Review: XCM White 360 HDMI 1080i Cable

[bandit]

XCM White 360 HDMI 1080i Cable
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $65.00

Overview : Another exclusive product from XCM, this cable will let you connect your non HDMI Xbox 360 with an HDMI cable to a HDTV or DVI monitor with a high resolution signal of 1080i thanks to XCM HDMI 1080i Cable for Xbox 360 without HDMI Port.

You can now enjoy the same resolutions than people with Xbox 360 Elite!

Features :

• High quality 3rd party product.
• Converts the analog signal to digital signal and acts as a HDMI digital signal solution for HDMI-less Xbox 360's.
• Comes extra RCA sockets and optical socket for connection to speakers.
• Comes with a HDMI to DVI adapter - can be used on a PC monitor as well as a HDTV.

Quality/Usability : Recently within the past year, Microsoft has started to include HDMI port to all Xbox 360 consoles. Unfortunately, for those early adopters playing on a HD TV/monitor are left with a HDMI-less Xbox 360 unless they went out and bought a new Xbox 360 with HDMI port on it.

But those who's original white Xbox 360 didnt succumb to the RRoD (Red Ring of Death) and/or still have the original white Xbox 360, can now have the same ability to play in HD just like all new owners of the Xbox 360. XCM has filled that void by releasing a White 360 HDMI 1080i Cable. Included is HDMI cable, HDMI to DVI adapter, and XCM's nifty device that converts signal to HD.

Setup is fairly easy (video below). With the HDMI 1080i Cable, you'll get up to 1080i output from your original white Xbox 360. The same as if you were to get a Xbox 360 Premium, Elite or Halo 3 edition. To get this setup, simply connect the device to the back of the Xbox 360. Take the HDMI cable and connect it to the other end of the device and the other end of the cable to your monitor/HD TV. If you dont have a HDMI port on your monitor, you can use the included HDMI to DVI adapter.

Connect via HDMI


Connect via DVI

Just remember that HDMI supports digital audio through the cable but DVI does not, so you'll need to connect speakers. The device has two RCA audio jacks (red/yellow) for those who are using DVI. If you have speakers that also has RCA audio jacks, simply plug it into the HDMI device.

Once all cables are connected, simply turn on the Xbox 360 and you will now have an original white Xbox 360 capable of running in HD via HDMI/DVI. The HDMI device also has a power indicator to let you know that the product is turned on and in use. From what I have tested, the visual quality is the same using this adapter and connecting the Xbox 360 directly to the HDTV via HDMI. I didnt notice any loss of quality.

Conclusion : Overall, the XCM White 360 HDMI 1080i Cable is the best solution for those wanting to play in HD on their original white HDMI-less Xbox 360. The only thing I dont like about the White 360 HDMI 1080i Cable is the size of the device. Its approximately 5" wide. Thats not including the cable. But those who still have the original Xbox 360 and want to play in HD via HDMI should consider looking into this device.

If you're running out of HDMI ports, consider looking into Talismoon HDMI Switcher with Remote, XCM HDMI/DVI Crossover Selector for additional HDMI/DVI ports.

Images via comments

[Elven6]

Um you know you can do 1080p over component right?

[Elven6]

Um you know you can do 1080p over component right?

[bandit]

Originally Posted by Elven6

Um you know you can do 1080p over component right?

Yes, you're right. I was thinking of the Wii for a minute.

[Elven6]

I read a article awhile back when the elite came out, can remember who it was by, but they compared gears running at 1080p over component and over digital, they said their was a small difference, one that you will only see if you spend hours looking for. So theirs no point in buying this crap adapter, it can't even do 1080p!


Edit: Oh, lol if the 360 couldn't have done HD, gamers wouldn't let Microsoft live it down!

[bandit]

Originally Posted by Elven6

I read a article awhile back when the elite came out, can remember who it was by, but they compared gears running at 1080p over component and over digital, they said their was a small difference, one that you will only see if you spend hours looking for. So theirs no point in buying this crap adapter, it can't even do 1080p!


Edit: Oh, lol if the 360 couldn't have done HD, gamers wouldn't let Microsoft live it down!

Not everyone has a display capable of 1080p and for those who own the original Xbox which this review is based for, they probably prefer to play over HDMI than component. No one is forcing anyone to buy any of these products but for those interested, it would be an option and their choice to purchase.

I agree that if 360 didnt have HD, MS wouldnt hear the end of it from gamers considering the amount of graphics it outputs. People even complain about the Wii only being able to output at 480p but the power of the Wii can not compare with what the PS3 or 360 can produce. I'm not going to get into all this system war or what system has more power and can do what as that is for a different thread in its own thread. This is about the product itself.

[Qyndra]

Anyone can confirm me if the HD-DVD will upscale DVD'S to HD with this cable?

Actually the HD-DVD adapter for the xbox only do the 480p on the components with DVD's. You need to have the Elite one with the HDMI to get the upscale on DVD's.

[last_emp]

Hey, I just bought this cable and hooked it up to my monitor (Acer P243W) via HDMI.
First big WTF, the image was not centered and since it is not an analog signal I cannot rectify it through my monitors settings. Now I see about an inch of black on the left...
Could this be due to my monitor running 1920*1200 instead of regular 1080i which runs in 1920*1080??
I do not want to run it through DVI because my computer is connected directly through DVI and I also had some noise in the image running it through DVI.
Can anybody help me please???

[Elven6]

Can you change your monitor resolution?