XCM offers up Mega-Cool component-to-VGA converter
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 12th 2008 5:35AM
posted Jun 12th 2008 5:35AM
[Via IGN]
posted Jun 12th 2008 5:35AM
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Wow, pretty cool. Useful for people with old(er) monitors with only VGA inputs... not that there's many VGA monitors that can do HD anyway
its not "pretty cool"... its MEGA-COOL
Uh, even most CRT monitors do larger resolutions than HD.
does this mean I can actually hook my console game system directly up to my computer monitor now without a TV tuner card?
Nice, if it doesn't cost a fortune.
Sweet. If the wii plays awesome with this with no lag then im sold
There's been stuff just like this since long before even Team Xtender. I've had a VGA box for my original Xbox for at least three years.
Now I can finally play my Dreamcast games in all of it's arcade machine glory.
What I'm looking for is the opposite: a VGA to Component converter box at a reasonable price.
I don't understand why someone would want to hook up something component to a (likely) small computer monitor, but I do see the use in hooking up a PC (or mac mini) to an HDTV that only has component inputs.
Typically, even if people don't have a HD TV, they will have a computer monitor, which is obviously capable of high res quality.
So if you don't care about size, but want an HD picture, you can just use your computer monitor.
Since you usually sit about a foot away from a monitor anyways, the size of the perceived picture could be relative to a large TV anyways.
I used to do it this way when i had a 32" SDTV, and a 22" monitor. The detail was great.
P.s.
http://www.buy.com/prod/steren-python-hdtv-svga-component-cable-6ft-molded-ivory/q/loc/111/90133234.html
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2
Those cables do not perform the necessary (for decent quality) color space conversion. They say VGA because they use the D-sub 15 connector, but that is misleading; they are actually RGB cables that simply convert the component (3x RCA-type plug) connector to a D-sub 15 connector. The VGA standard (red, green, blue; horizontal and vertical sync) is different than the Component YPbPr (luminance + sync, chrominance blue, chrominance red).
In short, you cannot correctly convert VGA from a PC/MAC to component simply with cables, you must do colorspace conversion and embed the sync into the luminance channel. This requires a box. All such boxes I've seen so far are limited to 480i, even over component cables which could support 720p or 1080i... or at least 480p!
Better design, more ports and only 50 $
http://www.x2vga.com/product
not to be confrontational... but I got one of those a year or so ago... it was fine for games like Ninja Gaiden (I obviously used it for my xbox).
However, it was not ideal for Halo2, at least paired with my monitor. The dark maps were totally unplayable... especially if scoped in (the slightly tinted areas around the aiming reticle were not tinted... they were practically greyed out).
I've used a VGA cable on my 360 since then with the same monitor... and with none of these issues.
Perhaps the x2vga2 would be good paired with a newer monitor with better contrast etc... but chances are it won't be just VGA.
And if this is a domestic company, that would be a plus if you need to return it or something. x2vga2 had a pretty crappy return policy, and i just ended up selling it on ebay for a decent loss.
It was worth a shot tho. Not a whole lot of competition out there for this kind of stuff... so you're kind of stuck getting it and trying it, and hoping it plays nice with the hardware you have.
Really wished this was here back in 2003 or so. I would have used it to cleanly connect a HTPC to my rear projection Mitsu 55" HDTV. The other options around at the time just didn't seem too easy as this does. Now with newer TVs and video cards, you don't have a huge problem connecting a HTPC.
This isn't for connecting computers with VGA-out to TVs with component-in, it's for connecting game consoles and the like with component-out to monitors with VGA-in.
The comment system is such a pile of poop.
I have my email and password saved in the fields so i don't have to confirm anything, yet 3/10 times i get the "You did it" message, and no email to confirm my post. It gets lost somewhere in the interwebs.
on review, it seems to happen whenever i try to make 2 posts on the same thread, either 2 posts as main comments or 2 replies in a row.
Anyone knows of something similar but with HDMI out ? And if it's got a TV tuner as well, I'm sold.
I just like the convenience of having audio coming from the same cable, which is the case with hdmi. My LCD monitor has and hdmi input so I've been using my 360 on it, but I'd like to be able to play the wii (component) and watch TV wit it as well.
Thanks for any tips.
Renchi.com is currently selling this for about $75, so go there if you need it right now. I haven't found it anywhere else yet, but it'll probably start appearing elsewhere in a few days.
hello, i was wondering if this would work with ordinary YPrPb cables. would i be able to connect my satelletite to this. To watch tv on my monitor?
Another questiion. IS there a way to use ordinary RCA (red white and yellow) , or S-video. to hook up older VHS players to watch tv on your monitor?
Thanks in advance
Does it support the 18.5 inch lcd monitors having a native resolution of 1366 x 768?
I have not seen any VGA boxes supporting the WXGA resolutions.
Please reply as I have the component cables and still unable to play games in HD because I am dying to grab something like this MEGA COOL VGA BOX that can make my dead games alive with HD.
Thanks in advance
You won't be able to get your games to output that resolution over component, but if you set your game console to output 720p, your display should be able to scale that to 1366x768.
The XCM Mega-Cool was one of many component-to-VGA units my company considered when we had to replace the Vdigi VD-Z3 (it was discontinued by the manufacturer). It's nothing to get excited about... here's my summary after thoroughly testing it:
"I've got mixed feelings about this unit. On the one hand, we finally have a unit that supports 480i sources! It correctly de-interlaces such that 480i worked perfectly on both the CRT and LCD I tested with.
On the other hand, the video is pretty terrible. Where the Vdigi mildly abused the gamma curve to achieve more 'pop', the XCM Mega-Cool unit absolutely reamed it. Blacks are absurdly crushed and the brighter parts of the image were overbearing as well.
The selectable refresh rate was causing problems. The XCM Mega-Cool lets you select your output refresh rate and resolution, but doesn't remember your setting; so when you unplug/replug, it goes back to default. This would be a good thing, except for some reason the default for 480i/480p didn't show up on either monitor of mine. Every time I plugged in the XCM Mega-Cool at that resolution, I had to hit the "change refresh rate" button to get a picture.
It also included a silly Y-cable for power; USB mini-B to TWO USB A plugs. This is especially silly since the unit seemed to operate fine with just one of the ports connected.
The XCM Mega-Cool includes audio switching, something neither the Vdigi nor generic unit offers. However, I think that's a minor feature.
Bottom line, I like the 480i support, but the unit is overall unimpressive due to its terrible video quality and refresh rate issues. I wouldn't choose it for myself."
Ultimately, this little baby performs way better, unless you need 480i support:
http://www.datapro.net/products/hdtv-component-to-vga-converter.html