[360] HD-DVD Addon (review)

[Haoshiro]

As some of you know I am planning to setup a gaming center in my coffee shop next spring. This will be a console gaming area and will start with Xbox 360.

I'm also going to have movie nights where people can come watch movies in serious HD (1080p, 62" screen, 5.1 audio, and HD-DVD). With 360 that means the HD-DVD addon. I'm sure we'll do american football parties, etc here as well but that is neither here nor there for this post, heh.

Anyway, I decided I could pick up the HD-DVD addon ahead of time and get a movie library started, test it out and see how it really is. I went to Best Buy and picked it up along with Fearless and Batman Begins.

All right, on to my impressions/review...

First I have to say this is an excellent bargain in my opinion. You not only get the HD-DVD drive, which will eventually work on both PC/Mac (maybe even PS3? :)), but you also get the Xbox 360 Universal Remote (MSRP $39.99), and King Kong HD-DVD (also MSRP $29.99)

That makes the drive end up only costing $140.01, for something this new that is excellent value. Not even PS3 with its built-in Blu-ray includes a remote, does it?

Opening it up I was happy to see King Kong was not just in a paper sleeve, but the full retail product, shrink wrapped and all. Down with cheap pack-ins!

The Universal Remote is also very nice, much nicer then I expected. If you have a 360 and no remote for it, this thing will make your life a heck of a lot easier. Not having to "turn on" a controller to pause your movie or play some music is great. Add to that it lets you program it for your TV, and my ViewSonic N2750w hasn't had luck with universal remotes... but this remote worked fine. Finally, I can turn on the TV and the 360 with one remote. I still want to get the Logitech 360 Harmony, but this was still a great addition to the package.

On to system setup... you toss in an install disc into the 360 before connecting the HD-DVD drive. Then you conenct the power to the drive, then the USB. The HD-DVD drive includes two extra USB connections on the back, so you trade in one and get 2, not a bad deal.

The system then detects it automatically and finishes the setup process in a very short time (<1m). That splits the left "tray" that is at the bottom of the Xbox Guide into two sections so you can choose to play a game/dvd in the main 360 drive, or a hd-dvd/dvd in the HD-DVD drive. A simple solution that works.

I then opened King Kong and put it in, which caused the 360 to launch it immediately. Immediately I got a message saying there was an update available, so I allowed it to download and install.

That evidently posed a temporary problem. I jumped into the movie by selecting a scene, and it was VERY laggy, unwatchably laggy. I nearly paniced, and was very dissappointed. I thought it might be the movie or the drive itself. Every scene I selected had the same problem. It would play okay for a few seconds, then jerk and pause.

Knowing I was dealing with a Microsoft device, my wife suggested I "reboot", and that is exactly what I did. I was glad to see it also worked and I never had another performance problem. Strange, but I'm happy it was an easy solution.

The quality was fabulous. Everything was extremely clear and vivid. I had watched a Blu-ray demo which included several clips and trailers for several blu-ray movies and I must say only one of them impressed me, a computer animated "barnyard" trailer. So it has potential, obviously, but the rest of them looks somewhere between "bad" and "good", dissappointing.

But the HD-DVD on the other hand looked perfect, this drive was definitely capable and I was only running in 720p but it still looked excellent.

Unified Menus. Wow, that is nice. All HD-DVDs (or at least everyone I have it seems) shares a common menu rather then having the studios/publishers craft a custom menu for each movie. This, to me, is great. Much easier for the average consumer, harder to confuse them or force them to figure out how to use it. Plus, I'm sure i'm not the only person who has had their DVD player have issues with some dvd movie menus, where you can't see what is selected, etc. So that is a great move.

You can also access these menus anytime while the movie is playing. That means real-time changing of the audio options for things like Languages and Subtitles, and it also means it's faster to access. It gives great feedback to the user that once they get out of the menu they'll still be right where they were before.

The other features I noticed were nice, but more of a gimmick to me. These were My Scenes and U-Control.

My Scenes lets you bookmark scenes so you can access them quickly without scrolling through every scene. Probably handy if you are one of those people that likes to re-watch speficic scenes over and over.

U-Control so far hasn't offered much. It puts "U" logo in the bottom right and if there is a special feature for the scene you are watching, it will expand and you can select a feature real time. In use this always ended up a PIP with commentary, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if it also let you change camera angles, etc, if a movie actually supported that. DVDs had a similar feature and I never saw it used.

All in all the value was great, the quality is excellent, and the features are refined. I have to say HD-DVD is impressive and I intend to fully support it.

Hopefully my vote counts in the end. But if Blu-ray wins, I'll still not have invest enough to make me upset about it.... what would upset me is the cost of buying into Blu-ray, something I could afford to do right now frankly.

I still doubt this is quite mass-market yet as people will be content with DVD for several more years. I think HD-DVD will interest most people 6-12 months after they've owned their HDTV, and even HDTV is still in a minority.

But if you are interested in HD movies and have an HDTV, I can say that HD-DVD did not disappoint, and getting an HD-DVD drive for $140 is a price you just won't be able to beat. I can only imagine how fast these are going to sell when they are fully working in Windows and Mac OS!

[MacRumorUser]

I bought one as soon as they were released. It's a great machine and I think it's a bargain too considering remote & king kong.

The bit about software updates, actually a lot of the HD-DVD players standalone need this so it's not a microsoft thing, its a next gen HD thing. :)

A few movies tell you about it on the back of them. Your machine may require latest HD-DVD firmware update to play this movie ;)


King Kong has exceptional picture. And I love the screensaver if you leave it on pause.


Here are a few titles I've bought so far. (in less than a month eek).

Video is video quality, not a review of the movie.


Charlie & Chocolate Factory. Exceptional picture & great sound combined. Video: 9/10 Audio: 8/10


Superman Returns. Great transfer but the films has a lot of artificial grain added to it in post production leaving the image a bit flat.

True HD sound though is utterly amazing. There are parts of the film that actually make your stomach rumble.

Video: 7/10 Audio 10/10


Van Helsing Very good picture noticeable improvement over DVD, and great sound, but not a showpiece.

Video: 7/10 Sound 7/10


The Bourne Supremacy. An excellent film parcelled with amazing sound and picture quality.

Video 9/10 Audio 9/10


Serenity Ok I dont like the movie, just insipid space adventure with unlikeable protaganists for me, but...... as far as quality of fim transfer and audio. This is unsurpassed. Every minute detail both in vision and sound is brought to life.

Video: 10/10 Audio: 10/10



Sleepy Hollow a noticeable improvement over DVD, but with so many filters and stuff applied to the image in post production, the quality is softened and not as remarkable as other HD-DVD's unfortunatley. But this is a movie making decision and not a fault of HD-DVD

Video: 7/10 Audio: 7/10


The Corpse Bride along with serenity and king kong this is a movie to put on to show off your new hardware. exceptional clarity.

Video: 10/10 Audio 9/10


Constantine Again far superior to its dvd sibling, the true HD audio rocks. Warner Bros are really putting together some quality HD-DVD titles.

Video 8/10 Audio: 8/10


Batman Begins fantastic picture, great audio but not quite reaching the echelons of other stand out titles. There is a bit of graining on the darker sections.

Video: 9/10 Audio: 8/10


The Thing A 20 year old movie, that actually really benefits from the jump to HD-DVD. The creatures look that bit more spectacular and there are things on the creatures like a nose ring that I never saw before due to the extra clarity. great all roung.

Video 8/10 Audio: 8/10


The Pianist the streets of war torn germany have never looked so shockingly beautiful. Such a deep crispness to the image complemented by an amazing audio experience. Great HD-DVD

Video: 9/10 Audio: 9/10


12 Monkeys. a great film that does benefit from HD-DVD resolution. But its not of stand out quality. Areas of the picture are a bit grainy and there is a general flatness in picture compared to other titles.

Video 7/10 Audio 8/10

[Jovian9]

Good review :)
I too am enjoying my HD-DVD drive. So far I have purchased Batman Begins, Troy, Sleepy Hollow (and King Kong came with it). All of these movies look fantastic in 1080i. Target has a small selection of HD-DVD's now and Best Buy has a pretty large selection, plus I am getting HD-DVD's from Netflix so I feel as though there are lots out there for me to choose from already.
I applied for a Target card when I bought it so I got 10% off and only paid $180 for it (paid it off immediately) :)
I'd recommend this to anyone.

[Haoshiro]

I bought one as soon as they were released. It's a great machine and I think it's a bargain too considering remote & king kong.

The bit about software updates, actually a lot of the HD-DVD players standalone need this so it's not a microsoft thing, its a next gen HD thing. :)

A few movies tell you about it on the back of them. Your machine may require latest HD-DVD firmware update to play this movie ;)

I wasn't complaining about the update, I was simply saying that directly after the update the movie played but was excessively choppy. If they had just rebooted automatically, or asked me to, it would have been different.

Also, Fearless looked and sounded great, plus I really liked the movie.

