Support NeoGAF

[Suikoguy]

My Email:

I have an offical Xbox HDTV Adaptor with Optical Ouput. When playing certain games/demos the screen is scrambled while in progressive scan mode. Panzer Dragoon Orta and the new Men of Valor demo both have this problem. The xbox is conneted to the tv via the componet cable provided to the component input slot (3 color cable) Audio is connected to my Dolby Digital receiver. Other games such as Amped 2, Freedom Fighters, Rallisport Challenge 2, and Shenmue 2 all work find in Progressive 480/720p. The display is 4:3 so the xbox is set on 4:3. What is causing this problem?

The reply I got back

Thank you for writing to Xbox regarding video output of your Xbox console.

The Xbox supports many types of peripheral devices, many of these made by other companies. If you consider using third-party peripherals, make sure they are either Xbox compatible or licensed for use with Xbox. This is indicated on the product packaging by either a small Xbox Compatible Logo, or an official Xbox Logo for licensed products. Unlicensed products are not been tested with Xbox nor are they developed using the Xbox specifications, so Microsoft cannot assure their quality or compatibility. The use of a unlicensed product can also void your warranty.

For networking equipment and optical cables, we recommend that you consult the manufacturer of the product or the electronics retail store to ask specifically whether the product works with Xbox and with your other equipment to make sure that you can start using your new hardware with Xbox without delay.

For a detailed list of all Xbox-compatible and licensed peripherals, visit the www.xbox.com Web site and select Hardware at the top of the page.

In case you have other Xbox concerns, feel free to write back. We take feedback on Xbox and our Customer Service very seriously and review customer comments daily.


Sincerely,

Leigh
Xbox Customer Care Team

Wow, they were so helpfully, they did not even address my question!
Notice I wrote
offical Xbox HDTV Adaptor

Sigh

Does anybody else have this problem?
Obviously Emailing MS got me nowhere

 

[Deku Tree]

You got form response #305... They should have given you form response #307!

 

[TheGreenGiant]

of course they are.

 

[keeblerdrow]

Can you post a picture of the adapter you're using?

 

[TekunoRobby]

Yeah that was a pretty good writeup on the game Halo but I think you missed the overall philosophical point that Bungie was trying to say to their audiance. Good job though.

 

[Suikoguy]

How do you reply?

I replied back and I got the email back saying

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at softhome.net.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<xbhwaoc@xbox.com>:
131.107.3.125 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 5.1.1 User unknown Giving up on 131.107.3.125.

 

[Suikoguy]

Can you post a picture of the adapter you're using?

Its the offical xbox componet adaptor, that comes with the HDTV component cable to connect to your tv. It came in a green package I bought at work. Its made by microsoft.
There is an optical port on the device for DD.

 

[DopeyFish]

use the live xbox customer service, it's easier to get answers that way

 

[The Shadow]

You're probably better off calling them than writing email.

 

[Suikoguy]

I just called them, they did not know what the problem is...
I guess the email was a copout, lmao

I've tried it on my Projector and my Xblaster, and it does the same thing for the Panzer and Demo.

 

[Mareg]

God the response was soooo generic. OK, here is my personnal experiance with the official componnent xbox cable.

From the day the system as got out on market, I've used this cable. Hell, call me geek, but I actually bought my first Sony Wega with component input to be able to use the HI-RES capability of the XBOX. (Yeah, I was so naive at the time). I now have a true Hi-Res enabled tv set.

Oh wait, back to the subject at hand. Ok, from day one I use the official component xbox cable. My first cable gave me about 100 hours of workiness, and I take extreme good care of my hardware (I'm a freak on this mather, really).

It all happend one day when I was trouncing my friends at a match of DOA 3. Black lines began to appear on the screen. I instantly tought some of the video cable had loosened so I got behind my tv screen trying to secure them. As I was fiddling with them, my friends told me there was no more image. I cheked, see that it was true, did many jumps, screemed about 1 min, then some sweet pearled on my forehead. I said, no you can't possibly do that on me you %$?"/ jerk.
I close the tv set, deconnect the cable, reconect them and started everything again. The image came back ok and I tought it was just a bug in the game. But sure enough, some second after line came back and then it worsened. We tried to play anyway but mere minutes after, all hell broke loose and to this day, this cable will never produce an image again.

