HDMI Cables for The Original XBOX and Sega Dreamcast | MVG 

To prevent artefacts with the Xbox Pound adaptor, you have to use the additional micro USB power cable.

On Reddit Pound announced they're working on a new revision for the Xbox HD Link Cable for release later this year to fix up some compatibility issues and other minor issues.

Thank you for mentioning the bit about the Dreamcast HDMI cable having the same compatibility constraints as a VGA connection. I think that's incredibly important for buyers to be aware of!

For anybody who is like me from Europe/PAL region and is looking into getting the Xbox HD Cables keep in mind, that you have to softmod your Xbox as 720p/1080i were only available on the NTSC Consoles!

I think the big thing for these cables is convenience. With virtually all modern tvs being HDMI, for this scenario they are a good solution. I’m lucky that I have the ability to use component for my Xbox.

Love how your channel has grown and you keep upping your game with the quality of your videos👌

I really appreciate you taking the time to make this video!

Do you own these cables? Interested in picking them up ? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Have a great week !

I have the Xbox cable and haven't noticed the artifacting. I'm very happy with it, especially since the OE HD cables are at least double the price of this cable.

This is why I like your channel, others say it is a good buy but I was always thinking it just doesn't seem right with the look. but keep up the great work. look forward to your next one.

Another awesome vid, dude. This is a subject that, recently, has been near and dear to my heart. It's becoming a challenge to play these older systems on modern displays without it looking like a shit show. The VGA connector on the Dreamcast is as good as I've ever seen it - just stunning. Thankfully, Super NT has filled the spot in my set up for Super NES and maybe there will be other FPGA systems in the next ten years that'll do the same.

Objective as always MVG (Lantus), I just can't appreciate you enough over the years. Thanks for checking these out and sharing exactly what I wanted to know about them.

Also I'm glad you did a video on this. I had no idea people made HDMI cables for the Xbox and Dreamcast. I've been looking for ways to make older consoles less blurry on HDTVs.

VGA all the way for the Dreamcast ! Awesome video keep up the good work , enjoy every video you have posted and sometimes very educational

Thanks, for this awesome video. I was excited to see cheap cable for the DC and Xbox HDMI Solution. Only shame it did not have the best video output for the money. And Agree make an cable that delivers and make it 5 dollars expensiver if needed. Do it right or don't do it at al.

Thanks for the review MVG, keep rocking it with the OG xbox content. I bought my pound cable for the xbox a few weeks ago but haven't gamed with it enough yet. Will have to test to see if I can find the issues you were having.

Not only are you a great programing, you're one hell of a presenter as well. I go to no other to get a well thought-out and clear review of a product.

Great review ive allways liked the way you keep it real 👍

Retrobit recently announced a team-up with Sega. They'll be reproducing the official Dreamcast VGA box (and a bunch of other stuff). So that'll be another option, if it's any good.

Great video brotha! Makes you wonder about those upcoming snes and tg16 cables.

Awesome review, and just in time! I actually just got these cables this weekend, I figured they wouldn't be perfect but the convenience factor for $30 still seemed solid enough to me even with some minor issues. Worst case I have some good Component cables for the Xbox and an Akura for the Dreamcast, so these really are for added interest and convenience. For what it's worth, it looks like the Xbox cable was updated to have the HDMI portion of it disconnected, so that way you can hook up your own HDMI cable to it. Glad to see these are at least "pretty good" overall, I had looked at some cables for another company doing this same thing but the quality was much lower than these. Their SNES cable was AWESOME so I'm excited to see one of those from Pound, but their Dreamcast and Xbox cables were horrible and produced massive amounts of screen noise.

I love everything about this show from the subject matter to the music.

I'd like to buy them, but can't find the bloody things anywhere, except hideously scalped prices on eBay :(

Love the content keep it up!

As always, well informed, top notch videos with honest, accurate information. Keep up the great work! Oh, and btw, I finally got a chance to play your Postal port on my 1.0.0 Switch. Great work! The only issue I'm having is that audio isn't working on ANY home brew apps for me, but I suspect this has something to do with me being on 1.0.0? Additionally, I couldn't get your Doom or car racing game (can't remember what it's called off the top of my head) ports working, but again, I suspect this has something to do with me being on 1.0.0 (I think your Doom port specifically states that you must be on 4.0+ firmware). Keep up the great work!

I just picked them up and will be testing them by end of July. I'm quite busy unfortunately to do so before that. However, for the price I think it's a good deal from all my research. Thanks for the content. Love the channel.

Thank you for giving an honest review. I've already got a VGA box for my Dreamcast but (and i'll have to check later) I think I may be using RCA cables on my Xbox. Having the ability to plug it into HDMI would almost certainly be an improvement. Interesting that this video came up today in my playlist. I was just telling a coworker about how much I love the Crimson Skies game for the original Xbox.

Very good review. I’m surprised that the HD component cables don’t add as much value as you would think

Great review!!!

Awesome review dude ✌️ Thanks !

5:00 what a badass insert disc

i really like your videos .. keep the good job !! thumbs up

Thanks heaps great review, appreciated.

Was just looking at my old YPbPr to VGA transcoder from Lik Sang yesterday. Awesome website back in the day.

Great video! Own the Xbox cable, worked out well for me but I know others had interference issues. I was impressed for the price, especially with a softmod.

ROOOLLLLING START

Were you able to notice that the Xbox's cable doesn't pull sound from the SPDIF digital port? This has been the biggest deal breaker for me on this, and I am hoping a later revision addresses this.

FYI: for those who already have a Dreamcast HD Link Cable from Pound. Many games can be forced to play anyway over VGA/HDMI if you use the Utopia Bootloader CD.

THANX 4 THE INFO !! ;-))

Thanks for this video - was about to pull the trigger on the Pound HDMI for the original XBOX, but will hold off a little while to see if they address the artifacting.

Thanks for the video, was really considering buying the original xbox cables. I think I'll wait until Pound fixes the issues.

I don't think I've seen a single HDMI converter for any console that was satisfactory. The cleanest possible image I've managed to get out of my Xbox for use on my PC monitor is using the official component cables along with a BBS Garo for VGA transcoding, but unfortunately they don't make them anymore.

Great video! Next time you do something like this, you should learn how to properly deinterlace stuff with the Yadif 2x deinterlacer. You can use it with stuff like Handbrake or Virtualdub or Avidemux or something. You'll be able to deinterlace the video to 50/60fps and it won't look like the HDMI or VGA cables add a framerate boost over Composite/S-Video.

There was a trick I used to get Dreamcast to play games in unsupported video formats. Boot the game without a video cable and then plug the VGA or SCART cable in after the game was running. I have not tested this in years but it was a workaround I used to play Dreamcast on arcade cabs and VGA monitors.

Great review! Seems like both are good for the price, and to allow connectivity quick and easy to a HD TV, but the fact the Dreamcast cable lacks a way to support none VGA games (granted there's no easy answer, except a switch to feed composite through and use that instead). But the artifacts would make me avoid that XBOX cable. Loving the Fast Striker there!!! Made me want to go play it on the MVS!

another great video and love the t-shirt! :)

Very good review. I think i stick to my vga and component cables until something better is in sight.

Nice thanks . The biggest problem is the implementation in modern TV. You could check if the color distortion also occurs on other TVs in the same way or differ . AV, Componet inputs are no longer important for modern TV and I fear that manufacturers will save money at this point. The resolution is also an problem, with the Dreamcast I would rather go to VGA and use these on old monitors or HD TV that only offer 1024x resolution, which cost nothing today, but do not interpolate so hard as FHD and 4K TVs. To the noise: Check if the ferrite core has influence on the image errors. More interesting would also be an AV/Componet adapter on HDMI which can be used for several consoles.

I remember getting a vga box for my Dreamcast back in 2001. I hooked it up to a computer monitor and played unreal tournament on it. My jaw dropped. To me it was my first HD gaming experience. Though technically not HD, it was still so good compared to composite.

I'm using that exact same wallpaper you have on my PC at work 👀

Epic music on this video.

