I got this 17" computer monitor(not wide screen, square size) and I am planning to buy a cable which connects the 360 video output into the monitor. Do you think its a good idea? Will the quality be better than ordinary TV? Will the graphics become "Stretched"?

Thank you.

Quality is much much much much more better and some games will have 4:3 display. If not the games will be in letter box mode (got black bar top and bottom)

yup computer monitor graphics better if you are comparing it to a normal tv only. previously i was playing my xbox360 in 21" refurbished monitor and super cun lah.

so it will automatically switched to 4:3 mode right?
cause normal TV cant read those text in games like Dead Rising...
which is why i am considering on playing in LCD Computer Monitor

it depends what you are talking about..
if u asking bout resolution.. no doubt it is better coz it is in HD la..

but talking bout the ratio, it is a problem..
not all games have black bars..
i give some examples.. so far from what i see..
DOA4 looks good on 4:3, it run fullscreen, no stretching..
Viva pinata looks good.. fullscreen, no stretching..
GOW has black bars on top and below.. non-fullscreen.. so the image is small
DOAX2 looks bad.. it run fullscreen, but there is major stretching..
PGR3 looks bad.. it run fullscreen, major stretching..

streching makes the games looks extremely jaggy and unporpotioned..
in DOAx2.. the girls appear to be very tall and thin.. cars in PGR3 looks distorted..

it all depends on the developer.. some games is fine.. some game is pathetic to look at.. its not like they can't do it.. they probably juz ignore it.. PGR3 has this problem when running at 1280X1024 but it corrects itself when u switch to lower resolution like 640x480 but its no use.. its low res!!!!

Sad to say but NEXT GEN IS FOR WIDESCREEN ONLY!

This post has been edited by prazole: Jan 15 2007, 05:49 PM

Dear YunaX, it will definitely be a good idea. You get to play with your Xbox360 without your parents or housemates fussing about wanting to watch the TV, so you get personal privacy. Please obtain a genuine XBOX360 VGA cable though to ensure you get the best picture quality. There have been reports that some plain cheap third party cables gave bad image quality and all sorts of problem.

This doesn't mean better third party products isn't good but there are a few types packaging available for the exact same thing so you have to be careful. For example, you'll need a female-to-female connector to change the cable terminal gender to support your 17" computer monitor. However, this is only required if you monitor has a video cable attached permanently. Newer LCD monitors has a detachable video cable so this is not required. The cable can be connected directly.

Then again if you're using your computer speakers or built-in monitor speakers for sound reproduction, you'll need RCA-to-stereo plug converter. This is not needed if you're connecting to a standard AV equipment like an amplifier though.

That is why I suggest you get a genuine XBOX360 VGA cable because Microsoft took the liberty to include all these accessories in the standard package, saving you from the fuss of looking for them individually. The RCA-to-stereo plug is available at any electronic store, however the female-to-female 25 pin D-sub connector is a pain to find because it is not a common part.

I've been around Sungei Wang and none carries the original package. Some claim to carry them but they do not look like an original even though the packaging is very similar. So be careful. Fortunately, I went to Gamers Hideout at CineLeisure and they do carry this product selling for RM99 if I'm not mistaken. So you might want to shop around.

Ok back to your original questions. The XBOX360 can definitely render in 4:3 ratio. You need to specify that you're using a normal monitor instead of widescreen. Then you need to choose a resolution that is both a 4:3 aspect ratio and closest to your native resolution. If you're using a 17" LCD, I guess it should be 1280x1024. If its a 17" CRT, then it should be a 1024x768. Some games especially video feeds cannot support 4:3 so you'll be viewing in letterbox mode but during gameplay your GPU should have the freedom to render in whatever resolutions in whatever aspect ratio provided the game code supports it.

Playing XBOX360 on a LCD monitor depending on configuration would results in slightly washed out colours compared to playing with component on HDTV. This is a known problem and there is not fix as of yet. This can be fix or workaround by adjusting your monitor or doing a simple calibration.

Hope this helps.

that is why... this is a problem for lazy developers.. sigh..
anyway some games like what i see in viva pinata has option for LCD input they juz enhance the color slightly by adjusting contrast..

thanks guys, just bought the cable(rm60) and got the audio problem solved.
the only thing trouble is switching the monitor serial port during 360 and computer usage.
Other than that, its all working fine. No stretching, no distort, looks even better than TV

I think you could buy switchers to solve this problem. Its a box with two VGA inputs to serve inputs from your 360 and your PC. It then outputs to a single VGA to feed your monitor. All you got to do is just switch to display from 360 or your PC. Not sure if this is a product selling in KL though.

Alternatively, you could just deal with it temporarily and wait till you upgrade your monitor. By then you could have a LCD monitor for very affordable prices and you would have both DVI-D and VGA inputs. Assuming you have a video card in your PC that supports DVI-I, then this problem is solved.

Anyway congrats on your new setup. Yeah it definitely looks better than TV if you're coming from a standard definition TV. It easily the most effective upgrade for the price you pay. Enjoy!

yup thinking to upgrade to LCD next time...19inch already cheap...saw viewsonic model 1912 widescreen only RM699...

Agree. The 19" LCD monitor is going by quite affordable compared to few years ago. I remember buying my first 17" for RM1050 for an entry level model! So right now is more than a good excuse to get one widescreen (if you prefer) LCD for personal playtime with the XBOX360.

But the color quality when pairing a LCD with XBOX360 still needs improvement. I'm not sure if its really the hardware or the VGA implementation fault but I still feel doing calibration and adjustment could only do so much.

Any suggestions? Did anyone of you found solutions to this?

if only the VGA output from the 360 has a "digital vibrance" color setting like most geforce cards, the wash-out effect wont be a factor anymore.

1280x1024 is not 4:3, and that may be the problem (i'm just guessing, don't have a 360... yet). It's actually 5:4. 1280x960 is 4:3.

This post has been edited by ikanayam: Jan 17 2007, 02:08 PM

Yeah, think i'll get a switcher from the net. I'm afraid pluging the serial port too often may damage the hardware.

Anway, I have one more question

I heard from my friend that playing Live requires an update that will format my HDD in 360, and all the save will be lost. Is that true?

If yes, can i copy the save files to a pendrive and transfer back to my 360 once the update/format is done?

Thank you

i got monitor for my ps2 n ps3 too
but i m using tv box, the quality is terribly bad,any solutions???use better cable or better tv box????thanks!

Guys.... I wanna buy Xbox 360...
so if i wanna use 19" CRT monitor to play i have to buy cable from microsoft ar???

This post has been edited by michael9413: Jan 24 2007, 11:22 AM

u can get third party cable..

well my fren ask me to buy 3rd party one n get one adaptor for the connection...
as it is male from the cable side n also also from CRT monitor...

u need the converter... heard really hard to get.....
but i got it at harvey Norman a lot there... near the computer department.... rm10.90 the thing still sealed up...
tot I need it for vga input but me using LCD can detach the cable

ya lo...i'm using monitor only...