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Xbox 360 picture very dark on Barco Data 701s

 
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:24 pm    Post subject: Xbox 360 picture very dark on Barco Data 701s Reply with quote


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Hi,
I have just received the xbox360 VGA HD cable.
Whenever i try to output at 720p the picture is barely visible. I have adjusted brightness/contrast settings and gamma levels etc but the picture is just about visible.

Outputting at 640 x 480 looks fine so it is not the cable.
I have a barco data 701s projector and a iScan HD scaler. I am using a high quality VGA to bnc breakout cable 40 feet long to connect the scaler to the projector. The xbox is connected to the passthru input of the scaler and from there it is sent unprocessed to the projector.

I have displayed dvds at 720p via the scaler and the picture is cool.

Any suggestions as to why the 720p from the xbox is so dark?

When i say dark, i mean it is barely visible. I thought at first that the projector wasnt displaying anything.

I have a component HD cable for the xbox aswell and the picture is quite dark at anything above 480i. This is why i wanted the VGA cable. Also, the VGA cable was in RGB colourspace, which meant i wouldnt have to change inputs on the projector when switching from DVD RGB to xbox component.

The only idea i have myself is maybe it is something to do with the sync signals. I have joined the H and V sync cables together at the projector because the barco has only one sync input. I have also tried setting the scaler output to bi-level and composite sync. All these configurations give a cool picture via DVD through the scaler, but not with the xbox.

Sorry to have gone on a bit, but i reckon the more i tell yiz them more ideas i might get.

Cheers Y'all

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Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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Spotmatic




Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 531
Location: Gelderland, Netherlands


PostLink    Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess this is the solution: try to adjust the H-phase (in the geometry menu). Chances are that the picture has hit the side of the raster, causing it to bend back into the picture and interfere with it. This often causes a dimming of the picture.
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

okay, just tried adjusting h phase and there is no difference. Tried raster shift aswell to no avail.
_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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medazner




Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Posts: 9



PostLink    Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:50 pm    Post subject: My XBox360 is also gloomy on 701s... Reply with quote

Hi,
just wondering if you got to the bottom of the problem of gloominess on your xbox/701s?
I just wanted to reassure you that it is possible to get a picture from the component cable on a 701s assuming your barco is healthy...but I am also suffering from a gloomy picture on my 360 but only really in dark areas (crushed blacks?) - the rest of the picture is fine. I'm running the component cable supplied with the xbox straight into the R-G-B inputs (ch5) via 3 rca-bnc adaptors and it seems fine at all resolutions 480p/720p/1080i with only the problem of crushed blacks at each resolution. I'm trying to find some kind of hack to adjust gamma in the xbox....Its like low levels needs a boost. This is nothing to do with the rgb colourspace thing is it?
Did you try connecting directly to the projector via the component HD cable (bypassing the scaler) and if so, how did that work?
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, havent played the xbox since I got it, so didnt try it since. I was going to try to connect the Xbox directly to the scaler, but need a VGA connector type thing.
The cable from xbox is vga, and the cable to projector is VGA , but i need an adaptor to connect the 2 VGA connectors together. Both vga connectors are female.
I might try making one up if I can find 2 VGA male connectors.

_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, I've just ordered the vga adaptor to connect the xbox directly to the pj.
See if that works.

_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 2:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tried connecting directly to the pj using a vga adaptor to connect the xbox 360 vga cable to my 40 foot cable feeding the projector. Terrible picture.
I the used a short component cable straight from the 360 to the pj and the result was brilliant.
The cable to my pj was too long for the 360 to drive.
So now all i need is an external cable driver (I think) to boost the signal over such a long distance.

As far as your crushed blacks are concerned you need a gamma booster. Im looking for one myself so cannot advise which is the best yet.

Check out my post in the CRT section where I have asked for info on how best to achieve this.

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=112873#112873


Cheers y'all

_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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97ss150




Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 161



PostLink    Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 2:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

my xbox is fine on movies but really dark on games and sat video as well
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

97ss150 wrote:
my xbox is fine on movies but really dark on games and sat video as well


Movies from the xbox are pal/ntsc format. You are probably running games in high definition. The higher the signal bandwidth the poorer the picture will be over a long cable run. This is where good quality cable and cable drivers cone in. A I discovered, outputting PAL from my xbox was fine, but when I tried 720p or 1080i the signal would not travel.

What length cable are you running?

I assume the sat box is high def aswell.

_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
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97ss150




Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 161



PostLink    Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

very good. i think its a 25' bnc. so i need to get a better cable?
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97ss150




Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 161



PostLink    Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

also when i look at pics and all from my external harddrive they are really dark too
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97ss150




Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 161



PostLink    Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://cgi.ebay.com/25-Python-HDTV-Component-Cables-5-BNC-to-5-BNC_W0QQitemZ220237751960QQihZ012QQcategoryZ64631QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


???
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tommo2




Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Posts: 226
Location: Ireland


PostLink    Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The problem may not necessarily be your cable. It's like this:
The signal loses intensity over distance. This loss is increased as you increase frequency. The main problem you have is the xbox does not have a cable driver, so the signal is quite weak. Not a problem on short distances or on low frequency, ie NTSC or PAL.
This means that the signal will degrade over distance especially with the HD output of your games. This is why SD output looks okay. Hey, set the gaming output to 480i or 576i (or even try 480p or 576p) and I bet the picture will look okay, however it may lack the detail that the HD output will have.
Getting a better quality cable will help, but the picture will still be very poor when it reaches the projector.

You must get a cable driver to boost the signal over the long distance. Certainly get a better cable if the one you have is of poor quality, but it may not be necessary.
Invest in a cable driver like the RTC2200 for sale here. The difference will be immediate and you may not need the expensive cable. The RTC2200 also has gamma boost, which will give you better black detail.
Try connecting the xbox directly to the projector using the short output cable that comes from your xbox, and you will have a brilliant picture. You may need RCA to BNC adaptors, but they are only a few cents each.

Hope this explains it right.
8)

_________________
pull up the handbrake and walk away

Barco Data 701s
iScan HD scaler with sdi mod
Oppo 981HD with sdi mod
Xbox 360
Playstation 2
Denon AVR 1507 7.1 AV receiver
Wharfedale Diamond 9.4 floorstanders (front)
Wharfedale EVO2 (center)
Pioneer 100W (sides)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (rear)
Wharfedale SW150 active subwoofer

Photos on the way!
Back to top
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