Can anyone help with the XBox video/sound?

[SoulBlazer]

I asked about this in a reply to another thread, but don't think anyone saw it, so I'll make a new one.

The refurbished XBox I got from EB a few days ago did'nt have a manual with it, so I'm trying to find out what video and audio options I have with this thing.

First, I don't see a Optical plug like the PS2 does. There IS this strange plug on the back of the XBox, but no clue what it's for. Can anyone clear these points up?

Second, does the unit have Dolby Digital and/or Pro Logic II support out of the box? I just have it plugged into the AV plugs on my selector switch.

Third, the front of one of the game manuals I have say that in order to get Dolby Digital I need to have either the 'XBox Advanced AV Pack' or the 'XBox High Def AV Pack'. I saw the Advanced AV pack at EB -- it looked like it just had the A/V and S-Video connectors on it, nothing more. Do I REALLY need the Advanced AV pack to get the best sound? I have a 5.1 speaker system that can support both of those. Does the only thing the High Def Pack include is support for high def TV's? I did'nt see one of those in the store.

I've allready gone into the XBox menu and put the sound on Dolby Digital but I'm not really sure if it's working or not. I'm sure ONE of the games I have with the system must support it (Shenume II, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Gun Valkrie, and DOA Extreme Beach Volleyball).

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Half Japanese]

The Xbox does support Dolby Digital (even in-game in most cases), but you have to have the Advanced AV Pack or the High-Def pack, both of which have an optical input. You can also do optical with the Monster High-Def cables, but you have to track down the dedicated Monster optical cable (only place I've seen 'em is Blockbusters' w/ Gamerush). If you do end up going with Monster, check Gamestop first, they're $20 cheaper than anyone else on them, and if you go Monster S-vid, check blockbuster, as they're only $9.99 for the best S-vid cables they make. The Xbox supports 480p, 720p and 1080i, all of which you'll need to enable from the dashboard options menu. Also, this is a fairly unknown feature at the moment, but with the new Live patches they did in the past week you can now access the dashboard in 480p (this is done by clicking both joysticks and both triggers simiultaneously). A great resource to see what games support which features is www.hdtvarcade.com , their lists aren't complete, but it's the best of what's around for what they're trying to do.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I don't any Blockbusters around here with the game stores, and there's no GameStop in easy range either. I guess I'll just pick up the Advanced AV pack and move my optical cable from my PS2 to the XBox. (I only have one game that has optical sound support for my PS2, so it's no biggie to me.)

And I don't have a high def TV (heck, mine does'nt even have a S Video port!) so I guess I don't need the high def one right now either.

Do you know what that unmarked plug on the back of the XBox is for? Is that for XBox Live?

[SirDrexl]

The high def pack is also for a component video connection to a non-HD TV.

I assume the unmarked port you're talking about is for the ethernet connection, used for Live and/or networking your XBox to a computer (or to a hub or another XBox for multiplayer games).