360 HD-DVD

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:24 pm

Who's bought one? Any impressions? Do you have to buy special DVD's in order to take advantage of the technology. I am thinking about grabbing one but then again it's still too close to call whether HD or Blu-ray will prevail in a near future.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:54 pm

I haven't seen any in stores but I have one ordered online and should get it in a couple of weeks. I've read impressions from other forums and everyone says the picture quality of the hd-dvds are outstanding, saying the picture looks like you are looking out your window with almost a 3d look to it and supposedly it looks better than over the air and satellite hd tv programs. Only negative I've heard is that it will be hard to go back to watching regular dvds once you watch a hd-dvd.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:21 pm

vader29 wrote:Only negative I've heard is that it will be hard to go back to watching regular dvds once you watch a hd-dvd.

Well yeah...but the fact remains...do you really want to replace your DVD collection with their HD-DVD counterparts? That is the one downside I can see at this point. I think I, like most people, will pick of a few of their favorites...replace those, and then just carry on buying the new HD-DVDs when they are released.

fatheadX · Post by **fatheadX** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:28 pm

The Circuit City website says that a couple of my local stores have them in stock. I am confused as to this launch, apparently there was no firm release date? There are some reviews on Amazon and they are (of course) positive.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:42 pm

Friend of mine got one on Tuesday. My guess is he pre-ordered it. He says it looks great, but he might not be as picky as i am. Now that it's out i'm very tempted to buy it but at the same time i really don't want to start replacing titles in my dvd collection only to find out in a few years that i'll have to switch to blue-ray or some other newer format and buy everything over again.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:51 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote: Well yeah...but the fact remains...do you really want to replace your DVD collection with their HD-DVD counterparts? That is the one downside I can see at this point. I think I, like most people, will pick of a few of their favorites...replace those, and then just carry on buying the new HD-DVDs when they are released.

Well for me I only buy a couple of dvds each year anyway, I mainly rent movies to watch and once the video rental chains start carrying them it will be nice to pick up the hd version for rental.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:51 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote: Well yeah...but the fact remains...do you really want to replace your DVD collection with their HD-DVD counterparts? That is the one downside I can see at this point. I think I, like most people, will pick of a few of their favorites...replace those, and then just carry on buying the new HD-DVDs when they are released.

Netflix offers both blueray and hd-dvd I believe. I know there is an option for it in your preferences section of their site. I of course have not selected either as I don't have a net gen drive yet.

But look forward to getting a PS3 for blu ray.

sd · Post by sd » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:55 pm

I purchased mine Saturday at Circuit City, which seems to be one of the few major chains that had them early. They also have a coupon for $40 off a purchase of $199 or more, so that brought the price down considerably, and made it a no-brainer for me. Even if HD-DVD doesn't win the format war, I'm not out a fortune. The package also includes the universal remote and the King Kong HD-DVD. Microsoft did a great job integrating it into the 360 dashboard, and the HD-DVD drive itself is much quieter than the 360's internal drive. Picture quality is excellent, and looks like a pristine HD broadcast to me, but I wouldn't call it 3D-like. The HD-DVD drive apparently works with Windows PC's also, after downloading a few drivers, although I haven't tried that.

I too will buy a few of my favorites in the format, and then buy new releases as they come out. Places like Sam's club sell the HD-DVD discs for $19.99, so there isn't that much of a price difference compared to regular DVD's.

fatheadX · Post by **fatheadX** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:29 pm

sd, where did you get that coupon for $40 at CC? I found it online, but it says no reproductions or photocopies will be accepted. Are you on a CC mailing list or something?

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:35 pm

fatheadX wrote:I am confused as to this launch, apparently there was no firm release date?

