HD-DVD add-on now available - General Discussion (HARDWARE only)

[KaneRobot]

For MOVIE/SOFTWARE/NEW RELEASE DISCUSSION, PLEASE GO HERE (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123695).

Now available.

There really isn't much out now as far as movie selection, although there are few gems....hopefully sales will be decent for the holidays and they'll start pumping them out faster after Christmas.

HD-DVD player reviews:

IGN (http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746074p1.html)

dvdtown.com (http://www.dvdtown.com/news/reviewofxbox360hddvdadon/4186)

HD-DVD content review sites:

dvdtalk.com (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/list.php?reviewType=HD+DVD)

highdefdigest.com (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/reviews.html)

thedigitalbits.com (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/dvdmenu.html#hdbrd[/url) - pretty bare-bones at this point

Other information:

AVS forum thread - Grading the picture quality of released HD-DVDs. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705387)

highdefdigest.com's upcoming release list (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html) - Also has a link to discs that have been released so far here (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates_historical.html)

XBOX 360 HD DVD Player & DVD Upscaling FAQ by Ruined (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111507)


Pics of the box and contents - Thanks to FLSHADOW74


Packaging
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3638/flshd1tx0ih7.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd1tx0ih7.jpg)

Contents Of Box
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8221/flshd2pn3hw3.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd2pn3hw3.jpg)

Explanation of why the drive shows up as a memory device on the dashboard (Major Nelson's site):

If you have picked up the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player you have probably noticed that in addition to the unbelievable picture and sound quality, you now have ‘HD DVD’ as a new storage device section under Memory on your System Blade of your Xbox 360’s Dashboard. I have gotten a few emails asking me what this is and more specifically if it can be used to store game content, arcade titles etc. The answer is you can’t. You can only delete items from this memory area, not add them. In fact, games won’t even ‘see’ this area…so for the most part you’ll never come across it, but I wanted to explain exactly WHAT this area is. This memory area is part of the HD DVD spec and it only accessible by the Xbox 360 HD DVD player when using the advanced features of the HD DVD format. For example, if you lay down any bookmarks from the HD DVD’s that you rent from from Netflix, then you’ll use the Memory section of the System blade to delete that content, since it would stand to reason that you don't need the information again since you rented the disc. Unfortunately, none of the current HD DVD's properly tag their data..so for the short term all you'll see is 'Unknown Title.' Remember: Not every HD DVD has the same advanced features, so check the back of the HD DVD packaging to see what each title supports.

[Gojtron]

My EBs say tomorrow and today, I'm going to call the one that said today in a bit. The one that said tomorrow wouldn't let me order because it's apparently shipped.

[Purkeynator]

Here is my status as of today Kanerobot -
Items not yet shipped:
Delivery estimate: November 9, 2006 - November 10, 2006 1 of: Xbox 360 HD DVD Player
Sold by: Amazon.com

If it is supposed to be the day after tomorrow and they haven't shipped it yet then they better get their ass in gear.

[doubledown]

I think reports are EB and Gamestop have them today or tomorrow.

Anyone know about BEST BUY or GAMERUSH? (I have credit at those two places), plus with the new baby I only have limited time to shop.

[ryanbph]

i would like to hear some reviews of it before I get it...I really wanted hdmi support, but I am slowly giving in to getting one

[KaneRobot]

My EB says tomorrow. I'll probably check on my way home from work even if I don't actually buy it.


The OMG HOT RUMORZ are that Best Buy won't have them until December because they are Blu-Ray-Butt-Buddies. Whether or not that is true remains to be seen. Seems like it would be a pretty dumb move on their part if true, since people would just go somewhere else to get it. Who knows, maybe they are confident for whatever reason that HD-DVD is a waste of time and Blu-Ray is already the winner.

Again, that's a RUMOR and nothing more. The answers will probably be revealed once the weekly ads for this weekend show up.

[ryanbph]

if you go to best buys website and preorder it, it says estimated arrival time 11/16 - 11/22...wasn't best buy the partner retail chain with msft and the 360. They even had best buy selling 360 at the zero hour event

[doubledown]

Again, that's a RUMOR and nothing more. The answers will probably be revealed once the weekly ads for this weekend show up.

Nope, no one advertised them in this weekend ads (BB/CC/Target) according to Speedy ;)

It would make no sense for Best Buy to NOT sell them right away. I mean, they would lose business to CC or EB/GameStop...etc.

[Deadpool]

The 22nd.

[doubledown]

The 22nd.

Is that why Amazon ships in 2-3 days?
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-HD-DVD-Player/dp/B000JHO4L0/sr=8-1/qid=1162951793/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1298248-4917441?ie=UTF8&s=videogames

[guyver2077]

man i hope my eb gets it tomm ans lets me buy it.. i didnt pre order it

[buttasuperb]

I asked at EB when I picked up GoW today, they said it'll be in tomorrow.

[edison]

I just got off the phone with the local GameStop and the girl said they got an email tonight saying that the HD DVD players for pre-order reserves would be in by Friday 11/10, with the next shipment sometime next week. She said they had 4 pre-orders (1 of which is mine).

[KaneRobot]

Updated OP. The fact that they are not in the BB/CC ads this week is really surprising to me.

[thrustbucket]

In the AVS forums there are many pages now of people very confused and frustrated about when it comes out.

[guyver2077]

why hasnt microsoft gave us concrete details... idiots

[KaneRobot]

Just called EB again...not in today's shipment.

What the fuck is going on? This isn't going to help sales of the drive, especially with downloadable stuff coming in a matter of weeks.

[Purkeynator]

They did the same thing with the Live Vision camera. The release date was very amiguous with many stores getting it at different times and no real concrete release date.

[Diesl]

I e-mailed Amazon about the shipping date of the HD-DVD player. I ordered on Oct 24, before it became unavailable for preorder the first time. Here's what they responded to me; I don't know if this applies to everyone else's orders:

Hello from Amazon.com.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience you may
have experienced.

I have checked into your order and found that you may have already
received an e-mail message from us about this order. We are sorry
to report that there has been an unexpected delay in obtaining "Xbox
360 HD DVD Player."

I apologize for the delay in notifying you of the change in
availability and for the frustration this continued delay has caused.

To compensate you for this unexpected change, I have upgraded the
method of shipment for this order to Two Day Shipping. There is of
course no additional charge for this. The revised delivery estimate
for your order is November 17, 2006 - November 27, 2006.

I've also waived the shipping charges for this package.

[ryanbph]

well that was cool that they upgraded the shipping

[Diesl]

well that was cool that they upgraded the shipping

Other people who ordered from Amazon might want to try contacting them and seeing if they can get free upgraded shipping also. I noticed that the product page says that it ships in 2-4 days, but if you add the player to your shopping cart, the expected ship date is Nov 13-15, even if you pick the fastest shipping option, so I guess they'll get them in this weekend and ship out early next week.

[buttasuperb]

Now shows up as Usually ships in 24 hours at eb's website.

Edit: Called, they said it will be in tomorrow.

[Deadpool]

Is that why Amazon ships in 2-3 days?
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-HD-DVD-Player/dp/B000JHO4L0/sr=8-1/qid=1162951793/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1298248-4917441?ie=UTF8&s=videogames

Why is it that no one has one?

[aldrydd]

I ordered mine from Amazon when it popped up again for preorder... expected delivery date's still listed as Nov. 9th for me, although it hasn't shipped yet.

[starmask2k3]

i called my ebgames and they said next week

[doubledown]

I did some running around today, nothing at CC, Best Buy, Target or GameRush.

[guyver2077]

hadnt noticed this at official site..
http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/13B8C263-1995-4F8F-8A9D-A71A59272BEE/0/pbhhddvdhero.jpg

[Gojtron]

Stopped by my EB, they said that they had been shipped but there was an email explaining about a shipping messup, they're expecting them Friday.

[doubledown]

It appears that AMAZON is shipping SOME. Also, EB/Gamestop should be getting them Thurs or Friday

[Purkeynator]

My Amazon order now says this:
Items not yet shipped:
Delivery estimate: November 15, 2006 - November 16, 2006

* 1 of: Xbox 360 HD DVD Player
Sold by: Amazon.com

Ordered it on Oct 30

[FLSHADOW74]

Mine has been shipped from EB and due in tomorrow morning.
Got confirmed shipping number and is on its way.

[-GoodFella-]

Some of the people on the xbox.com forums have received their HD-DVD drives already.

[guyver2077]

fuck hope the stores get it in already

[doubledown]

Yeah, it seems like Best Buy and CC are lagging behind on this one. I was hoping they would ge tthem also.

It appears AMAZON ships out the Overnight people first, regardless when you ordered according to AVS and other threads

[grendel19]

Amazon's giving me a shipping estimate of 11/18 - 11/24. And I'm shipping it via Amazon Prime trial.

[mietha]

Yeah, it seems like Best Buy and CC are lagging behind on this one. I was hoping they would ge tthem also.

It appears AMAZON ships out the Overnight people first, regardless when you ordered according to AVS and other threads

Not true. I ordered mine as overnight, and it has not shipped, and I know some two-day ones have shipped. However, they ARE shipping the 1 and 2 day ones before the 5-10 day ones. Mine still lists as shipping today or tomorrow, but I don't have much faith. Hopefully some B&M will get it in soon.

[ryanbph]

Is the device from xbox or toshiba? As cc doesn't carry toshiba

[mietha]

Is the device from xbox or toshiba? As cc doesn't carry toshiba
It's from microsoft. And Circuitcity.com now has it, just listed it as in stock today, but none of my local CC's have it in stock yet. Hopefully later today or tomorrow.

[Apossum]

hadnt noticed this at official site..
http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/13B8C263-1995-4F8F-8A9D-A71A59272BEE/0/pbhhddvdhero.jpg


holy shit, is it really 2/3 the size of the 360?

[doubledown]

holy shit, is it really 2/3 the size of the 360?

Yes, it's basically an external enclosure you would find on your PC pretty much. Except this with a few extra USB outputs. What did you expect?

Yep, I see circuitcity.com has it, but not in stock at B&M. Anyone have one of those $40 off $199 coupons scanned?

[LinkinPrime]

My guess on this is that since King Kong is not released to HD-DVD till 11/14, then they probably can't sell the HD-DVD drives till then.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Kong-HD-DVD/dp/B000ICM5VW/sr=8-1/qid=1163096854/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6925966-2688116?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

[doubledown]

No, people have them.....PS3 is selling Talladega Nights before it officially comes out. There are pics on AVSForum with people owning the drive. Just curious where to find it now. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

[FLSHADOW74]

I haven't hooked mine up yet as I wanted to share the photos
of the box and it's contents.

