Dortamur Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 My shiny new HDTV arrived yesterday, so I broke out the HDMI cable (ordered in advance from EzyHD), went to plug it in - and found that the HDMI on my 360 is directly below the normal Video/Audio connector, and that my 360 cable (Component+Toslink) is big, fat, and ugly, and impedes on the space where the HDMI goes. Bottom line: I can't plug in HDMI and Toslink at the same time! Gah!! So, I can choose to have digital video, and crappy Stereo sound, or component video, and glorious 5.1 surround sound. Obviously I'm choosing the latter ( ), but I'd really like to actually use these nice HDMI cables some time... (The component video actually runs mostly fine in 1080p and looks fantastic). So, short of forking out for a new AVR which supports HDMI, is there any other solution? It's frustrating that the only reason I can't do it is plugs being too damn big... Is there a 360 adapter which is just for Toslink audio? If so, whereabouts can you buy them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doyvid Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 You have to shell out $70 for the "official" Xbox 360 HDMI cable that comes with a HDMI cable and a "slimline" adaptor. Very cheap and nasty of microsoft, I know, but it's the only way you can get both HDMI and 5.1 surround. I've had to do this for my setup, so I know for sure that you do . That being said though, you can generally find the official 360 HDMI cable at either EB or JB with relative ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dortamur Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 You have to shell out $70 for the "official" Xbox 360 HDMI cable that comes with a HDMI cable and a "slimline" adaptor. Very cheap and nasty of microsoft, I know, but it's the only way you can get both HDMI and 5.1 surround. I've had to do this for my setup, so I know for sure that you do .That being said though, you can generally find the official 360 HDMI cable at either EB or JB with relative ease. Guh. Thanks. Maybe I can time it right & get one on sale... I'm surprised there's no third-party adapter that does the same thing - even just the Optical adapter bit by itself would be perfect. I did find another solution online, but it's a bit brutal: http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50 Not sure I'm that desperate quite yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Just do the brutal thing and pry the plastic casing off the AV cable. It is cheap and nasty of Microsoft, but then again, who's surprised? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett174 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 The brutal method works really well. Took me less than 5 minutes and saved $60! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nting Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Correct. Brutal method is the way to go. But I prefer the term "smart, money saving" method. It's also recycling, so it's the "smart. money saving, environmentally-friendly" method. BTW, is there any advantage of this when watching HDDVDs? My AVR does HDMI fine, but just wondering if using optical has any benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennobee Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 If your connecting the HDMI directly to the AVR then HDMI is technically better as has more bandwidth. For Xbox 360 all you can get is 5.1 for games but for HD DVD's (those that still have em or want them) you could get 7.1 right ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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