I've just been on the mighty fleabay and got hold of an official Microsoft audio dongle so that I can use both HDMI and optical digital outputs of my Xbox 360. Bizarrely, Microsoft have opted to have the optical out built into the AV lead rather than the Xbox itself. There is an optical audio output built into the standard component hi-def lead which comes in the box, and there's even one on the SCART lead, but if you opt for HDMI then you're scuppered. Weird. Obviously it's not an issue if you're plugging the HDMI into an AV receiver that accepts audio over HDMI, but I'm not. I still need "old-fashioned" optical. And the other thing is Microsoft bundles the dongle with the top-of-the-range 360 Elite, but not with the lower models, meaning you have to shell out extra. Typical.
Anyway, it is bought now, so I'm looking forward to an HD picture and 5.1 Dolby Digital any day now.
Interesting (but not surprising) to see MS needing a bit of 'round the houses' with their hardware also.As it goes I'm forced to live with the mighty earth rumbling base of the Macbook Air internal speaker.....however....it is 30 degrees C here....which oddly enough really enhances the sound quality :-)
ReplyDeleteTypical isn't it - they make a great console but leave out some really vital bits that you need to spend extra on to gain the full functionality when it should have really been built in from the start. Mind you, Sony aren't much better with their PS3 - the array of cost options for that thing is unbelievable.I dare say a spot of Costa Rican sunshine makes everything a lot more bearable!
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