Packaging
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3638/flshd1tx0ih7.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd1tx0ih7.jpg)



Contents Of Box
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8221/flshd2pn3hw3.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd2pn3hw3.jpg)

[LinkinPrime]

Damn it that looks hot. Part of me still wants to get this, but the other part of me tells me to wait for a full HD-DVD player or until the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD matter is settled, or when The Matrix Trilogy hits HD-DVD...whichever comes first ;)

[Bigsauce]

I didn't realize that many people had 1080p TV's on these boards. Interesting...

[LinkinPrime]

I didn't realize that many people had 1080p TV's on these boards. Interesting...

You don't need 1080p to watch HD-DVD movies. You can view them in 720p or 1080i.

[Bigsauce]

You don't need 1080p to watch HD-DVD movies. You can view them in 720p or 1080i.

I can already do that without buying an HD DVD Player and $30 HD DVD Movies.

[toper]

I can already do that without buying an HD DVD Player and $30 HD DVD Movies.


Ok, I'll bite:

Ummm, how can you watch "HD DVD MOVIES" without buying an HD DVD player or HD DVD movies?!?

[LinkinPrime]

Ok, I'll bite:

Ummm, how can you watch HD DVD MOVIES without buying an HD DVD player or HD DVD movies?
My guess is that he has an upconverting DVD Player, which I have as well, and even though it looks better than standard DVD players its still not HD quality.

[toper]

But upconvertors don't play HD DVD movies, right? (referencing your 11:14am post that he originally responded to).

[LinkinPrime]

But upconvertors don't play HD DVD movies, right? (referencing your 11:14am post that he originally responded to).

No. Only HD-DVD players play HD-DVD.

[guyver2077]

Ok, I'll bite:

Ummm, how can you watch "HD DVD MOVIES" without buying an HD DVD player or HD DVD movies?!?

you can on 11/22 for a small price lol

he prob has hd cable

[toper]

you can on 11/22 for a small price lol

he prob has hd cable

HD Cable can't play HD DVD movies, either.

:)

[guyver2077]

HD Cable can't play HD DVD movies, either.

:)

sorry your correct.. i though you just asked how you can see "hd" movies...

[mietha]

I haven't hooked mine up yet as I wanted to share the photos
of the box and it's contents.

Packaging
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3638/flshd1tx0ih7.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd1tx0ih7.jpg)



Contents Of Box
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8221/flshd2pn3hw3.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flshd2pn3hw3.jpg)

You bastard! Uh, I mean grats. :) No, seriously, I'm glad SOMEBODY has gotten the damn thing. Fucking amazon. Thanks for the pics too.

[rodeojones903]

I am soooo glad that King Kong doesnt just come in a DVD sleeve. :D

[KaneRobot]

Thanks for the picks FLSHADOW74. Amazon or EB/GS (or somewhere else)?

[PyroGamer]

I can already do that without buying an HD DVD Player and $30 HD DVD Movies.
Not native, only upconverted from 720x480. And only with the VGA cable. Fact: you can only watch standard definitions on DVD. Fact: only HD DVD formats (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray) offer HD films (HD conventionaly defined as at least 720p).

[LinkinPrime]

I am soooo glad that King Kong doesnt just come in a DVD sleeve. :D

That is good, with the after xmas returns, you could easily return it for a different movie, unless it doesn't have a UPC.

[FLSHADOW74]

Thanks for the picks FLSHADOW74. Amazon or EB/GS (or somewhere else)?

I ordered mine from EB online as when I went into order it
in the beginning of October the lovely clerk had zero clue
how to do it so i ordered it online.

Also for LinkinPrime, there is no UPC code on the King Kong HD Case.

[ryanbph]

I have a question about the vga cables..I am under the assumption you need that to watch in 1080p. It also doesn't come with the system, you need to buy seperate correct? The pictures I have seen online of it, it has a red/white cable, which I assume is for audio, and then a plug. Is the video going thru the plug like part of the cable?

[Bigsauce]

I'm sorry for the confusion. I never said ( or meant to imply) that I could watch HD DVD movies. I'm upconverting as well. My point was that isn't not worth "upgrading" to this player if you DON'T have 1080p. Personally I HIGHLY doubt my eye, or yours, can distinquish (sp?) between Native and Upconverting DVD's. By all means if yer TV can do 1080p, go ahead and buy this and the more expensive DVD's if ya want. Also, just so you don't think I'm some punk kid mouthing off, here's my house. And when I say my house, I mean mine. Not my parents. ;)


My House (http://home.comcast.net/~bigsauce/)

[LinkinPrime]

I'm sorry for the confusion. I never said ( or meant to imply) that I could watch HD DVD movies. I'm upconverting as well. My point was that isn't not worth "upgrading" to this player if you DON'T have 1080p. Personally I HIGHLY doubt my eye, or yours, can distinquish (sp?) between Native and Upconverting DVD's. By all means if yer TV can do 1080p, go ahead and buy this and the more expensive DVD's if ya want. Also, just so you don't think I'm some punk kid mouthing off, here's my house. And when I say my house, I mean mine. Not my parents. ;)


My House (http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebigsauce/)

That's a badass entertainment room you got there. Can't begin to imagine how cool it would be to play 360 on that wall :drool:

[infamyRISE]

Overheard the Manager at Software ETC at the mall in Christiansburg, VA say these would be available tommorow (Friday).

[pinoy530]

I'm sorry for the confusion. I never said ( or meant to imply) that I could watch HD DVD movies. I'm upconverting as well. My point was that isn't not worth "upgrading" to this player if you DON'T have 1080p. Personally I HIGHLY doubt my eye, or yours, can distinquish (sp?) between Native and Upconverting DVD's. By all means if yer TV can do 1080p, go ahead and buy this and the more expensive DVD's if ya want. Also, just so you don't think I'm some punk kid mouthing off, here's my house. And when I say my house, I mean mine. Not my parents. ;)


My House (http://home.comcast.net/~bigsauce/)

Personally, I HIGHLY doubt my eye, or yours, can distinguish between 1080i and 1080p. But the difference between HD DVDs and upscaled dvds should be obvious. Heck, OTA HD looks ALOT better than upscaled. If people are shown something and had to guess if it was 1080i or 1080p im sure people wouldnt know. HD-DVD vs upscaled DVD is a different story.

Back on topic: My local Gamestop just got these in today. I think im gonna wait until best buy gets them.

[guyver2077]

i think the people that think upscaled dvd's are gooo enough are nuts.. i barely notice any difference and its definitely not near hd

[doubledown]

Yeah, it appears that the West Coast CC received their shipment today. I was going to wait for BB, but I'm impatient. I may just do a switch when the time comes....

[Ruined]

I'm sorry for the confusion. I never said ( or meant to imply) that I could watch HD DVD movies. I'm upconverting as well. My point was that isn't not worth "upgrading" to this player if you DON'T have 1080p. Personally I HIGHLY doubt my eye, or yours, can distinquish (sp?) between Native and Upconverting DVD's. By all means if yer TV can do 1080p, go ahead and buy this and the more expensive DVD's if ya want. Also, just so you don't think I'm some punk kid mouthing off, here's my house. And when I say my house, I mean mine. Not my parents. ;)


My House (http://home.comcast.net/~bigsauce/)

I have a 1080i set and HD DVDs look a *ton* better than upscaled DVDs.

[Ruined]

I have a question about the vga cables..I am under the assumption you need that to watch in 1080p. It also doesn't come with the system, you need to buy seperate correct? The pictures I have seen online of it, it has a red/white cable, which I assume is for audio, and then a plug. Is the video going thru the plug like part of the cable?

I'm not exactly sure what your question is but I'll try to answer it.

The HD DVD drive connects to the XBOX 360 via a USB cable. After that is done, the video from the HD DVD drive is output via the XBOX 360's video cable. If you wanted 1080p via VGA, you'd need to buy the VGA cable. One side of the cable goes into the XBOX 360, and on that end there is a port for a digital optical cable for 5.1 sound. The other end has the VGA plug for video to a computer monitor or HDTV along with analog L/R RCA cables for stereo audio in case you don't have a 5.1 system.

[xraytd]

Yeah, it appears that the West Coast CC received their shipment today. I was going to wait for BB, but I'm impatient. I may just do a switch when the time comes....


Yes, some of the Circuit City's around me have them in stock. I used the website to figure out which stores have them and then ordered it with in store pickup. Driving down tonight after work to pick it up.

Not sure when BestBuy will get them. I was at my local one (Culver City) yesterday and had the guy check their inventory to see when they were coming in. He said they didn't even have any on order to come into the store and none of the stores in my area had them on order. He said they'd have to order them first before they even start shipping them to the store. You may want to have your local BestBuy check their inventory computer to see if they are even expecting them to come in.

[ryanbph]

I'm not exactly sure what your question is but I'll try to answer it.

The HD DVD drive connects to the XBOX 360 via a USB cable. After that is done, the video from the HD DVD drive is output via the XBOX 360's video cable. If you wanted 1080p via VGA, you'd need to buy the VGA cable. One side of the cable goes into the XBOX 360, and on that end there is a port for a digital optical cable for 5.1 sound. The other end has the VGA plug for video to a computer monitor or HDTV along with analog L/R RCA cables for stereo audio in case you don't have a 5.1 system.


Yeah I guess I didn't word my question correctly. Thanks for the detailed response, I do understand how it connects to the 360 system, but I I wanted to know how to get the 1080p out of my 360 with and without the hd dvd player accessory. I have a 1080p tv, and I thought I had read that you can't get it thru the component cables and that vga was the way to go. I have been using the component cables that came with the system on my tv. I am assuming the other cable that is on the original multi output cable that came with the system is NOT vga. Th

[Gojtron]

Could someone explain about the audio formats? What happens with the newer TrueHD and I believe there's a new DTS as well. How will my system hear them? I saw in the deals forum a good-sounding argument about downconverting and loss of fidelity being likely. How does this affect me today and in the future?

[coolbrys]

I've been having my eyes on one of these... but all I use for my HD is my computer monitor. I do love good looking movies however; does anyone know if it would be worth it for me to get one, even if its only on my computer monitor? I know it won't look as good as if it was on a 40" TV... but will there even be a strong difference on my monitor?

[equest943]

Got mine tonight at Gamestop, Grand Parkway in Sugar Land, TX. I guess it's nice to get a universal remote plus King Kong. That way it's like getting an HD-DVD player for $145. Plus I had $150 in credit anyways. Not sure if I want to keep this or put the credit towards a Wii. We'll see. I'll be waiting for feedback on it. Someone post impressions soon please!

[Ruined]

Yeah I guess I didn't word my question correctly. Thanks for the detailed response, I do understand how it connects to the 360 system, but I I wanted to know how to get the 1080p out of my 360 with and without the hd dvd player accessory. I have a 1080p tv, and I thought I had read that you can't get it thru the component cables and that vga was the way to go. I have been using the component cables that came with the system on my tv. I am assuming the other cable that is on the original multi output cable that came with the system is NOT vga. Th

That's correct, you must buy the VGA cables seperately. However, before you do so ensure your HDTV has a VGA input (most actually don't). Even if it does not have VGA, though, odds are it will look great even over 1080i component because most 1080p HDTVs do a great job of deinterlacing 1080i to 1080p, to the point where you can't tell the difference between deinterlaced 1080i and straight 1080p. HDTVs can do this through a process called Inverse Telecine.

[Ruined]

Could someone explain about the audio formats? What happens with the newer TrueHD and I believe there's a new DTS as well. How will my system hear them? I saw in the deals forum a good-sounding argument about downconverting and loss of fidelity being likely. How does this affect me today and in the future?

The primary audio formats you will see on HD DVD are Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital TrueHD as these are the mandatory formats to be decoded.

Dolby Digital Plus is an extension of the original Dolby Digital, the main difference being that Dolby Digital was originally limited to 5.1 channels and 640kbps bitrate. Dolby Digital Plus ups that limit to 7.1 channels and over 3mbps bitrate. That being said, Dolby Digital Plus is a "lossy" codec, meaning some audible information is being lost in the encoding. The XBOX 360 can decode Dolby Digital Plus.

Dolby Digital TrueHD is a new lossless format based on DVD-Audio's MLP format. Lossless means that a Dolby Digital TrueHD track sounds identical to the master, essentially perfect sound. However, the lossless sound comes at a price of essentially double the bitrate of Dolby Digital Plus - while you can do 24/48 Dolby Digital Plus at 1.5mbps, 24/48 TrueHD will cost you over 3mbps. Similarly, while you can do 16/48 Dolby Digital Plus at 640kbps, you need to spend 1.5mbps to do 16/48 TrueHD. This tradeoff means that you might have less space for extensive extras on the same disc, meaning the extras may be pushed to a 2nd disc if TrueHD is used on a longer movie with lots of extras; this is similar to DVD's "2 disc collector's editions", actually a rarity on HD DVD because the immense amount of space generally allows extras to be stored on the same disc (not that it really matters). The studios will therefore evaluate their options to select the best combination of sound options and extras. The XBOX 360 can decode Dolby TrueHD.

The catch is that though the XBOX360 can decode both of these formats, it cannot output them full resolution as that requires 5.1 analog outputs or HDMI output, neither of which XBOX360 has. So, the XBOX360 decodes both of these then re-encodes them to standard Dolby Digital for output over the standard optical port. While this means you are not getting the full resolution, it also means you will not have to worry about not being able to play any soundtrack on HD DVD as XBOX 360 will be able to play them all back though of course it may not be at full resolution. The advantage to this is that studios can feel confident in encoding these new formats on HD DVD as you will be able to read them; therefore when you buy a more deluxe HD DVD player 5 years from now, you will have DD+ and TrueHD on all those HD DVDs you bought over the timeframe as the studios will have felt comfortable in putting them on there.

So, in summary, the XBOX360 can decode and playback the new sound formats however the actual quality of the sound will be similar to a regular DVD; not that this is entirely a terrible thing as from my own experiences you need a multi-thousand audio setup to be able to hear the difference between standard Dolby Digltal and lossless TrueHD.

[Ruined]

Got mine tonight at Gamestop, Grand Parkway in Sugar Land, TX. I guess it's nice to get a universal remote plus King Kong. That way it's like getting an HD-DVD player for $145. Plus I had $150 in credit anyways. Not sure if I want to keep this or put the credit towards a Wii. We'll see. I'll be waiting for feedback on it. Someone post impressions soon please!

The video quality is incredible on this device; I witnessed one firsthand. I urge you to open it and check it out. I promise you won't be disappointed once you pop in the included King Kong; instead you will likely be stunned by the video quality. HD DVD is eye candy to the max!

[FLSHADOW74]

I purchased "Serenity" in HD-DVD format before my drive came so that I would have something to reference picture quality as I've seen it on my regular DVD player and again on HBO-HD and the HD-DVD blows them both away by far. Everything has a neverending depth and almost dimensional feel when you look at it.

[lukenot]

I got mine today and ran a standard vs. HD-DVD comparison on Batman Begins and King Kong. Kong looked amazing on HD-DVD, but Batman Begins was exceptional. The difference between standard and HD discs was like night and day. There's no going back. I also have Mission Impossible III, and that too had my jaw hitting the floor.

I agree with the previous post, there is an added depth and dimension to the picture.

All this, and my set is a 4 year old 42" Toshiba at 1080i.

Fully recommended.

[guyver2077]

nows the time to hit up ddd and get some hd dvd's...

im getting batman for sure..it has gotten great reviews

[Gojtron]

The catch is that though the XBOX360 can decode both of these formats, it cannot output them full resolution as that requires 5.1 analog outputs or HDMI output, neither of which XBOX360 has. So, the XBOX360 decodes both of these then re-encodes them to standard Dolby Digital for output over the standard optical port.

Excellent, thank you, you addressed my concerns with an excellent post. Also the fact that whenever they release an HDMI cable, it will address those issues. So we'll need to buy new TrueHD receivers in a few years.

[Ruined]

Excellent, thank you, you addressed my concerns with an excellent post. Also the fact that whenever they release an HDMI cable, it will address those issues. So we'll need to buy new TrueHD receivers in a few years.

Not necessarily. Since the XBOX 360 decodes TrueHD, if an HDMI cable is released the TrueHD will be able to be re-encoded to 24/96 5.1 PCM and output that way via HDMI to any HDMI-capable receiver. Meaning that while you will need an HDMI receiver, you won't need one that decodes TrueHD as the 360 does that step. (This is how the Toshiba HD-A1 & HD-A2 output TrueHD via HDMI).

That being said, I'm not convinced that an HDMI cable will be released for the 360 anytime soon. However, I would not let that hold you back as the addon has incredible jaw-dropping video quality and you can't beat the price.

[ryanbph]

That's correct, you must buy the VGA cables seperately. However, before you do so ensure your HDTV has a VGA input (most actually don't). Even if it does not have VGA, though, odds are it will look great even over 1080i component because most 1080p HDTVs do a great job of deinterlacing 1080i to 1080p, to the point where you can't tell the difference between deinterlaced 1080i and straight 1080p. HDTVs can do this through a process called Inverse Telecine.
thanks again

[KaneRobot]

Anyone have a good site for HD-DVD reviews? Digital Bits' lineup of reviews is pretty limited and I didn't see any on IGN's DVD site.

[obijuan71]

I tried to use the CC.com online coupon thru the Xbox live diamond card website that should give a 10% discount on any Xbox 360 Accessory.......

NO GO...

I guess the description for it is different and the website will not honor it, I was hopping to get $20.00 dlls off the price

Oh, well.......

[LinkinPrime]

Anyone have a good site for HD-DVD reviews? Digital Bits' lineup of reviews is pretty limited and I didn't see any on IGN's DVD site.

Try this: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/list.php?reviewType=HD+DVD

[KaneRobot]

That being said, I'm not convinced that an HDMI cable will be released for the 360 anytime soon.

Yeah, they're waiting until we all spend money on the component cable or VGA cable.

Something that kept popping into my head is they may be waiting for HDMI 1.3 so they can continue their obsession with matching Sony feature-for-feature...but with HDMI 1.3 right around the corner and no cable announced yet, that may not be the case.

[billym99]

Anyone have a good site for HD-DVD reviews? Digital Bits' lineup of reviews is pretty limited and I didn't see any on IGN's DVD site.

Also try http://www.highdefdigest.com/

I think there reviews are very good for hd dvd's. They are also very quick with getting there reviews out.

[billym99]

Also try http://www.highdefdigest.com/

I think there reviews are very good for hd dvd's. They are also very quick with getting there reviews out.

Also, check out this very good thread from AVS Forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705387

Basically lists all avaliable hd dvd's in a tier system for picture quality (pq). As a note, I have seen some of the tier 3's and while they are tier 3 the picture is still very good.

[doubledown]

I'm just waiting to get mine....I've been checking most of the CC stores in MI (online) and it looks like they are slowly moving across the state....almost at my very close one. yeah!

[guyver2077]

Also, check out this very good thread from AVS Forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705387

Basically lists all avaliable hd dvd's in a tier system for picture quality (pq). As a note, I have seen some of the tier 3's and while they are tier 3 the picture is still very good.

awesome thread... thanks..hope they keep it updated

[guyver2077]

holy shit my cc says in stock for in store pickup.. ordering now!!!!!!! please be true

dont they have your order ready in like 24 minutes

[LinkinPrime]

holy shit my cc says in stock for in store pickup.. ordering now!!!!!!! please be true

dont they have your order ready in like 24 minutes

Yup. If not you get a $24 giftcard.

[guyver2077]

wow like 2 mins later..

Y $199.99 1 $199.99 Xbox 360™ HD DVD Player (http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/home.do?Key=8360&oid=166160&SESSIONLINK)
MS 882224379663 shop fee: $0.00
subtotal: $199.99
shipping: $0.00
vendor direct delivery: $0.00
total sales tax: $14.00
total current purchase: $213.99


Your purchase is now available for pickup at the Customer Service counter of the store you selected. Please bring the following items with you:
1). A printed version of this email
2.) Photo identification (a valid state-issued ID or driver's license)
3.) The credit card used to make this purchase (if applicable)
Please note that in order to ensure the security of your order, you must pick it up yourself.
4.) Don't forget to bring in the coupons located at the bottom of this page.

[doubledown]

wow like 2 mins later..

Y $199.99 1 $199.99 Xbox 360™ HD DVD Player (http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/home.do?Key=8360&oid=166160&SESSIONLINK)
MS 882224379663 shop fee: $0.00
subtotal: $199.99
shipping: $0.00
vendor direct delivery: $0.00
total sales tax: $14.00
total current purchase: $213.99


Your purchase is now available for pickup at the Customer Service counter of the store you selected. Please bring the following items with you:
1). A printed version of this email
2.) Photo identification (a valid state-issued ID or driver's license)
3.) The credit card used to make this purchase (if applicable)
Please note that in order to ensure the security of your order, you must pick it up yourself.
4.) Don't forget to bring in the coupons located at the bottom of this page.

Yeah, cool for you....my local store still has none, I can drive like 15 miles though to get it, which I might in a bit here.

[KaneRobot]

I'm just waiting to get mine....I've been checking most of the CC stores in MI (online) and it looks like they are slowly moving across the state....almost at my very close one. yeah!
Dubs - just picked up one from the Great Lakes Crossing Circuit City, don't know what your proximity is to that but it is there, picked it up on my lunch hour. I think it'll be showing up in stock at more of the stores as the day rolls on though.

[guyver2077]

too bad i couldnt get it through bb as i could of used rewards card...o well..maybe ill still pass by bb to make sure...i can always cancel an in store pickup right?

my local eb only got enough for preorders..

so what happens if i get there and they dont have it..