Official release date was Nov. 8. I know EB/Gamestop had them on that date.

sd · Post by sd » Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:39 pm

I found it online also. There's nothing in the fine print about no photocopies or reproductions on the version I have. The clerk looked it over pretty closely and read all of the fine print and it was accepted with no problems.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:42 am

You'll need VGA cables to watch DVD's in 1080P.

http://www.gamespot.com/features/616161 ... ck=topslot

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:29 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
vader29 wrote:Only negative I've heard is that it will be hard to go back to watching regular dvds once you watch a hd-dvd.
Well yeah...but the fact remains...do you really want to replace your DVD collection with their HD-DVD counterparts? That is the one downside I can see at this point. I think I, like most people, will pick of a few of their favorites...replace those, and then just carry on buying the new HD-DVDs when they are released.

That's kind of what I'm doing. For anyone that doesn't know, DeepDiscountDVD is running a 20% off the entire store with free shipping. I picked of Cars for $12.37 and Goodfellas HD-DVD for $16 and change.

King Kong on the HD-DVD drive does look amazing, but I am also impressed at the improvements of the regular dvds that I have put in the player. It kind of makes everything feel brand new again.

ExtremeGamer · Post by **ExtremeGamer** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:57 am

10spro wrote:You'll need VGA cables to watch DVD's in 1080P.

http://www.gamespot.com/features/616161 ... ck=topslot

You also need VGA cables to upconvert regular DVD's, as they are still being displayed at 480p through component on the HD-DVD drive.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:50 am

VGA?

So you're hooking it up to monitors or do your HDTVs have VGA inputs?

Well it's low enough in price if you already bought an X360. There may come a time when they downconvert the picture because there's no HDMI or DVI output.

But if you want to watch movies and you're not interested in the console, you're better off buying a standalone player to futureproof (i.e. have an HDMI port).

Kind of kludgey to have a big dongle like this, which has its own power brick. So you have 3 things hanging off the console -- the main power brick, the add-on, its own power brick. Obviously something MS cobbled together after the console design was finalized.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:07 am

wco81 wrote:So you have 3 things hanging off the console -- the main power brick, the add-on, its own power brick. Obviously something MS cobbled together after the console design was finalized.

I haven't been paying close attention. This thing has its own power brick???

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:43 am

Leebo33 wrote:
wco81 wrote:So you have 3 things hanging off the console -- the main power brick, the add-on, its own power brick. Obviously something MS cobbled together after the console design was finalized.
I haven't been paying close attention. This thing has its own power brick???

No, it's nothing like a brick, but more like the little piece on the PS2 or Gamecube power cords. About 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and an inch thick.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:47 pm

IGN's review: http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746074p1.html

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:02 pm

wco81 wrote:VGA? So you're hooking it up to monitors or do your HDTVs have VGA inputs?

Depending on your HDTV. I have a Sony Bravia and it came with the VGA input, others TV just don't.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:02 pm

Well it really doesn't touch on the potential for downconverting the signal on anything other than HDMI/DVI.

Potential buyers comparing this to standalone players has to take that into account, that in 4-5 years, it may not be able to output HD because of the lack of HDMI/DVI.

Then of course there are the rumors that MS may come out with a design which has the HD-DVD drive built-in and with HDMI outputs. They might go this route if the add-on isn't helping HD-DVD marketshare enough or if PS3 sells well. If they do that, they could use the additional storage space for games too.

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:29 pm

That was quite possibly one of the worst hardware reviews I've ever read. In all fairness to them (it doesn't interface properly with Sony 1080p displays via VGA), they really didn't touch on the product much at all. Felt more like a preview.

Silly question, but does anybody know if the XBox HD-DVD upconvert standard DVDs? I'm thinking no (because I haven't seen it anywhere and the PS3 Blu-Ray drive doesn't) but just wondering.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:21 pm

Potential buyers comparing this to standalone players has to take that into account, that in 4-5 years, it may not be able to output HD because of the lack of HDMI/DVI.