I did forget the Screensaver feature, which is nice.

Although I did notice that if this came up while the movie was paused, it would briefly unpause the movie making sound come out the speakers, perhaps that was just Fearless, though.

[MacRumorUser]

Although I did notice that if this came up while the movie was paused, it would briefly unpause the movie making sound come out the speakers, perhaps that was just Fearless, though.


I know you werent complaining I was just remarking :p

As for screensavers and the wee glitch

No it does it in King Kong too.

Also some of the HD-DVD's dont have screen savers. Only universal ones at the moment from the films I've got.

[huck500]

Can't wait to open mine on Sunday...:D

I picked up Superman Returns, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and The Hulk (the best super hero movie yet...:o )

[gkarris]

To top it off, before Thanksgiving, Circuit City had an online coupon good at any store for $40 off any purchase over $199. So I got mine for $160!

I have "Forbidden Planet" - it was remastered for HD and the picture doesn't look like awesome HD but it's essentially the original! Much better than the original DVD!

HD-DVD is a great value if you already have the 360...

From what I hear, though, you need a large screen and the movie needs to be shot or remastered for HD to make a difference...

[Spartacus]

How loud is this drive? Would I be able to use this drive to play my games and leave the super loud 360 drive empty? Will this drive ever be utilized for higher game capacity? I'm not all that interested in HD movies (most of the films I like [foreign, drama] are not supposed to look crystal clear and perfect) but if this drive could improve my gaming experience now or in the future then I'd go buy it today!

Thanks.

[Haoshiro]

How loud is this drive? Would I be able to use this drive to play my games and leave the super loud 360 drive empty? Will this drive ever be utilized for higher game capacity? I'm not all that interested in HD movies (most of the films I like [foreign, drama] are not supposed to look crystal clear and perfect) but if this drive could improve my gaming experience now or in the future then I'd go buy it today!

Thanks.

The drive is quiet. To all your other questions, no.

If the noise level of the 360 is a problem I recommend getting good 3D positional audio headphones, or a nice loud 5.1 system. I always play with the volume kicked up, and don't have problems with the noise level.

[clayj]

I got my HD-DVD add-on the first day they were available... in fact, I really annoyed the crap out of the EBGames/Gamestop people around with my incessant calling in and asking "Is it there yet?"

Haoshiro's review is right on point. The HD-DVD add-on is a great bargain and it's a very well-crafted and well-designed device that does one thing really, really well: Play HD-DVD movies. If you have an Xbox 360 and an HDTV, you owe it to yourself to pick one of these up.

My HD-DVD movie collection so far includes Serenity, Batman Begins, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, V For Vendetta, King Kong, Superman Returns, and Aeon Flux. Can't wait for Blade Runner and the Matrix films to become available.

Here's a pic of the drive:

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64648&d=1166893434

[Winstonp]

The HD-DVD drive on our 360 was freazing all movies. HD and standard. We are having it repaired at microsoft. I like the Blu-Ray on the PS3 better. Simple interface, no add-ons, just put in the movie and you get 1080p...

Also, the HD-DVD drive for the 360 supports up to 720p, not 1080p as you suggested.

[clayj]

Also, the HD-DVD drive for the 360 supports up to 720p, not 1080p as you suggested.Dude, if you don't know what the hell you're talking about, please refrain from comment.

The 360's HD-DVD add-on supports all the way up to 1080p playback, depending on how your 360 is connected to your TV:

VGA
HD-DVD - 1080p resolution and all others
DVD - Upscaled as high as 1080p resolution and all others
Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p, also supports native-1080p games in the future

Component
HD-DVD - 1080i resolution maximum, limited by AACS
DVD - Upscaled to 480p maximum, limited by CSS
Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p, also supports native-1080p games in the future

[Haoshiro]

The HD-DVD drive on our 360 was freazing all movies. HD and standard. We are having it repaired at microsoft. I like the Blu-Ray on the PS3 better. Simple interface, no add-ons, just put in the movie and you get 1080p...

Also, the HD-DVD drive for the 360 supports up to 720p, not 1080p as you suggested.

No, I'm afraid you are. The HD-DVD drive does support 1080p, you might have to connect it via VGA to get it, but it can do it.

Odd you would send your drive to MS, why not just exchange it at the place of purchase??

[Winstonp]

No, I'm afraid you are. The HD-DVD drive does support 1080p, you might have to connect it via VGA to get it, but it can do it.

Odd you would send your drive to MS, why not just exchange it at the place of purchase??

eBay.

