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Fuck EB/MadCatz, and Fuck their stupid universal component cables
Murchie
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I thought that I'd post this as a warning, as EB seems to now have a policy that everything, including non software items are exchange only.
I bought the universal component cables, the new ones that handle the Wii, Ps2, Ps3, and 360 (strangely, not the original xbox though!). See them here, although they use the wrong picture. These are manufactured by madcatz.
I'm out of component inputs on my 50" HDTV, so the Wii has been limping along on Composite since I upgraded to the new TV. I also didn't want to get a switchbox, as most of them are either ugly, overpriced, or do not have remote support (thereby removing the best part about having a harmony remote, not having to get up.)
So I hook my Wii and 360 up to these cables, the 360 using optical audio to my receiver, and the Wii using the standard stereo RCA connections. Both using the same component input directly into my TV. I turn on the 360 and am immediately greeted with video that flickers to black every few seconds during boot-up. Once it's started up, things are normal, so no big deal I figure.
I switch over to the Wii, and am greeted with a very dim screen, and no audio. Keep in mind, i'm using separate audio inputs on my receiver, so an auto switching problem is not what's going on here. I start doing the standard diagnostics, cables secure, correct av settings, etc, and cant find anything wrong.
I pull the Cable out of the back of the 360, and lo-and-behold, everything's back to normal on the Wii.
I put it back in and try just pulling the optical cable, leaving the 360 plug in, and I get no love.
So essentially, they've created a universal 3 to 1 cable that only works if you only plug one console into it at a time. They've successfully relocated the cable switching from the back of the TV to the back of the console. Way to go, MadCatz/EB, quite the quality product.
Now I know that this is an awful long rant over a $15 cable, but my favorite part was how the EB Clerk ignored my "this is the only multi console component cable that supports the Wii" part, and state "Well you get what you pay for. Maybe you should have bought this monster-like cable that only does the 360."
Fucking brilliant. How hard is it exactly to fuck up soldiering 3 cables together so that they all still work? Apparently pretty hard.
I bought the universal component cables, the new ones that handle the Wii, Ps2, Ps3, and 360 (strangely, not the original xbox though!). See them here, although they use the wrong picture. These are manufactured by madcatz.
I'm out of component inputs on my 50" HDTV, so the Wii has been limping along on Composite since I upgraded to the new TV. I also didn't want to get a switchbox, as most of them are either ugly, overpriced, or do not have remote support (thereby removing the best part about having a harmony remote, not having to get up.)
So I hook my Wii and 360 up to these cables, the 360 using optical audio to my receiver, and the Wii using the standard stereo RCA connections. Both using the same component input directly into my TV. I turn on the 360 and am immediately greeted with video that flickers to black every few seconds during boot-up. Once it's started up, things are normal, so no big deal I figure.
I switch over to the Wii, and am greeted with a very dim screen, and no audio. Keep in mind, i'm using separate audio inputs on my receiver, so an auto switching problem is not what's going on here. I start doing the standard diagnostics, cables secure, correct av settings, etc, and cant find anything wrong.
I pull the Cable out of the back of the 360, and lo-and-behold, everything's back to normal on the Wii.
I put it back in and try just pulling the optical cable, leaving the 360 plug in, and I get no love.
So essentially, they've created a universal 3 to 1 cable that only works if you only plug one console into it at a time. They've successfully relocated the cable switching from the back of the TV to the back of the console. Way to go, MadCatz/EB, quite the quality product.
Now I know that this is an awful long rant over a $15 cable, but my favorite part was how the EB Clerk ignored my "this is the only multi console component cable that supports the Wii" part, and state "Well you get what you pay for. Maybe you should have bought this monster-like cable that only does the 360."
Fucking brilliant. How hard is it exactly to fuck up soldiering 3 cables together so that they all still work? Apparently pretty hard.
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Seeing as how you already spent all that money on a 50" HDTV, you might as well splurge on a input selector.
Cables are not pipes.
It's rather hard to keep things moving in one direction but not in the other.
And by "rather hard" I mean you can't.
Get an input selector.
edit: or a multi-cable that has a selector switch, like those XCM cables, I guess; that'd work too.
Yes, no luck
And to The Warlock:
I'm aware of all that, but diodes pretty much make sure it only flows in one direction.
As far as an input selector, that's pretty much what I'm looking at now, I just like to keep the number of components to a minimum.
I wish EB would carry 1st party perhipherals and accessories and etc. :?
Um, they do. Why wouldn't they?
Diodes make sure that current only flows in one direction, but that's almost irrelevant to this issue, other than the fact that if you inserted a diode into the cables, they would stop working entirely. To fix this issue, you'll need a mechanical switch, relays, or bilateral transistor switches to enable one path while making all others high-impedance. At that point, you might as well have purchased an input selector or a nice multi-cable with a switch rather than have a mess of sketchy, hacked apart cables ruining your signal quality.
They do make auto-switching multi-cables, but they require a power supply and are quite expensive.
This is completely normal behaviour for "universal" console cables, it always has been, and it is unreasonable to expect otherwise.
That is, it's a cable you would buy if you didn't want to buy component cables individually for each console, not if you wanted to have them all hooked up at once.
My personal experience is that they carry controllers and memory cards (although they push the off-brand equivalents pretty hard for some reason), but I've never found first party things like cables or multitaps.
