Truly in HD + Orange Box impressions

Yes indeed, as reported before, I now have and HD TV, but until today I wasn't getting true HD gaming. But my package from Amazon arrived today! Component cables for the Wii, and the HDMI/USB 2 pack for the Playstation 3. And I purchased The Orange Box for the PS3, and test it out too.

I will first state the obvious that the Component cables dont really imrove that much. But, there was a notable difference in clarity on the menus, and on my VC titles; with more vibrant colors all around. The only disc based game I tried was Brawl, and deflicker on or off, the menus just look strange. However gameplay looks quite nice with the extra space and size.

Now, the Playstation 3 however.. whoa! I'll have you remember I made the jump from standard AV cables to HDMI, there was no component step or anything. So think 480i converting directly into 1080i, its quite the jump. So no, my TV is not capable of 1080p, but 1080i is more than enough from what I was used too. Right off the bat, the XMB is just as sharp as can be, and the PS Store and Browser are crystal clear. The jump from 480i Portal, to 720p Portal wasn't that drastic, but the clearner edges, and smoother color transitions were much welcome. I happen to really enjoy Portal so far. The only other part of The Box I played was Team Fortress 2; all I can say is I love the style, but I'm not too keen on the gamplay. Gonna play Half Life 2 later, I'd like to beat it before I step into the Episodes.

Still don't have an HD cable box... but I do get the 8 or so local stations in HD. The TV's wierd, i get like decimal stations. For instance, 4 is plain NBC, 4.1 is NBCHD, and 4.2 is NBC Weather Plus... who made it alright to have decimal stations?