[doubledown]

Dubs - just picked up one from the Great Lakes Crossing Circuit City, don't know what your proximity is to that but it is there, picked it up on my lunch hour. I think it'll be showing up in stock at more of the stores as the day rolls on though.

Yeah, I'm looking for the Roseville one...the 3 closest to me do not have it, but I can go to TROY to get one....

You should be able to cancel the CC In-store anyways....it would basically be a return. Istill plan to go to Best Buy first, but would like to get it somewhere.

[flybrione]

Like to get some impressions on quality of the player from some people that purchased it. I am considering it but not in a hurry to get it.

[FLSHADOW74]

Like to get some impressions on quality of the player from some people that purchased it. I am considering it but not in a hurry to get it.

It's a pretty durable unit nicely designed to match the 360 and since
my 360 is layed horizontally the HD drive sits on top of the 360 no
fuss no muss. No only if they made it so that you could have matching
face plates for it.

[guyver2077]

funny now my cc shows out of stock online... maybe i got one of the last ones


am i the only one wondering if it will be possible to rig this and connect to pc?

[KaneRobot]

am i the only one wondering if it will be possible to rig this and connect to pc?

Nope. XP does recognize exactly what it is, but you can't do anything with it at this time.

Some of the people at AVS are messing around with it. Because it's recognized, someone could probably come up with a driver for it and/or there may be a way to get it to work.

I'd certainly guess that Vista will let you use it.

[doubledown]

It's a pretty durable unit nicely designed to match the 360 and since
my 360 is layed horizontally the HD drive sits on top of the 360 no
fuss no muss. No only if they made it so that you could have matching
face plates for it.

Does the HD-DVD player fit nicely on top of the 360? The 360 is a bit concave, correct?

I may just stack this on top of my DVD player as I don't like anything vertical.

[Bigsauce]

funny now my cc shows out of stock online... maybe i got one of the last ones


am i the only one wondering if it will be possible to rig this and connect to pc?

Didn't they just post a story about how the HD DVD took up the most processes for the 360 ever? All SIX of them? Wouldn't have to have some crazy PC and even better, wouldn't you have to have some crazy Driver? They said it was over a million lines of code or something? I'm gonna go grab the article.

[doubledown]

Didn't they just post a story about how the HD DVD took up the most processes for the 360 ever? All SIX of them? Wouldn't have to have some crazy PC and even better, wouldn't you have to have some crazy Driver? They said it was over a million lines of code or something? I'm gonna go grab the article.

I'm sure you'll need a decent PC and memory to run it on a PC. Drivers will come in due time. I believe someone got it to work with NORMAL DVD's on their PC (not HD DVD's though)

[flybrione]

It's a pretty durable unit nicely designed to match the 360 and since
my 360 is layed horizontally the HD drive sits on top of the 360 no
fuss no muss. No only if they made it so that you could have matching
face plates for it.

How about the actually quality of a movie? I know it comes with King Kong correct. Does anyone have the Thing on HD-DVD? I love that movie and has made me consider purchasing the drive.

I have read some reviews of the Thing HD-DVD and they say is is outstanding.
Quality is my main concern.

Also what kind of TVs are you guys using.
I have a 1080i Toshiba Theaterwide HDTV 26".
Not sure if it is worth the purchase for my current TV.

Thanks

[guyver2077]

ill be testing this later today hopefully with batman begins and king kong.

Both movies have received great reviews... video quality outstanding.

i have a 37 in lcd 1080i connected via component..

[LinkinPrime]

Let us know if it does infact sound better than standard DVD's on 5.1

[asianxcore]

the TRU I work at got 4 pieces of the HD-DVD drives in the other day.

I'm waiting for EB or Gamecrazy to get them so I can trade some stuff in for it. Anyone know if either store has received their units yet?

[Gojtron]

Called 2/3 my EBs, they only got enough to cover their pre-orders, 2 and 1 respectively. Weak.

[xraytd]

Yup. If not you get a $24 giftcard.

Yeah, went to pick up the drive I ordered online last night. Turns out there was a data error and the store did not have any in stock at all. But he sent me to another one that did and took off $25 from the price of the drive. So not a bad deal, but I did end up driving a bit further than I expected.

Moral of the story: I don't trust their online availability data. But if you get screwed over, at least you get $25 off (or a giftcard).

[doubledown]

Picked mine up from CC for $160 after this coupon!

http://www.badongo.com/file/1668694

[LinkinPrime]

Picked mine up from CC for $160 after this coupon!

http://www.badongo.com/file/1668694
Oh Snap! At that price I'll most likely get it, I could sell King Kong on ebay and get a good HD-DVD like Batman Begins or V For Vendetta. Nice!

[ryanbph]

Picked mine up from CC for $160 after this coupon!

http://www.badongo.com/file/1668694

ok you got me sold on it with that coupon...it says no reprodctions/photcopies so is it a ymmv?

[Diesl]

Picked mine up from CC for $160 after this coupon!

http://www.badongo.com/file/1668694

doubledown, thanks for the coupon scan. I'm heading over to Circuit City right now to pick up my player that I ordered for store pick-up earlier today. I'll post back to let people know if a print-out worked for me.

[ryanbph]

anyone know if the coupon works

[doubledown]

anyone know if the coupon works

Coupon worked for me, that is why I posted it. They basically just typed it in and it worked automatically. Excellent deal.

Anyone see any issues putting the HD-DVD on TOP of the 360? I had it on my DVD player, but it wasn't that deep....so it fit nicely on the 360.

[KaneRobot]

I'll wait and see how the coupon works before opening it. I'll take it back and buy it again if people seem to be able to get it to work.

[ryanbph]

I'll wait and see how the coupon works before opening it. I'll take it back and buy it again if people seem to be able to get it to work.
there is 2 other threads about the coupon, and it seems to be working for people

[LinkinPrime]

Damn, my local store is out of them. If I would have gone to my work location I could have gotten one. Hope the coupon doesn't die before they restock.

[GizmoGC]

Getting mine tonight...

[KaneRobot]

Nice! Took mine back and got it again with the coupon. It wouldn't scan so they had to type it in, but no problems at all for me.

[vrs1650]

Picked mine up today from Gamestop, been waiting for the damn thing to get in all week. It is fucking amazing. I have a 55" Mitsubishi HDTV, 10801, man it was worth it. Wish the sound was a little better, but the picture quality is amazing. Put in Batman Begins, WOW!. Worth the price, wish I was more patient thought to use the circuit city coupon.

[FLSHADOW74]

Coupon worked for me, that is why I posted it. They basically just typed it in and it worked automatically. Excellent deal.

Anyone see any issues putting the HD-DVD on TOP of the 360? I had it on my DVD player, but it wasn't that deep....so it fit nicely on the 360.

I've had no problems with mine on top of my 360 that is layed horizontally.

[rvdrock]

So you have a tv that does 1080i and you notice that much of a difference?

[toper]

So you have a tv that does 1080i and you notice that much of a difference?

I'm still on the fence regarding the purchase of the HD-DVD player, but if the picture quality of HD-DVD's are comparable to the HD broadcasts I receive, then I can confirm that there is a distinct difference between the picture qualities of HD-DVD's and regular DVD's.

[nyprimus4]

HOLY MOLY that $40 off $200 coupon can be used on Black Friday, expires 11/30. I wish BB had that, I'm getting a $200 dollar TV and then I could get the XBL Vision for free!

[Kaijufan]

I don't live near a Circuit City, but my brother and my dad are going up to the Vikings game this weekend and I may have them pick one up for me.

[GizmoGC]

Its so damn sexy. The packaging itself is awesome. It reminds me of when I purchased my 3rd Gen iPod. It folds apart...so sexy.

Right now I am using component cables...plan to buy some VGA tomorrow.

[Duo_Maxwell]

HOLY MOLY that $40 off $200 coupon can be used on Black Friday, expires 11/30. I wish BB had that, I'm getting a $200 dollar TV and then I could get the XBL Vision for free!

"Not combinable with other select Circuit City offers", I'd imagine 1 and 2 day sales fall under said category, so good luck with that. Maybe it'll work though or maybe you'll get someone nice enough to do it anyways (that'll be tough on BF though, the one shopping day where no one is nice to anyone).

[RedvsBlue]

Its so damn sexy. The packaging itself is awesome. It reminds me of when I purchased my 3rd Gen iPod. It folds apart...so sexy.

Right now I am using component cables...plan to buy some VGA tomorrow.


Does it just hook up to the 360 with any old USB cable and/or how long is the cord that comes with the drive? It doesn't make a big difference to me no matter what really but it would be kind of nice to have the freedom to not have the drive right next to the 360.

[GizmoGC]

Does it just hook up to the 360 with any old USB cable and/or how long is the cord that comes with the drive? It doesn't make a big difference to me no matter what really but it would be kind of nice to have the freedom to not have the drive right next to the 360.

No. It uses a Mini B > USB type cable which is included.
Its fairly long...Maybe 2 feet? I put it right on top of my 360 and it looks good.

HD's load up fast. SD DVDs don't look very good though...much worse then on my HD-A1. I will be buying a VGA adapter tomorrow though to get 1080p on SD. I have yet to watch HD on the HD add-on, just flipped through a but of Serenity.

I really love how you can snap the Wireless adapter onto the back of it. Since the 360 only has one USB free they had to do this, but it really looks cool. The extra USB port is nice as well.

[guyver2077]

I finally did get it... cc finally came through for me... i saw no other units for sale...


first thing i put in was batman... it definitely looked better and had some good scenes.... but where you can notice the diff is king kong

man king kong looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RedvsBlue]

No. It uses a Mini B > USB type cable which is included.
Its fairly long...Maybe 2 feet? I put it right on top of my 360 and it looks good.

HD's load up fast. SD DVDs don't look very good though...much worse then on my HD-A1. I will be buying a VGA adapter tomorrow though to get 1080p on SD. I have yet to watch HD on the HD add-on, just flipped through a but of Serenity.

I really love how you can snap the Wireless adapter onto the back of it. Since the 360 only has one USB free they had to do this, but it really looks cool. The extra USB port is nice as well.

Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm definetly picking it up either way but its interesting to hear about it before I can pick it up.

[GizmoGC]

Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm definetly picking it up either way but its interesting to hear about it before I can pick it up.


Anymore Q's feel free to ask. I am selling my HD-A1 as this once is just as good as that, with the exception of sound (something I don't care about because I live in an Apartment).

[RedvsBlue]

Anymore Q's feel free to ask. I am selling my HD-A1 as this once is just as good as that, with the exception of sound (something I don't care about because I live in an Apartment).

So the quality is definetly as good as a standalone player? That's great news.

I know how it goes with apartments... I never could fully enjoy most movies with my surround sound because I'd always get a noise complaint. Don't get me wrong, I don't listen to stuff at high volumes but that damn bass is always there.

Any idea as to whether or not you can run games off the hd-dvd drive?

[GizmoGC]

Any idea as to whether or not you can run games off the hd-dvd drive?

