 IRE vs 0) ... using this setting you should be able to use computer monitors in addition to TVs with resolutions all the way up to 1080p with high fidelity and no issues with HDCP handshaking, explained Amir Majidimehr, VP of Microsoft's Consumer Media Technology Group.