• Set Up Your System
• Family Settings (Xbox Live)
• Connectivity Video
• Join Xbox Live

Console Settings for Xbox 360

From the Console Settings screen in the System area of the Xbox Dashboard, you can configure the video output of your Xbox 360 console for a widescreen, high-definition TV, determine your audio options, and check your console's serial number and Xbox Dashboard version.

Console settings encompass the following categories:

• Display
• Audio
• Themes
• Language
• Clock
• Locale
• Startup
• Auto-Off
• Screen Saver
• Remote Control
• System Info

Display

Change your display output settings from this screen. Display settings include screen resolution and screen dimension (or aspect ratio, either standard or widescreen). For high-definition viewing you'll need a high-def TV or monitor as well as the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable or Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable. For more information, see Connect to TV or HDTV.

• HDTV Settings: choose between 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p output resolution, depending on the native resolution of your TV or monitor. The default setting is 480p (enhanced definition, or EDTV).

  Important

  If you're using the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable, any resolution selected from this screen requires that you connect the cable's red, blue, and green RCA connectors to corresponding inputs on your TV or monitor. If you're using the cable's composite-video (yellow RCA) connector, you'll see only standard-definition images—not high definition—irrespective of the HDTV output setting you select.

  
  
• Screen Format: the default setting is Normal (a standard 4:3 aspect ratio); select Widescreen to change the output aspect ratio to 16:9 if you have a widescreen TV or monitor.
  
  When using the Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable, you have the option to select a widescreen output even if you're using the composite-video (yellow RCA) connector instead of the high-definition component-video (red/blue/green) connectors.

Audio

Change your audio output settings for games from this screen. These audio settings do not affect DVD movie playback. For DVD audio settings, refer to an individual DVD movie's setup screen.

Settings consist of:

• Analog Output Settings: choose Mono to merge the left and right audio signals so that you can hear all sound through a connection to a monaural TV or monitor; choose Dolby Pro Logic II to listen in normal stereo (no audio surround receiver required) or to listen to Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Pro Logic II soundtracks from compatible games or other media.
  
  Dolby Pro Logic consists of four channels of audio: front left/center/right and a monaural surround channel that is mirrored in each of your rear left/right speakers. Dolby Pro Logic II uses digital signal processing to generate 5.0 audio (front left/center/right, rear left/right) from any stereo (left/right) programming, whether from movies, music, or games. Unlike movies and music, however, games are specially encoded with Dolby Pro Logic II decoding in mind.
  
  To listen in either Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound, you must connect your cable's left/right (white/red) RCA connectors to a compatible surround receiver. For more information, see our connection page for the cable you're using:
  • Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable
  • Xbox 360 Composite AV Cable
  • Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable
  • Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
• Digital Output Settings: configure this setting only if you'll be using the Toslink optical digital-audio output from a compatible Xbox 360 AV cable (optical digital-audio cable sold separately):
  • Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable
  • Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable
  • Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable
  
  
  Digital-audio output settings consist of:
  • Digital Stereo: select this option to fold any Dolby Digital multichannel audio program down to two channels (left/right) for a direct digital connection to an audio receiver. The console will not collapse multichannel DTS (Digital Theater Systems) output to 2-channel DTS.
  • Dolby Digital 5.1: select this option to pass multichannel surround sound—either Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1—to a compatible audio surround receiver and multichannel speaker system. Most, but not all, games and DVD movies offer 5.1-channel surround sound.
  • Dolby Digital with WMA Pro: inactive at this time, this setting will allow a connected Microsoft Windows Media Center PC running Media Center Extender to pass audio from WMA Pro–encoded media through the Xbox 360 console and on to a WMA Pro–compatible audio surround receiver. Selecting Dolby Digital with WMA Pro will keep the WMA Pro audio signal in its pure digital form all the way from your PC to your audio receiver for the best possible sound.

    Note

    This feature has not yet been implemented in Media Center Extender.

    
    
  
  
  The default digital-audio setting is Dolby Digital 5.1. If this is your preference, you do not have to make a selection from this screen.
  
  For more information about digital-audio connections, see Connect to Digital Audio.

Themes

Change the look of the Xbox Dashboard and Guide. Select a premade theme, like Xbox 360, Carbon, or Glass. Additional themes are available on the Xbox 360 Hard Drive or from Xbox Live Marketplace.

To customize your theme, select Customize. Select Dashboard Trim to change the edges of the Xbox Dashboard. Select Guide Background to change the background of the Xbox Guide. If you have an Xbox Live Vision camera connected, select Camera Effect to change the Xbox Dashboard background effect.

You can also add your own picture to the background of the Xbox Dashboard. For information about doing that, see View Pictures with Xbox 360.

Language

Change your console's language setting. Options include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Traditional Chinese.

Clock

Set the date, time, and other clock settings. When connected to Xbox Live, the clock is set automatically and can't be changed. Settings consist of:

• Date and Time: set month, day, year, hours, minutes, AM/PM.
• Time Format: select 12- or 24-hour clock (default is 12-hour clock).
• Time Zone: choose a time zone from a list of zones and representative major cities.
• Daylight Saving: select Off if you do not want your console to automatically adjust for daylight saving time (default is On).

Locale

Specify the country you live in. You can't change locale if Family Settings are enabled. Changing locale does not change the console's DVD region code.

Startup

Choose whether your console starts a game from disc or goes straight to the Xbox Dashboard when you turn it on. If there is no disc in the disc tray, your console will always start in the Xbox Dashboard.

Auto-Off

Enable auto-off to automatically turn your console off after six hours of inactivity. The default setting is Auto-Off Disabled.

Screen Saver

This feature helps prevent damage to TV or monitor screens during periods of console inactivity. Select Disable Screen Saver if you don't want your console to automatically dim the screen after 10 minutes of inactivity. The default state is Screen Saver Enabled.

Remote Control

Change your Xbox 360 remote control settings. Select Xbox 360 Media Remote if you want your console to respond only to commands from the remote control supplied with your Xbox 360 system. The default setting, All Channels, lets you operate your console with either the supplied Xbox 360 Media Remote or a Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition remote control such as the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

System Info

View your console's system information, which consists of a console serial number, a unique console ID, a copyright statement, and the console's Xbox Dashboard version.