XBOX-HQ.COM - Xbox 360's New 1080p Support: Crippled?

In the world of high-definition displays 1080p = 1920 x 1080 progressive scan. It isn't algebra, it just looks like it. Videogames have made the jump to High-Def, but understanding all this resolution, HDMI, HDCP, AACS, ICT and other techno babble is actually more confusing than your average equation. Even after you've got your terms sorted out, a good deal of the HD experience with next-gen gaming systems is subjective. What is a better way to see the game -- 720p or 1080i? Which is a better television type for playing games -- CRT, LCD, Plasma, or projection? With the amount of money involved in setting up a nice home theater for enjoying this new generation of gaming, it's no surprise that people want to make sure they're getting the best experience possible. Our own Gear Guru Gerry Block has a long running series of great HDTV Q&As that answer a lot of questions the average gamer has. Be sure to look into that if any of this stuff leaves you scratching your noggin.

At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft announced that its fall update would add 1080p support in games and movies, giving the new console what is currently the highest grade of High-Definition resolutions. At the same conference, Sony announced that both versions of its PlayStation 3 will now have HDMI 1.3 support.

HDMI is basically yet another wire that connects a console and the TV, but what makes it special is the signal it sends (both audio and video) is completely digital. Consequently, it is able to support HDCP / AACS, a new copy-protection technology that will some day be required for playback of Blu-ray/HD-DVD at full resolution, if Image Constraint Token (ICT) is ever implemented by the Hollywood studios.

The other connections capable of carrying an HD signal (and the only ones currently supported by the Xbox 360) are Component and VGA. Both are analog connections, which means that they can't support HDCP / AACS. They are also subject to interference if the cables run too close to masses of power lines. The really big problem with Xbox 360's lack of HDMI support, however, is the that only a limited number of 1080p-capable HDTVs can accept the signal via analog inputs.

What does this mean? Basically, HDTVs use a fair amount of circuitry and processing power to decode incoming signals before displaying an image on the screen. Because HDMI has long been planned to be 'the connection' for HD signals, most manufacturers have built 1080p HDTVs that are only able to accept 1080p via HDMI. Consequently, only a few 1080p capable HDTVs support 1080p signals via Component connections, which are generally restricted to 1080i. A few more 1080p HDTVs will accept an analog 1080p signal via VGA, but often only with the addition of a VGA-to-DVI dongle. To put it simply, trying to work with 1080p without HDMI is very difficult.

In addition to the fall update that will allow the 360 to internally up-scale to 1080p,
Microsoft is launching an HD-DVD add-on for the X360 in mid-November for $199. Obviously, Microsoft is making a serious move in the realm of 1080p, but without support for an HDMI connection.

This will leave many folks in a bit of a quandary. There are very few HDTVs that accept a 1080p signal through anything other than HDMI. The best signal that many of these 1080p displays are able to accept via analog connections is 1080i, which is de-interlaced by the HDTV's internal circuitry to convert it back to 1080p. This is essentially exactly what these displays would do when accepting 1080i from the 360 right now. It seems Xbox 360's new 1080p prowess may not amount to much in practice.

To try to get to the bottom of this situation, IGN contacted Microsoft and asked a few tough questions. Plenty of questions remain -- we're waiting to hear even more from the company -- but here's what we have so far.

IGN: Will games begin to be developed with 1080p as the native resolution, or is the 360's new 1080p support an advance in the console's internal scaling abilities?

Microsoft: If developed, the Xbox 360 will support playback of native 1080p games and all existing Xbox 360 titles can be up-scaled to 1080p.

IGN : Does the Xbox 360 have the internal bandwidth between CPUs and graphics processors necessary to move a full 1080p image? There's a big difference between 1080i and the 3GB/s of 1080p.

Microsoft: No Comment.

IGN: There are very few 1080p native HDTVs that accept 1080p via Component connections. The signal will only come in as 1080i and be de-interlaced back to 1080p. How is the 360's new 1080p support, in practical application, going to be any different than what was already possible?

Microsoft: We can offer 1080p support through both the VGA connection and the Component connection.

IGN: Could Microsoft theoretically release an HDMI dongle-cable like the various other cables already available for the console? Is the current 360 hardware able to output a digital signal, or is it restricted to analog?

Microsoft: Xbox 360 supports HD Component video output, which is compatible with nearly every HD ready TV on the market today. That's not yet true for HDMI. We are watching the market closely and will continue to evaluate our solution, in the face of consumer demand.

Microsoft's current response doesn't yet explain how the company can rectify its claimed support of 1080p with the fact that the 360 doesn't support the connection (HDMI) that will actually allow most 1080p HDTVs to display the signal. While the VGA solution may work for a minority of 1080p HDTV owners, we're left wondering if Microsoft is promoting this new 1080p capability primarily to blunt the onslaught of the PlayStation 3, which supports HDMI and 1080p. Direct information regarding whether or not the current X360 hardware is able to output a digital signal would clarify the entire situation, but Microsoft hasn't been able to answer this question.

Back in the days before the 360 launched, Microsoft stated that HDMI wires for the Xbox 360 would be released "when the market called for them." If the Xbox 360 is really going to be a 1080p machine, we're pretty sure the market is calling for HDMI wires right now. The next question is whether Microsoft will hear it.

News-Source: http://gear.ign.com