Last weekend I bought the Halo 3 edition 360. But only because it was a ‘Special Editon’, like my previous Halo Edition XBox console. Although with this new box comes HDMI. While my CRT HDTV doesn’t have HDMI, it does have a DVI input and picks up HDMI signals through an adapter cable just fine. The thing is, the 360 requires a special dongle just so you can use HDMI and optical out. The regular A/V plug is too big, and covers the HDMI output. So, instead of just putting the HDMI out somewhere else, they just charge you extra for something that fixes it. And it’s $50. Not that it’s worth it, but it’s the only way to enjoy optical sound while using an HDMI cable. …so yeah, it’s worth it.
But when I hooked up the HDMI, I wasn’t getting a signal. It pissed me off and I figured it was just my TV. But my roommate got a new Premium 360 with HDMI, and it worked on his LCD. I then plugged my 360 into his LCD, which worked, defaulting to a very low-res that my HDTV just possibly couldn’t see. While on his LCD, I changed the resolution to 720p, then hooked it back up to my HDTV. And it worked. The picture quality, while not major for the average person, is very apparent to me.
I’m glad I have everything hooked up this way for Tuesday.