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Playing Xbox 360 on Computer Monitor?
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:18 |
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Hi,
I'm gonna be getting an xbox 360 soon for my bedroom, and was wondering whether I could play it on my computer monitor (Dell 16 inch UltraSharp) as I don't have a TV to play it on.
The monitor itself doesn't actually have any speakers, but I do have speakers connected to the actual computer (not the monitor). I also have an HD cable, but nothing else. If I want to play my xbox 360 on my computer monitor, then what am I going to need, and what will I need to take into account (e.g graphics card and computer if that will make a difference).
Sorry if I'm sounding a bit n00by, but I really have no idea what I'm gonna need to do for this.
Thanks to everyone in advance :)
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:21 |
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Yeah, I did this for a time. Just get a cheapo XBox VGA cable. The official branded one and the cheapo ones seem to work the same. You can find them for like $10.
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:23 |
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thanks for the quick reply, but I really need to know what these cables are for and how i'm gonna get my speakers to work and things like that.
as I said, i'm really n00by, so i'm sorry if i appear really stupid :S
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:30 |
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Video card won't matter, it's basically like hooking up to the TV. The specs of the monitor will be what matters.
To get the speakers to work your need to get an adaptor for the audio cable (Red/White Female in with an 3.5mm audio Male out):
[url=http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10830&cs_id=1083005&p_id=4010&seq=1&format=2][/url]
Here is the link for the Video mentioned in the prior post:
[url=http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021804&p_id=666&seq=1&format=2][/url]
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:36 |
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How do I know if my monitor specs are good enough? Or should I just assume that if the picture is decent then the xbox picture will be decent?
My speakers consist of two speakers, each with a white cable coming out. The two white cables join together and then form into one white cable, which plug into the green slot in the back of my pc. From the looks of the item in the link that you gave me, how would that work?
thanks again
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:43 |
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OK, so with the video, it's like any other TV. I had a 19" LCD that looked alot better then my 19" Standard Def TV but I got a 32" HDTV that blew that out of the water. It depends on stuff such as refresh rate and such on your monitor.
The audio should be easier. A) You could find a way to plug the audio cords from the 360 directly into the speaks (VIA the audio adapter shown earlier) or you could B) plug the cords into the audio "In" port on your audio card (If you have one).
A) is the choice I went with as I had two input plugs on my computer speaker. If you only have one then you would have to switch the cord when you wanted to use your computer's sound.
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 13:48 |
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So does the 360 come with any audio cords? Or would I plug the white cable of my speakers into one end of the adapter, and then the other end of the adapter into the xbox?
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 14:05 |
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She the adapter will have a 3.5mm male end (which would go into your speakers.) and a Red/White female ends (which would go into the Red/White male ends that are on the end on the XBOX 360 VGA adapter.
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 14:09 |
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For the audio if you wanted you could get an adapter with a 3.5mm audio female and plug that into the 3.5mm audio cord you have been plugging into the green port on your computer. That would also work but it sounds like you would need that 360 VGA cable. I hope that helps.
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 14:10 |
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Ok, I'm really confused now :S Sorry for being like this, but could you sum it up:
Where the DVI-VGA cable will go (on xbox and monitor)
Where the audio cable adapter will go
Where my audio cable will go
Again I'm sorry for being such a n00b :S
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timmaht
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 14:21 |
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OK, if I wasn't at work I'd just do some screenshots but here's a line diagram.
1) XBOX360 is hooked directly to the:
2) 360 VGA CORD which on the other end of that cord: A) 1 part goes to your monitor and B) 1 part goes to the Red White part of the:
3) 3.5mm/RedWhite Audio Adapter, the 3.5mm adapter part is connected to:
4) the speaker input.
So you need those 4 items and connecting them should be pretty straight forward when you look at them. The only hard part is the last part with connecting that set up to you speakers.
Killing is bad and wrong, killing is Badong.
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Senior Member
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2. November 2009 @ 14:41 |
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 14:46 |
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Ok, thanks sooo much. And then if that is set up correctly should the dashboard appear on my computer monitor?
And also, do any hdmi cables come into this anywhere, or will be picture look decent even without hdmi cables?
Thanks again, you've helped me so much :)
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Senior Member
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2. November 2009 @ 15:44 |
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Originally posted by jd12345:
Ok, thanks sooo much. And then if that is set up correctly should the dashboard appear on my computer monitor?
And also, do any hdmi cables come into this anywhere, or will be picture look decent even without hdmi cables?
Thanks again, you've helped me so much :)
No, HDMI cables are not used anywhere.