VGA 1080p? I seriously doubt VGA is going to give you optimal quality. Does anyone have links to prove that the 360 HD DVD drive supports crystal clear 1080p?

[greatdevourer]

eBay.

VGA 1080p? I seriously doubt VGA is going to give you optimal quality. Does anyone have links to prove that the 360 HD DVD drive supports crystal clear 1080p? VGA will give you exactly the same quality as Component, seeing as that's pretty much what VGA is

[clayj]

VGA 1080p? I seriously doubt VGA is going to give you optimal quality. Does anyone have links to prove that the 360 HD DVD drive supports crystal clear 1080p?Looks like someone has drunk the "only HDMI and 1080p are TRUE HD" Kool-Aid.

Considering I run a 1920 x 1200 signal from my computers to my monitor through a VGA cable, I think VGA's up to the task of carrying a hi-def signal without distortion or loss of clarity. :rolleyes:

[Winstonp]

Looks like someone has drunk the "only HDMI and 1080p are TRUE HD" Kool-Aid.

Considering I run a 1920 x 1200 signal from my computers to my monitor through a VGA cable, I think VGA's up to the task of carrying a hi-def signal without distortion or loss of clarity. :rolleyes:

I have a 24'' dell LCD with 1920X1200. When I use VGA, there is clear picture inferiority relative to when I use DVI. I thought this was common knowledge.

This is one of the reasons why I can't comprehend VGA bringing superior 1080p resolution.

[MacRumorUser]

Also are you sure you upgraded the firmware as mentioned earlier in this thread, the HD-DVD firmware has to be updated otherwise you may experience freezing stuttery peformance regardless of which HD-DVD player your using.

The HD-DVD drive on our 360 was freazing all movies. HD and standard. We are having it repaired at microsoft. I like the Blu-Ray on the PS3 better. Simple interface, no add-ons, just put in the movie and you get 1080p...

Also, the HD-DVD drive for the 360 supports up to 720p, not 1080p as you suggested.


Also your lack of actual knowledge of the basics like resolutions supported suggest you may be spinning the truth a bit to basically have a slight fanboy bash. So I remain skeptical of your post.

and then you follow it with

I have a 24'' dell LCD with 1920X1200. When I use VGA, there is clear picture inferiority relative to when I use DVI. I thought this was common knowledge.

This is one of the reasons why I can't comprehend VGA bringing superior 1080p resolution.

Wait ?

So one minute your telling us your 360 is limited to 720p and then you try and tell us your running at 1080p on a dell LCD ? mmmm I think you have been busted ;)

[Winstonp]

Also are you sure you upgraded the firmware as mentioned earlier in this thread, the HD-DVD firmware has to be updated otherwise you may experience freezing stuttery peformance regardless of which HD-DVD player your using.



Also your lack of actual knowledge of the basics like resolutions supported suggest you may be spinning the truth a bit to basically have a slight fanboy bash. So I remain skeptical of your post.

and then you follow it with



Wait ?

So one minute your telling us your 360 is limited to 720p and then you try and tell us your running at 1080p on a dell LCD ? mmmm I think you have been busted ;)


I never implied that I ran 1080p on my dell. I run DVI through my macbook with the dell LCD. I use my 360 on an HDTV with component cables.

My main question:
1. Does anyone know if VGA supports 1080p with relatively superior picture quality? Based on my experience, VGA is a bad choice for quality picture.

If the answer is no, which I believe it is, I re-affirm my statement that the 360's highest HD resolution is 720p. Why? VGA is totally impractical and most HD TV's don't offer it. And even if you do have it, the quality of VGA cannot surpass DVI or HDMI.

[clayj]

I never implied that I ran 1080p on my dell. I run DVI through my macbook with the dell LCD. I use my 360 on an HDTV with component cables.

My main question:
1. Does anyone know if VGA supports 1080p with relatively superior picture quality? Based on my experience, VGA is a bad choice for quality picture.Yes. Of course, "superior" is a matter of opinion. VGA is superior to component as far as the 360 goes.

If the answer is no, which I believe it is, I re-affirm my statement that the 360's highest HD resolution is 720p. Why? VGA is totally impractical and most HD TV's don't offer it. And even if you do have it, the quality of VGA cannot surpass DVI or HDMI.This entire paragraph is a morass of opinion and statements that have nothing to do with each other.

The Xbox 360's highest resolution is 1080p. This is a FACT. Stop saying otherwise, please, you're making yourself look like an idiot.

VGA is impractical? Your OPINION. Most TVs don't offer VGA? Possibly, but for those of us who have VGA, it works really well with a 360.