In 4 to 5 years HD-DVD or Blue-Ray players should be quite affordable and by that time we might be talking about the next xbox as well. For $200 it's a steal.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:22 pm

A (somewhat) better write-up here:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/616161 ... ck=topslot

Microsoft has been busy rolling out games, Xbox Live updates, and new console accessories all season long to keep the Xbox 360 from being forgotten during all the PlayStation 3 and Wii launch mayhem. Microsoft started by enabling 1080p output on the 360 with a console dashboard update. Then came the Xbox 360-exclusive Gears of War, which is the best game we've seen thus far from this system generation. Microsoft is now getting ready to launch Xbox Live Video Marketplace. On November 22, Xbox 360 owners will be able to purchase and download select television shows and movies from Xbox Live in standard- or high-definition formats.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. Movies and VGA cable sold separately.

With all the recent events and the pending system launches, it's almost easy to forget that Microsoft is also shipping the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player this month. Remember? It's the $200 Xbox 360 HD DVD drive that can play movies in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p high-definition resolutions. The drive is starting to appear in retail, and people who preordered the accessory months ago are already receiving their units in the mail.

The package includes the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, power supply, a USB connector cable, and installation disc. For a limited time, Microsoft will also bundle the player with an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote and an HD DVD copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong. The HD DVD player installation was as easy as plugging the drive power supply into an open electrical socket, running the setup disc, and connecting the drive to the console with the included USB cable. Microsoft placed two USB ports on the rear of the drive to make up for the lost USB port used for the HD DVD connection on the console. The drive even has the installation notches for the Xbox 360's wireless Wi-Fi adapter.

You'll need to provide your own set of Xbox 360 component or VGA cables to output an HD video feed from the Xbox 360 to an HD display. You should already have a component cable if you have the premium Xbox 360, but you'll need to get the VGA cable for full 1080p movie support because the Xbox 360 can only play HD DVD movies up to 1080i over component cables. We tested the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player on our Westinghouse 37" LVM-37w3 LCD 1080p monitor and found that it could play HD DVD movies at 1080p over VGA, but downgraded the movie image to 1080i over component cables. VGA is your only 1080p option right now because Microsoft hasn't added HDMI support to the Xbox 360 yet.

The drive has two USB ports and grooves for the Xbox 360 Wi-Fi adapter.

HD DVD movies looked great on our 1080p display. We used a Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift combo disc that had the HD movie on one side and the DVD version on the other. The 1080p movie had sharper text in the preroll MPAA rating screen, and the picture detail was especially noticeable in close-ups on the actors. GameSpot members can download a set of 480p DVD vs. 720p/1080p HD DVD screenshot comparison images here. The 1080p resolution looked the best to our untrained eyes, but 720p and 1080i also looked very nice. Playback was smooth at all resolutions--720p, 1080i, and 1080p--with no visible tears or artifacts.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player looks to be a terrific upgrade for movie fans who already have an Xbox 360 and an HD display. Performance is excellent, and the media remote and King Kong HD DVD movie pack-in items make the $200 price tag even more attractive.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:26 pm

I thought the DVD drive in the X360 upconverted DVDs.

Oh maybe not since typically, upconverted DVDs are only through HDMI ports.

In the case of the PS3, remember Sony owns a studio and wants to sell Blu-Ray movies, not DVDs. But an exec. said upconversion could be added via a software update.

Still, if you get a nice display, chances are it will do upconversion of 480i signals. And maybe do better job than the PS3 would.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:32 pm

LAking wrote:
Potential buyers comparing this to standalone players has to take that into account, that in 4-5 years, it may not be able to output HD because of the lack of HDMI/DVI.
In 4 to 5 years HD-DVD or Blue-Ray players should be quite affordable and by that time we might be talking about the next xbox as well. For $200 it's a steal.

Right but I was referring to people who don't have the X360 yet and are considering getting the combo to play HD-DVD as opposed to buying a standalone Toshiba.

So you're still talking a minimum $500. A lot of people would expect to get more than 4-5 years out of a $500 product.