What do you mean should the dashboard appear on the computer monitor? Are you asking if the 360 should show up on the screen? If so then yes, you are basically turning it into a T.V.
You will be able to get 720p picture quality (depending on your monitor settings) which is perfectly acceptable for HD gaming. You must have at least 1280x720 resolution though.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. November 2009 @ 15:53
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 15:52 |
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Well it's 15 inch diagonally and about 13 inches across. I wouldn't say it's that small - average for a computer monitor. It's a few years old, with an lcd screen.
Surely 720p is HD, and therefore needs and HD cable to be produced.
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Senior Member
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2. November 2009 @ 15:54 |
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Originally posted by jd12345:
Well it's 15 inch diagonally and about 13 inches across. I wouldn't say it's that small - average for a computer monitor. It's a few years old, with an lcd screen.
Surely 720p is HD, and therefore needs and HD cable to be produced.
The average PC monitor nowadays is at least 19 if not 20 inches. A barebones PC is a 17 inch monitor.
And a VGA cable IS an HD cable.
OH! and also the microsoft VGA cable comes with a converter for the sound that turns it into a 3.5mm jack
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. November 2009 @ 16:00
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 16:00 |
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Ok - is there any disadvantage apart from having a small screen? Because the picture and sharpness seems fine.
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Senior Member
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2. November 2009 @ 16:22 |
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Do you normally use the monitor to play PC games on? Working on a word document and playing a game are two different things.
My friend plays on an extremely old 17 inch and I personally can't see how he stands it.
All in all it comes down to personal preference. Seeing as how you already have the monitor I would say stick with it. Why spend more than you have to.
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jd12345
Newbie
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2. November 2009 @ 16:59 |
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Well I can't afford another tv, and I've never played a proper pc game on it, so is there any way to see what it will be like before I buy the xbox. Because I'm only getting the xbox if the picture and movement is decent.
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metalguy
Junior Member
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2. November 2009 @ 19:17 |
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I play 360 om a 22 inch flat panel hanspree and it is awesome, it had built in hdmi so i didn't need to use the vga cable at all. but i used to use it so I could use the hdmi for ps3. both have the same quality of video, also the vga cable comes with the red and white converter jack that lets you plug audio into the headphone jack. just wanted to add in some useless info....
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jd12345
Newbie
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3. November 2009 @ 16:15 |
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Thanks to everyone who's helped me out here :) Just one more question though - is there any way I can get an idea of what the image will be like on my 16 inch UltraSharp Dell Monitor before getting the xbox 360? It's just because I don't have anything else to play it on, so if the picture is really bad and laggy then I'll be screwed if I've already bought the console :S
Thanks again to everyone.
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RandySav
Newbie
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3. November 2009 @ 16:35 |
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Originally posted by jd12345:
Thanks to everyone who's helped me out here :) Just one more question though - is there any way I can get an idea of what the image will be like on my 16 inch UltraSharp Dell Monitor before getting the xbox 360? It's just because I don't have anything else to play it on, so if the picture is really bad and laggy then I'll be screwed if I've already bought the console :S
Thanks again to everyone.
Hmm, this one is tough. However, I may be able to help you out.
I just recently bought an Xbox 360 and I am using a VGA box (the KWorld 1680EX) to play it on my LCD monitor (Optiquest Q20WB; it's a 20" widescreen monitor). I've literally just started using it (a few hours ago) and I can't give an in-depth assessment, but games seem to look great on it.
However, and perhaps it's just my monitor, but the screen seems to be blurry when you set it to 480p. This may be because of my monitor's high native resolution (1680x1050) because once I screwed around and set it to 720p, things look very good.
Of course, this is just my perspective. If you wait a little while, I can make a video to let you see what it looks like in action.
From America - With Love
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jd12345
Newbie
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3. November 2009 @ 17:02 |
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Okay, thanks :) If it makes any difference, it's a Dell 1702FP UltraSharp Monitor.
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Senior Member
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3. November 2009 @ 18:21 |
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Originally posted by jd12345:
Okay, thanks :) If it makes any difference, it's a Dell 1702FP UltraSharp Monitor.
Not really. The picture will be fine. I am just talking about the strain on your eyes.
And a way to get an idea of how it will act is to play a PC game. Ignore the lag from the crappy graphics card you most likely have and focus on how the monitor ITSELF is performing.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. November 2009 @ 18:22
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RandySav
Newbie
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3. November 2009 @ 18:41 |
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Okay, I finished uploading it. I tried to move the camera in closer to get some of the details, but I don't think it worked so well.
Either way, here's the video: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FCM1J8VU
From America - With Love
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