HD and DVDs only. Period. No games.

[GizmoGC]

Watching Army of Darkness HD right now...damn. This looks AWESOME for a 113 year old movie!

[Santurio]

If that coupon works for me I'm getting one today!!

[LinkinPrime]

Does the HD-DVD drive require another Digital Coax Cable or does it use the same one that's already being used by the X360?

[GizmoGC]

Does the HD-DVD drive require another Digital Coax Cable or does it use the same one that's already being used by the X360?

It requires a Mini B > USB Cable which is included with the HD Addon. Its inside the box.

[CaptDS9E]

"So you have a tv that does 1080i and you notice that much of a difference?"

You will notice the difference on a 720p set. You do not need a 1080I/P set to enjoy HDDVD

[GizmoGC]

"So you have a tv that does 1080i and you notice that much of a difference?"

You will notice the difference on a 720p set. You do not need a 1080I/P set to enjoy HDDVD

You will notice a difference on any TV if you are hooking up atleast through components.

[KaneRobot]

Watching Army of Darkness HD right now...damn. This looks AWESOME for a 113 year old movie!
So you liked it? I'm kind of torn on AoD (besides the pack-in King Kong I picked up V for Vendetta and ordered Terminator 3). As much as I love AoD I'm kind of torn because a) The extras are lacking and I've heard the picture, while impressive, is "eh" for HD, and b) You KNOW they'll bring out another version of it later with more stuff.




Was going to post some pics from Kong but my grasp of photography is nonexistent, there's either a tiny blur from my hands not being perfectly still or the picture comes out too dark.

Clerks 2 on 12/5...was going to get it on DVD, but will wait and see. As long as the HD version has at least reasonable extras I'll get that one instead.

[Santurio]

Got me one and the coupon worked!! Great big ol' Thanks go out to DoubleDown for posting.

[Ruined]

Told ya guys you wouldn't be disappointed :)

HD DVD > *

[GizmoGC]

So you liked it? I'm kind of torn on AoD (besides the pack-in King Kong I picked up V for Vendetta and ordered Terminator 3). As much as I love AoD I'm kind of torn because a) The extras are lacking and I've heard the picture, while impressive, is "eh" for HD, and b) You KNOW they'll bring out another version of it later with more stuff.




Was going to post some pics from Kong but my grasp of photography is nonexistent, there's either a tiny blur from my hands not being perfectly still or the picture comes out too dark.

Clerks 2 on 12/5...was going to get it on DVD, but will wait and see. As long as the HD version has at least reasonable extras I'll get that one instead.

1. AoD looks good. I havn't seen the movie in years and didn't remember it being so....stupid. Its good, don't get m wrong, but way to damn corny. The transfer looks good. I would say in terms of quality, its in the middle. Remember, this is a UNIVERSAL release, not Anchor Bay. There will not be multiple releases anytime soon.

Clerks 2 is not sometime in January for HD....

[ryanbph]

i will be picking mine up when I leave the office in a couple of hours...DAMMIT ALL ITS SATURDAY AND I AM AT THE OFFICE

[doubledown]

phew, glad I got mine yesterday, they are basically sold out in MI now....at least in my area.

Glad I helped with the coupon also :)

So, what HD-DVD's do people recommend? I think I am just going to RENT most now....since $20 a pop is still a bit pricey for me. I do own Batman Begins, Kong and Fast and the Furious though.

[KaneRobot]

So, what HD-DVD's do people recommend? I think I am just going to RENT most now....since $20 a pop is still a bit pricey for me. I do own Batman Begins, Kong and Fast and the Furious though.

Kong ain't a bad pack in, just finished it as I was typing this. Hadn't seen it before.

You have Batman Begins so I won't bother recommending that. I don't own it as I still can't justify buying it again even for the bump in quality.

V for Vendetta looked damn good. Hadn't seen it before, I was a little concerned I wouldn't like it because people kept screeching about how "political" it is, but whether it's because I knew that going in or because it was overblown, it didn't bug me.

[cleaver]

Definitely hit up the DDD.com sale for HD DVDs. I bought Batman Begins, Goodfellas, and Unforgiven for about $17 a piece.

[mmercer13]

Bought the HD add on and ANOTHER 360 for my 40" XBR in the living room. I had it hooked up to my 26" XBR in my game room and my wife went nuts over how good King Kong looked, so I was easily able to talk her into one for the living room. I still can't get over how kickass the picture looks, it's better than the HD cable we have. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!

[thrustbucket]

Man I don't even have an HDTV yet, but at $40 off, this is very tempting.

I need to decide if I want to buy this or the Zune next week for $40 off.

[ryanbph]

phew, glad I got mine yesterday, they are basically sold out in MI now....at least in my area.

Glad I helped with the coupon also :)

So, what HD-DVD's do people recommend? I think I am just going to RENT most now....since $20 a pop is still a bit pricey for me. I do own Batman Begins, Kong and Fast and the Furious though.
got mine today, thanks doubledown for the coupon...worked no problem for me

[Psykoboy2]

Okay, first things first - this is my very first post ever here at CAG. Go me.

Next, I just got back from CC after reading through this thread. They had 4 in stock (now 3), and I also attempted to use the coupon.

I have to say the store I went to must have been newbie night. None were on the floor so someone had to help me out, which meant going into the back, finding it in stock, getting the part number or whatever and then bringing it to me. All well and good. So I had to go to the register and give him the number, he'd ring me up and then I'd go to the pick-up window to get it.

It ended the moment I handed him the paper with the number on it. After a wait, he had to get an MOD. No problem there, except for the coupon part. She tried and tried to scan the thing, but no luck. And she wouldn't even try to enter the numbers. She called me on the print out thing saying that their coupons usually have something on the back to designate them. Mine had nothing. So she went to the back to try and find a coupon just like it to show me, but they had none. I didn't bully her at all. I just held to my story of where I got the coupon and how I felt it was legit.

Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it to be true.

After about 20 minutes of waiting. She finally told me she would honor the coupon. She didn't enter the number in or try to scan it, she just did a price adjustment. $175 is what I paid for a $219 product.

Go me again. And thanks CAG.

[fraggedbylaggers]

I was not even considering the hddvd player but for $160 it seems really hard to pass up...

[thrustbucket]

Can someone tell me where that coupon came from? It may be easier for me to find than to find a good color printer.

[Psykoboy2]

From what I understand it was a mail thingy you got whenever you moved. Your best bet is just to avoid any managers. Worst case scenerio is they don't honor it.

I just talked with someone on Xbox Live who works at Gamestop. He got his for $135. That seems like a pretty big employee discount, but hey, if you know anyone that works at one, why not look into it. See if they can get it for you and you just give them the money.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Okay, first things first - this is my very first post ever here at CAG. Go me.

Next, I just got back from CC after reading through this thread. They had 4 in stock (now 3), and I also attempted to use the coupon.

I have to say the store I went to must have been newbie night. None were on the floor so someone had to help me out, which meant going into the back, finding it in stock, getting the part number or whatever and then bringing it to me. All well and good. So I had to go to the register and give him the number, he'd ring me up and then I'd go to the pick-up window to get it.

It ended the moment I handed him the paper with the number on it. After a wait, he had to get an MOD. No problem there, except for the coupon part. She tried and tried to scan the thing, but no luck. And she wouldn't even try to enter the numbers. She called me on the print out thing saying that their coupons usually have something on the back to designate them. Mine had nothing. So she went to the back to try and find a coupon just like it to show me, but they had none. I didn't bully her at all. I just held to my story of where I got the coupon and how I felt it was legit.

Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it to be true.

After about 20 minutes of waiting. She finally told me she would honor the coupon. She didn't enter the number in or try to scan it, she just did a price adjustment. $175 is what I paid for a $219 product.

Go me again. And thanks CAG.

It probably was actually newbie night. This is the weekend most of the seasonal hires start. In fact I juggled training about 3 people at my store today.

[ryanbph]

I just finished testing king kong hd dvd vs the dvd version. While it is better, IMO, it wasn't worth the $160 for it. I am hoping the differences in some of the other movies will justify the purchase for me. I tried both the hd dvd and dvd version with component and vga cables. I have a 1080p tv, and the only real differences I saw were some of the green in the jungle being a better color, and when the girl was on the ground the detail in the leaves/underbrush was sharper. Granted I didn't watch the entire movie, I just picked a couple of spots and would swith back and forth.

[doubledown]

I just finished testing king kong hd dvd vs the dvd version. While it is better, IMO, it wasn't worth the $160 for it. I am hoping the differences in some of the other movies will justify the purchase for me. I tried both the hd dvd and dvd version with component and vga cables. I have a 1080p tv, and the only real differences I saw were some of the green in the jungle being a better color, and when the girl was on the ground the detail in the leaves/underbrush was sharper. Granted I didn't watch the entire movie, I just picked a couple of spots and would swith back and forth.

You should be getting 1080p image with VGA, right? I know many say it's like night and day....sadly, I haven't even tested mine yet. I plugged it in, and that's as far as I got....I will check a movie today.

[Ruined]

I just finished testing king kong hd dvd vs the dvd version. While it is better, IMO, it wasn't worth the $160 for it. I am hoping the differences in some of the other movies will justify the purchase for me. I tried both the hd dvd and dvd version with component and vga cables. I have a 1080p tv, and the only real differences I saw were some of the green in the jungle being a better color, and when the girl was on the ground the detail in the leaves/underbrush was sharper. Granted I didn't watch the entire movie, I just picked a couple of spots and would swith back and forth.

Are you sure you played the right side of the King Kong HD DVD? The difference is staggering.

[jughead]

Well, I was all set to go pick one up at CC, then I realized with my wireless adapter connected I would have to plug this encyclopedia up to the front USB ports. Unh Unh, Ain't happening! Just thought I would warn prospective buyers that this thing is anti-OCD.

[GizmoGC]

Well, I was all set to go pick one up at CC, then I realized with my wireless adapter connected I would have to plug this encyclopedia up to the front USB ports. Unh Unh, Ain't happening! Just thought I would warn prospective buyers that this thing is anti-OCD.

Huh? The back of the HD addon has a special slot JUST for the official Wireless adapter.

[KaneRobot]

Are you sure you played the right side of the King Kong HD DVD? The difference is staggering.
The Kong disc is only HD-DVD.

I don't have the original Kong on DVD to compare, but the HD-DVD disc did look outstanding. I tried to grab a few photos but that didn't turn out too well.

[jughead]

Huh? The back of the HD addon has a special slot JUST for the official Wireless adapter.
no way! Thats awesome!

[GizmoGC]

no way! Thats awesome!

...
Yep. Even an extra USB slot for the Camera or whatever else. Snaps on PERFECTLY and looks good.

