Xbox 360 Component Video Ghosting?

[furntree]

Hey everyone!

Before anyone asks this is a required use case for component video and I can not just use HDMI. Also I am a Commercial AV design engineer & project manager, but my analog video skills are a bit rusty.

I'm using a 360 outputting via component cables (I'm using some very decent looking Rocketfish cables) but for some reason on my LCD TV I am getting similar video ghosting to this image - http://i.imgur.com/1gFIFNj.jpg

I do NOT get any of this ghosting when using the Xbox in 720p/1080i on my Sony BVM-D24 broadcast monitor, but get the ghosting not only on the TV but my Datapath Vision AV capture card via component. This happens at every resolution capable by the 360 and does not seem to change anything. Again this does NOT happen on my BVM-D24 monitor but only on the LCD and capture card.

The only thing I can think of is that the TV/capture card isn't terminating the signal properly as the BVM with a properly 75ohm terminated input card is fine, but it makes me wonder what the issue could be if it is happening on the Datapath frame capture as well.

I also tried going through the service menu of my Sony LCD TV and they don't give you LCD driver settings anymore! So I can't really mess with the RGB sync or anything of that nature.

I originally thought it may have been my Atlona DA but taking that out of the signal chain doesn't seem to help.
The only thing I can think of is an impedance mismatch being created by the Xbox but I'm a bit stumped on how to resolve that if it's the case.

I will also mess around with different output cables from the console itself to see if that will resolve any possible impedance mismatching. I have an OEM cable coming in the mail.

I will take more screen caps/pictures when I get home!

Thanks in advance!

[Guspaz]

Errm, Rocketfish is BestBuy's house brand, basically the cable equivalent of Dynex/Insignia... The main selling point of the Rocketfish 360 component cables were that they cost half as much as the Microsoft cables (only $25).

I'd wait for your OEM cables to arrive and see how they compare.

[furntree]

Thanks Guspaz!

I was doing some tinkering and it seems to be kind of what I thought, I have another Insignia brand 360 video cable laying around and it actually seems to do a ever so slightly better with ghosting (I know I know it's still random best buy brand) but plug it into the Atlona and you still similar issues.

From there I threw a couple of the outputs from the Atlona onto the oscilloscope and was getting some slightly out of spec voltages from the Xbox in particular. I have a couple of nice coax proper 75ohm video cables and boom! Image is almost completely ghost free at least from the Atlona.

I think the solution here is to make my own interconnect cables that are actually proper 75ohm with 75ohm connectors along with getting an OEM 360 cable. There must be an impedance issue in this chain which is causing video reflections.

This signal chain seems to work fine with every other component device so I am thinking its not my Atlona switcher at the end of the day.

Thanks for the reply!

[ShadowofBob]

Could be the cables, I had an identical issue with the XBox 360 VGA cable OEM vs non-OEM. OEM resolved the problem for me.

I've also seen strange issues on some TVs like my XBR910 where ghosting is resolution dependent. For some reason all sources at 480 have minor ghosting regardless of cable or input type, but none whatsoever in 720p or 1080i. Might be worth try running the Xbox at 720p or 1080i (Whatever you aren't currently using) to see if the issue persists or is minimized.

[furntree]

If anyone was wondering and to help people on google with similar issues, the problem definitely ended up being a combination of B list video cables from the xbox and improper impedance in the interconnect cables between equipment. The best combination ended up being a $5 set of "Monster" cable component video only cables for the 360 off of ebay (They were slightly better than the OEM!!), combined with some furntree made proper 75ohm RG6 interconnect cables.

She looks beautiful now! Thanks for making me look in the right places.