The quality of VGA can't surpass DVI or HDMI? Again, your OPINION.

[Mavimao]

VGA will give you exactly the same quality as Component, seeing as that's pretty much what VGA is

Well, not really, it depends. VGA outputs in RGB (red, Green, blue plus a few sync plugs). Component is Brightness, Red and Blue (the color green is filled in later).

Not the same thing. However, you can output component over VGA, but it's not very common. I am not sure if the 360 outputs in RGB or component with the VGA cable.

[Winstonp]

Yes. Of course, "superior" is a matter of opinion. VGA is superior to component as far as the 360 goes.

This entire paragraph is a morass of opinion and statements that have nothing to do with each other.

The Xbox 360's highest resolution is 1080p. This is a FACT. Stop saying otherwise, please, you're making yourself look like an idiot.

VGA is impractical? Your OPINION. Most TVs don't offer VGA? Possibly, but for those of us who have VGA, it works really well with a 360.

The quality of VGA can't surpass DVI or HDMI? Again, your OPINION.

I thought it was common knowledge the VGA reduces image quality. Again, I've noticed it. So has cnet (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3174_7-5136369-1.html), who claims that VGA works such that a digital signal is converted into an analog signal.

[Haoshiro]

VGA, however, is not inferior to Component... regardless of if it's not quite as good as DVI/HDMI

[clayj]

VGA, however, is not inferior to Component... regardless of if it's not quite as good as DVI/HDMIAnd there's nothing to stop Microsoft from releasing an HDMI cable for the 360 should demand call for it.

[aspro]

Well, I am looking forward to picking this up if HD-DVD ends up winning the format war. Great review too.

[gloss]

And there's nothing to stop Microsoft from releasing an HDMI cable for the 360 should demand call for it.

Yes, but does the hardware support it? I'm under the impression the HDCP is a big part of the reason to use HDMI in the first place - if the hardware isn't built to support that protocol, it won't matter what kind of crossover cables you put out.

I am kind of brainless when it comes to the details, though. I may be missing something.

[e²Studios]

Yes, but does the hardware support it? I'm under the impression the HDCP is a big part of the reason to use HDMI in the first place - if the hardware isn't built to support that protocol, it won't matter what kind of crossover cables you put out.

I am kind of brainless when it comes to the details, though. I may be missing something.

HDCP is a big part of using HDMI, unless you use HDMI ver 0.x anything past 1.x has HDCP built in to it.

Does the 360 even have a HDMI port? I would think that if they enabled HDMI and put it on new systems with support for 1080p it might piss off their current user base.

Ed

[gloss]

HDCP is a big part of using HDMI, unless you use HDMI ver 0.x anything past 1.x has HDCP built in to it.

Does the 360 even have a HDMI port? I would think that if they enabled HDMI and put it on new systems with support for 1080p it might piss off their current user base.

Ed

Yeah, that's more or less what I was thinking. I get the impression that it would require either a hardware redesign or some sort of add-on module to support HDMI correctly. Either way, not cheap, and more than a system update.

[wwooden]

I've read on the xbox.com forums that the 360 does have the ability built in to do digital (i.e. HDMI) but Microsoft has not released any cables yet. The hardware has the ability already, it would just require maybe a dashboard update and getting a new cable.

I will look around for links, give me a minute.

Here is the link I was looking for. It's an interview with someone in the XBox team about how they haven't decided to release an HDMI cable yet, but that the hardware does have the ability.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/735/735860p1.html

[MacRumorUser]

I've read on the xbox.com forums that the 360 does have the ability built in to do digital (i.e. HDMI) but Microsoft has not released any cables yet. The hardware has the ability already, it would just require maybe a dashboard update and getting a new cable.

I will look around for links, give me a minute.


Yeah I've read this a lot too with interviews with M$. Basically it can do HDMI but microsoft will only release the cable when it feels it has to.

But to be honest I think the market could do with one now. My TV has 2 HDMI's and only 1 component, I have to have the wii and 360 on a component switcher which is a pain.

[gloss]

I've read on the xbox.com forums that the 360 does have the ability built in to do digital (i.e. HDMI) but Microsoft has not released any cables yet. The hardware has the ability already, it would just require maybe a dashboard update and getting a new cable.

I will look around for links, give me a minute.

Here is the link I was looking for. It's an interview with someone in the XBox team about how they haven't decided to release an HDMI cable yet, but that the hardware does have the ability.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/735/735860p1.html

Ah, thanks for the info. Nifty. That was one of the things putting me off getting a 360. If I picked up an HD-DVD drive I didn't want to be stuck a year down the road unable to view the movies at full resolution.

