720p HD games??

[hidef]

Does anyone know why xbox games are coming out in 720p HD format?? Most consumer HDTV's reproduce 1080i formats and 480p only, making 720p display formats useless? every 720p game i play will not show an image if played in 720p!

[Chaotic]

Which games are 720p :huh: Most i see are only 480p with a few that are 1080i

[hidef]

here is the xbox HD game list:
http://www.hdtvpub.com/games/xbox/microsoft-xbox.cfm

other newer games include: Amped 2, Tonyhawk Underground, True Crime, espn NFL football and most newer games which are in 720p

[LynxFX]

Because the Xbox just isn't powerful enough to render at 1080i which is the computer equivelent of 1920x1080. 720p is 1280x720 which is a lot easier to render. We're lucky we even get 720p games as it has become quite apparent that Microsoft added the "HD specs" as only a marketing ploy (which sold me) rather than making it a requirement.

I personally have two HDTV's, one is capable of 720p and one isn't.

We actually list the games that support HD resolutions here in the game descriptions.

[hidef]

My question is: Will a game like Tony Hawk Underground look that much better in 720p than the 480p that my HDTV is capable of? am i missing out?
also: what does 16x9 mean for xbox games? is it similar to an anamorphic dvd, ie. getting more resolution with my 16x9 tv.

[OC Noob]

How do you know if your game is playiong in 480i or 480p? Is there a setting on HDTVs, does it dit automatically or is there a setting in the Xbox menus?

Thanks.


ps how much better does it look then 480i?

[hidef]

There is a setting in the xbox menu which allows you to enable 480p, 720p, or 1080i. If you enable all three then the xbox will automatically play the game in the highest resolution, but if your tv cannot reproduce lets say 720p and the game is in 720p then you have to turn the 720p off so the game will play in 480p.
Most HDTV's are 480p and 1080i compatible, with the later being true High Definition.

[LynxFX]

Originally posted by hidef
My question is: Will a game like Tony Hawk Underground look that much better in 720p than the 480p that my HDTV is capable of? am i missing out?
also: what does 16x9 mean for xbox games? is it similar to an anamorphic dvd, ie. getting more resolution with my 16x9 tv.
If your tv is capable of 720p, then yes it will look better. I tend to prefer 720p over 1080i anyway do to the progressive over interlaced. I did compare the difference of 1080i vs 720p with one of the few games that supports both, Enter the Matrix. In that game there was little difference, infact little difference from 480p which is sad.

As for 16x9, it means just that, the game is rendered in widescreen and you get the extra width without any stretching. It isn't exacty the same as an anamorphic dvd, but the outcome is the same. This is yet another feature that is greatly underused on the Xbox. Every game out today is perfectly capable of rendering in widescreen but the developers refused to add it. :mad:

[OC Noob]

Originally posted by hidef
There is a setting in the xbox menu which allows you to enable 480p, 720p, or 1080i. If you enable all three then the xbox will automatically play the game in the highest resolution, but if your tv cannot reproduce lets say 720p and the game is in 720p then you have to turn the 720p off so the game will play in 480p.
Most HDTV's are 480p and 1080i compatible, with the later being true High Definition.

Thanks for the info, one last question if you don't mind.

Does the TV need to be HDTV capable or just HDTV ready (were you need the cable box or add on box to make the TV HDTV capable).

Thanks.

[LynxFX]

Just HDTV ready. A true HDTV just has the HD decoder box built in and is only used for broadcast HD signals. Doesn't have anything to do with games or DVD's, or D-VHS.

[OC Noob]

Thank you sir.

[Wringer]

http://144.92.43.200/hdg/

another database of hd games

[Bakeman]

Just a few weeks ago I went to my friends house and he just got a Sony 50inch LCD TV.

I took the most my games with me.

Crimson Skies ... looked great
True Crimes ... looked great
THUG .. looked great

ESPN NBA ... WTF??
ESPN NFL ... WTF??

I was extremely dissappointed with the way the last two games looked. Jaggies all over the place. Can anyone explain this to me?!?!?!

His TV is capable of 720p , which those games say they do, and we had those settings turned on from the Xbox dashboard..

We ended up playing the other 3 games alot more just because of the looks.

All I know is I gotta get me a big screen TV .. it's sad trying to play these games on my 27inch tv now.

[Papke]

This was kind of mentioned earlier but I'm still confused.:D

If a game supports one of these HD settings like 480 or 720, how do you know you are playing with it on that setting? I looked in my Xbox UI and I couldn't find where you select the settings, although I think I remember doing it once.

Thanks fellas.

[LynxFX]

First of all, you must have the HD-AV pack hooked up with component cables. Whether it is Microsoft's or a 3rd party like Monster.

Then you go to the dashboard, under settings and under video. You should be able to select 480p, 720p, and 1080i. Each one has an enable, disable setting.

After that is done, that's it. If a game supports 720p and you have 720p enabled it will automatically play at that res. If a game supports all three, and you have 1080i enabled it will play at 1080i.

[l Maximus l]

Originally posted by Bakeman


All I know is I gotta get me a big screen TV .. it's sad trying to play these games on my 27inch tv now.

And to think I was in the same boat as you...but, now I'm playing on my 50" Toshiba Widescreen HDTV...I can hardly play on a tube anymore :D

[Papke]

Yay, thanks Lynx.

[MikeMan91389]

Man.... Im in love with my 27" tv in my room.. But now i want a 50... and i just bought the 27... :cry: :cry:

[^ReXoR^]

I am trying to figure out wether or not my tv is hd-ready. I have a Sony KV-32FX20E. I've looked around a bit in the manual but can't really find anything that'd suggest that it is capable. I've googled around a bit but haven't found anything. If anybody has an idea I'd be very happy :)