xbox360 slim cables. cant connect hdmi and audio at the same time

Question

i recently got an xbox slim and i have some troubles connecting it to my monitor and stereo.

for the monitor i got a hdmi2dvi cable and now i can see something at least, but for the audio i have this problem.

the big cable with the audio connectors that came with the xbox has a part, that when plugged in to the console, is covering the hdmi port, so that i can not connect both cable at once.

so now i can get either video or audio but not both. :(

now i assume, this is on purpose but i was wondering if it is safe to cut away the part of the cable which is covering the hdmi port, so that i can connect both cables at once. thanks!

Answer

You are correct: An xbox cannot have two video signals present at once. The issues isn't so much that you are trying to use an hdmi cable + sound but that you could potentially be outputting two video signals.

With that being said, there exists a very cheap, very useful adapter I have used with my xbox to accomplish exactly what you are trying to do. I cover it in detail in this question as well as an amazon link to the adapter. You can also 'chop' off the guard on your existing component cable to make them fit side by side, but make sure you're only running one video question

Summary

• Buy an xbox adapter that allows audio cables and an hdmi cable to be plugged in at the same time
• Cut your existing xbox component cable's guard off so they fit side by side, but make sure you're not running two video signals out of it
• Use the fiber optics audio output if you have an audio device that can support it

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Is there a way to tell if a PS2 will support YPbPr?

Question

My TV (a JVC) has component input, labeled "Y Pb Pr" on the case. I ordered a PS2, and the manual says that it supports "Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr" (but doesn't mention "Y Pb Pr").

According to a review on AMZN, these are not the same thing, and the PS2 doesn't support "Y Pb Pr". But according to other reports I've seen, even though a PS2 doesn't claim to support "Y Pb Pr", it works just fine with a component cable and a "Y Pb Pr" TV.

Are "Y Pb Pr" and "Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr" the same thing? And assuming they are not, is there any way to predict (from the model/serial number or such) whether my PS2 will work with a component cable with my TV? I'm willing to pay a few bucks for better video quality, but if I know in advance it's a lost cause, I'd rather save the bucks.

Answer

YP_BP_R and Y P_B/C_B P_R/C_R are compatible: the slashes in the latter indicates it supports both YP_BP_R and YC_BC_R, which—for most intents and purposes—are the same thing.

The difference, if you're interested (from Wikipedia):

YP_BP_R is the analog version of the YC_BC_R color space; the two are numerically equivalent, but YP_BP_R is designed for use in analog systems whereas YC_BC_R is intended for digital video.

From the Wikipedia entry on YC_BC_R:

YC_BC_R is sometimes abbreviated to YCC. Y′C_BC_R is often called YP_BP_R when used for analog component video, although the term Y′C_BC_R is commonly used for both systems, with or without the prime.

Amazon is sometimes a wretched hive of scum and villainy: more often than not, reviews claim a problem is caused by a product when in fact it's caused by something unrelated but unbeknownst to the reviewer. Having had a PS2 hooked up to an analog and a digital TV over the lifespan of the PS2, I can confirm it supports both just fine.

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