*BACK* Xbox HD DVD Player $199 Shipped @ Amazon

I pre-ordered like 2 weeks ago, and was just checking the site out this morning and saw they ran out...that was a complete shock to me, but I hope these things start shipping out on Monday, I put it to overnight delivery with prime, and for just 3.99 and no taxes on it, thats a steal. Its also been confirmed that...all launch hd dvd drives got king kong or what?
 
I highly doubt this will upscale over component if that is what you are asking. I believe that is actually prohibited in the HD-DVD spec, much to my chagrin. I do not have any HDMI bullshit ports on my HDTV that is now 6 years old.
 
Crap, I'm trying to decide about this. The price is great for the ability to play HD DVDs, and getting King Kong in the bundle is an added plus. The downside is that I don't get Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD decoders with 5.1 outputs for my receiver built in to the 360 HD DVD drive, so I can only get Dolby Digital or DTS audio from the movies. Also, I don't know how Microsoft will get around the restriction that some HD DVDs will have about not being able to output at 1080i or 1080p through component outputs (due to anti-copying technology that's part of the HD DVD standard). Finally, I don't get upconversion of existing DVDs to 1080i with the add-on, but you do get it with a standalone HD DVD player. Decisions, decisions...
 
If my 360 did not have three reds, I would have never had the opportunity to witness truly the worst Customer Service in the annals of Consumer Electronics, that being Microsoft, and would have procured the HD DVD.

Since I am now experiencing the tragedy first-hand, I would advise not buying any Consumer Electronic Product from Microsoft if you intend to return the unit to Microsoft and have to deal with the unbelievable Incompetency.

Sour Grapes? Nope, lousy Customer Service!
 
Well just remember its still $200 cheaper than the stand-alone players, at least right now......and I am guessing the price reflects those limitations to a certain degree.

I doubt we'll see the ICT flags implemented anytime soon so you should be good to go with HD over component for many more years.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']Well just remember its still $200 cheaper than the stand-alone players, at least right now......and I am guessing the price reflects those limitations to a certain degree.

I doubt we'll see the ICT flags implemented anytime soon so you should be good to go with HD over component for many more years.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, good point. Maybe if it starts to become an issue, MS will release an HDMI cable and software update for the HD DVD player. All the current generation of HD DVD players are are P4 PCs anyway, with Linux on a chip.

To heck with it, it's a good deal. Merry Christmas to me...
 
LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :(
 
[quote name='Lou-Dawg']LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :([/QUOTE]

Uh. that is pretty obvious... You don't have to buy the HDDVD player to play games. People want consoles to play games.
 
[quote name='Lou-Dawg']LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :([/QUOTE]

Please. The difference is that it's optional. LOL at YOU sir.
 
[quote name='Lou-Dawg']LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :([/quote]

The whole point of it being an add-on is that if you don't want the HD-DVD Player, MS isn't going to cram it down your throat the way Sony does with Blu-Ray.
 
[quote name='Lou-Dawg']LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :([/QUOTE]

The difference is that a lot of people bought the 360 last year just for games, so now all they see is 200 for a HD-DVD player. The price of the 360 is as irrelevant as the price of the TV that they bought 2 years ago.
 
[quote name='cleaver']Don't tell me I'll have to preorder/camp out for this, too![/quote]Haha that is doubtful.
 
Tempting....but I have no use for HD-DVD now. I will first wait and see if Blue Ray or HD will win before I purchase either. I'm in no rush.
 
OK, I bit and pre-ordered one, along with Batman Begins on HD DVD. A little rationalizing helped to cement my decision.

I could buy a standalone HD DVD player at $400 today, or buy the 360 add-on at $200. If HD DVD continues to gain market acceptance, the price and selection of players will continue to improve, so maybe in a year or so, I can buy one for $200 or so, if I'm not satisfied with the 360's player at that point. If, on the other hand, Blu-Ray becomes the dominant format, or if both formats flop, I've only spent $200 vs. $400 on the player.

Not to mention, King Kong is a freebie that I'd be willing to pay another $20 for, so that's only a net of $180. Wow, I've thought about this way too much...
 
You will love Batman Begins. Check out V for Vendetta as well. Its a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft
 
[quote name='purduealum91']You will love Batman Begins. Check out V for Vendetta as well. Its a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft[/QUOTE]

Maybe Microsoft will release an HDMI cable at some point. My 51" CRT HDTV actually has a DVI port, as it's a bit older, and only does 1080i, but getting an adapter for HDMI-DVI wouldn't be expensive if MS ever does release a HDMI cable. I've A/B'ed picture quality from my DirecTV DVR through both from the HDMI out to the DVI port on the TV and through component video, and the picture is indistinguishable to me. I have my DVR set up through component switching from my receiver, as that makes life a little easier on my wife, not having to switch TV inputs for different sources, only on the receiver.
 
I'm waiting until I upgrade my current HDTV for one that has 1080p capabilities. Just a bit too pricey at the moment but the day is nearing by.
 
[quote name='purduealum91']ts a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I don't know you from anyone so I don't know your source, but I've been wondering this myself. Looks like I will stick with my HD A1. Audio is just as important to me as Video. I assumed it wouldn't do True HD cause they don't mention it anywhere on the specs.
 
[quote name='Lou-Dawg']LOL at all the people bitching about the PS3's price. $399.99 Xbox 360 + $199.99 HD DVD player = $599.98


I just don't understand fanboys / haters :([/QUOTE]

However, with the PS3 you only get 1 drive to play games AND movies. But with the separate add-on for the 360, you have 1 drive that plays games only (the main system) and 1 drive that watches movies (the add-on).

