onnecting an Xbox to a PC or Laptop or a PC Monitor

Original Generation Xbox

Connecting an Xbox to a PC Monitor
Note - this method is only for playing Xbox on a PC Monitor, but will give you the best picture quality.

It
is possible to connect the Xbox to a VGA display with very very good
results. The key to obtaining good results is to avoid the basic line
doubler devices available from places like Lik Sang. They take the
basic 480i signal from the Xbox and convert it from interlace to
progressive scan. This works but looks very poor.

To get truly
great results, you need to tap a quality Xbox signal. By taking the
native 480p, 720p, or 1080i signal from the Xbox and displaying it
directly on the VGA device, you get exceptional results. This is not
line doubling the 480i signal. You must use the direct output from the
Xbox or transcode component to VGA.

There are two devices on
the market that do this both very well and inexpensively. The X2VGA is
a device that connects directly to the Xbox and uses the native output
to provide a VGA signal. The VDIGI VD-Z3 is a component to VGA
transcoder. This provides equally great results but provides the
flexibility to use any device that can provide a component video signal
(not just Xbox). This is vastly different than those cheap line
doublers mentioned earlier that accept composite and S-video inputs
from any source. These devices do not transcode and will not provide
the same level of results.

I personally use the VD-Z3 and absolutely love it. You can't really go wrong with either product.


Connecting an Xbox360 to a PC Monitor or HDTV using the VGA Cable

Note - For HDTVs with VGA Inputs, be sure that your TV's VGA
input supports one of the resolutions below, or you will be unable to
use this cable!
When you connect the VGA AV Cable to your Xbox 360, you should see a slight change to the Display settings menu.
Instead of choosing 480p, 720p, 1080i, etc, you would in fact select the screen resolution you wish to use.
The following resolutions are available for selection:
640x480, "Normal" or Widescreen format
848x480, Widescreen format
1024x768, "Normal" or Widescreen format
1280x720, Widescreen format
1280x768, Widescreen format
1280x1024, (see below)
1360x768, Widescreen format
The 1280x1024 resolution will only be available for selection if you have connected your Xbox 360 to Xbox Live.
For most CRT computer monitors, you should be able to use the
highest resolution for your format. For LCD Monitors, you should choose
the output resolution that best matches the native screen resolution
(check your instruction manual).


Using a Laptop as an Xbox Display

Generally, this
is NOT possible. The video (S-Video, VGA) connections on laptops are
OUTPUTS. They will not accept an in-bound signal. In order to get
anything on the screen from an external source, you need a Video Input.
It may be possible to connect an external Video Capture device to the
laptop and use an composite or S-Video cable from the Xbox, but these
connections are limited to 480i and the results may not be optimal in
any case (i.e. - it may lag a bit, see below for more details).


Capturing Xbox Video on a PC

There are 2 basic ways to get this accomplished, direct to PC and w/ a Digital Video Camera.

Direct to PC
First
off, you'll probably need a half-decent PC. If you don't plan on doing
alot of editing, a ~1.5Ghz with at least 256MB RAM should get you
started, and you'll need at least a GB or two of Hard Disk space to
store the video while you're working on it, depending on how long your
segments are. In order to record video on a PC, you will also need a
Video Capture card and capture software. Some video cards may have
this, so look on your PC and check if there is a yellow RCA or S-Video
INPUT plug next to the VGA/DVI Output. If you're not sure, check the
manual or website for your PC/Video Card. A Video Capture Card is NOT
the same as a TV Tuner card, though many TV Tuner cards may also
include video capture capabilities. These cards usually start in the
$50-$75 range and go up from there. There are also external video
capture devices, but if you're considering one of these, make sure you
have a USB2 or Firewire connection for the device, since USB1 will be a
little slow when dealing w/ Video. If you have a laptop, another option
may be a PC Card (PCMCIA) Capture Card. The capture card will have a
composite input (OK), an S-Video input (Better), or maybe both. This is
the only device we know of at the moment that uses component inputs.
There is a list of available cards at VideoHelp.com, including prices,
technical details, and user comments about most of them.

Once
you have a capture device, you'll need to connect it to the PC. Do NOT
assume you can just connect it directly to the PC and play 'live'.
Generally, there will be a slight delay as the video passes through the
PC, so you don't want to be playing your game while watching it on the
PC monitor. Therefore, you will probably want to consider one of the
following connection methods:

1) Splitter - Use a composite
Y-Cable (cheap) or S-video splitter (not so cheap) to split the output
of the Xbox to BOTH the TV and PC. You can use the Radio Shack Video
Distribution Amplifier as a splitter, especially for long cable runs,
and it will also convert Composite to S-Video if your TV and PC inputs
don't match. Basically, you'll connect the Xbox cables to the
Y-Cables/Splitter, and the splitter to the TV and PC. Anything you do
while in the game should be visible on the TV in real-time, and maybe
slightly delayed on the PC. Don't forget your audio cables! They will
be split as well using simple RCA Y cables, available at Radio Shack or
any electronics store.

2) Monitor Out - Some TV's have a
'monitor' jacks to OUTPUT whatever is on the screen. You'll connect
your Xbox to your TV as you normally would, then run another cable from
the TV to your Video Capture card/device. Most of the time, this
Monitor output is only Composite, so it may not be the optimal method.
If you are using a decent A/V Reciever, there may also be a monitor
output on the reciever that you could use as well.

Once you
got everything connected, you should be able to use whatever video
capture software that came with your device to display the signal
that's input into the PC in a window or full-screen on video monitor
and start recording it. Assuming you're recording to the AVI file
format for future editing, try recording at 480x640 or 720x480 before
going to any higher resolution (or 'NTSC' if your card lists options in
that manner). This is the best you'll get over a composite or S-video
connection, so increasing it probably won't make much of a difference.

Digital Video Camera
This
one is pretty simple, as long as your camera has Video Inputs (as most
do). Connect the camera to the Tv and make sure you can see what the
camera sees on the TV (the TV is on the right input, etc...). Connect
your Xbox to the Camera. Record your video by pressing "REC" on the
camera. When you're done, connect the camera to the PC and you can
transfer the video to the PC as per your camera's software
instructions. Many software programs will even let you control the
camera directly from the software, so you may be able to have the
camera connected to the PC at the same time and control it through the
software.

For more general information on capturing and working with video on a PC, check out the guides at Videohelp.com.


Xbox 360
To connect your Xbox 360 console to your monitor or high-definition TV (HDTV):
1. Turn off your console.
2. Connect the AV connector on the VGA Cable to the AV port on the console.
3. Connect the VGA connector on the VGA cable to the VGA input on your monitor or HDTV.

4. Connect the solid color left and right (white and red) audio
connectors on the HD AV cable to the audio inputs on your monitor, TV,
or audio receiver.
To take advantage of the AV cable's digital audio output, see Connect to Digital Audio.
5. Turn on your console.
From the System area, you can change your display and HDTV
settings. Select the appropriate video setting for your monitor or
high-definition TV.
Important
Stationary images in video games can "burn"
into some TV screens, creating a permanent shadow. Consult your
television's owner's manual or manufacturer before playing games.

Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable Instruction Manual
Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable Instruction Manual
Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable Instruction Manual
Troubleshoot Audio/Video Connections
Please may attention to the switch on the console end of the Component HD AV Cable. Note Only set the switch to HDTV if the TV supports high-definition resolution, such as 480p, 720p, or 1080i.


http://forums.xbox.com/196109/ShowPost.aspx