[guyver2077]

i ahve the original and the diff is incredible..

anyone else notice that making the jump to hd.. you can suddenly notice all the women's nipples now... seriously

noticed in batman and kong

[JDMxB]

i ahve the original and the diff is incredible..

anyone else notice that making the jump to hd.. you can suddenly notice all the women's nipples now... seriously

noticed in batman and kong

You know, I was on the fence on getting the HD-DVD...but now i'm getting it for sure.

Must. Have. Nipples.

[GizmoGC]

You know, I was on the fence on getting the HD-DVD...but now i'm getting it for sure.

Must. Have. Nipples.

Yeah, Batman had some NICE nipples in Batman Begins. So prominent and hot. :sarcasm:

[Psykoboy2]

I've really gotten addicted to these HD movies. Cept, some studios are only supporting the Blu-Ray format. I guess I'll eventually get a PS3. I want all those Disney, Fox, and Sony movies in HD.

[guyver2077]

You know, I was on the fence on getting the HD-DVD...but now i'm getting it for sure.

Must. Have. Nipples.

lmao yea... its the funniest shit!! hd porn must be amazin lol

Im definitely backing the hd dvd format... they are spanking blueray in sales despite all the marketing.. i know the average joe gamer though will be thinking ps3 and blueray will win.. fukkin corporate america..

It seems though that the smart ppl who do research know that the hd dvd format is preferred by many..

[Psykoboy2]

Yeah, I would get what I could on HDDVD, but movies like Xmen, Spider-Man, Pirates...those will be blu-ray only it looks like.

[Gojtron]

I know Sony movies will be BR, but I didn't know Fox signed on. That's a pity, I want a rerelease of Fight Club and......wait so does that mean no Star Wars on HD DVD?

[GizmoGC]

I know Sony movies will be BR, but I didn't know Fox signed on. That's a pity, I want a rerelease of Fight Club and......wait so does that mean no Star Wars on HD DVD?

It took 6-7 years for Star Wars to appear on DVD. Don't expect it on either format anytime soon.

Fox, Disney and Lions Gate are currently BR only. Expect that to change in the coming months at least for Lions Gate. Why produce movies for a format which doesn't sell? Take a look at http://thedvdwars.com/ for more info.

[guyver2077]

yea ive been watching the sales closely.....hd dvd is definitely winning the sales department.. i expect that though to tighten up when ps3 releases...

[KaneRobot]

I hate to sound like a salesman, but tell your friends about this format and why it's better (Ruined's stickied FAQ has some info regarding that). Once the PS3 is widely available, it's going to be an uphill battle for HD-DVD, especially with companies like Best Buy and Circuit City pushing them.

The main problem with this format war is, I can see any "HD-DVD only" studio eventually releasing Blu-Ray movies. I don't see Sony releasing any HD-DVD movies for a long, long time, and even then only if Blu-Ray is getting absolutely destroyed.

So yeah. Like I said, uphill battle. So far so good, though.

[qpid]

Anyone else notice this about the drive?
The newest xbl update automatically turns off notifications from your friends signing in to xbl and that is great but it doesn't do that when i am watching a movie from the hd-dvd drive. I just disconnect my wireless adapter but I hope an upgrade is on the way to fix it

[LinkinPrime]

Anyone else notice this about the drive?
The newest xbl update automatically turns off notifications from your friends signing in to xbl and that is great but it doesn't do that when i am watching a movie from the hd-dvd drive. I just disconnect my wireless adapter but I hope an upgrade is on the way to fix it

I believe the Fall Update added this feature. You should be able to turn on/off notifications while watching a movie, weather its HD-DVD drive or on your X360

[LinkinPrime]

Someone found a legal way to play this HD-DVD drive on your PC:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/12232/Legal-Hack-Makes-Xbox-360-HD-DVD-Drive-Work-on-PCs/

[GizmoGC]

I hate to sound like a salesman, but tell your friends about this format and why it's better (Ruined's stickied FAQ has some info regarding that). Once the PS3 is widely available, it's going to be an uphill battle for HD-DVD, especially with companies like Best Buy and Circuit City pushing them.

The main problem with this format war is, I can see any "HD-DVD only" studio eventually releasing Blu-Ray movies. I don't see Sony releasing any HD-DVD movies for a long, long time, and even then only if Blu-Ray is getting absolutely destroyed.

So yeah. Like I said, uphill battle. So far so good, though.

Yes, because every person that buys a $600 PS3 is ready todrop $30 on a Blu-Ray movie to watch through there composite jacks :roll:

Sony keeps making up excuses...but this is it. If Blu-Ray movies do not sell through the roof there done for. The #1 selling BR on Amazon is STILL below the #10 selling HD on Amazon.

[guyver2077]

correct... alot of morons though will get a ps3 for blueray.. alot of those same idiots have already rules out hd dvd becaus of sony and stupid stores like bestbuy...

i dont think this war will end quickly though just because the ps3... i actually supported umd with the psp but if blueray goes the same route.. it will go down..

i hope the 360 drive is selling good.. if you have a hd tv there is no reason not to get one.. just rent from netflix while you wait for some deals..


i may actually though get the superman movies at launch retail price

[KaneRobot]

Yes, because every person that buys a $600 PS3 is ready todrop $30 on a Blu-Ray movie to watch through there composite jacks :roll:

If someone can squeeze together the pennies for a 600 dollar video game system and is rabid enough to actually track one down at this point, I don't think a $20-$35 movie is going to phase them that much. You really think those "composite jack"-using people are the ones who will have the PS3 by/at Christmas?

Hey, I hope Blu-Ray flops right away and we get this format war over with sooner than later. I don't see it happening, but I can dream. It's just unwise to underestimate how many PS3s they are going to sell and what that could do to help the format.

One thing worth mentioning that has come to light since release: it's pretty obvious that MS intends this player to work with Vista (and people are already making progress with getting stuff going in XP). This seems like it will be a good choice for HTPC users as well, which could expand their potential market a bit.

[edison]

I only have the KK dvd that came with it, there are about three tiltles that I will pick up come payday. I have joined Netflix for the two week trial, because I couldn't find anyone renting HD DVD in town. There are titles that I would like to see but don't know if I'd like them enough to drop $30 bucks on them. Before I got the addon I thought the Combo HD DVD's was a good idea I could 'futureproof' my collection a bit, although I never did buy any. Now the price tag seems prohibitive especially since I would never watch the SD side.

[KaneRobot]

I only have the KK dvd that came with it, there are about three tiltles that I will pick up come payday. I have joined Netflix for the two week trial, because I couldn't find anyone renting HD DVD in town. There are titles that I would like to see but don't know if I'd like them enough to drop $30 bucks on them.

Amazon usually has them for a decent price...usually 20-25 bucks. Deep Discount DVD is also having their twice-a-year sale right now so you can get 20% and free shipping on everything, although their prices don't seem to be knocking me on my ass like they have in years past.

[GizmoGC]

If someone can squeeze together the pennies for a 600 dollar video game system and is rabid enough to actually track one down at this point, I don't think a $20-$35 movie is going to phase them that much. You really think those "composite jack"-using people are the ones who will have the PS3 by/at Christmas?

Since Sony chose not to include component or HDMI cables, YES, I do think alot of the people buying a PS3 will only use the included composite jacks. You think most people are going to spent $600 for a system, $50 for tax, $60 for atleast 1 game, and then $20-$100 for component/hdmi cables from their friendly Best Buy? THEN spend $25-$40 on a movie?

Of course they will tout how awesome Talladega Nights is, even though its just a slight picture quality upgrade over the SD version using composite.

[cleaver]

So am I supposed to use component cables or the VGA, or do both have +s and -s?

[KaneRobot]

Since Sony chose not to include component or HDMI cables, YES, I do think alot of the people buying a PS3 will only use the included composite jacks. You think most people are going to spent $600 for a system, $50 for tax, $60 for atleast 1 game, and then $20-$100 for component/hdmi cables from their friendly Best Buy? THEN spend $25-$40 on a movie?

Nope...more likely many of them will spend $1,100 for the system on Ebay, nothing for tax, $60 for a game, $20-$100 for cables, and THEN $20-$35 for a movie (sorry, but your "friendly Best Buy" doesn't have any of your $40 Blu-Ray movies, but Amazon has several for $20).

Between the shortage and the holiday season, this time of the year is going to either be for the high rollers or the very dedicated - both the exact kind of customers that would buy this sort of stuff.

[Purkeynator]

Between the shortage and the holiday season, this time of the year is going to either be for the high rollers or the very dedicated - both the exact kind of customers that would buy this sort of stuff.

QFT

[FLSHADOW74]

correct... alot of morons though will get a ps3 for blueray.. alot of those same idiots have already rules out hd dvd becaus of sony and stupid stores like bestbuy...

i dont think this war will end quickly though just because the ps3... i actually supported umd with the psp but if blueray goes the same route.. it will go down..

i hope the 360 drive is selling good.. if you have a hd tv there is no reason not to get one.. just rent from netflix while you wait for some deals..


i may actually though get the superman movies at launch retail price

Blockbuster announced in Video Business today that it will start carry HD & BLU-RAY titles in their store and will also be selling them. They will rent out at the same price as regular DVDs.

[Psykoboy2]

I was planning on selling off my PS3, but after seeing these Hi-Def films, I dunno. I may keep it.

I hate supporting the format though. I wish they would just release it in both formats and let the consumer decide.

[GizmoGC]

Nope...more likely many of them will spend $1,100 for the system on Ebay, nothing for tax, $60 for a game, $20-$100 for cables, and THEN $20-$35 for a movie (sorry, but your "friendly Best Buy" doesn't have any of your $40 Blu-Ray movies, but Amazon has several for $20).

Between the shortage and the holiday season, this time of the year is going to either be for the high rollers or the very dedicated - both the exact kind of customers that would buy this sort of stuff.

As I said, $25-$40.

$35
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8053624&type=product&id=1571230
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8019912&type=product&id=1567906
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8053759&type=product&id=1571225
...and many more.

Not everyone shops at Amazon (They must not because all BR fans will tell you why) most shop at stores. I just went today and saw more then several BRs for $35. Way too much for an impulse buy.

[asianxcore]

i hope the 360 drive is selling good.. if you have a hd tv there is no reason not to get one.. just rent from netflix while you wait for some deals..


Just in my area, a lot of stores sold out. The TRU I work at, sold out less than a day after getting them in. Many of the EB's and Gamestops had only enough (4+) to cover pre-orders. The ones that did have a handful to sell for non pre-orders told me they sold out quickly.

My DVD collection is already very extensive, so I might hold off on the HD-DVD drive until X-mas (might ask for it then). I wanted to get the drive just for all of those big blockbuster type films like MI 3, Superman, and so on. This month is already expensive enough, gotta save that $200 for the Wii this weekend :)

[LinkinPrime]

I was going to get it a CC but no one has it. I have $45 worth of RZ certificates, so I checked 2 BB's and "its not out yet" :roll:. Was told it comes out on the same day as the PS3.

