TruckWEB Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I've done it, I took the plunge and got the external HD-DVD player for the Xbox360. This is connected with component wire to my Sony SXRD FullHD 50". The Xbox is set for 1080i, 16:9. It comes with King Kong and I also got Batman Begins with it. Both of then I did not own on DVD... The first thing I noticed, NO COMPRESSION ARTIFACT! Blacks are black and you can't see any of the artifact from compression in any dark scene. I can see more fine details. The problem that I have is that I can't compare the same movie from DVD to HD-DVD. I'll have to rent Batman to compare. But.... my current DVD player can upscale to 1080i and every DVD movie I watch looks just great. Right now, it's not clearly evident, for me, the huge difference from DVD to HD-DVD. I really like that you can view the movie menu while the movie is playing, changing audio, jumping to scene, reading informations about the actors while it's playing. That's new to HD-DVD. Using the included remote with the Xbox makes navigating the menu allot easier than using the gamepad. For 199$, with the remote and King Kong, it's a good deal. I just hope to see "The Look and Sound of Perfect". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrKuro Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 The differences will vary . . its not like the jump from vhs to dvd. I also bought the hddvd addon, and it looks very nice, although not a gigantic jump compared to a highend upscaled regular dvd. I notice a difference in detail and no artifacts, but some people I've shown it to did't notice much if any. I would say that an enthusiast will appreciate the finer details of HDDVD, but most regular people will not give a crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goji Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I would say that an enthusiast will appreciate the finer details of HDDVD, but most regular people will not give a crap. Thats exactly the problem. How can you tell the average joe on the street that something that looks the same, feels the same is better and is now the way to go? Maybe someone in retail can comment on its reception *cough*bangbang*cough* I know quite a few people who have in the last six months finally adopted DVDs, there is no chance that they would move to HD-DVD or Blu Ray; its unnecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted November 24, 2006 Veteran Share Posted November 24, 2006 ^ Yes. That's right. But there'll also be those who are tech-savvy, those who will enjoy and notice the finer details that an "average joe" might miss. Also, the "average joe" can be bombarded with technical terms that will leave him/her surpised. You know, some of the same sale reps show off the new 70" Sony TVs with HD-DVDs or Blu-Ray players hooked up to it. Some stores even have side by side comparisons of DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeta_immersion Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 hd is ok , blue is cool, dvd is ok .... right now the diff is not that big since you need a tv and a movie accordingly ... but i would rather go for blue since it is big, you can fit more ... we all know space is always not enough on the computer so having bigger media does help a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Express Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I read that several porn producers are releasing movies on HD DVD. So it bodes well for his format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckWEB Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Just for the fact that I don't see any compression artifact is good news. On a 50" HDTV, you see those real easy and it's not beautifull. The colors and gradient effect are clean in every scene. Just that makes HD-DVD the winner. But still, I was expecting more. Here you have a media that is supposed to push 1920x1080 pixels of perfect image while my "upscaling" DVD convert 480p image to 1080i. It's like streching a small 4x3 picture to fill the screen. But darn, upscaling seem to do a great job. You can see more details, but it's not dramatic as it was going from VHS to DVD. In the end, if you have a big screen HDTV, maybe going to HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) is a valid choice. And by big, I mean 50" and more. Anyone with something smaller are not going to notice anything new.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Dave- Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 quick question. if you put a DVD into the HD-DVD, will it upscale it at all, cos i know that the 360's DVD player doesnt :( ta dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seafirex Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Well i am satisfied with regular dvd's , still i would love to go for the new technologie, but the price is high for that at the moment. What i will probably do is wait a bit till price goes down on does then i will get myself up to the new technologie. You see people tend to be the first one's to adopt new things, i find that cool but still they pay more then what i will pay as per even if i miss it right now, later i will get it and be at the same level as they are but still would have paid less ( way less ). In the mean time i still get to see my favorite movie's or play my games the same way they do except with less details they can get but hey! i can't complain as per it is better then nothing. :whistle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckWEB Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 quick question. if you put a DVD into the HD-DVD, will it upscale it at all, cos i know that the 360's DVD player doesnt :( ta dave No, the external HD-DVD is only that... It's the software installed on the Xbox that makes it possible to play the movies. So no, it's not upscaling DVD movies. My current Sony DVD player does a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuarterSwede Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I work in retail for one of the top 4 DVD selling companies and we haven't really noticed a huge want for HD-DVD or Blue-Ray. In fact, I've never seen anyone buy one or even look at the display. But, it is brand new and the selection isn't huge yet so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheppard Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 quick question. if you put a DVD into the HD-DVD, will it upscale it at all, cos i know that the 360's DVD player doesnt :( ta dave 360 will upscale dvds if its connected via VGA, it wont via component because of the CSS copy protection on DVDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePitt Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 but most regular people will not give a crap. and it's not dramatic as it was going from VHS to DVD. Exactly. They are not offering something new. "Just a disc that looks like a DVD and they say has more something". You will find out some differences if you spend a lot of money on a big, very big plasma, and in a few month will cost the half and replaced by a new laser technology. Both 'new' formats are Dead On Arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMan Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 No, the external HD-DVD is only that... It's the software installed on the Xbox that makes it possible to play the movies. So no, it's not upscaling DVD movies. My current Sony DVD player does a better job. After the HD-DVD/1080p update it shoudl upscale DVD I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Dave- Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 thanks guys. ill check when i get home and have a looksie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckWEB Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 After the HD-DVD/1080p update it shoudl upscale DVD I believe When? It was not included in the Fall update. Using the VGA cable is not the best solution as not all TV allow full resolution with the VGA input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goji Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 I read that several porn producers are releasing movies on HD DVD. So it bodes well for his format. Porn in HD = :no: There are somethings in life that don't need to be super crystal clear. Though what is interesting as a side note, most in the industry will say that it was the porn industry who decided the victor over VHS/Betamax. Time will only tell if they have a massive say in this again or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Horizons Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Porn in HD = :no: WHAT?! :o :o :o Err, sorry, I'll move on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckWEB Posted November 26, 2006 Author Share Posted November 26, 2006 Test subject : V for Vendetta DVD player : Sony DVPNS75H HDMI at 1080i HD-DVD player : Xbox 360 + HD-DVD (using component) HDTV : Sony's KDS50A2000 50? SXRD Okay, it's time for a real DVD to HD-DVD comparison using both DVD and HD-DVD of "V for Vendetta", one of my new favorite movie. Once again, it's all in the details. Skin details, brick wall details, color reproduction and NO artifact. And I could clearly see the increase in resolution, no jaggies in curved lines and blacks are black. Right at the beginning of the movie, when we see Natalie Portman putting on lipstick, did you know that she also have a black dot a little bit bellow her button on the cheek? It's crazy details like that.... Make-up is going to be even more important with HDTV and HD-DVD / Blu-Ray movies!!! But you need to do a A-B comparison to be able to detect all this. But once you see it, you don't want to go back. I'll never use my "V for Vendetta" DVD anymore!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slyph Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 i hook my 360+hd-dvd addon to my 24" dell widescreen monitor and the increase in quality is amazing over a regular dvd. you dont need a 50"+ tv. i see MASSIVE improvements over anything ive ever seen except for other TS files i have on my comp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I can tell a difference between regular dvds and hd. I have a 1080p tv though so that helps a lot. Also I have noticed if I put a regular DVD into the HD-DVD player it does look better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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