Xbox 360 HD-DVD Review


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Being the proud owner of an Xbox 360 console and a Toshiba HD-A1 player, I was placed in a position to review the new HD-DVD drive and put it through its paces in a head-to-head comparison to the Toshiba unit. I have been an advocate of HD-DVD thus far, but I do own the Samsung BD-P1000 and a few dozen Blu-Ray titles. I am certainly curious to see how this 'High Definition Generation' of video games consoles will help determine the outcome of the HD formats as a home video medium. Currently, the HD-DVD drive is listed on Amazon.com as the number seven best seller and was previously sitting at number five. I have talked to store managers at Circuit City and EB Games and they have reported strong interest and sales in the unit, so it seems that early on, Microsoft's decision to provide the HD-DVD add-on was a wise choice and the unit is going to find itself in many a home. At an early point, it looks like the second question is that Microsoft may indeed find success with a hardware module. However, how does it perform?

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/reviewofxbox360hddvdaddon/4186

TBH seen as its been compared to the high end Toshiba unit, it hasn't come off too badly at all imo :)

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, but I do own the Samsung BD-P1000 and a few dozen Blu-Ray titles. I am certainly curious to see how this 'High Definition Generation' of video games consoles will help determine the outcome of the HD formats as a home video medium.

what he's trying to say is he owns one but it's holding the front door open. poor attempt at not sounding biased.

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was so close to getting this while i was down in NC... the EBgames there only got 2 in.. was one preordered.... i remembered I had a 10% off accessories coupon... so i held back... i may pick this up today on my way home from work.... anyone from neowin pick this up ??

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was so close to getting this while i was down in NC... the EBgames there only got 2 in.. was one preordered.... i remembered I had a 10% off accessories coupon... so i held back... i may pick this up today on my way home from work.... anyone from neowin pick this up ??

I've got one on pre-order, but its been delayed again till the 1st of December :( damn UK, Japan's getting it earlier than us and they don't even like the 360 :p

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what he's trying to say is he owns one but it's holding the front door open. poor attempt at not sounding biased.

Did you even read the review? He's not comparing it to a BD Player, he's comparing it to a standalone HDDVD Player. It's about as unbiased as you can get.

-Spenser

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Another huge shortcoming is the ability to stop a film and resume playback later. This is pretty much standard functionality, but with the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on, you must use chapter search ("King Kong" has many of these by the way) to find the location where you last stopped watching or Warner Bros. bookmarking functionality.

Did Microsoft just shot themselves in the foot?

I watch lots of DVDs and the resume feature is probably the one thing I like the most about them. If it turns out that there is no such functionality and Microsoft have no plans to add it then, I don't know about anyone else, but me even though I own a 360 I'd be looking for alternatives :|

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Did Microsoft just shot themselves in the foot?

I watch lots of DVDs and the resume feature is probably the one thing I like the most about them. If it turns out that there is no such functionality and Microsoft have no plans to add it then, I don't know about anyone else, but me even though I own a 360 I'd be looking for alternatives :|

Yeah I love bookmarking feature, shame the HDDVD dosent have it, maybe a further update can add it?

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I'll probably end up getting one. My TV...err umm...computer monitor, needs a big upgrade first before I can even begin to enjoy it.

What is the story w/ 1080p? Is it supported w/ the VGA connection? Will HDMI be available soon or at all? It is all just a bunch of speculation?

I sure could go for a big wad of cash for some home entertainment upgrades.

I have some dumb questions:

* Can you play regular DVD's on this drive?

* Can you play XBox 360 or original XBox games on this drive?

The reason I ask is optical drives have a relatively short and fragile existence. It would be nice to have an alternative if a game is acting up on the internal optical drive.

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What is the story w/ 1080p? Is it supported w/ the VGA connection?

You can select from multiple resolutions with the VGA cable. 1080P is available with the Fall dashboard update.

Will HDMI be available soon or at all?

Maybe. Maybe not. If anyone, only ATI and Microsoft really know what the 360 is capable of but they're saying nothing. However, lots of people have speculated that the AV socket on the 360 can't do digital video output. It still may be forth coming, just have to wait and see what Microsoft say, if they say anything at all.

* Can you play regular DVD's on this drive?

Yes you can.

* Can you play XBox 360 or original XBox games on this drive?

Microsoft have already committed to saying that no HD-DVD games will be released this generation but I haven't heard either way whether or not the HD-DVD drive can be used to play existing 360 games. I would guess no though.

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Microsoft have already committed to saying that no HD-DVD games will be released this generation but I haven't heard either way whether or not the HD-DVD drive can be used to play existing 360 games. I would guess no though.

From what I've read no you can't play any 360 Games with it, which is gutting seen as apparently the drive is meant to be near on silent compared to the internal 360 DVD Drive

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broke down and picked one up.... for now i am happy with my purchase... i dont have any HDDVDs to watch besides King Kong so I am unable to do a good comparison but on my 50" Sony sxrd @ 1080i ... the picture does look great... as soon as the universal logo comes on the screen you can see the huge difference between regular dvds... glad it comes with the nice remote... was tired of using that short one that came with the premium 360.. also like that i got an extra usb port out of it as well.. for those who want to know you need to run the "install disk" before connecting the drive... during the setup it then asks to connect the drive... then there is an update for your xbox(adds in the spot where you can decide between Play Game or Play HD-DVD. I will try and post pictures tonight...

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The only problem I have is "another 199$". Since I got my Xbox360 yesterday.... It's impossible to say that the PS3 cost more than the Xbox if you include everything that is built-in the PS3.

I know, at least MS is giving us a choice.... I don't need the wireless networking (it's a 129$ add-on here). But watching HD-DVD movies could be cool/usefull.

I'm sure i'll get it someday.... :)

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Thats the point though, for both its still cheaper than a standalone hd-dvd player, and you can play games on it, its more for the people who already bought xbpx 360s that want HD-DVD.

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I've heard so many conflicting reports about the HD capability of the 360 with the HDDVD connected. Bottom line, does anyone know fore sure if I will be able to watch 720p movies over my HD component cable. I have a Pioneer Plasma but alas no VGA port (but does have component and HDMI)

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The only problem I have is "another 199$". Since I got my Xbox360 yesterday.... It's impossible to say that the PS3 cost more than the Xbox if you include everything that is built-in the PS3.

It might not be the greatest thing for consumers currently, but it's an excellent business decision by Microsoft. If HD-DVD loses to Blu-Ray, it's no loss to them. If Blu-Ray fails, Sony has another dead format they'll try and continue pushing on the PS3 until it gets them into the "proprietary retards" category (again).

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I was planning on getting the 360 HD-DVD but I don't rent/buy a lot of movies because I've already watched them in theaters. So, for me, I think the Xbox Live HD movie renting will be a much better alternative. ::yayness::

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