is HDMI better?

Question

is HDMI better than a normal xbox 360 connection to a HD tv using the like 7 different colour cables?
and can you use a HDMI cable from a xbox360 to a tv with a HDMI connection socket?

Answer 1

1) Yes it is better because it is a digital connection rather than an analog component connection
2) Yes, any regular HDMI male-to-male cable will work.

Answer 2

You should try to use HDMI. It is the future and it is usually cheaper.

But decent component cables are totally capable of sending 1080p HD video 50 ft without problems. The makers of good coax (Belden, Canare, Mogami) roll out 100 ft to test with, then advertise the results.

HDMI is great but the road has a few potholes:

- Runs under 15 ft are fine with any HDMI cables, but longer runs sometimes have problems. Cables with thicker inner wires and better inner insulation should be used.

- HDMI has software behind it. The source, the receiver/switch and the TV do not always agree or work together. (I have a HDMI switch and 2 box's work great, but not the BluRay player).

- Switching between HDMI devices sometimes takes 4-5 seconds to re-handshake. While it eventually works, the delay is annoying. You don't have this with analog sources.

So you should go with HDMI - but ...some hickups are expected.

Answer 3

yes HDMI is much better than component cables. HDMI is a digital signal allowing full HD signals to be sent. component cables is an anolog signal that gets a lot of interference and distortion. with HDMI (digital) the signal either reaches its destination or it doesnt. meaning you will get a full HD picture and sound or you will see and hear nothing at all. no room for distortion. besides the fact one HDMI cable looks a heck of a lot better than those freakin component cables!

the best thing i could say is you WILL see a noticeable difference so its definitely worth it.

on a side note, being that its a digital signal, the "quality" of the cable makes no effect of the picture quality unless the HDMI cable is over 15 ft. So the $7 HDMI cables work just as good as the $150 HDMI cables. like i said before, the signal either gets there at full scale or you see and hear nothing at all. if a cheap cable shows a picture and you can hear sound you can be assured its the best signal possible. if you were to switch to a 'monster' HDMI cable you would notice NO difference in picture and sound quality

Answer 4

unless you get a higher series cable from monster like the 1000 or 800. there is no difference between the rgb component cables and hdmi, you probably have noticed that your television will still get the 720p or 1080p from your xbox with the componant cables.
the only good thing about the hdmi is that it carries sound and video all in one cable. and the quality of the sound will be better with the hdmi then the component unlesss you swap the sound with an optical cable