[edison]

You might check EB/Gamestop my local store (where I had my preorder) got just enough to cover reserves last Thursday, they had got another shipment today of the HD DVD drives (and they still had King Kong included).

[Santurio]

Blockbuster announced in Video Business today that it will start carry HD & BLU-RAY titles in their store and will also be selling them. They will rent out at the same price as regular DVDs.
A BB in Dallas had them last week I think. I was asking about the HD DVD player and they told me they had the movies for rent but haven't actually gone in the store to check.

[JDMxB]

Got the last one at my local EB. King Kong looks fan-friggin-tastic.

[doubledown]

Well, I finally popped in King Kong for comparison last night and it did look nice, but I wasn't totally blown away. Maybe I'll have to compare it side by side though with the DVD version. Not really complaining, and maybe I didn't give it a good look.

How much better do HD-DVD's look over something like LOST that is braodcasted in HD-ABC?

[bugg33]

Well, I finally popped in King Kong for comparison last night and it did look nice, but I wasn't totally blown away. Maybe I'll have to compare it side by side though with the DVD version. Not really complaining, and maybe I didn't give it a good look.

How much better do HD-DVD's look over something like LOST that is braodcasted in HD-ABC?

A show like LOST should be playing @720p. So unless you have a 1080p TV, you shouldn't see a crazy difference in the quality for the disc.

[62t]

looks like you can use the HD DVD drive with PC too.

[guyver2077]

how can you not be impressed by kong.. its amazin...cant imagine 1080p lookin even better...

[NegativeZero]

i picked mine up from CC Union Square w/ coupon no problem. Thanks OP.

I Guess I should be picking up and HDTV soon :(

[doubledown]

Ok, maybe since I'm only running 1080i on my TV....still looks darn good, I just have to compare a few more. I just got Fast & the Furious today. I'll compare that to the normal DVD. Supposedly ALL the F&tF HD-DVD's are top-notch in quality.

[lukenot]

Got my player last week and was initially blown away by the difference.

Once you get used to the clarity and color saturation, you don't realize how spoiled you are until you throw in a standard dvd.

There are also moments while I'm watching a movie where you see a long shot with every detail visable that would never be possible on standard dvd's.

[RedvsBlue]

I had to drive over 20 miles to a Circuit City that actually had them in stock but I got it (with the coupon of course!). This thing is freakin amazing...

I also bought Serenity and I'm absolutely blown away by the color and clarity of it. I don't have surround sound hooked up yet (and my system probably won't do it justice anyway) but the sound off my TV's speakers is still pretty damn good.

I also picked up Batman Begins and put in a DeepDiscountDVD order for the Mission Impossible 3 pack (3 movies for $55 is a steal, plus you can't get MI1 or 2 anywhere else yet). In addition to those ones that I bought, I added quite a few HD-DVDs to my blockbuster.com queue so this drive is gonna get plenty of use.

Overall, I'm more than happy with my purchase.

Edit- Just for shits and giggles, I put in the regular DVD version of Serenity after I finished watching the HD-DVD and put it on the space battle scene at the end because that scene impressed me so much in the HD-DVD version... its simply unbelievable how big the difference is. The sound (even through TV speakers) has a certain amount of muffled sound do it, the colors are much brighter in the HD, and finally, its just much crisper picture.

[NegativeZero]

does anyone NOT have and HDTV and have this player? if so what are you using it for?

[mtxbass1]

I see this on IGN now. Pretty great if so.


360 HD-DVD drive works with PCs
World's cheapest HD-DVD drive created in the process.
by Bennett Ring (http://xbox360.ign.com/email.html), IGN AU

Australia, November 13, 2006 - Forget paying AU$1000 or more for a HD-DVD player. An intrepid group of tweakers have managed to get the 360's external HD-DVD drive to work on Windows-based PCs. The crew at Uneasysilence (http://uneasysilence.com/), with the aid of some mysterious drivers, have managed to get a PC to both recognise and play HD-DVDs using the drive designed for the 360.

Thanks to the 360 HD-DVD drive's USB connection, plugging in the drive to a PC was very simple. However, it required the availability of two pieces of software to make the HD-DVD dream a reality; software for the playback of HD-DVD movies, and drivers for the device. The site doesn't mention who created these drivers, though the story does link to the download location. WinDVD 8 (http://www.intervideo.co.jp/products/wd8p/) was used during the test, and apparently the playback worked relatively well on a low-end PC.

They even tested the drive on a MacOS system, which correctly detected the drive. However, the lack of HD-DVD compatible software meant that movies could not be played on the Mac.

With this news, PC owners with a decent system now have the option for a very cheap HD-DVD drive. To read the full article, head to the full story (http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/11/8303/).

[guyver2077]

wow so have they made the drivers public for download?

also im running the drive on 1080i.. question.. are movies supposed to be played with the blackbars on the top and bottom of screen? when i dl hd videos on the 360 they are full screen and look great.. i was hopin that was possible with the hd dvd movies

[LinkinPrime]

I guess my post about HD-DVD drive working on PC's got lost 2 pages back:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2362476&postcount=180

[guyver2077]

I guess my post about HD-DVD drive working on PC's got lost 2 pages back:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2362476&postcount=180


i saw your post but i didnt find the actual drivers on there

[grendel19]

wow so have they made the drivers public for download?

also im running the drive on 1080i.. question.. are movies supposed to be played with the blackbars on the top and bottom of screen? when i dl hd videos on the 360 they are full screen and look great.. i was hopin that was possible with the hd dvd moviesYour TV (I'm assuming widescreen) has an aspect ratio of 1:78:1.

Movies are typically at 2:35:1 or 1:85:1. Thus in order to fit that into a 1:78:1 ratio, black bars at top and bottom are necessary.

Picture this... to fit a large rectangle into a smaller rectangle, but keeping the width to height ratio of the large rectangle, you would have to have empty space above and below it.

Hmm... hope that made sense.

[guyver2077]

thanks for the info..

so what would i have to do to get that full screen.. is that how everyone is watching it.. i currently have a 1080i widescreen lcd..

i dont plan on upgrading till 1080p comes down some more

[SteveMcQ]

thanks for the info..

so what would i have to do to get that full screen.. is that how everyone is watching it.. i currently have a 1080i widescreen lcd..

i dont plan on upgrading till 1080p comes down some moreYou wouldn't want it to fit full screen otherwise you'll be stretching your picture vertically.

There's more info horizontally than what your set can display so it "shrinks" the picture to fit the width of your screen and to keep the aspect ratio intact, it resorts to adding the black bars on the top and bottom.

[guyver2077]

so ideally is that how you would want to watch the movie.... id figure it can look just as good full screen....

sometimes i really hate those bars and 360 content looks great and thats full screen and 720p

[SteveMcQ]

so ideally is that how you would want to watch the movie.... id figure it can look just as good full screen....

sometimes i really hate those bars and 360 content looks great and thats full screen and 720pYeah, otherwise you'll get a distorted image. Think of it this way, disregarding actual ratios of real TVs and movies:

Your TV displays an image of 16 inches wide by 9 inches tall (widescreen). The movie is widescreen as well, but has information that spans 18 inches wide by 9 inches tall. To compensate for the inability to show the extra inch on each side, your TV shrinks the width down to the 16 inches your TV can display, but in order to keep the ratio and not make the images look stretched, it also has to reduce the height of the displayed movie down to 7 inches. That leaves you the black 1 inch border on the top and bottom of the movie.

It's either you display it in full screen and have the image stretched vertically (getting the whole image to fit) or you keep the same ratio and yet miss the extra information on the sides of the image. The bars just let you keep the image from being distorted all while giving you the full picture.

[javeryh]

I didn't read through the entire thread but how would you recommend watching the movies - 720p or 1080i?

[KaneRobot]

I didn't read through the entire thread but how would you recommend watching the movies - 720p or 1080i?
Is your set LCD, plasma, CRT, or....?

If it's CRT I'd at least try 1080i and see if you like it. The other two I'd stick with 720p. That said, let your eyes be the judge...too many people set their stuff up based on what someone tells them is "optimal" while not being satisfied themselves.

[javeryh]

Is your set LCD, plasma, CRT, or....?

If it's CRT I'd at least try 1080i and see if you like it. The other two I'd stick with 720p. That said, let your eyes be the judge...too many people set their stuff up based on what someone tells them is "optimal" while not being satisfied themselves.

I've got a plasma - it only goes up to 1080i but 720p shows more lines on the screen at once so...

[guyver2077]

It May Be My 360 But For Some Reason When I Have My 360 Set At 720p I Sometimes Get These Gray Lines Going Up And Down The Screen.. This Doesnt Happen When On 1080i So Ive Stuck With That

[Psykoboy2]

Anyone getting any noise from the drive?

I'm hearing reports that it's noisy and some even say it's that way when not even in use but while playing games.

Personally, I have yet to experience any noise at all, especially when not using it. Just wondering what everyone else has experienced.

[LinkinPrime]

Kinda dumb question here... HD-DVD drive uses the X360's setups right, I don't need to make room for more component/audio cables on my receiver?

[guyver2077]

Kinda dumb question here... HD-DVD drive uses the X360's setups right, I don't need to make room for more component/audio cables on my receiver?

correct.. uses 360 setup.


and no NOTICEABLE noice at all coming from drive for me

[KaneRobot]

Anyone getting any noise from the drive?

I'm hearing reports that it's noisy and some even say it's that way when not even in use but while playing games.

Personally, I have yet to experience any noise at all, especially when not using it. Just wondering what everyone else has experienced.
I have a fairly quiet high-pitched whirr/whine coming from it...I'm not sure if it's normal or not. It's not bad and it doesn't necessarily sound "wrong" but I'm sensitive as hell to stuff like that, so I may exchange it if/when more come in stock just to be safe.

[FLSHADOW74]

I've noticed that black bars on the HD DVD titles and I know most of us bought widescreen TVs to avoid having that but sometimes the original aspect ratio does not all for it to be present that way. When anamorphic widescreen came to the screen you could amost always guarantee that your 16x9 screen would be filled with no noticable black bars. However on the new HD-DVDs I notice the HD side shows WIDESCREEN then the aspect ration where as the DVD side on the HD-DVD shows ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN then the aspect ratio. I have only seen two HD films so far so I do not know if this is holding true. I'm not complaining as when I watch movies in HD on DirecTV they are sometimes black barred so it's no biggie. Just an idea.

[thrustbucket]

I've noticed that black bars on the HD DVD titles and I know most of us bought widescreen TVs to avoid having that but sometimes the original aspect ratio does not all for it to be present that way. When anamorphic widescreen came to the screen you could amost always guarantee that your 16x9 screen would be filled with no noticable black bars. However on the new HD-DVDs I notice the HD side shows WIDESCREEN then the aspect ration where as the DVD side on the HD-DVD shows ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN then the aspect ratio. I have only seen two HD films so far so I do not know if this is holding true. I'm not complaining as when I watch movies in HD on DirecTV they are sometimes black barred so it's no biggie. Just an idea.

There are multiple aspect ratios a movie can be filmed in. Watch Starward Ep 3, it will have black bars.

[nevposey]

pretty excited to try this thing. If I can't get a PS3 (not looking good), I'll just get this

[cleaver]

How do you set your display on the 360 to 1080p with the VGA cable? Doesn't it just say 1368 x whatever?

[binici]

How do you set your display on the 360 to 1080p with the VGA cable? Doesn't it just say 1368 x whatever?

Well if you have the VGA cable and have updated your Xbox with the Fall update, then in the resolution setting you will see the XXXX x 1080 resolution.

[doubledown]

I've noticed that black bars on the HD DVD titles and I know most of us bought widescreen TVs to avoid having that but sometimes the original aspect ratio does not all for it to be present that way. When anamorphic widescreen came to the screen you could amost always guarantee that your 16x9 screen would be filled with no noticable black bars. However on the new HD-DVDs I notice the HD side shows WIDESCREEN then the aspect ration where as the DVD side on the HD-DVD shows ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN then the aspect ratio. I have only seen two HD films so far so I do not know if this is holding true. I'm not complaining as when I watch movies in HD on DirecTV they are sometimes black barred so it's no biggie. Just an idea.

Wasn't this JUST on the previous page.

Widescreen TV's are 16:9 ratio. Which is basically 1.78:1 ratio

Movies are usually shot in 1.85:1 (no black bars)

OR

2.35:1 - Black bars on top and bottom. THIS IS NORMAL

[cleaver]

Well if you have the VGA cable and have updated your Xbox with the Fall update, then in the resolution setting you will see the XXXX x 1080 resolution.
Is that interlace or progressive?

[Trakan]

Is that interlace or progressive?

That resolution would be 1080p. (Progressive)

[psychobrawler]

This thing must be doing pretty well... I went to CC yesterday to get one and they were sold out. I signed up for e-mail notification for when they were back in stock, and got a notice this afternoon that they'd recieved a shipment. Went straight there after work and was told they got 5 and sold them all this afternoon. That's pretty impressive. I didn't expect them to be this hard to get ahold of.

[doubledown]

This thing must be doing pretty well... I went to CC yesterday to get one and they were sold out. I signed up for e-mail notification for when they were back in stock, and got a notice this afternoon that they'd recieved a shipment. Went straight there after work and was told they got 5 and sold them all this afternoon. That's pretty impressive. I didn't expect them to be this hard to get ahold of.

Just buy online, pick up in-store. When you get there say you had a coupon....that's what I did. They basically gave me a refund for $42.xx

[varock]

I want to buy this but I'm still uncertain about the outcome of the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray thing. I don't want to end up buying it along with a few pricey movies only to have them become obsolete in a couple years. I guess I'll wait a while longer.

[KaneRobot]

I want to buy this but I'm still uncertain about the outcome of the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray thing. I don't want to end up buying it along with a few pricey movies only to have them become obsolete in a couple years. I guess I'll wait a while longer.
I'm in the same boat, but I bought it. That $40 coupon makes this thing an amazing deal - a movie, a remote, and the player for $160 is pretty hard to go wrong on. If you care about home theater PC at all you'll eventually be able to use this for that purpose before long as well.

[Ruined]

I want to buy this but I'm still uncertain about the outcome of the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray thing. I don't want to end up buying it along with a few pricey movies only to have them become obsolete in a couple years. I guess I'll wait a while longer.

For $160-$200 (with free movie and remote) does it matter? Put it this way, buy it and its your vote to support the better (and cheaper) format. All the while no longer wasting money on standard definition versions of DVDs when you can get HD DVD ones for similar prices.

HD DVD is beating up Blu-Ray pretty badly anyway. It will take a miracle for Blu-Ray not to lose, nevermind win or draw.

[Psykoboy2]

HD DVD is beating up Blu-Ray pretty badly anyway. It will take a miracle for Blu-Ray not to lose, nevermind win or draw.

I still say the PS3 will narrow the gap between the two formats and give HD DVD a run for it's money.

I WANT HD-DVD to win.

[javeryh]

Damn. My CC was out of them tonight.

[Duo_Maxwell]

For $160-$200 (with free movie and remote) does it matter? Put it this way, buy it and its your vote to support the better (and cheaper) format. All the while no longer wasting money on standard definition versions of DVDs when you can get HD DVD ones for similar prices.

HD DVD is beating up Blu-Ray pretty badly anyway. It will take a miracle for Blu-Ray not to lose, nevermind win or draw.

Keep talking fanboy.... You're BS never ceases to amaze, what similar prices? Let me know when you can walk into a retail store and get a new release HD-DVD (or Blu-ray for that matter) for $13.99 or $14.99, we'll talk then about similar pricing. Back whatever format you feel like, but "similar prices" my ass. And $160 is not exactly a simple brush off for most people, so yeah it does matter.

[anomynous]

Keep talking fanboy.... You're BS never ceases to amaze, what similar prices? Back whatever format you feel like, but "similar prices" my ass. And $160 is not exactly a simple brush off for most people, so yeah it does matter.
but neither is $500, so HDDVD is cheaper, no matter how you put it. And the actual movies are cheaper than blu ray, so hddvd is more affordable

[guyver2077]

bottom line i want hd movies now and this was the cheapest method for me...

this drive is great

[Duo_Maxwell]

but neither is $500, so HDDVD is cheaper, no matter how you put it. And the actual movies are cheaper than blu ray, so hddvd is more affordable

My point wasn't comparing Blu-ray and HD-DVD cost, (though the cost of a 360 and the drive is $500...) but was to point out that they are in no way in hell currently & similary priced (be it hardware or software) to standard DVDs at this point.

[Ruined]

My point wasn't comparing Blu-ray and HD-DVD cost, (though the cost of a 360 and the drive is $500...) but was to point out that they are in no way in hell currently & similary priced (be it hardware or software) to standard DVDs at this point.

If you use the code HDDISC10 (10% off HD DVDs for 1yr after buying your first 3) at AMAZON (http://www.amazon.com/gp/amabot/?pf_rd_url=%2FHD-DVD%2Fb%2Fref%3Damb_link_1417962_1%2F002-3491212-5125608%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D16295741&pf_rd_p=256968401&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=16297241&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0TK9DYVJ4P6TXTKK0NQW) most HD DVDs are $17.99 which is comparable to standard DVD (maybe a few bucks more at best). Of course, there are some more expensive exceptions but the same goes for standard DVD.

Also, you can get the Toshiba HD-A1 standalone at amazon for $399 (+3 free movies) or the 360 HD DVD addon at Circuit City for $160 (+free king kong & remote) with the coupon.

[cleaver]

That resolution would be 1080p. (Progressive)
So if I hit info on my TV and it says it's displaying at 1920x1080, that means 1080p?

[Duo_Maxwell]

If you use the code HDDISC10 (10% off HD DVDs for 1yr after buying your first 3) at AMAZON (http://www.amazon.com/gp/amabot/?pf_rd_url=%2FHD-DVD%2Fb%2Fref%3Damb_link_1417962_1%2F002-3491212-5125608%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D16295741&pf_rd_p=256968401&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=16297241&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0TK9DYVJ4P6TXTKK0NQW) most HD DVDs are $17.99 which is comparable to standard DVD (maybe a few bucks more at best). Of course, there are some more expensive exceptions but the same goes for standard DVD.

Also, you can get the Toshiba HD-A1 standalone at amazon for $399 (+3 free movies) or the 360 HD DVD addon at Circuit City for $160 (+free king kong & remote) with the coupon.

Or I can buy a regular major market new release DVD for $3 or $4 less in almost any retail store. I don't have to buy 3 or use a weird coupon code either. The average buyer has little to know idea of that either. No retail store sells them for under $20 and most online retailers don't either. So pricing is not the same obscure coupon codes are nice but they aren't the actually pricing of these things on the market. It's like a car dealer selling a Camero for $8000 under the average, a nice price but not the average or general pricing for one.

Also, many top-rated DVD players don't even breach the $150 mark. I know this is normal for early adoption. If you want to pay the premium fine, but $4 adds up over time, and is NOT similar prices, so I fail to see how your ship is holding water. The way you talk half the time it's like you work for MS or Toshiba.

[Duo_Maxwell]

So if I hit info on my TV and it says it's displaying at 1920x1080, that means 1080p?

It's the right resolution, could be either interlaced or progressive though. 1080i and 1080p actually have the same resolution, it's the way they are displayed that technically makes them different. Chances are though if it's a recent TV it's 1080p, or at least the set has a deinterlacer.

[cleaver]

It's the right resolution, could be either interlaced or progressive though. 1080i and 1080p actually have the same resolution, it's the way they are displayed that technically makes them different. Chances are though if it's a recent TV it's 1080p, or at least the set has a deinterlacer.
I know my TV is 1080p, so if it's displaying at 1920x1080 that's 1080p?

The IGN review makes a good point, it's the only HD DVD player that displays at 1080p.
http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746074p1.html

[KaneRobot]

You're BS never ceases to amaze

Your spelling never ceases to amaze.

Christ on a bicycle, someone is supportive of one product over another, and suddenly he's a fanboy. Overreact much? There's nothing he has said that is ridiculously out of the realm of possibility.

Being within 5-10 bucks is a "similar price." Being on sites like this has made you oversensitive to slight price differences. Hey, most of the time I feel the same way, but that's not exactly a reasonable point of view. But, ok, if you want to nickle and dime the fucking topic to death, then OMG YES, those extra few bucks are a HUGE DEALBREAKER. Man, 20 HD-DVDs later and you're in the poor house! Where did I possibly go wrong?? :(

If you're not looking for a deal on them, you'll pay more. The same goes for regular DVDs.

Or I can buy a regular major market new release DVD for $3 or $4 less in almost any retail store. I don't have to buy 3 or use a weird coupon code either.
Yeah, that wild, out-of-this-world coupon code was really insane. I hope they keep it simple for us in the future.

There are ways to get reasonably ($20-$25) priced HD-DVD movies. Yes, some of those ways will only be known to the dedicated/early-adopters/hardcores. The same people who research their product before buying. The same people who will know about and find those deals.

The average buyer has little to know idea of that either.
The average buyer doesn't have an HD-DVD player yet, so it is irrelevant.

No retail store sells them for under $20 and most online retailers don't either.
Won't be long. Wouldn't be surprised to see some for the holiday shopping season. Amazon has plenty of both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs marked at $20, and they're the most popular online retailer. It's not exactly tricky to find a deal on discs.

[njchris]

Target has a bunch of HD DVDs for 19.95, such as Serenity, Batman Returns, V for vendetta...etc..

[thrustbucket]

I know my TV is 1080p, so if it's displaying at 1920x1080 that's 1080p?

Yes it's displaying at 1080p. How does it look?