[wwooden]

Just got my drive today, watched King Kong. Except for the fact that is was rather long, it was great. The visuals were incredible, some of the close of shots of the people and king kong looked real, really exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend this drive to anyone with a 360 and an HDTV.

[Spartacus]

Okay so I posted earlier in this thread about the possibilities of this drive being used for games. I was told it won't be possible, but in a few other places I heard people talking about how the HD-DVD drive could be utilized later on (after a dashboard or firmware update) to start using the HD-DVD drive to play video games pressed on HD-DVD disks. This would obviously take one more benefit away from the PS3 and make the 360 even that much more of a competitor/bargain. I don't understand why using the HD-DVD add-on drive for HD-DVD games wouldn't eventually be possible. Is it technically not possible? Or is it not possible only because Microsoft hasn't allowed it to be possible yet. (which to me translates into an 'only a matter of time' situation*)

Thanks!

*I'm really trying to rationalize buying one of these, but I just can't do it if it's only going to be for movies! :)

[FleurDuMal]

*I'm really trying to rationalize buying one of these, but I just can't do it if it's only going to be for movies! :)

Does it not just make sense then to wait until games are released on HD-DVD (which, imho, they won't because such add-ons being required for gaming usually kill a console - a la Sega CD).

[wwooden]

Okay so I posted earlier in this thread about the possibilities of this drive being used for games. I was told it won't be possible, but in a few other places I heard people talking about how the HD-DVD drive could be utilized later on (after a dashboard or firmware update) to start using the HD-DVD drive to play video games pressed on HD-DVD disks. This would obviously take one more benefit away from the PS3 and make the 360 even that much more of a competitor/bargain. I don't understand why using the HD-DVD add-on drive for HD-DVD games wouldn't eventually be possible. Is it technically not possible? Or is it not possible only because Microsoft hasn't allowed it to be possible yet. (which to me translates into an 'only a matter of time' situation*)

Thanks!

*I'm really trying to rationalize buying one of these, but I just can't do it if it's only going to be for movies! :)

Because microsoft didn't bundle an HD-DVD into the 360, they can't all of the sudden make people buy one to play games. They would have to release games on both DVD and HD-DVD for the 360, which is pointless since everyone that has the HD-DVD drive has the console unit.

If they were to start coming out with games on just HD-DVD I don't think they can call the system an XBox 360, it would have to be the next XBox version, and piss off a lot of the early adopter and people who made the 360 get its lead.

It's not that big of a deal yet, as I think most games don't even fill up a dual layer DVD (don't let Sony fool you into thinking that developers need that BlueRay space).

Why can't you rationalize buying the drive? Lots of people buy DVD players and they only do one thing, play DVD's (not exactly true, but you know what I mean). If you don't see the value in the drive, then don't get it, that is why it is optional, some people won't need it.

[Chone]

I thought it was common knowledge the VGA reduces image quality. Again, I've noticed it. So has cnet (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3174_7-5136369-1.html), who claims that VGA works such that a digital signal is converted into an analog signal.

VGA is analog, of course it converts digital becomes analog on the VGA end... component does the very same thing as its analog as well... VGA does not reduces image quality, in fact its probably a notch higher than component, sure DVI and HDMI are better and are digital but that doesn't mean VGA can't produce a very good picture as well, on games, I can barely notice the difference betweem VGA and DVI on my gaming PC, its only with text and pictures and such where DVI edges out VGA.

[zero2dash]

Here's a pic of the drive:

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64648&d=1166893434

1) What's on your 360 faceplate?...
2) ...and where'd you get it? :)

Nice setup btw :D

[mikeyPotg]

wow, you own a coffee shop? what you're planning to open up sounds awesome! I wish you all the best, and hopefully someday I can open up my own. Where are you located, btw?

Anyway, I agree completely. The HD DVD addon is an amazing value and such a great product!

I'd have to recommend Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black, & Serenity. Even if you're not big on Sci-Fi, those titles are definite SHOWCASE material. Just play any of them in the background if no one is using the machine, and they'll be sure to catch some eyes.

[clayj]

1) What's on your 360 faceplate?...
2) ...and where'd you get it? :)

Nice setup btw :D1. It's a rare Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) faceplate. Never sold in stores, I think they were given out to some people in Europe.
2. Got mine on eBay.

And thanks!

Oh, and referencing the comment that someone made that the add-on "just" plays movies: What do you think a standalone HD-DVD or Blu-ray player does for $500 or $1000? That's right. They "just" play movies.