Great review! I'd love to see your take on the Open Source Scan Converter (or OSSC) if you could ever have a look!

They need to add a PUSH BUTTON switch to the Dreamcast cable. It's been years since I made one of these, but I think it's a ground line for VGA connection detection. You can boot it temporarily in Composite/S-Vid mode (lift ground), then after the boot screen (timed by listening to audio), connect the VGA 'ground' to make "non-VGA" games force into VGA.

These cables may not be perfect but i will need them to work on my new 4k tv. Thanks for bringing this to light bro

I bought one last week, and I love it for the dreamcast

That’s awesome right there hope they can make one for ps2 or GameCube other than that great video!!!

You should reseat the HDlink cable into your xbox and check tony hawk again, that artifacting can occur in all xbox cables if the cable isn't seated all the way into the AV out.

One thing with the Dreamcast is the VGA lockout on games can be bypassed with a pirate boot disc, but there's usually a good reason that the decks locked out VGA mode. Typically it will make the game run at a poor frame rate at best.

It looks like I will be keeping my VGA cables for Dreamcast and Xbox.

Sorry to dust off an old video but have you tried out the Hyperkin Xbox HDMI as well as the new Refresh of the Pound cable with the micro USB power in?

Nice video. Do you not have any HD VGA adapter for the original XBOX? I have a Neoya X2VGA in my original xbox collection.

I agree 100% on the Xbox HDMI cables reviewed. I bought it as well and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone just due to the video signal noise/artifacts on the screen. They need better shielding. The best HD video cables I have ever used on the Xbox were the Monster component cables, absolutely perfect picture quality imo.

What cables are the best to buy? I have a generic cheap cable and it makes humming noise, though image is fine (I think). I wanted to buy better cables but could only find used original and Monster cables that are overtly expensive.

Thanks for the review. Sadly I sold my Dreamcast a while ago and my Xbox 360 and Xbox One X are my original Xbox gaming machines. I do know not everyone original Xbox game is compatible but there are a lot that are and the games look great played via those systems. I would be interested if Pound made a similar cable for the N64. Right now I have an s video to an HDMI upscaler adapter and it looks really good but if Pound could improve the quality even more with one of their cables I would be on board. Again, thanks for the video.

what is the song from the very start of the video? it says double dragon in the description but it's named incorrectly and I can't seem to find this on the DD2 soundtrack. shazam keeps giving me different results

Copped one of these, they're epic.

Great video, I don't think they sell these in the UK but thankfully my HDTV supports Rgb scart.

hey modern vintage gamer, is it worth it to turn an xbox 360 component cable into one for the original xbox by soldering on a OG connector? would it get better picture quality than those cheap component cables for $6? I really dont like artifacts so i think im gonna go component.

Nice vid! For dreamcast I use the akura box by beharbros. It is the best HDMI solution for the dreamcast. As for the xbox, the official hd component box has the best video quality I have found.

You should have used static scenes to show the differences, but even with moving scenes, the HDMI cables were too soft for my liking, the DC VGA cable looks pretty damn amazing.

Since you're the only reviewer that's opened these up, do you mind telling us what converter chips they're using?

Respect for keeping it honest. Thumbs UP

Huge thanks. Just found these cables after fetching Xbox from the storage with only original cable. Gotta order component cable for it and skip these

So, it's basically a VGA-to-HDMI transcoder and a Component-to-HDMI transcoder that are powered by the bus, but only work for one system. What I'd like to see is a universal retro transcoder that can take VGA or component and output HDMI, possibly even adding a few features (such as resolution scaling) as well.

HDMI upgrade for OG XB can be made using the original scart, and a Wii to HDMI converter. Minor soldering requred.

holy.. thats beautiful

I actually had to shell out for the HD AV pack and a converter box for my HDMi solution. I can't deal with the weird colors and the new weird issues of the Pound cables. My solution costs more but the original look cannot be beat, unless pound fixes their issues and adds upscaling to 1080p... A man can dream

These cables are really aimed at the consumer who purchased a 4k TV recently with little to no connections. They aren't very good. For all retro gaming consoles its best to own a TV of about 5 years old that supports up to 1080. Most will have Composite, Component, HDMI and at least one VGA input. I run my Xbox via component and my dreamcat via VGA. They look the best. My SNES is component modded as well. I can guarantee it will look better than the SNES HDMI cable soon to be released. Great video BTW. As always. Cheers for all your efforts.