After that, I went to the FutureShop (BestBuy) to get a new one but the garanty was overdue. So I bought a new one and it works good after many years of gaming. Some of my friend who works in electronics repairement once told me it could be the size of the inner fiber composing those cable. It is possible that at one time, the limited size of it would not have been able to sustain the image signal strenght and just snapped.

Well, I say you could have the same problem and I certainly wish you good luck. But maybe a new cable is not far from being your reality.

 

[Mareg]

I just called them, they did not know what the problem is...
I guess the email was a copout, lmao

I've tried it on my Projector and my Xblaster, and it does the same thing for the Panzer and Demo.

Could be that they use a more intense video signal and your cable is near its maximum outpout of video information. Could be something else.

 

[BeOnEdge]

do you have a sony tv by chance? i think the progressive scan has to be set a certain way with sonys hd sets.

 

[Suikoguy]

Could be that they use a more intense video signal and your cable is near its maximum outpout of video information. Could be something else.

I tried it with another TV Samsung (EDTV), same thing.
And this was with nicer cables...

Oh well, its only one game
I'll have to play Panzer in 480i

So on 3 Devices L300-U Panasonic Projector, Xblaster, and EDTV Samsung sets, it does the same identical thing.

 

[Mareg]

I tried it with another TV Samsung (EDTV), same thing.
And this was with nicer cables...

Oh well, its only one game
I'll have to play Panzer in 480i

So on 3 Devices L300-U Panasonic Projector, Xblaster, and EDTV Samsung sets, it does the same identical thing.

I really doubt its one of your TV set. I have the said game (Penzer Orta) and I have put more then 20 hours in the games. I have always played in 480p or 1080i. It has been a charm.

On a side note, you wouldn't be trying to play at 720p on those TV ? If so, it could be that. There is a very limited number of HighDef Tv that can do 720p. Most of them do both 480p/1080i.

 

[BeOnEdge]

that could be it too. disable 720p.

 

[Suikoguy]

I really doubt its one of your TV set. I have the said game (Penzer Orta) and I have put more then 20 hours in the games. I have always played in 480p or 1080i. It has been a charm.

On a side note, you wouldn't be trying to play at 720p on those TV ? If so, it could be that. There is a very limited number of HighDef Tv that can do 720p. Most of them do both 480p/1080i.

The game has 1080i support?
I can only think of a few that do that.
Anyway, to be sure, I turned off 1080i and 720p and it still does the same thing.

 

[Mareg]

And this was with nicer cables...

Ok, now I'm clueless. Sorry.

 

[Suikoguy]

i'm gonna see if I can borrow a friends xbox and see if it does the same thing
Thanks for the help

 

[MrSingh]

God the response was soooo generic. OK, here is my personnal experiance with the official componnent xbox cable.

From the day the system as got out on market, I've used this cable. Hell, call me geek, but I actually bought my first Sony Wega with component input to be able to use the HI-RES capability of the XBOX. (Yeah, I was so naive at the time). I now have a true Hi-Res enabled tv set.

Oh wait, back to the subject at hand. Ok, from day one I use the official component xbox cable. My first cable gave me about 100 hours of workiness, and I take extreme good care of my hardware (I'm a freak on this mather, really).

It all happend one day when I was trouncing my friends at a match of DOA 3. Black lines began to appear on the screen. I instantly tought some of the video cable had loosened so I got behind my tv screen trying to secure them. As I was fiddling with them, my friends told me there was no more image. I cheked, see that it was true, did many jumps, screemed about 1 min, then some sweet pearled on my forehead. I said, no you can't possibly do that on me you %$?"/ jerk.
I close the tv set, deconnect the cable, reconect them and started everything again. The image came back ok and I tought it was just a bug in the game. But sure enough, some second after line came back and then it worsened. We tried to play anyway but mere minutes after, all hell broke loose and to this day, this cable will never produce an image again.

After that, I went to the FutureShop (BestBuy) to get a new one but the garanty was overdue. So I bought a new one and it works good after many years of gaming. Some of my friend who works in electronics repairement once told me it could be the size of the inner fiber composing those cable. It is possible that at one time, the limited size of it would not have been able to sustain the image signal strenght and just snapped.

Well, I say you could have the same problem and I certainly wish you good luck. But maybe a new cable is not far from being your reality.

I had the same problem.

Seems like the Component cables provided by MS suck big time. I bought new cables (not the breakout box) and it works fine now.