Xbox 360 Elite to use old fashioned HDMI specs

[Innes]

http://www.blorge.com/images/e008ba9f369b_69A4/xbox_360_elite5.jpg


The new Xbox 360 Elite will only offer HDMI 1.2 instead of the most recent version, HDMI 1.3 (which is used by Sony?s PS3), according to a Microsoft HD DVD insider, Amir Majidimehr, at avsforum.com. So what particularly does this mean for Microsoft?s Elite console?

HDMI 1.3 is far more superior to its predecessor, V1.2. Sony?s Playstation 3 was the first to adopt the latest HDMI specification, and for one good reason - more bandwidth.

The Xbox 360 Elite will only offer 165MHz of single-link bandwidth, as opposed to the 1.3 specification of 340 MHz; while 165MHz is sufficient for supporting full 1080p resolution, it doesn?t leave much bandwidth left for high quality audio.

Microsoft?s Xbox 360 Elite will not support the output of Dolby Digital Plus, as the HDMI 1.2 interface simply can?t provided a sufficient transmission rate. In addition, Support will not be available for Dolby TrueHD, which can handle up to 14 discrete sound channels simultaneously; instead, Xbox 360 Elite owners will be left with, 2 channels for PCM output, Dolby Digital, and DTS.

Color quality on the Xbox 360 Elite will be half of what would be possible with HDMI 1.3, which can display the full range of colors visible to the human eye.

Xbox 360 and Elite owners will be receiving an update in the spring which will fix all the lip sync issues that have been reported, a step that would not have been necessary with the automatic audio syncing capabilities of HDMI 1.3.

HDMI support was supposed to be the largest feature of the new Elite; however, having given us an HDMI specification that was developed nearly 2 years ago, a larger hard drive, no support for an Xbox Media Remote, and a matte black finish hardly justifies a $480 price tag.

Source (http://gamer.blorge.com/2007/04/03/xbox-360-elite-to-use-old-fashioned-hdmi-specs/)

[Spindryer]

No suprise there then really.

[WalX]

Usual bollocks then probably just better of sticking with your old xbox

[Azure]

Good thread. MS suck dick.

How can they NOT include HDMI 1.3?! No deep colour for "elite" users then... Lame mofos.

[KONSPIRACY]

I'm no tech head when it comes to this type of stuff but I honestly dont understand the theory behind this console if its using old technology...but some of the replies (from ppl who obviously know a lot more about it than me) to the article appear to justify the reasoing behind M$ decision:

But considering that some older TVs aren?t compatible with HDMI 1.3 among those that do have HDMI this could be a good thing. There have been a number of issues with the PS3 and it?s 1.3 HDMI cable on older TVs, 1.2 might make the 360 more compatible with older TVs.

Also note that you can use the HDMI cable for video only and use the standard audio outputs on your 360 to plug directly into your surround sound or stereo system. Personally, I don?t want the sound coming out of my TV speakers. That is unless, you have your TV connected to your audio system as well and wouldn?t need to do that.

Now if only they?d get around to tossing in the HD-DVD drive and WiFi?

This article exaggerated the disparity greatly. True the XBox will be limited to 165MHz, but the PS3 is limited to 225MHz. There is no HDMI chipset in existence supporting 340MHz.

High quality audio is not limited by the video bandwidth either. Standard HD formats (720p and 1080i, supported by XBox) are adequate, although HDMI 1.2 doesn?t permit these formats.

Also, Lip Sync issues are not necessarily handled just because HDMI 1.3 is supported. There is firmware that is required and support for this is not mandatory in HDMI 1.3.

Overall, Sony can be applauded for forging ahead to HDMI 1.3 (albeit not the full HDMI 1.3 spec), but most XBox users will find there are plenty of benefits to HDMI 1.2 already.

Note that there are no HDMI 1.3 displays yet either.