This seems good just incase your TV doesn't support component cables (my TV is 8 yrs old so i don't know if newer ones even have comp inputs anymore) but i have a really nice pair of Monster component cables for my Xbox that work great (i have some for PS2 as well). I never did buy a VGA box for my Dreamcast though, so i hardly ever use it as regular composite cables look horrid. But this might just do the trick. Good video!

This video was great but I'd really like to see more game comparisons.

Good video , not noticed any artifacting with mine , but admittedly i don't know if my pound hd link for fat box is first or second revision

You can use the dreamcast utopia boot disc to fool the cable to 60hz and improve game compatibility but some will still be subject to slowdown especially level 2 of Gunbird

Have you tested if the Xbox HD Link cable supports 5.1? None of the product descriptions for any OG Xbox HDMI cables say whether they support it.

Cool vid. - What kind of arm are u using to position the second monitor above the main one?

Is there any difference in latency or input lag using these cables?

The Xbox is crazy with how many of the games have 720, and even 1080i. I have component cables and the original Xbox just looks amazing on a modern flatscreen. Maybe I should get HDMI.

Does the HD Link HDMI for Xbox produces artifacts for the 480i and 480p games?

The green tint could easily be resolved by chancing your tint settings, though you would need to store that as a custom setting. Nonetheless the green tint over the image is most certainly annoying but nothing which cannot be corrected, and there is the convenience of not having a bulky A / V setup for displaying content from older consoles.

have the og xbox one and its pretty rad, luckily i dont have tony hawk. i am however going back and playing all my games and havent noticed anything yet.

I really hope they improve on this HDMI idea, especially for the Dreamcast because finding a TV with VGA anymore is getting tricky.

I got my Xbox link cable as soon as it was available. Have not had any problem with it. I also owned a hi-def component and VGA to HDMI that is significantly brighter and has some noise. I don't really know which is the "right" brightness, but I like the HD-Link more.

How is the brightness and contrast on the Xbox HD-link cable, when compared to the original component cables? On Metal Jesus Rocks’ video it seemed to be boosted/blown-out in dark areas on the HD-link, most noticeably when he demos terminator 3 and other titles with darker graphics.

Cool review! But you might wanna change the battery in your dreamcast, the date says 11-27-98😉 if one ownes a vga Box this is not an upgrade but a convenient solution for modern displays.

I have the Pound HDMI for my OG Xbox. What I’ve found to get the best picture on my Vizio HDTV. Input setting, turn Full UHD Color on Color temp normal Black detail off Dynamic Contrast ratio off Game low latency on Gamma 2.2 Auto brightness off It does make the image darker, simple remedy is increase the backlight to 59. The colors aren’t as vibrant, increase the color to 55

Luckily I have a VGA cable for my dreamcast and the HD component cables for my Xbox Original but once I come to a point where I have an HD TV that doesn't have those im puts I'll get these cables for sure because although u don't recommend them, I think they look great for the price and are much more convenient that buying adapters

It sounds like a good concept and it's not perfect but it certainly has potential. I'd like to see what happens if they put some more work into this

how much was the dreamcast cable going for before it sold out? i had to wait months on end for the akura hdmi box to be restocked versus paying a silly scalper price

I think your mileage may vary by set with the Dreamcast, with my TV I had some analog interference on VGA and in order to get the picture centered and in the middle of the TV it introduced scaling artifacts plus I had analog interference. With HDMI I eliminated both those issues, the picture was just as sharp but colors are richer and blacks deeper, so for me HDMI was a total win over VGA on my Sony XBR 1080p

Considering Im running my Dreamcast on AV cables into a 65" 4K TV is it worth getting the "HDMI" cable for better image quality? It's pretty rough as it is.