[MacRumorUser]

1. It's a rare Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) faceplate. Never sold in stores, I think they were given out to some people in Europe.

Yep some places you pre-orderd the game from came with the faceplate as a bonus gift.

I got a few for different games, outfit, pgr3, tombraider etc..

[ldkaplan]

I picked up the HD-DVD player on a whim. I was amazed the quality difference. It was even more apparent when I watched Superman on the hybrid disk in both players.

Then I was devistated when it crashed, died, ate my disk and refused to give it back. A pin to the front gave me my disk back.

Problem is that once you see the movies in HD, you can't go back to watching them on the older format. So I took it back and against my better judgement got a replacement...which so far so good has been okay. Knock on my fake wood face plate.

As for Blue Ray vs. HD-DVD, this article made me feel a bit better:
How Sony Blew It (http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback158.html).

Happy New Year folks.

[MacRumorUser]

I picked up the HD-DVD player on a whim. I was amazed the quality difference. It was even more apparent when I watched Superman on the hybrid disk in both players.

Yep same here. I had the credit in store and thought what the hell, but its hard to go back to dvd after.

Oh and i posted that article a while ago in regards to blu-ray v hd-dvd. I hope HD-DVD wins, but i'll have both in the house regardless.

[FleurDuMal]

Is there a list anywhere of movies available in HD DVD?

[MacRumorUser]

Is there a list anywhere of movies available in HD DVD?

Not quite fully up-to-date but wiki has 130 listed for your delictation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HD_DVD_releases

Remember they are all currently region free :)

[e²Studios]

"Eighty-four percent of all the movies released last year were made by studios that have announced support for Blu-ray," says Jim Sanduski, senior vice president of marketing for Samsung's Audio and Video Products Group. "That is a huge strike against HD DVD."

Right now Amazon has 203 BD and 207 HD-DVD discs, i wouldnt say that it is a definative number.

Sales wise, BD is ahead for now. It's far too early to tell, by this time next year i think it might be more clear.

Ed

[MacRumorUser]

Sales wise, BD is ahead for now. It's far too early to tell, by this time next year i think it might be more clear.

Ed


Do you have a link to this, because all the HD forums have all reported HD-DVD sales kicking BDs ass by a serious amount.

[Mackilroy]

Sales wise, BD is ahead for now. It's far too early to tell, by this time next year i think it might be more clear.
Everything I've seen has shown HD-DVD kicking Blu-Ray around the block. Sorry about no links for now, but I'm a tad busy. Plus, if you look at Wikipedia, the numbers of HD-DVD movies compared to Blu-Ray is interesting – there are a lot more HD-DVD releases listed.

[wwooden]

Finally got around to getting a picture of my setup with the HD-DVD drive. I just got done watching Batman Begins in HD; good picture, but not quite as good as King Kong. Still is one of my favorite movies though. I had a gift certificate to amazon so I have V for Vendetta and Troy on the way :).

After taking this picture and looking at it, I realize I need to do some dusting.

[MacRumorUser]

Finally got around to getting a picture of my setup with the HD-DVD drive. I just got done watching Batman Begins in HD; good picture, but not quite as good as King Kong. Still is one of my favorite movies though. I had a gift certificate to amazon so I have V for Vendetta and Troy on the way :).

v for vendetta has an excellent picture.

[Nermal]

I hope HD-DVD wins, but i'll have both in the house regardless.

I expect that HD DVD will win, because it seems to be cheaper and it's usually the cheaper format that wins.

[adamyoshida]

Also, I'd say that a lot of the movies out on Blu-Ray are crap that:

1) No one will ever buy.
2) Probably were pushed out the door as quickly as possible just to inflate the number of available titles.

IE - Tears of the Sun, Stir of Echoes, The Big Hit, SWAT, The Lake House, the Haunted Mansion, etc, etc.

[Winstonp]

Also, I'd say that a lot of the movies out on Blu-Ray are crap that:

1) No one will ever buy.
2) Probably were pushed out the door as quickly as possible just to inflate the number of available titles.

IE - Tears of the Sun, Stir of Echoes, The Big Hit, SWAT, The Lake House, the Haunted Mansion, etc, etc.

While your argument isn't very clear-you are right: many of the titles being released are films people would not normally buy. However, studios are releasing these bad movies because they believe a new, fewer title format will encourage the purchase of their movies because consumers will walk into stores determined to experience the new format, and will basically have to buy these bad movies because there really isn't any other choice.