Yeah, this particular one said that nowhere.
Any recommendations for an IR controlled switchbox? Must be unobtrusive!
Barring that, anyone know where I'd get a decent HDMI cable at a reasonable price (at a Canadian retailer) so I can free up another one of my components?
It's just for my digital box, so I don't need a 300 dollar monster cable, but I don't want something that will suck either.
Well then you might want to try looking a little harder because you're probably the only person in the world with this experience.
And the fact that MadCatz made the cables has nothing to do with why they don't do what the OP thought they should do in a fantasy world of his. Maybe someone should have shopped around a little better before buying that TV. When I bought mine I checked and saw that it had 2xRCA Composite, 2xComponent, 3xHDMI and 1xVGA. Oh and 2xRCA audio that are independent of the 4 composite and component sets of inputs.
So you fail at TV buying and you fail at placing blame. Good start!
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
You could try Costco for an HDMI cable, also if you have one around try to check out an XSCargo, they tend to have Monster Cables at reduced prices. One more place, oddly enough, Princess Auto, you might need to dig around in the back corner or something but they generally have a pretty decent selection of audio/video cables for game systems and home theater. No idea why they carry that shit, but they have it and it's pretty cheap.
When I want to play one or the other, I just get up, unplug one, and plug in the other.
...
My only gripe is that it doesn't support Wii, so if I want to play my Wii with component input, I have to go behind the TV and unplug the universal things and plug in the ones for the Wii component cable.
...Worked fine that is until I bought my PS3. For some odd reason my Wii/360/DVD player/etc.. all work fine through the switch with no noticable issues or quality problems. My PS3 however seems to have some major problems when the PS3 has to switch res's for certain games. It causes the image to go black and roll when hooked up to the switch but doesn't do it when hooked directly to the TV.
But meh, I don't really care. I just use these to take advantage of my standard bedroom TV's component cables. It's a huge leap over the shitty composite connectors. For HDTV-ness, there's pretty much no substitute for the official cables and some sort of input box to put them all in.
I've noticed mine locally tends to "run out" of 1st party devices but will be happy to sell you the Pelican / MadKatz Gamestop branded stuff at only $5 more than the official stuff.
MadKatz, hit or miss. For the longest time I couldn't run in FF9 -- animation would play but you'd never go anywhere. When I lost my MadKatz controller and had to use the official Sony one, I could run just fine. Turns out the MadKatz one, when you held down a button, actually set it up in a weird form of turbo, which was just enough for FF9 to think you were giving up on running every 1-2ms.
Pelican stuff tends to rock. The battery charger station I got for my original GBA served me sooooo damned well. It was fucking great, 2 battery packs, charge one while using the other, no waiting for batteries, ever. The combination Gamecube <-> GBA + GBA <-> GBA cable I got from them was also excellent.
Which is EXACTLY what the product is intended to be.
The only person at fault here is you, for blaming the manufacturer/store because you didn't understand ho a product worked.
Which is bullshit. Sure, you are not supposed to run all consoles at the same time, but why bothering in the first place? I mean I could easily change the three component plugs instead and save myself the cost of this cable.
If you have still money left try this one: " XCM Multi-Console Component Cable v2". Its cheap and got good reviews.
Link.
Also, I've noticed that my EBStop tends to keep 1st party stuff behind the counter and in other places out of direct sight. Alot of times I have to specifically ask for certain items and they'll grab one out of the drawer or cabinet behind them. They really love pushing their own Madcrapz, so be sure to ask first and they'll get you the good stuff.
Wow...
My TV has plenty of components, more than your TV in fact. They just happen to be all full as it is. No need to lose your shit.
The lengths of cable going to each console are really short, and the switch is on the place where those meet, so you will always have to reach back behind your consoles to switch between them, but that works for me.
$5 more than the official? No.
Third party controllers tend to be crap (with obvious exception, like anything from Hori or Ascii, or the pelican universal arcade stick). The cables are just fine. The universal cable is not meant to be plugged into all systems at once... it's designed to be used with all systems, so that the average customer who is kind of ignorant can pick it up, and guarantee it will work with whatever system they have.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
It has a little switch on it. That's why it works so well.
Hey man, just let them make up random shit, it makes them feel vicitimized. Don't mention the faction that most third party controllers are 5-15 dollars less than the 1st party ones, including wireless controllers. Also don't mention the fact that most 1st party stuff is kept in the back or behind the counter because they are incredibly high shrink items and not because EBStop prefers to sell 3rd party accessories.
There was a time way back in the day when EBGames had a Vendor of the Month and once a year it was MadCatz. That was the only time the company actively pushed third party accessories. There is no corporate directive to sell third party accessories, nor do employees gain anything by selling third party stuff.
Whoa
Fucking Winnipeggers
Don't buy your HDMI cables locally
EVER
www.monoprice.com - They ship to Canada for a reasonable price. Just don't spend a dime extra on express shipping.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
How have you filled them
Because seriously, creative use of HDMI vs. component will allow you to get all of the current/previous gen consoles you need hooked up, plus a DVD player if you really can't bring yourself to use one of the consoles to do that. And I don't see why you'd still need more than one of them to be actively turned on at a time. Maybe you could see someone about that ADD of yours if that's the case.
An AV switch with a remote would really be ideal, but I don't see how the stars could align that it would be absolutely necessary.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH