Xbox RGB Scart and Component Video

This page aims to answer questions frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding Xbox SCART cables, RGB signals, component video and operating NTSC Xbox consoles in PAL countries and vice versa.

There are in principle only 4 possible answers:

1. You want to get the absolute best possible picture for your Xbox video game experience.
2. You want to avoid NTSC/PAL issues.
3. You own a HDTV (High Definition TV).
4. Your TV has only SCART inputs.

The following will attempt to answer all questions with specific focus on Xbox SCART/RGB and component video. Also, you can find out about the compatability of cables for the Xbox 360.

SCART Pin Layout

SCART is an industry standard for interconnecting audio-visual equipment, developed by the French company, Peritel. SCART stands for Syndicat francais des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radio et Television, meaning "Association of French Radio and Television Manufacturers". In Europe and other countries that use the PAL video standard, most TVs and VCRs come equipped with a SCART connector. The Peritel SCART connector (also known as Euro-connector) has 21 pins and provides for bi-directional connection of audio and composite video signals, uni-directional RGB video, plus control signals for television/VCR interaction.

Xbox Advanced SCART Cable

You could purchase the standard SCART cable or the Advanced Xbox SCART Cable at Amazon.co.uk. The standard Xbox SCART cable does not have any additional outputs for audio or digital audio, so you only get the normal stereo sound through your TV. The advanced version provides a digital output for use with digital audio receivers. To enable Dolby Digital audio, you need a sound system with Dolby Digital decoding and the Xbox Fiber Optic cable.

NEW: There is a new Xbox Scart cable, the Xbox RGB Plus - probably - the ultimate high quality RGB SCART lead. Next to the standard RGB signal it further outputs an optical Digital Audio out, S-Video out (switchable between RGB and S-Video) plus standard Audio Video out, with gold connectors.

The Xbox fiber optical cable transmits the Game/DVD sound to digital surround. It is 5 ft (1.5 m) long and connects your Xbox to a digital surround capable amplifier/decoder, enabling high-quality transmission of DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 audio signals.

Amazon.co.uk ships to countries in the European Union, but does NOT ship to the U.S.

No. The SCART cable does NOT convert any signal. It uses ANOTHER signal from the Xbox, which is the RGB signal. The RGB signal is the pure red/green/blue signal that defines the colour for each pixel. There is no modulation of the signal, as occurs with PAL or NTSC. This is the reason why the picture quality is so much better: it doesn't require the modulation/demodulation of the signal. If you have a SCART TV and an Xbox SCART cable, you don't need to worry about NTSC or PAL.

Probably not! Note that only because a device has a SCART connector, doesn't mean that it is able to transmit or receive RGB signals. This is especially true for many VCRs but also for some TVs. It is also true for many so-called "AV/Scart" cables that simply connect the AV/Composite output of a device to the corresponding pin on the Scart connector. These cables can be useful if your TV has ONLY Scart inputs, but these cables will not deliver RGB signals, thus the picture quality will not be improved.

Yes, Amazon.co.uk sells a multi-format Scart cable that can be used for Xbox, Playstation 2 and Gamecube. This 6 ft cable has breakout poles for composite leads and a switch to switch between normal and RGB operation. The normal AV mode is useful for the Playstation 2's DVD operation, which only provides "green DVD Playback". (Read more about "green" Playstation 2 DVD and region codes here.) However, the Gamecube support is limited, providing only normal AV composite signal instead of RGB. The same is true for Saitek's GameCube AV Scart Cable. It can be used to connect the Gamecube (and also the Nintendo 64) to TV's with SCART connector, but it does NOT deliver RGB quality.

In Australia, official Xbox AV/SCART cables are sold that are simple adapters, ie they take the composite signal from the Xbox and put it on the corresponding pin on the SCART connector. This works, and you can play your Australian Xbox on Australian TVs with a SCART connector, however, it is NOT RGB and therefore not suited if you want to circumvent the NTSC/PAL issue.

Most SCART cables available for Gamecube do NOT deliver an RGB signal but instead wire the normal AV composite signal to the SCART, so that you can use the Gamecube with a TV that has only SCART connectors. The only real Gamecube RGB Scart Cable comes from Nintendo, but this cable does not provide any additional audio outputs, so you only have your TV's speakers for sound, and cannot connect your Gamecube to a Surrond Sound Receiver. Looks like on the Gamecube, you can either have great picture or great sound, but not both.

No. Most modern TVs can display both NTSC and PAL signals. In addition, modern (and often expensive) TVs as well as HD (High Definition, even more expensive) have high-quality component video inputs, which are not the same as RGB, but also provide an unmodulated high-quality signal. All you need for this is the Xbox High Definition adapter. In the US, the High Definition AV Pack is available from Amazon.com and from Ebgames.com.

The Xbox High Definition AV Pack connects the Xbox console to most TVs with interlaced component video inputs, including High Definition-ready TVs that support 480i and either 480p, 720p, or 1080i component video signals. Look for HDTV support on Xbox game packages. The Xbox delivers a progressive scan image (480p) only for SOME games (eg Halo, Dead or Alive 3 and others), but not for all. DVD Movie playback is always in 480i only.

Both modes deliver a high resolution of 480 horizontal lines. In 480i, the lines are interlaced, that means alternatingly even and odd lines are displayed. In progressive mode (480p) all lines are displayed at once, twice as fast, resulting in a higher picture quality. Also note, only because your TV has component video imputs, does not mean it can do progressive scan. Also note again, only because your TV supports progressive scan, does not mean it is a HDTV. (But this is material for another article! :-)

Please notice the difference between composite video and component video. They are basically opposites. Composite video has every component of the signal (brightness, luminance, etc) modulated into one signal, whereas component video transmits every component separately, usually in shielded cables, for the best image quality.

RGB is a component form of video, but it is not "component video". Let's recap: The composite standards (such as NTSC and PAL) encode the luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color difference) components into a single signal for transmission. Component technology, on the other hand, keeps the component signals separate.

Whereas RGB signals are component signals, the term "component video" is usually used for a relatively new standard of transmitting, well, component video, used mostly on DVD players and HDTV sets. In component video, three different signals are used, labeled Y (luminance) and Cb and Cr (chrominance). Cb and Cr (often labeled Pb and Pb) are the color differences. These are derived from processing the original R and B components with the new Y signal (R-Y and B-Y). The advantage of this component system over RGB is that less bandwidth is necessary to transmit the same information, and this system is more tolerant to gain distortions than RGB.

Confusion often arises because the actual cables of the component video standard are RCA jacks, color-coded in red, green and blue. This was perhaps chosen to bring up the association with RGB, but of course these are not really RGB leads.

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