Elle, Cable Gal: AV Cables

Published May 5, 2006

For all the talk of going wireless, some wires still are necessary. This for sure means video, audio, and power, but you could remain wired for network, controllers, and other devices, too. These options can be confusing. In my next two articles, I'll define what your options are and help you decide what's right for you. First up: audio and video cables.

Top, left to right: SCART, D-connection, component, VGA, S-Video,
composite, SCART adapter. Bottom, left to right: analog audio, digital fiber optic.

Component HD AV Cable
The Xbox 360™ Component HD AV Cable has six RCA connectors, plus a digital optical audio connector. Three of the RCA connectors (the dark gray ones with red, blue, and green bands) are for high-definition analog video.

If you have an HDTV, connect these to the component video-in jacks on the back of your TV (they are usually labeled Pr, Pb, and Y). If you don't have HDTV, you can still use the cable. Instead of the three component connectors, use the single composite connector (the dark gray one with the yellow band).

The other two RCA connectors (solid red and white) are your analog audio connectors. Those plug into the right and left audio jacks on your TV or audio receiver. If you have an entertainment system that supports digital optical sound, you can plug a digital optical audio cable (such as the Monster GameLink fiber-optic cable) into the base of the AV cable.

One big feature is the little switch on the base of the cable. If you have HDTV, don't forget to flip this switch for HD resolution. From the factory, the switch is set to standard definition (TV) mode. You may think this is silly, but it's actually set this way on purpose so that you will always get a picture out of the box (your HDTV will display standard-def, but standard TVs won't display high-def). To play games and movies in full HD glory, switch your cable to high definition (HDTV) mode, and then optimize your display settings. I'll describe the display settings later in this article.

VGA HD AV Cable
If you have a computer monitor or an HDTV with a VGA connector, you may want to consider the Xbox 360 VGA HD Cable, which is sold as a separate accessory in all regions. The video connector is your standard 15-pin male analog VGA plug, along with two analog RCA audio plugs. Like the component AV cable, you can use a separate digital optical cable for audio if you have an entertainment system that supports it.

The VGA HD AV cable package contains some bonus items: a gender-changer for your VGA connector (in case your TV or monitor has a male rather than female connector) and an RCA-to-stereo mini-plug adapter. This is handy if you want to connect to computer speakers.

You typically don't want to plug the ends of your VGA HD AV Cable into your computer's video or audio cards unless your computer supports video or audio input. Connect the VGA connector straight to your monitor, and your audio connectors to your sound system or computer speakers.

D-Connection HD AV Cable
The Xbox 360 D-Connection HD AV Cable is available only in Japan. It pretty much replaces the component HD AV cable from other regions. The connector is a small 14-pin analog video connector, along with the RCA composite video connector and two analog RCA audio connectors. In addition, it supports a digital optical audio cable.

Advanced SCART AV Cable
The Xbox 360 Advanced SCART AV Cable is sold in Europe and Australia/New Zealand. The cable features a 20-pin SCART connector that provides an RGB analog video signal and stereo sound to SCART-compatible televisions. The cable also supports digital sound over an optical cable.

S-Video AV Cable
If your television has an S-Video connection, you can go with the Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable. Available in most regions, the cable sports a four-pin round S-Video connector, an analog RCA composite video connector, and two analog RCA audio connectors. Like the other cables described earlier, you can also plug an optical cable in for digital sound.

Composite AV Cable
The Xbox 360 Composite AV cable comes with the Xbox 360 Core system only. This cable has three RCA connectors: one composite analog video (gray with a yellow band) connector, and two RCA analog audio connectors (solid red and solid white, for right and left). This should work with any television that supports composite video.

It's easy to get the terms "component" and "composite" confused, so here's a quick explanation: Component video carries video signals through multiple RCA plugs and is used for HDTV, whereas composite video has a single RCA plug that carries the entire video signal and is used for standard TV. Remember, multiple = component; single = composite.

SCART Adapter
If you picked up your console in Europe or Australia/New Zealand, you got the SCART adapter along with your component HD AV cable or composite AV cable. Plug the composite RCA video and audio connectors into the SCART adapter for use with SCART-compatible televisions.

Analog Audio
All of the Xbox 360 AV cables have some form of analog dual-channel audio connectors. For all but the advanced SCART AV cable, this means the two solid red and white RCA connectors. (Audio and video run through a single connector for SCART cables.) Most entertainment systems and televisions will happily receive a signal from these connectors. You can even choose between mono and stereo sound in the analog audio options under Console Settings in the System area of the Xbox 360 Dashboard.

Digital Audio

Many of the Xbox 360 AV cables feature a connection on their base for a digital optical (Toslink) cable. Purchase a separate fiber-optic cable to connect your Xbox 360 console to any compatible sound system. Get the digital optical cable if you intend to play games and movies in Dolby® Digital 5.1 sound.

If you do choose to go with digital sound, be sure to set up your digital audio options under Console Settings in the System area of the Xbox Dashboard.

Display Settings
One area that gets kind of overlooked is display settings. This is because, most of the time, you can just plug stuff in and start playing right away. If you do this, though, you may be missing out on the optimal settings for your TV.

To change your display settings, go to the System area of the Xbox Dashboard. Select Console Settings, Display, then select the option you want to change. Your options will vary depending on the type of AV cable you have connected. If you have composite or S-Video hooked up, there's not much to do here. Where it gets interesting is when you start playing with HDTV settings.

As a general rule, select the HDTV settings that best match the optimal resolution for your TV. For example, for some high-definition televisions, this means 720p. For others, it's 1080i. If you've got VGA, it's a different set of resolutions entirely. Just remember, because of how the console and your TV scales the image, the bigger number is not necessarily better. Consult your TV instruction manual to see what's best for you.

More Info
If you're interested in learning more about what you can do with audio and video on your Xbox 360 console, try these resources:

• Connect Xbox 360 to TV or HDTV.
• Connect to Digital Audio.
• Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable.
• Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable.
• Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable.
• Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable.
• Xbox 360 Hardware Catalog.
• Monster GameLink Cables.
• Hometime.com Home Theater.
• Xbox.com Audio and Video Forum.

Whew. Who knew there were so many audio and video options out there? In my next article, I'll cover the rest of the cables available for your Xbox 360 setup.

Article by Elle