Stupid DVI to component adapter question

[adg1034]

This links to a Newegg page for a DVI to Component video adapter. Look at it. I'll wait. As far as I know, there's no reason this shouldn't work, but I thought I'd ask anyway: I'm planning to buy one of these so I can play my Xbox 360 on my Dell monitor (that doesn't feature any inputs other than VGA and DVI). Here's the stupid question- conversion between DVI and component is 2-way, right? I'm only asking because the product text mentions it as a way to turn the DVI signal from your video card into a component signal for your HDTV, and nothing about the other way around. Have any of you done anything like this before, and would this work?

EDIT: If it doesn't work, does anyone have any ideas on what would?

 

[Lord Evermore]

Actually that will only work on certain models of ATI cards. <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=1412">https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=1412</a>

It says in the specs on the Newegg site that it works with ATI cards, I'm sure it's just a generic duplicate of the same ATI adapter. The issue is that the card must specifically be designed to output the Y-Pb-Pr signal over the DVI pins, which most don't. Newer ATI cards come with a dongle to connect to a 7, 8 or 9-pin DIN port on the card, which is used to allow connection of composite, s-video or component.

You can't just plug in a plain adapter that does nothing but connect different pins, the signal on those pins has to be correct. Component signal is not a digital output signal, DVI output is. Even VGA analog signal isn't the RIGHT signal for component.

As for it being able to convert in both directions, yes it probably would work, except that your component output isn't sending a digital DVI signal that the adapter can feed into the DVI port on the monitor. As I said, it's not just a matter of connecting the right pins like a DVI-I to VGA adapter (DVI-I ports ARE putting out a VGA signal on certain pins).

There are converters that are powered from external power to convert between DVI and component I think, but they're relatively expensive.

 

[adg1034]

That's some great information, but it doesn't answer my question: would I be able to use this as a connector between my Xbox's component cable and my monitor's DVI port? And if not, how could I make it work?

 

[Lord Evermore]

Originally posted by: adg1034
That's some great information, but it doesn't answer my question: would I be able to use this as a connector between my Xbox's component cable and my monitor's DVI port? And if not, how could I make it work?

Actually it did answer the question, although I didn't make it completely clear until I edited it.

No, you can't just plug it in to your xbox, because it's not outputting a DVI or VGA signal, it's outputting a component signal.

 

[adg1034]

EDIT: Never mind. I just found out that all I'd need would be to buy a VGA cable for my 360. D'oh!