Best Picture for a UK Xbox?

[Plisken]

I'm currently using an RGB scart lead, but as we all know RGB on a pal xbox is complete murky bollocks. Only noticed it with the Recent Metal Slug 3, the colours are horribly drab and washed out in comparison with the PS2 and Neo versions of the game.

S-Video? Component? Composite?

I've looked up component cables, but noticed they have 5 leads rather than 3 (i know 2 of the 5 are used for Audio) , so if compo is the best picture, where do the other 2 go? Thanks in advance.

[Ang?l21]

On the component cable there are two leads for strero audio and the other three leads are all for the picture (red, green, blue). Think of component as a better shielded scart cable hence the better quality of the picture.

As far as a pal xbox goes if you can use component i'd try that. i'm currently using rgb as thats the best input I have on my tv. S-video is worse and composite is utter bollocks!

[anephric]

You need a component-enabled tv (Toshiba and Phillips are pretty good for this)...

the "extra" cables carry the colour signals (red, green, blue - in component's case referred to as Y/g Yb/B and Yr/R).

A bog-standard tv prolly won't have component-in. As I mentioned above, Toshiba do reasonably priced models with this feature (they're quite good for pushing component).

Go for a progressive-scan model and you can get 480p out of your box as well

[Charlie Footstool]

Eh? I think the RBG is by far the best connection. I have tested composite (awful) and s-video (better) and RGB which is clearly MUCH brighter and crisper than the other 2.

Why do you think its "complete murky bollocks"?

What sort of TV do you run this on?

[Pij]

Why do you think its "complete murky bollocks"?

The RGB is somewhat poor on the xbox compared to other consoles, where as i beleive (never used it) the component out is perfect.

[charlesr]

Yeah, the Xbox RGB output, whilst clearer and more defined (as you would expect) than composite on the Xbox, is utter ****e compared to the Dreamcast or Gamecube. Component is meant to sort this out.

[anephric]

I have absolutely no complaints about Xbox component...

...admittedly I jumped from S-Video to component, so I've never touched the RGB.

RGB CAN sometimes give a very dark pic from some sources etc. From most dvd players S-Video will give you a much "lighter" pic than RGB. RGB can require fiddling around with in service menus to adjust colour values and lightness.

[Saurian]

The RGB out of the Xbox is REALLY similar to what you used to get out of a DC when using one of those old Diamond AV to RGB converters (sold before Sega released RGB cables for the machine), the colours are washed out yet dull and you get no clean edges just like the Xbox. It got me thinking that maybe you could take the RGB signals off somewhere else on the board bypassing whatever it is that output that garbage image, but it's beyond me.

I've removed the caps from my RGB cable - this dulled the colours even more but I get slightly sharper edges out of it, would like to use component but I cant afford to buy a new TV. Even the Megadrive or a modified PC Engine or N64 gives a better RGB image than the Xbox

[JibberX]

I'm actually shocked about the crapness of the Xbox image from teh "Advanced SCART" thing, its useless... This is a PAL box, the PS2 SVid outputs a nicer image for goodness sake. And quite frankly I can't be arsed to do anyhting about it.

[Yoshimoto]

Do newer XBoxs give a better RGB output than the early ones?

Its just that i replaced my original XBox with one of the latest Crystal ones recently and unless i'm imagining things its got a considerably brighter image.

[Saurian]

Yeah the new one does have been improved (this is what I'm using) - it's the new "Focus" TV out chip they use that makes the difference - but it's still absolutely shocking when you flick between the DC and Xbox running the same game. I paused Psyvariar 2 at the same point and flicked between the two on my splitter recently and it's like the Xbox isnt running RGB at all in comparison.

The early USA models were really bad - I was unlucky enough to get one of the bad batch and had to sell it immediately at a loss to get another, you couldnt see the background in JSRF for example as there was no definition between colours just a murky brown/red mess.

[bash]

Well, Im using component with my xbox outputting 480p. Its pretty nice, Burnout 2 is proly the best game I've seen on it so far. I had seen Saurians Xbox RGB and it was pretty poor comapared to the PS2 or GC, even his N64!!!

I think the best images I've seen are prog scan GC games via plasma though. And Im talking about screenshots, I've yet to see it moving. . . .

*edit*

also going OT, whats the deal with PAL crystal box's, do they have drives that accept all media like the old samsung ones? I may sell my ugly black box to get a crystal one and swap HD's over :S

[Yoshimoto]

Cheers for clearing that up. I wasn't sure if i was just kidding myself so i didn't feel so bad about forking out for a new one.

[Saurian]

also going OT, whats the deal with PAL crystal box's, do they have drives that accept all media like the old samsung ones? I may sell my ugly black box to get a crystal one and swap HD's over :S

You dont get the good drives on all of them - if possible try and check (you know the differences between the 2 drive trays ennit?)

[Canton Province]

I am well surprised at how nice a pic looks through component over RGB Scart on the xbox. It is a very noticable difference, and that's before out putting progressive scan. Crisp and vibrant colours, as you'd expect. Xbox RGB is minging.