Get HDTV and 5.1 Surround out of your Xbox with the Psyclone PYX20
Written: Nov 29 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Makes the games look and sound their very best
Cons: None!
The Bottom Line: If you own an HDTV, you must get this for your Xbox.
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| phungus's Full Review: Psyclone Component Video Cables with Optical PYX20... |
If you want to enjoy High Definition (HDTV) gaming on your Microsoft Xbox video game console, then this Psyclone Compenent Cable set is the way to go. Not only does it allow you to connect your Xbox via component video, but it also supports and optical audio cable connection for the best possible audio experience with your home theater system.
I own a Samsung 32 inch HDTV that supports 480p and 1080i resolutions. It is a standard CRT type TV and not a widescreen, but the picture quality is excellent. I’ve tried a couple of widescreen televisions and think that right now they are just too expensive for what you get. The Xbox does a great job of supporting both 4:3 and 16:9 games, but for now I think a conventional TV is great unless you have a lot of money to play with.
Most Xbox games support at least 480p resolution, which is the equivalent of progressive scan, like what you find on better DVD players. Standard television can best support 480i, which is an interlaced picture. The difference between 480i and 480p is incredible. I have tested some of my games in both modes and you can really tell the difference. In 480p, the picture is sharper and there are less jagged edges. The problem is that you won’t get a 480p resolution with the standard Xbox A/V cables that are included with the system. You must buy an optional set of cables to get the most out of your Xbox. Sure, Microsoft could have included those cables with the Xbox, but it would have cost them more money per unit sold, and not everybody needs them.
A handful of Xbox games, such as Enter the Matrix also support the super high 1080i resolution. I have not played any of these games so I cannot rate their performance with these cables, but by all accounts they should be supported.
In order to use this Psyclone cable set, you must have a television that has a component cable connection. Component video cables connect using three cables that are colored green, blue, and red. These offer the best possible video quality you can get when connecting a device to a television. Only high quality and newer televisions support such a connection, and all HDTV’s have them. If you want to get HDTV quality out of your Xbox, you must own an HDTV and connect the Xbox with a component connection.
This cable set connects to the back of the Xbox where you would normally put the A/V connectors that came with the console. On the other end of the cables are five plugs: three for the component video and two for the audio. It also features an optical cable connection at the base of the wires, so you can run an optical audio cable (sold separately) to your home theater and get 5.1 digital surround sound. I purchased my optical cable at Radio Shack for less than five dollars.
The cables are housed in a heavy duty silver wrap that blends very well with most modern silver/gray televisions and stands, so it looks good running behind my set. The cables are very long at around six feet, so there is plenty of room to work with. Almost too much. I suppose if you have a TV mounted high up on a wall, you could use such long cables.
After you connect these cables to your HDTV, make sure you go into the system options on the Xbox and change the video settings to reflect the capabilities of your TV. I noticed huge changes in graphic performance between Forza Motorsports and Jade Empire after setting the resolution to 480p. I have had some trouble getting Fable to work in 480p, but there is supposedly a patch you can download from Xbox Live that will fit it.
If you only use the audio cables on this set, you can connect it directly to your TV, or buy splitters to connect to your home theater via a stereo connection. Where the cables split from the hub behind the TV, you really can’t stretch your audio cables to any other source without some kind of extension. You can always go buy a couple of adapters and cables from Radio Shack for a few bucks. Wal-Mart sells them, too.
If you use the optical audio connection to connect the Xbox to your home theater (if it supports an optical connection)…oh, man, does it sound good. For example, games like Jade Empire do a great job with the surround sound. Toward the beginning of the game, you can hear people talking and sparring in the background and the direction changes depending on where you are standing. It really helps make the game a truly immersive experience.
Best of all, I bought this cable set at Circuit City for only $24.99. Pretty much every component video cable set I’ve found for both Xbox and PS2 at least $25-30, so the price on this set is very fair and competitive. For the performance, I am very happy with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Recommended:
Yes
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