New Xbox 360s include HDMI

[Sodoff]

There hasn't been any reports on that dongle being required to use the digital optical connection with a HDMI connection. Considering that the dongle isn't available for purchase separately(at any price), I would assume it's not required and it was only included in the Elite SKU as a convienience.

Tommy McClain

The dongle is currently on sale seperately (Available here for instance). And while I've yet to see see any major websites reporting on the incompatibility between the 360 AV cable and the HDMI cable, I've seeen numerous postings from people on message boards (Like AVS Forum) stating that the two MS cables cannot fit into the console at the same time. Some people have reported that slimmer third party AV cables can be plugged into the console at the same time. However, it appears that the video output doesn't work correctly when you do this, meaning the AV cable somehow competes with the HDMI cable from a video output perspective.

Finally, all the MS documentation refers exclusively to using the new audio dongle to output sound via TOSLINK when used with the HDMI cable, as can be seen here.

Given that MS saw fit to include the new dongle cable with the Elites in addition to the full AV pack, I'm reasonably confident that this is now the only solution you can use to obtain sound when using an HDMI connection. I don't have a 360 myself yet however, so I can't confirm whether this is the case or not.

 

[ninzel]

Ironically, it's ignorance which is thesource of the bitching.

Anyone who's even SEEN a 360 HDAV cable, should now that you can simply run your optical chord from there.

They don't fit together..

I guess that's why MS is selling these seperately.

 

[ninzel]

It's a 360 good news thread, right?

Yes it is a good news story,I was just making an observation that people should be aware of.
People need to stop being so sensitive in interpreting stuff around here.Bitching??? Hardly.

 

[ninzel]

So anyway,I picked up an Elite and there were no setup problems with the HDMI. It just auto detected everything and away I went. No HDMI handshake problems.
If you have a thick HDMI cable like I do,then the audio adapter will still interfere with the HDMI cable.You just have to switch to the MS supplied one,or like someone said,if you want to use your own cable you will have to use your TV's optical out if your TV has one.
The system to my ear at least seems quieter than the previous 360's I went through,but I haven't played any disk games yet,just demos of the drive.
A tad louder than the PS3 but certainly not as loud as I remember. The Wii is still king when it comes to noise.

 

[Todd33]

The system to my ear at least seems quieter than the previous 360's I went through,but I haven't played any disk games yet.

So you are still siting at the launch pad, you need to take off before you judge the noise

 

[ninzel]

So you are still siting at the launch pad, you need to take off before you judge the noise

No doubt,I was just waiting for my Best Buy P.R.P. Gift card to arrive to buy Bioshock.

One other thing I noticed is that when comparing streaming quality between PS3 and 360,I would give the edge to the 360. The picture of the same source material running via TVersity shows no pixelation using the 360 and an overall much cleaner picture especially noticeable in dark shots. The downside being that it takes longer to startup a video and once you do you have no FF control.

 

[mrcorbo]

So anyway,I picked up an Elite and there were no setup problems with the HDMI. It just auto detected everything and away I went. No HDMI handshake problems.
If you have a thick HDMI cable like I do,then the audio adapter will still interfere with the HDMI cable.You just have to switch to the MS supplied one,or like someone said,if you want to use your own cable you will have to use your TV's optical out if your TV has one.
The system to my ear at least seems quieter than the previous 360's I went through,but I haven't played any disk games yet,just demos of the drive.
A tad louder than the PS3 but certainly not as loud as I remember. The Wii is still king when it comes to noise.

Any chance that an HDMI cable exists with a low enough profile connector that it would still fit with the advanced A/V cable connected?

 

[ninzel]

Any chance that an HDMI cable exists with a low enough profile connector that it would still fit with the advanced A/V cable connected?

The MS supplied HDMI cable is the thinest I've seen, and it still requires the audio adapter.So I doubt it.

 

[mrcorbo]

The MS supplied HDMI cable is the thinest I've seen, and it still requires the audio adapter.So I doubt it.

Pretty poor design, then IMO. There must have been some way they could have spaced those connectors further apart.

 

[ninzel]

Pretty poor design, then IMO. There must have been some way they could have spaced those connectors further apart.

But then they wouldn't be able to sell another $50 USD accessory. Not poor design,calculated design.