Microsoft slips and confirms HDMI output
We all knew it when we saw the leaked photo, and we recently got word that it’s coming soon too, but the wait was still on for Microsoft to officially confirm the release of a new Xbox 360 revision sporting an HDMI output. While a press release is still not out in the wild, we’ve finally caught a Microsoft employee confirming the upcoming feature.
Imagine this shiny HDMI port, found on a black 360 near you soon?
Whether the developer was actively fishing for useful information or just asking an honest question for development purposes will probably always remain unknown, but his topic on the MSDN support forums was simply:
Will the HDMI output on the revised 360 require any code changes
To which Shawn Hargreaves, Microsoft representative, replied without hesitation:
No changes required.
There you have it right from the horse’s mouth, HDMI is coming and it won’t be taking years. Xbox-Scene further adds to the ever growing list of rumors out there, by stating the regular Core and Premium boxes will also be getting an HDMI output somewhere around June this year according to their sources.
Cheers to Colby for hitting our News Submit with this.
YES
i cant wait for my black 360
what’s the big deal? is 1080i through hdmi that much better than 1080i through component or vga?
Actually there’s not too much of a big deal. HDMI support 1080p, unlike Component, but there are barely televisions out there accepting 1080p inputs anyway. If you have a 1080p set it’s cool, otherwise you’re off just as good with component and an optical cable for the sound.
I’m sorry but you are wrong!
All that HDMI does is support HDCP which is disabled on the xbox. That’s the copy protecion. 1080p can be delivered over component and VGA.
So they’re putting in an HDMI port for something that can’t be used…?
Component supports 1080p fine
xbox enables 1080p via Component and VGA
its the lack of compatible TV’s that is the issue
picture quality is identical
the only benefit for hdmi is the reduced cable clutter as sound (inc DD5.1) is integrated.
Well we’re both correct. Component formally isn’t specced to carry 1080p signals, but there is equipment that supports it anyway.
Plus HDMI could mean uncompressed sound for HD-DVD.
So where’s the guy that kept insisting to everyone that HDMI for the existing Xbox 360 SKUs was impossible?
This is good news for me. I’ve got a 1080p TV that won’t accept 1080p via the HD Component cable. The reduced cable clutter will be good too!
It’s just occurred to me that this is probably new builds of the existing SKUs only, i.e. not upgrades for existing boxes. Hmmm, hope I’m wrong.
You are wrong. The current units only support analog outputs
exactly, hdmi on todays 360’s is impossible (i mean real hdmi, you still can use some vga/component-to-hdmi converter, but that’s still analog signal)
No big deal, people just think that because it’s “super new tech” that it’s way better…basically the same picture quality as component or VGA.
yay cant wait for my elite 360
Why can’t the current xbox360 have a cable that ends in a hdmi male port? I mean, the port on the set is digital, isn’t it? A hdmi cable shouldn’t be a problem with a software upgrade. Neither should HDCP be as it’s not even implemented yet.
right. I don’t buy this. We are at the end of march and it is supposedly released in april.
Surely something should have been said by now!?!
Why cause a million people to delay their purchase by announcing too early?
I’d like to ask “so what do owners of white 360s do?” but then I remembered Nintendo, and their constant hardware upgrades, so we’re not getting HDMI ports until we want new 360’s. (Which, if they break, won’t be long.)
Not that I even own an HD set.
“Why can’t the current xbox360 have a cable that ends in a hdmi male port? I mean, the port on the set is digital, isn’t it?” - well no, it isn’t. 360 is able to output video signal in analog, not digital. that’s why another scaler (’hana’, probably’) is needed for digital output
ms basically went with what was cheapest at the time, analog output.. and just waited till production was up high enough to justify a component change.
so early adopters lost… but thats just how it goes these days.
Not true. HDMI 1.3 wasn’t specced until June 2006 while 360 launched in Nov 2005, and HDMI 1.1 was an unreliable crap standard. There was no worthy alternative over the existing offering of composite/RGB/component/VGA which covers most bases anyway.
HDMI 1.1 isnt unreliable all HDMI video specs are based on DVi 1.0 HDMI 1.3 delivers additions that nothing can utilise yet Deep colour etc HDMI is all about DRM nothing else and what is the benefit in sending DD5.1 or eeven True HD sound to a TV with 2 speakers? If you have an AV amp or processor with HDMI then there is a small cable benefit but most 360 owners dont have this anyway. Having an HDMI output may help them sell more cosoles but you wont get a better image (it may be more “compatible” but thats about it) ALso it will mean more people forking out more money on HDMI switches etc as 2 HDMI is standard for new screens (some can have 3) This really is nothing to worry about.
doh! who is sick of hearing questions why the xbox360 cant just have a cable plug at the back for HDMI
its got me down as a spammer again!!!
