**UPDATE 1/10/2021**
I didn't reach out LevelHike after the issues I had with the cable, as I figured it was out of warranty and I didn't expect to get anywhere with it. I was wrong; LevelHike REACHED OUT TO ME on 1/5/2021 in response to my 12/27/2020 update. They stated that they wanted to make it right, agreeing to extend the warranty to 2 years in my case and send a replacement cable to me at no cost. Since it appeared as though they since changed the design, I agreed. The replacement arrived 1/8/2021, and I tested it out on 1/9/2021. First off, I received the new 2-piece design, whereby the portion that connects to the X-box and the small converter box are the first piece with an HDMI jack, and the second part is a separate, much longer HDMI cable. Also, the new design has a microUSB jack built into the converter box itself so an external power supply (not included) may be connected. This is very similar to their PlayStation 2 converter that I have, which also has the microUSB for external power, and has always worked fine for me. The new design appears to have done the trick, as the video and audio were just as clear or even clearer than the original one-piece design. I used the power supply from my Firestick to power the cable, and played the X-box for several hours with no loss of synch, no blackouts, no rainbows, and no short-circuits. I'll update the review if it should ever fail, but this design is MUCH better, comparable to another aftermarket converter I purchased from another company. Five stars for the customer service and new design; but minus a star for the hassle brought by the original design. Should you purchase this item and receive the older design, contact them and tell them to swap it for the new design. I'm posting pictures of each so people can tell them apart. The original cable came in a brown box with a sticker on it, and had the hole for the absent microUSB jack covered with black electrical tape. The new, good design came in a white box with the two separate components, and the microUSB jack clearly visible.
**UPDATE 12/27/2020**
After the apparent demise of the cable on 12/19, I attempted to watch my TV, but it would no longer turn on! Unplugged and re-plugged, with no luck. Standby light would blink 3 times and go dark. Opened up the TV and tested power supply to find it was providing voltage. Ordered a replacement main board (which is where the HDMI cable was plugged into) and upon replacing the main board, the TV worked again. It's likely the cable somehow fried the main board, but I'm not 100% certain. As such, I cannot recommend this cable. I was lucky to fix the TV for $45, but the cable is not worth the risk to the TV.
**UPDATE 12/19/2020**
Began experiencing an increasing number of blank screen issues during gameplay. Sometimes it would not come back unless I unplugged the HDMI and plugged it back in. Then it quit working in my main input altogether. So I put it in a different input. Same thing, increasing blank screens until it quit working altogether. Tried the third and final input only to have the repeat problem. Tried it on a different older TV and it would not work at all. Cable box, Bluray, PS3 all work fine. Its almost like the signal is too weak and/or loses the handshake. I see LEVELHIKE has now switched to a different design than what mine was. One piece is the dongle to the XBOX, with a separate HDMI cable. Mine is all one piece; the HDMI does not disconnect. The LEVELHIKE PS2 to HDMI adapter I purchased is also a two piece design and uses a USB power boost, and it has always worked perfectly fine. I guess now I will try another solution for the Original XBOX. Reduced to 3 stars because while it did work, it did not last long.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I recently decided to revisit some old video games, namely the original X-box. While the original composite (red, white, and yellow) A/V cables would connect to my UHD TV, the standard definition picture was less than wonderful. I researched ways to get the audio and video to the new TV, and I settled on this product. It came in a small cardboard box with the cable twist-tied in a resealable baggie and a small, color-printed instruction card in English only. I followed the instructions to plug it in and change the settings in the X-box menu. I enabled all available picture resolutions (480p, 720p, and 1080i) as my TV was more than capable of all three. Then I popped in the game and was pleasantly surprised at how much better it looked. The fine details were clearer, enabling me to clearly read the game's HUD display, which was challenging in SD. The colors were more vibrant, and the contrast more expansive. This difference of contrast was most notable in the nighttime scenes of the game. I did nothing to change the settings on the TV other than switching to the HDMI input from the composite input. I switched back and forth, A/B-ing the difference. Fine text is much easier to read. Neon signs look realistic. I had originally played this game on an old SD-only 27" Sharp picture-tube TV from 1999; this cable shows the X-box was capable of so much better resolution than most TVs of the time. Here are some photos that show nearly identical views of both a game-play screen and a menu screen. Yes, the menu shows saved game files from 14 years ago in addition to the recently saved game. Even being pictures of an LED-screen TV, the difference is obvious but even more obvious in person. The photos show different times in the game-play shots (because the X-box resets itself when you change out the cables with the game running), but I tried to get the same vantage point for a fair comparison. Clicking the "info" button on my TV remote confirmed that the TV was receiving a 480p video signal and a PCM (Pulse Code Modulation digital) audio signal. The 480p resolution was the maximum supported by the game. While the game does support Dolby Digital (5.1 surround sound), the cable does not seem to support it. The cable itself is a little thinner than the Microsoft original, and does not have a ferrite core like the original, but since we're dealing with a digital HDMI signal as opposed to the composite analog signal, the extra shielding is less important. The new A/V cable has a small plastic box about halfway along its length. This box has a small green LED when you power up the system, so you know it's working. The X-box connector fits snug with no play, so it seems to make good contact. The same is true of the HDMI end. This unit is all one piece; the HDMI part does not disconnect. No external power source is needed and there does not appear to be any provision for it. I have listed the equipment that I used, so that you can compare it to your own. My X-box is over 15 years old and the TV only 2 years old. Since reviews for this item seem to be all over the place, I can confirm that it works as promised and will update the review if it fails prematurely. The only issue I've noticed in a few hours game-play was some initial jitter when I first enabled the cable. This seemed to be related to the TV first getting synchronized to the new cable and the issue did not re-appear at all during game-play. Very pleased to play some fun old games in HD!
TV: LG 43UJ6300
Game Console: Original X-box; no modifications other than this cable
Game: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (part of the double-pack with GTA III)
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