HDMI Cable and Optical / RCA Audio Adaptor for XBOX 360

There are many differences between the 2, but to be honest, they largely won't affect your average consumer. HDMI is more convenient since yes, it's only one cable, but more than that, HDMI carries audio aswell. So using component you would need the 3 connectors, AND a separate audio cable.

Also, HDMI can carry superior audio signals (e.g. Dolby TrueHD) that other cables like phono and even optical cables are not capable of. But most consumers will not have the ability to utilise these anyway.

As for picture quality, there's not much in it, although people will be enraged by this statement, it's true. Component signals will tend to degrade over distance, but then to get HDMI to run over long distances, you need ludicrously expensive cables. Component video is _capable_ of the 1080p (the highest consumer TV resolution) although a lot of TVs will only support it over HDMI.

One thing that Component definately does have going for it, is that you can record it's signal, which isn't possible with HDMI. Again though, this isn't going to bother most poeple.

If you read this far, and want _more_ detail, I'll happily rabbit on for you if you'd want to drop me an email.

For you to connect your com to Xbox 360 HDMI you can do it 2 ways 1st get a HDMI cable to DVI if you computer will support it but you will then need to run sound as DVI will not do sound as well or get a pci board with HDMI out put on it but this will be expensive way to sort out your issue.

Since the Xbox 360 is transferring a maximum resolution of 1900x1080p via HDMI at 60 frames per second with a Dobly Digital 5.1 signal, the bandwith required for transferring the data doesn't exceed 4.95 Gbps. So getting a Monster Cable for your Xbox is like putting high performace tyres and 100 octane fuel into a Yugo to drive your kids to the shopping mall during the rush hour.

As for the eye pattern test: I graduated computer science, and while Monster can talk about signal degradation and stuff all day long, it's just to scare customers away from cheap cables.
HDMI has to support HDCP encryption. This means, a single flipped bit by a weak transmission will break the encryption and will display no picture at all.

Also, since the Microsoft cable is only a meter and a few centimeters, you don't have to worry about crosstalk or other signal degradation, that Monster advertises in their cables.

If you want to run a HDMI cable from the front of your Home Cinema room up the wall across the ceiling to a projector located in the back that is 5, 10 or more metres long, then we can talk about the eye pattern test and Monster cables.

But if your Xbox is standing next to your TV connected with the standard Microsoft cable, there won't be any difference in picture quality.

But if it makes you feel better, get the Monster cable. And while you're at it: get a 5 ton granite slab to put your record player on, a compact disc demagnetizer, a DVD rewinder and speaker cables with at least 1 cm diameter to get that "warmer" sound from your hopefully custom built speakers, if you get my drift.