I’ll just wait and see. At this moment i’m on my fourth 360 (two just overheated and gave graphic issues, last one was the famous “ring of death”). With a bit of luck the fifth one can be attached to my Sony 40W2000 through HDMI and deliver vibrant 1080p, opposed to 1080p through VGA.
Actually, you’re all wrong so far, unless I missed something.
1080p IS possible over component, but with the 360, only games are possible in 1080p through component. When it comes to HD-DVDs, you can only go as high as 1080i through component. And as for regular DVDs being upscaled, you can only go as high as 480p through component.
With HDMI, all formats, games, HD-DVD, and DVD-upscaled will all hit 1080p resolutions. This is the main reason I will return my “broken” 360 to EB Games before the one year warranty is up and have it replaced with the HDMI Premium sku. Then, if I really need it, more than likely not, I may buy a 120 GB HDD when they hit stores. I prefer my 360 in white, I think the black looks terrible. Although if it was a nice glossy black, maybe with some nice chrome trim, or neon green light-trim , that would be a different story.
And please, not to sound conceited, but just don’t argue with my HDMI argument, those are facts, and if you do decide to argue about it, I will find the links to it, directly from xbox.com and various other sites.
According to my TV, my regular DVDs (using my Xbox 360 HD-DVD player and the HD component cable) are being shown at 576p.
I agree about the colour, thing though - I think I prefer a white box to the black.
The article states:
Will the HDMI output on the revised 360 require any code changes
To which Shawn Hargreaves, Microsoft representative, replied without hesitation:
No changes required.
….. If no changes required maybe there is a chance of a HDMI cable for existing xbox’s ???
I mean you can upgrade a core for a premium at the moment so you should be able to do the same with the new core / premium consoles ??
“No software changes” does not equal “no hardware changes”.
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alright, lets get it straight everyone, not all TV’s accept a 1080p signal using component this is why they probably have an HDMI port on them. Ok the deal with Microsoft with having that output is because it will Utilize Tv’s that don’t accept 1080p using component and it will offer a Digital signal compared to a Analog signal of component cables. The reason that noise is not an issue with HDMI is because it’s Digital, whether the signal is there or not at certain time frames will create a picture that converts to 1920×1080 lines in progressive resolution. DVD’s were meant for standard def so they are only in 480i being upscaled to 480p, the HD-DVD’s are in 1080p and they are displayed in 1080p on your HDTV as long as your TV supports 1080p over component cables, with the approach of HDMI you won’t have to worry if this is compatible or not with 1080p, because they were designed with this resolution in mind. All other comments based on this message will be ignored so don’t bother to waste or time on trying to correct me.
Actually, If I remember correctly, the current 360 is capable of having an HDMI dongle and use it to it’s fullest. A while back it was noted by Microsoft that the system had the chip inside already for digital output. They would just have to produce a dongle and update the software to get it to work. The reason they weren’t was because of licensing and lack of standards. They were waiting for 1.3 before committing to it. I may be wrong though. I remember the article on here though.
I’m glad that HDMI is finally coming to the 360, even if it is only for new units. It’s unavoidable…Microsoft has to keep a leg up on Sony and it can’t do that if it can’t offer comparable experiences. More and more people are purchasing HDTVs these days (I just bought mine a week ago) and they all offer HDMI, so eventually the lack of HDMI would have negatively affected 360 sales if something wasn’t done.
That said, as a Premium 360 owner, I have to ask, what is the big deal? This is not going to affect gaming. I’ll still be able to play all 360 games in 1080p via component and VGA. I’ll still be able to enjoy HD-DVDs in 1080i or 720p should I choose to purchase the HD-DVD add-on (but frankly I don’t like clutter and I’m enjoying my regular DVDs in widescreen progressive scan literally for the first time on a TV that I own). The only thing that would make me upset would be if Microsoft added HD-DVD as the 360’s standard disc drive and offered it at the same price (without offering current users a SIGNIFICANT upgrade discount.
That’s exactly what would piss me off. I would be really angry if the new 360’s had an HD-DVD drive built in. 1080p doesn’t matter to me because I have a 50 inch HDTV. A resolution of 1920×1080 in a 50 inch TV is a waste of technology and money for the consumer. To see the benefits of that resolution in a 50 inch, you’d basically have to have the TV strapped to your face. You really need a TV larger than 55 inches to benefit from the higher resolution with 1080p and even then you’d have to sit abnormally close. Some people sit so far away they may as well have an EDTV.
Oh, and as for the 120GB HDD, sounds cool, but until they bring the Xbox Video Marketplace to Canada, I don’t see the point in buying one. I use a 20GB iPod to stream all my music and custom soundtracks to my 360, so I’ve still got plenty of room for game demos and videos on my “paltry” 20GB HDD. I’m not picking up the new HDD until there are enough reasons to make it a worthwhile investment.