Xbox 360 and PC monitor help please, expert needed

[rakester]

Hi, I'm new here

Ok, I have a massive headache from trying to work this out, if anyone can help me i will be very appreciative

I want to use this monitor for my xbox by using a xbox VGA cable.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Widescreen-S.../ref=de_a_smtd

(all specs of the monitor can be found on that page)

Ok, so the xbox supports

* 640 x 480
* 848 x 480
* 1024 x 768
* 1280 x 720 (equivalent to 720p)
* 1280 x 768
* 1280 x 1024
* 1360 x 768
* 1920 x 1080


My questions now...

--> Will the xbox 360 be able to run on that screen and fully use 100% of the screen area without there being black bars at the top or sides of the screen?

--> If this will work with my Xbox, will it run in HD

--> Will it look good as my aim is to get the best picture possible as pc monitors tend to have better resolutions?

--> Is there a way I could also hook up my PC and Xbox at the same time as there is only one VGA connector on the screen, how would i do this and would there be any issues?


Getting so desperate now to work this out


Thanks, Jake

[Whiternoise]

1. Black bars you'll probably get, since it's a different aspect ratio to the ones you list. Easier to just get a TV if it's a problem. Basically, the aspect ratio is key here. If the screen doesn't support the same as the 360 ratios, then it'll have bars. Simple as that.

2. You're not going to get 1080 out of it i imagine since the monitor just doesn't have enough pixels - you could try to make a pseudo 1080 picture, but you'll lose quality. Obviously a problem you're going to have is that if you get a bigger monitor, it's likely to have a larger vertical pixel count so you'll have black bars.

3. I haven't tried it, but there'll be youtube videos of people who've done it. Will it look good depends really. Bear in mind that a lot of TV's don't really have huge resolutions. It doesn't work the other way round very well - you can't get a 50" screen to display your computer at that high a resolution because it'll just be bigger - rather than more detail.

4. Get a VGA splitter? I don't think you can get it to display split-screen, unless you use a TV card of some sort. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Euronetwork-.../dp/B000BB0C9C has a review of someone in your position.

It might be worth having a quick google for a tutorial on it!

[rakester]

Thanks so much mate Appreciate you taking the time to answer

Looks like I'm back to the drawing board. Just planned on using a PC monitor as it's a lot cheaper to get a good picture cheapo than it is to buy a TV.

hmmm...

[rakester]

I now have the resolutions that this monitor supports via a document i downloaded, here they are...



so would i get get black bars if i ran it at one of these resolutions?

[rakester]

anyone?

I badly need something to play my 360 on

[Whiternoise]

Looks like you can definitely run option number 13, so you can play it, but it'll probably work at a higher res anyway, so just fire it up and go for it

[rakester]

Originally Posted by Whiternoise

Looks like you can definitely run option number 13, so you can play it, but it'll probably work at a higher res anyway, so just fire it up and go for it

wouldn't option 16 work as well?

someone said this on another forum, is this something to worry about...

Originally Posted by DrugstoreCowboy

As the Xbox 360 neither supports the monitors native resolution nor the 16:10 aspect ratio the monitor is not ideal - it'll result in a slightly stretched and blurry picture.

Not to say it wont be perfectly usable but a 16:9 display will look better.

[Steve B]

afaik, there's settings to maintain aspect ratio for 16:10 panels. My dell 2405 is hooked up to a 360 atm, and it looked skanky when running halo 3 as everything was a bit vertically stretched. quick footer with the settings and i get black bars top and bottom, but it's better than a stretched master chef!

[rakester]

hmm this is starting to sound like a lot of hassle

I just want this monitor purely for my xbox

Could someone reccomend me on that would work perfectly with my xbox for the same price?

[Whiternoise]

Is there any reason why letterboxing is an issue?

You have to suffer it for films after all

And yes, 16 will work!

[rakester]

Originally Posted by Whiternoise

Is there any reason why letterboxing is an issue?

You have to suffer it for films after all

And yes, 16 will work!

well how big will the letter boxing be? I can't afford a LCD TV so that's why I'm trying to save money on buying a LCD monitor.

Or could any reccomend something else?

[Whiternoise]

You should be able to work it out in absolute pixels. With the resolutions that are the same, there shouldn't be any letterboxing present. If you want other resolutions then work out the leftover pixels and that's how big it should be.

[rakester]

Originally Posted by Whiternoise

You should be able to work it out in absolute pixels. With the resolutions that are the same, there shouldn't be any letterboxing present. If you want other resolutions then work out the leftover pixels and that's how big it should be.

what are absolute pixels?

If i run it full screen though won't the picture be stretched unless i let it letterbox?

Do you think i should take the plunge and buy it or just save or for a TV?

[Whiternoise]

well i mean, you can say i have "X pixels left over" divide it by 2 and that's how many pixels high the lines will be.

I would have thought it the resolutions match then it shouldn't letterbox - though as i mentioned earlier, that's only the case if the aspect ratios match up. Some games will run in different ratios though - i'd have thought so anyway.

Depends really. If you need the monitor for your pc then go for it. Bear in mind that you won't be able to use your TV for your PC - at least not very well.

[bigblue]

Originally Posted by Steve B

afaik, there's settings to maintain aspect ratio for 16:10 panels. My dell 2405 is hooked up to a 360 atm, and it looked skanky when running halo 3 as everything was a bit vertically stretched. quick footer with the settings and i get black bars top and bottom, but it's better than a stretched master chef!

Not all panels have an aspect ratio mode unfortunately. Some just stretch whatever you feed, it's bloody annoying!

To the OP, almost any PC monitor will give you issues. As has been said, they're usually 16:10 ratio, and stuff that's meant to be displayed on a TV is usually 16:9. You'll always get either letterbox black bars or a stretched image. Far better with the black bars, as they only make up a tiny bit of the screen, which you won't notice after a while. The other option is the whole picture being ruined by vertical stretching, which to me is far less appealing.

Also, PC monitors will usually be much higher resolution than the equivalent TV. Good for PC use, not so good for tv-intended lower res stuff. The PC monitor will have to upscale, meaning poorer picture quality than a 20" lower res TV would give you. There's no point having more pixels unless you need them!

Don't worry too much about 1080p if it's mainly for gaming, as very few games actually run in native 1080p. And even if they did you're not going to notice much difference over 720p on a 20" screen.

If you're looking for something dual purpose, PC and console, you need a monitor. If it's just for consoles, buy a TV.