ok, who put acid in my coffee?

June 8, 2009 2:29 PM

I'm having issues with severe color fluctuations while watching netflix streaming via my xbox.

When I watch streaming on my xbox it looks almost like someone has their hand on the color or brightness knob and is cranking it back and forth over and over. Skin tones shift from orange to almost mint green and back again. Trippy and annoying. This does not happen when we watch tv, or when I use the xbox for anything else (games or watching short video clips on xbox live). It also did not happen when we bypass the xbox and watch netflix by just routing a computer to the tv with a s-video cable to the same tv.

I haven't had much luck with anything so far, and it doesn't look like this is a very common problem.

Anyone have any tips or, perhaps, a better way for me to explain what is happening so I can see if netflix or (ugh) xbox can assist?

Details: standard, unmodded xbox, hard-wired internet connection (cable), very old television, and, if it matters, sound via an external surround system.

posted by Kellydamnit to computers & internet (8 comments total)

How do you have the Xbox hooked up to the TV? This sounds exactly like the classic Macrovision copy protection.
posted by zsazsa at 3:09 PM on June 8

I agree with zsazsa -- do you have the xbox hooked up to an RF adapter or something, to connect to the TV? It seems like the "very old television" might be part of the problem. I don't get this when connecting to my TV, but it's a newer LCD model.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 3:40 PM on June 8

oooh... it is hooked through one of those switch boxes, since we have four video game systems hooked into one television. I forgot all about that.
posted by Kellydamnit at 3:49 PM on June 8

Yeah, but what kind of cable(s)? What is coming out of the Xbox -- composite? component? HDMI? What is going into the TV -- composite? component? HDMI?

This sounds like composite and a bad switch or cabling. Composite is terrible for video quality, and only the RF cable (you know, channel 3 or 4) method is worse. Component will fix the chroma phase problem, as will of course HDMI.

Does the TV have only one video input?

and don't overpay for cables, go to www.monoprice.com
posted by intermod at 8:37 PM on June 8

Sounds to me like Macrovision too. If the signal is going through a VCR at any point, well, don't do that, and see if it gets better.
posted by kindall at 10:38 PM on June 8

I just called Netflix, and they do indeed use macrovision. Oh well, looks like no netflix on xbox for me.
posted by Kellydamnit at 4:37 PM on June 9

Well, Macrovision is supposed to mess up VCRs specifically, but if you have a crap connection to the TV, the messed up signal may confuse it. If it's plugged in directly with a good cable, it should work.
posted by zsazsa at 7:37 PM on June 9

it's not plugged in directly, it goes through a small switch box like this since the TV doesn't have enough inputs for all the game systems.

Sadly, plugging in directly isn't a viable option since it means I would have to move a 32" very heavy old TV in an entertainment center whenever I wanted to use the DVD player, Wii or playstation.
posted by Kellydamnit at 7:45 PM on June 9