Xbox360 Update will include 1080p support

[Iced_Eagle]

Well, it seems Microsoft is going to keep chipping away at the features that Sony heralds itself with...

The autumn update for the Xbox360 will enable it to play 1080p content for both games and movies. No, you do not need an HDMI cable to display the content, though if the market demands it, they said it's possible for them to release one. As of now, no plans.

In addition, the Xbox360 HD-DVD drive will come out in Japan on Nov. 22 for the US equivalent price of $177 IIRC...

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/shane-kim-talks-360-1080p-game-output-201816.php

Very cool stuff!

Also, obvously most Xbox360 games won't support 1080p, but 720p which will then be upconverted to 1080p... I agree with them completely on this, that 1080p is overblown right now... Let's get everyone on HDTV first before trying to push the resolution...

 

[destrukt]

Seriously, if the 360 can do 1080p output for GAMES that's a pretty huge "eat it" to Sony as they're touting 1080p as some huge advantage and the only 'true' HD.

Of course, games won't be true HD now but in the future I imagine we'll be seeing 1080p games, if it is indeed true.

I'll need to buy a new HDTV though, stupid 1080i.

 

[Warbie]

1080i looks fine. I certainly wouldn't buy a new tele just for 1080p.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Same with me, I'm fine with my 1080i (though it would be cool and unexpected if my TV can do 1080p)

Yes, it's possible for games to be 1080p, but like Microsoft said, they still believe the "sweet spot" is 720p, and all of their games will only be 720p... Anyone is free to make games 1080p though if they wish (and hell, there may be exceptions to the "only 720p from Microsoft games")

 

[Stigmata]

What are the chances that Sony fanboys are going to somehow downplay this by saying that since Sony had it first, Sony had it better?

 

[Warbie]

The games are just going to be upscaled. It seems that even the majority of PS3 games won't have a native res of 1080p, at least initially. All this fuss for not very much.

A 720p game on a 720p screen will look better than a 720p game scaled for an uber expensive 1080p screen.

 

[smwScott]

If I'm not mistaken I believe 1080p is more for movies than anything else. I mean, to release a Blu-Ray player and not support it would be ridiculous.

How big is the difference though? My TV is 1080i I believe, is the difference really noticeable? How about from 720p to 1080p? I don't know a whole lot about the subject as I just recently got a HDTV, so before then I didn't much care. Unfortunately I don't have an HDTV signal in my dorm room so the best I get to use it for is progressive scan PS2 games and DVDs.

 

[Stigmata]

Just like scaling up low-res games while playing on an LCD. Though, to be honest, I kind of like how Starcraft looks scaled up to 1280x1024, but of course it's different when you're playing on a TV, as you're much farther away from the screen.

 

[destrukt]

I use 720p instead of 1080i as [apparently] it's 'better' (Don't ask me, I read some articles on Digg, /. and elsewhere).

I'm going to switch to 1080i for a few hours/days and see how it is.

Halo 2 on 360 vs Halo 2 on Xbox is quite a bit better, textures are sharper etc. I had both my Xboxs plugged in and switched inputs from 360 to the other and had my person in the exact same spot and it was a lot nicer.

 

[Stigmata]

I use 720p instead of 1080i as [apparently] it's 'better' (Don't ask me, I read some articles on Digg, /. and elsewhere).

I'm going to switch to 1080i for a few hours/days and see how it is.

Halo 2 on 360 vs Halo 2 on Xbox is quite a bit better, textures are sharper etc. I had both my Xboxs plugged in and switched inputs from 360 to the other and had my person in the exact same spot and it was a lot nicer.

The difference between <x>i and <x>p is which horizontal lines of pixels are updated per frame.

Consoles output video at 60hz, or 60 "updates" per second (basically 60fps). Televisions will match this speed.

With interlaced ("i") rendering, the console only renders and outputs "even" horizontal lines of pixels (i.e. lines 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, ...) on "even" cycles (i.e. cycle 0, 2, 4, ...), and outputs "odd" lines on "odd" cycles (cycle/line 1, 3, 5, 7, ...). So in the first 60th of a second, only the lines 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. will be rendered and updated. In the second 60th, lines 2, 4, 6, etc. are updated. In the third 60th, lines 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. are updated. And so on and so forth. Effectively, this form of rendering is 30 fps, since each frame is fully updated after two cycles of rendering.

Progressive-scan ("p") rendering outputs frames that are fully rendered each cycle. So no matter which cycle of the 60hz the console is on, every single line of pixels will be updated. This is how computer games are rendered. This method results in a full 60 fps, since each frame is fully rendered after only one cycle.

Interlaced will generally result in some form of image blur, especially during fast motion, but it requires less rendering power to output at full speed (since you only render half a frame per cycle). However, progressive-scan results in a cleaner, blur-less source image, while requiring about double the rendering power of interlaced video (because you update the entire frame each cycle).

I think I got all that right.

[edit] And for the record, I typed this all out on my own, just for you

 

[Agent.M]

360 is the shit son!

I use 720p instead of 1080i as [apparently] it's 'better' (Don't ask me, I read some articles on Digg, /. and elsewhere).

I'm going to switch to 1080i for a few hours/days and see how it is.

Halo 2 on 360 vs Halo 2 on Xbox is quite a bit better, textures are sharper etc. I had both my Xboxs plugged in and switched inputs from 360 to the other and had my person in the exact same spot and it was a lot nicer.

Hmmmm might have to swith mine from 1080i to 720p for a few days and see how I like it.

 

[Asuka]

Wow! Holy shit i was waiting on this.

 

[Korgoth]

so once you buy the hd dvd for 180 bucks, your 400 xbox becomes a mear 20 dollars cheaper than the ps3... yet everyone still complains about the price.

 

[destrukt]

The difference between <x>i and <x>p is which horizontal lines of pixels are updated per frame.

Consoles output video at 60hz, or 60 "updates" per second (basically 60fps). Televisions will match this speed.

With interlaced ("i") rendering, the console only renders and outputs "even" horizontal lines of pixels (i.e. lines 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, ...) on "even" cycles (i.e. cycle 0, 2, 4, ...), and outputs "odd" lines on "odd" cycles (cycle/line 1, 3, 5, 7, ...). So in the first 60th of a second, only the lines 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. will be rendered and updated. In the second 60th, lines 2, 4, 6, etc. are updated. In the third 60th, lines 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. are updated. And so on and so forth. Effectively, this form of rendering is 30 fps, since each frame is fully updated after two cycles of rendering.

Progressive-scan ("p") rendering outputs frames that are fully rendered each cycle. So no matter which cycle of the 60hz the console is on, every single line of pixels will be updated. This is how computer games are rendered. This method results in a full 60 fps, since each frame is fully rendered after only one cycle.

Interlaced will generally result in some form of image blur, especially during fast motion, but it requires less rendering power to output at full speed (since you only render half a frame per cycle). However, progressive-scan results in a cleaner, blur-less source image, while requiring about double the rendering power of interlaced video (because you update the entire frame each cycle).

I think I got all that right.

[edit] And for the record, I typed this all out on my own, just for you

Hah, thanks man, that was easy to understand too. I'll probably just stick with 720p than.

so once you buy the hd dvd for 180 bucks, your 400 xbox becomes a mear 20 dollars cheaper than the ps3... yet everyone still complains about the price.

So, it is still cheaper ? Okay.

But it doesn't matter, if it cost the same amount, it still wouldn't matter.

Blu-Ray is being forced upon us and is bloating the price with things we don't want. It's also [apparently] delaying the PS3 because of diode shortages.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Sony approached next-gen formats the stupid way, well, a way which is nowhere near as 'good' as MS' approach.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

so once you buy the hd dvd for 180 bucks, your 400 xbox becomes a mear 20 dollars cheaper than the ps3... yet everyone still complains about the price.

Yet the base price you need to play games is still $200 cheaper ($300 cheaper if you count the Core system)... It's not a matter of adding products together, it's just that to play games you are forced to buy this expensive technology which some people may not even use...

I will be getting the HD-DVD add-on for Xbox360, just to support their format Plus, I wanna give my HDTV a good work out!

smwScott: Correct in a sense... Most games will still be 720p only mainly because it's hard enough to get 720p, let alone 1080p (even most Sony games are like this). All movies though will either be upscaled to the resolution if their normal DVD's, or obviously HD-DVD in 1080p. *drool*

No matter what though, it's pretty much win-win...

Also, remember people. If you don't support what Microsoft is doing and you think it's dumb or whatever (and this also goes for Sony and Nintendo and anything on this planet), vote with your wallets!!! If you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

[destrukt]

I will be getting the HD-DVD add-on for Xbox360, just to support their format Plus, I wanna give my HDTV a good work out!

Ditto, though I probably won't buy it straight away, probably a few months after the initial release when a good amount of movies are out.

 

[Icarusintel]

As nice as this is, I'm still getting a PS3 for only $400. And until X360 has MGS4 or DMC4 confirmed for it, my money's going to Sony.

 

[Stigmata]

I don't have HD yet, so I'll probably find myself a crummy widescreen monitor and VGA output cables in the meantime