I've been playing Oblivion on and off since it came out on XBOX360. I recently installed a HDMI cable for the console, and I have to say that I cannot believe the difference. It is like the entire game has been retextured. This simple action has breathed new life into the game. So the point of this thread is to say to any 360 owners that do not have a HDMI cable, and own a 250 gig console, you should seriously consider getting one. That's all. Peace. :thumbsup:

Also, it's worth noting that the difference between cheap HDMI cables and very expensive HDMI cables is non-existant, so buy the cheapest cable you can find

Only exception to this is if you need a really long cable, then you might want to spend more on it.

This. There is NO difference at all between HDMI cables because they use digital signals. It's either 1's or 0's, there's no in between, and there's no better "quality" 1's and 0's either. Gold connections and gas filled cables and all that other stuff that might have had a tiny effect on anologue cables just end up being expensive snake oil on digital HDMI.

Is there really a difference between using the boxed component cables and using HDMI? My 360 isn't quite working at the moment so If I open it up and find it beyond my own repairs, I was planning on just getting a slim. If there is a difference when using HDMI I would probably look into getting one.

Like the difference between wearing glasses and not wearing them.

Surprising. I always thought 1080 was 1080. Didn't know that it would make any real difference.

I've not played it on 360 but do you use my TV screen as my monitor. Now I've always used a HDMI cable myself to make this connection but I would also like to point out to PC users that may read this thread that even if you have a decent system and can run games at a high setting it is also worth forking out a little extra cash for a decent monitor. I've seen many people complain that they aren't getting good graphics yet their system can support it. Just because your System can support it doesn't mean your monitor can.

Its just like asking your brain to work without your eyes.

Also DVI connections from the computer are identical to HDMI, just minus the audio. They're both digital, the only thing HDMI does different than DVI is that it has audio and video on the same cable, while DVI has only video.

So wait, what were you using before? :shrug:

I ask this because older models of the 360 came with a component cable. Newer models simply came with a yellow composite cable.

Did you jump from regular video? Or composite.

I ask this because I'm running a composite on my 360 to my HD screen and i'm pretty happy with it. I do however use an HDMI from my computer to my TV and then audio out to the surround because my computer is a lot better than my Xbox.

Yes I am aware of this. Yet I have 26 speakers setup around my front room/office that run through my second system (Music and Films) and my Laptop (Work and travel Gaming) along with my main system, (I can't call it a tower because its more like a heated footstall to me). So I just run all of my sound through these.

Although most of the posters here have pointed out the near non-existent difference between cheap and expensive HDMI, it should be noted that more expensive cables are ALWAYS better quality cable. More shielding means less interference from any of the other power cables your HDMI may be laying next to. Better quality fittings mean the cable is less likely to fall apart if you are plugging and unplugging frequently. And brands like MONSTER include LIFETIME warranty that can be attractive when something happens 1 year and a half later. The other benefit comes in the debatable value of "Future Proofing" which isn't always very far off in the world of tech....
All that being said, I'm just offering up the other side of the argument, and the chance of higher resolutions than basic HDMI offer becoming standard in the next 5 years are fairly low.
The only other thing to look for is HDMI with ETHERNET... If you want to use the cable for any 3D applications, this will be required.

Oh yes, Monster Cable totally "future proofs" their tech by simply somehow tossing more bandwidth and such into a well-defined spec. Riiiight.

And why would you possibly need Ethernet if you want to use 3D applications? That makes no sense.

Because you should always have a lifetime warranty on something that costs $3... :laugh:

I knew I shouldn't have even added my input... You guys are sooo hyper-critical. But I guess it's more important to prove everyone on the internet is wrong instead of having a genuine conversation.

I was only offering the other side of the coin.... I'm not going to argue with you.

Well it's the truth. Why spend $30-40 extra for a lifetime warranty and no quality increase?

When the other side of the argument is "we lie to you so you'll spend way more money than these are worth" I wouldn't expect to find many people willing to be too civil.

That is true, external interference can degrade the picture quality with digital noise as seen in http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/1/3/1/5/4/6/0/corruption_000.jpg.jpg. These are extremely rare even on cheap cables though, so it's not really something one should worry about. Infact, I never heard of a cable having this issue (this particular screen is because of a poor HDMI repeater, not a poor cable), but is possible.

Again chiming in to say that cheap does not equal cheap. Cheap from a European or American brand is safe.

Nope... As usual, you guys are right.... Must be boring to hear, since people are probably be telling you that everyday.

My $3 HDMI cable runs past two full power strips with no effect, so I doubt interference is something to worry about.

Uh huh.

There isn't much reason, as of yet, to go anywhere beyond 1080P - most TVs don't support anything greater (unless, of course, you go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars) and even then there's very few, if any, sources that go above 1080P. I'd rather simply buy a $5 HDMI cable than a $100 Monster cable, warranty or no warranty.

The truth is never boring.

well in my experience this isn't entirely true. I bought one for about $3 on amazon, and when I took the cord out of the Tv at my friends house, the connecter broke. I now have one I spent about $20 on and it doesn't break when I pull it out of the tv. You just never know what you are going to get. (please no forest gump references...)

and fooy!!!!! the cheapest one I can find that is long is way too expensive!! I don't know why you would need a longer one. I can't come up with a situation where you would need a really long one unless you are giving a power point lecture or something like that.

75 feet for $45 bucks sound good? http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024006&p_id=7697&seq=1&format=2

......... maaaaaaybe.

but what would I need a 75 foot hdmi cable for? Unless I am going into a field that required that? I will stick with a 6 feet one.

but dang!! good price!!