Help connecting xbox 360 to DVI monitor

I'm doing basically the same thing. I was going to hook up an XBOX360 VGA cable to an adapter for DVI, but ran across a better soution for about the same price!

(If you do not have an XBOX360 with an HDMI port, scroll down to "NO HDMI PORT")

I have an Acer AL2216W monitor that has a DVI-D output. I am getting a Dynex 6.5 Ft DVI-D to HDMI Cable from eBay (Under $10! Dynex model DX-C114181). Best Buy sells the same cable for $59.99, so eBay is probably the best option. Video should be better, but you will lose sound because HDMI carries sound, but DVI does not.

2 Solutions:

1 - Buy Optical / RCA Audio Adapter

or the cheaper way,

2 - Take the RCA cable (one with Yellow, Red, and White) that came with your xbox and open the casing where it plugs into the 360 with a small flat tip screwdriver by prying it apart. (You have to remove the casing so there will be room for the HDMI cable). It may get a few nicks from the screwdriver, but will snap back to gether if you want it to later. Once you get the casing off, put it somewhere you will remember. You won't need it. If you have the one with six RCA plugs and opical, the connector will be loose. Use electrical tape around it and it will be more secure. I suggest taping it up even if it's not loose. With the casing removed, you'll be able to plug in the HDMI port. You will only use the RED and WHITE RCA for the sound.

This will only work if you have a 360 with an HDMI port.

NO HDMI PORT
If you don't have an HDMI port, the best solution is to find out what type of DVI input your monitor has. More than likely, it will be DVI-D. Search on eBay for a DVI-D to VGA Adapter. You'll have to have the XBOX360 VGA cord and make sure the adapter you get has the correct ends (ie male or female). Don't just buy a DVI to VGA cable. I found one on ebay for like $1 with $0.57 shipping and it didn't work at all! Although this SHOULD work, I have not personally tried it, but I do know they make a DVI-D to VGA adapter that should do what I just described.

Hope this helps!

Hey, I tried number 2 on your suggestions but when i plug in the cable that came with my xbox and the hdmi cable only the sound works and not the video. I think its becuase the xbox chooses the cable it comes with as the output and not the hdmi or both hdmi and the xbox cable. what do i do for the xbox to work with hdmi and the audio from the xbox cable?

alfredor88:
Ok, I think I know what the problem may be. With the setup you did, you said when you have the HDMI and cable that came with 360 hooked up, you get sound, but no video. I'm not sure where you have your audio hooked up to, but audio is completely separate from the video. Try this... With both plugged in, and everything turned on, unplug the cable that comes with the 360 from your console, leaving only the HDMI cable hooked up (and power cord, of course). Do you get video? If you don't, you have to manually switch the monitor from VGA to DVI. Most LCD monitors automatically detect video, but if for some reason yours doesn't, try manually switching the monitor itself from VGA (analog) to DVI (digital). I have an ACER AL2216W and to switch over, I have to hit the menu button, go over to an icon that looks like a vga port and switch from Analog to Digital. Analog = VGA and Digital = DVI. Hope this help!

I do get video but when i plug in the xbox cable again it goes away and sound comes back

Ok, I tried a couple things myself. I noticed that when I had only the HDMI cable plugged in, it displayed video on my monitor. When I would plug in ANY XBOX cable, the video would go away and I would manually have to switch it back
to DVI on my monitor. With the console OFF, plug in both cables into the back of the 360. The only RCA cables that should be plugged in should be the RED and WHITE ones for sound. Turn on the 360 and everything should work properly.

You may have already tried it, but try it again. If it still doesn't work, maybe you could make a video showing the pieces you are using and everything you have tried. Upload it on youtube and send me the link in a reply to this.

Let me know what kind of 360 cable you are using. Is it microsoft brand? Does it have 3 or 6 cables at the end?

ok so im using the standard 360 xbox cable with the three cables - red white and yellow. Im using my hdmi to dvi cable too. I plugged both xbox and hdmi cable at the same time. Now, my lcd has vga and dvi. When i turn on the xbox im usually using my computer screen (vga) I have to switch to dvi when i turn on my xbox. The thing is that when i turn on my xbox i hear the audio and then i switch to dvi and when i switch to dvi the xbox automaticlly resets and starts all over and then my screen says there is no signal for dvi and switches back to vga.

I know how frustrating this must be for you. It sounds like there may be something wrong with either the cable itself or the 360. See if you can get a friend to bring over theirs and try the same scenario and see if it still does it. Maybe even try another monitor. Let me know what happens.

alright thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

Hey have you figured out this issue please email me richmyles13@gmail.com

I am starting to think that Microsoft is wicked enough to install an update that makes the Xbox 360 not compatible with 3rd party cables... example I have the Halo 3 Special edition Xbox 360 with HDMI port. ---- using HDMI to DVI-D and the Microsoft optical digital audio cable (Red and White) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CfczeVvqL._SL50... *** the Xbox restarts continuously with no video. One will work with out the other but not together and i am wondering like i said if this is Microsoft's Capitalistic patent work at hand.

I don't think this is deliberate, but rather that there's a subtle system setting (possibly varying among xbox models) that govern this. I do the same setup, HDMI for video and xbox cables for sound, with a couple of different xbox cables (VGA adapter or standard R W Y) using only the Red and White audio outs, and it behaves as I want it to, regardless of the order in which it's plugged in. I've also done this with two different boxes, no problems. So I think it might be just the boxes, but haven't fully searched for anyone that's solved this issue - but did find one report of a box switching its behavior in this regard, mysteriously.

If anyone figures out how to control this, please post here?

You can't do VGA to DVI-D. Well you can, but it will require an expensive signal converter.

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey