The problem that is Microsoft Australia

Well, I sent an email to Microsoft AUST the other say regarding the use of component cables for the AUST XBOX. After about 3 different emails trying to explain to them what the hell a component cable actually was (it enables progressive scan) they finally told me that the AUST XBOX does not support HD games.

WTF?

HD capability was a MAJOR marketing point down here, and now they are trying to tell me that XBOX will never support it?

Check this out...

Thank you for writing back to Xbox.  
 
 The High Definition AV Pack, due to some regional product technicalities, does not provide all the expected benefits in some applications and uses with the Xbox Video Game System in Australia. The High Definition AV Pack does not enable HDTV, since the highest resolution possible in Australia is 480i. Progressive scan modes are not enabled on the Australian system.  It does provide visual enhancement, but the more appropriate product for Australia is the Advanced AV Pack. The Advanced AV Pack enables true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound via the digital optical input, and it includes an S-Video input, which means you will enjoy higher quality video than with the standard AV cable.

Did I just read correctly that the highest res XBOX will ever play is at 480i?

Is this a load of bull**** or do I just not know what I am talking about.

I think not, check this out, the first email I sent them.

Thank you for writing to Xbox.
 
Games can potentially display at a resolution of 1080i if you are using an HDTV and the game you are playing both supports this resolution and is set to display it. Currently, however, all existing games support 480p, and do not yet support a higher resolution. Check your game manual for more information.  
 
DVD movies display at a maximum resolution of 480i. They do not display in 480p or higher. Xbox does not support progressive scan resolution for DVD movie playback.  
 
If you have other Xbox concerns, please email us, we are glad to assist you in anyway.  

Now, didn\'t they just say that games can run at 480p? HOW THE FREAKING HELL CAN YOU GET IT TO RUN PROGRESSIVE SCAN WITHOUT THE CORRECT CABLE???

You don\'t know how frustrating this is...

[videoholic]

Heh.  You have to love CSRs.

Good luck to you...   Actually there are some HD games.  I forget which ones, but they were talking abou thtem on an HD site I frequent.

[Kurt Angle]

Maybe you should wait for HD tv\'s to come out in PAL form and test it for yourself. They probably told you it doesn\'t support it because there are no PAL HD tv\'s for them to test it on.

[videoholic]

There won\'t be a PAL HD set.  HD is HD.  That\'s like saying wait for a PAL NTSC system.

Dragon\'s Lair is 1080i but be careful, just because a TV claims it\'s HD-ready it might just downconvert it to a lower resolution.  Here\'s the semi-official list from players who actually tested the games on their own system:

Dragon\'s Lair - 720p, 1080i
NBA 2k3- 720p
Street Hoops- 720p
Tony Hawk PS 4- 720p

Updates can be found here.

Racer as for your situation it\'s tough to know because not many people are tech geeks about HDTV, even (or especially) Microsoft Cust Support.  Best thing I can recommend is hook your Xbox to an HDTV and see what the deal is.

Hmm, I strange. I am not a tech geek, dad is the home theatre geek, and for me to connect it to his \'scaler\' or something, it has to use a component cable. I have done the same with PS2 and Tekken 4 and it looks incredible on the big screen. I will have to post some pics of our theatre.

So, the XBOX can support HD? I am just really confused with what they have had to say.

Scaler is a different story.  This usually means it\'s connected to a projector (although it can apply to an RPTV as well) that throws out a fixed resolution.  So while the Xbox might be outputting 1080i, the scaler will downconvert it to say 840i-540p (or whatever the projector\'s native resolution is).  The upside is a lower resolution source will be upscaled to a good quality depending on how good the scaler is.

And yes the Xbox can support High Definition games.  I haven\'t heard of the Aussie version doing otherwise.

Yes, we use a projector.