However, HD DVD is just as guilty in this regard. The best HD DVD example I saw at best buy was "waterworld". I couldn't help but laugh.

[clayj]

However, HD DVD is just as guilty in this regard. The best HD DVD example I saw at best buy was "waterworld". I couldn't help but laugh.Waterworld actually made money, despite the legends of it being a financial bust.

But yeah, we've got The Lake House on HD-DVD, too. I expect new releases (like that movie) will be more likely to end up on HD-DVD or Blu-ray simply because they're being mastered NOW and no remastering is required (as will be the case for the Alien movies, the Matrix movies, Blade Runner, etc.) There's more incentive for them to release new releases on the new formats than there is for them to bring up catalog titles for HD-DVD or Blu-ray, but eventually they will get done.

(Still, The Big Hit? Eww. I'm actually ashamed to say I own that on DVD... bought it back when DVD was new and the selection of movies wasn't as good as it is now.)

[ReanimationLP]

I never implied that I ran 1080p on my dell. I run DVI through my macbook with the dell LCD. I use my 360 on an HDTV with component cables.

My main question:
1. Does anyone know if VGA supports 1080p with relatively superior picture quality? Based on my experience, VGA is a bad choice for quality picture.

If the answer is no, which I believe it is, I re-affirm my statement that the 360's highest HD resolution is 720p. Why? VGA is totally impractical and most HD TV's don't offer it. And even if you do have it, the quality of VGA cannot surpass DVI or HDMI.

Pretty much EVERY HD TV, LCD or Plasma, and some rear projections have VGA, and a few also have DVI, alongside your HDMI, component, S-Video, and composite. That way, they can be used for things like Media Center PCs, Xbox 360s, Dreamcasts, etc.

[apfhex]

Pretty much EVERY HD TV, LCD or Plasma, and some rear projections have VGA, and a few also have DVI, alongside your HDMI, component, S-Video, and composite.
I've never seen an HDTV with VGA input. The only HD capable inputs mine has is 2 component and 1 HDMI, and it's the same with the other people I know who have HDTV's (CRT and LCD).

[bozigle]

Gosh i can't wait for HD...
In Europe it's just the begining and we didn't have any tv chanels BD and HD-DVD are not even starting... barely have some demo player around and i had to ask to see a demo...

For the OP
I would be careful with the displaying movies from hd-dvd/BD in your coffee shop since i do believe there is a fbi (or other countries' equivalente) statement about public/non family use.
I guess it requires some federal authorization to do so and some stupid/jealous dude might just give a call to cops to check on your legal rights...
that would be sad to have to close your coffee-shop and getting you Xbox360 conficated for being nice to customers...

bozigle

[Haoshiro]

I've never seen an HDTV with VGA input. The only HD capable inputs mine has is 2 component and 1 HDMI, and it's the same with the other people I know who have HDTV's (CRT and LCD).

Really? Mine does...

Gosh i can't wait for HD...
In Europe it's just the begining and we didn't have any tv chanels BD and HD-DVD are not even starting... barely have some demo player around and i had to ask to see a demo...

For the OP
I would be careful with the displaying movies from hd-dvd/BD in your coffee shop since i do believe there is a fbi (or other countries' equivalente) statement about public/non family use.
I guess it requires some federal authorization to do so and some stupid/jealous dude might just give a call to cops to check on your legal rights...
that would be sad to have to close your coffee-shop and getting you Xbox360 conficated for being nice to customers...

bozigle

You're right, I was thinking about this the other day. I'm pretty sure this is only the case if I charge money to let people watch, but I will be making sure that's the case.

[Markleshark]

I've never seen an HDTV with VGA input. The only HD capable inputs mine has is 2 component and 1 HDMI, and it's the same with the other people I know who have HDTV's (CRT and LCD).

Mine has. Mine has fecking allsorts. 2 VGA (Why 2? I couldn't tell you!) 2 HDMI, 3 SCART, Component. More possibly, I dunno.

Does the HD-DVD Player plug into the wall? I have rather a lack of remaining plug sockets you see with the charger for my wireless head set, and my wireless controller quick charger... getting a bit short.

[Winstonp]

Mine has. Mine has fecking allsorts. 2 VGA (Why 2? I couldn't tell you!) 2 HDMI, 3 SCART, Component. More possibly, I dunno.

Does the HD-DVD Player plug into the wall? I have rather a lack of remaining plug sockets you see with the charger for my wireless head set, and my wireless controller quick charger... getting a bit short.

I plugs into an electrical outlet. Lame if you ask me. USB powered is always great.