So with the 360 you reduce the work load of the laser by 50%, which theoretically your system (plus the add-on) will last twice as long as the PS3 (and I'm sure you all know the Disc Read Error with the PS2).
 
no 1080p? not for me then... My toshiba 50" plasma is craving true HD sources... for my current dvd player i have a sony HDMI 1080i upconvert, and that will do just fine until i snag a PS3...

dont get me wrong, the 360 looks SICK on my tv, but im not laying out an extra$200 quite yet.

also, this is the MAIN reason i am disappointed with the wii... next gen? i think not, not at 480p... (i WILL be getting one tho, i have almost every system, and have had all LAUNCH systems day 1 for the since the n64)
 
Since when is 1080p the only "true HD"? No doubt 1080p is better, but the only two standards for HDTV that I'm aware of are 720p and 1080i. I'm quite happy with the picture quality of satellite and OTA HD content, and HD DVD should be excellent in 1080i, much better than the 480p output from standard DVDs that I get now, upscaled to 1080i by my TV. I might change my opinion when I've seen 1080p content, but for now I think I can be satisfied with 1080i movies.

I'm sure you won't get any audio benefit from the 360 HD DVD player, as there aren't any multichannel audio outputs for preprocessed TrueHD, DTS-HD, or DD Plus. I'd love to see MS come out with a breakout AV box for the 360 that included HDMI plus audio outputs. I think the 360 has enough power to process the audio, as well as the HD video. I'm not going to hold my breath for that, though. It's true that the 360 HD DVD player will be inferior to the features on standalones, but as another poster said, it's also about half the price of a HD-A1 or the RCA equivalent.

If I get the 360 player and am underwhelmed, I'll sell it. Whatever loss I take on it I'll chalk up as my fee for getting to try a new electronic toy.
 
[quote name='heavy liquid']The difference is that a lot of people bought the 360 last year just for games, so now all they see is 200 for a HD-DVD player. The price of the 360 is as irrelevant as the price of the TV that they bought 2 years ago.[/quote]

You speak the truth. Any plans by Micro$oft to make a 2nd gen Xbox 360 with HD-DVD functionalities built in? Kinda like the slim PS2 with network support built in...
 
[quote name='tenzor']Won't the HD-DVD add on do 1080p if I use VGA cables to my TV?[/QUOTE]

Yes, it will but not component only VGA.
 
[quote name='purduealum91'] Its a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft[/QUOTE]
So 1080p isn't "True HD?"

You can't get 1080p through component, but through inverse telecine (which most decent 1080i sets support) your picture will be indestinguishable from 1080p anyway. VGA pumps out 1080p.

By the way, "TrueHD" is a marketing term, and nothing more. It makes you look a little silly if you use it to try to convince someone of the advantages/disadvantages of a product.
 
[quote name='purduealum91'] Its a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft[/QUOTE]
So 1080p isn't "True HD?"

You can't get 1080p through component, but through inverse telecine (which most decent 1080i sets support) your picture will be indestinguishable from 1080p anyway. VGA pumps out 1080p.

(edited - see post #42...Sony usually uses "Full HD" as their marketing term)
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']
By the way, "TrueHD" is a marketing term, and nothing more. It makes you look a little silly if you use it to try to convince someone of the advantages/disadvantages of a product.[/QUOTE]

I thought he was talking about the TrueHD audio format, as oppossed to the Sony marketing term.
 
[quote name='xraytd']I thought he was talking about the TrueHD audio format, as oppossed to the Sony marketing term.[/QUOTE]

Doh, you're probably right. Pretty big omission on Microsoft's part, leaving out decoding and ouputs for the higher bitrate/uncompressed multichannel audio.
 
Why are all of you whinning about 1080p and ps3 and HD DVD and xbox 360, blah blah blah...

3 SIMPLE WORDS: LACK OF MOVIES...

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD suck because of the lack of movies available....

Call me when The Matrix Trilogy and Fight Club are available on either format :roll:
 
I just got back from paying off the rest of my HD-DVD player pre-order. I can't wait now. Now to decide what movies I am going to buy

1. Batman Begins
2. V For Vendetta
3. Corpse Bride
4. Serenity

so far I am thinking about getting those, and hopefully I get King Kong also for buying the HDDVD player.
 
Tenzor those are all very good choices. However you must get Mission Impossible 3, and be prepared to be blown away. Everyone may hate Tom Cruise now, but he sure as hell is good in that movie, and its right up there with Batman Begins as the best looking HD films release so far.

You can get 1080p from the component output if watching HDDVD. You cant upconvert standard DVD's over component, only VGA. I saw a few people mention regular upconverting DVD players in these threads. They do not even come close to the picture quality of an HD disc.
 
[quote name='purduealum91']You will love Batman Begins. Check out V for Vendetta as well. Its a shame that this player will not do True HD. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft[/QUOTE]

[quote name='msu89dawgs']Doh, you're probably right. Pretty big omission on Microsoft's part, leaving out decoding and ouputs for the higher bitrate/uncompressed multichannel audio.[/quote]

The XBOX 360 HD DVD Addon does decode TrueHD so you will be able to hear the soundtracks, you just won't get full resolution audio (it will be re-encoded and output as standard Dolby Digital). See the pinned FAQ in the xbox 360 section :p

Best Buy also has it up,btw.

And you won't be disappointed, I was able to preview the unit and it looks amazing and works really well (super fast compared to the Toshibas).
 
[quote name='xraytd']I thought he was talking about the TrueHD audio format, as oppossed to the Sony marketing term.[/QUOTE]

You're right, I was thinking of Sony's "Full HD." I apologize.
 
[quote name='tenzor']I just got back from paying off the rest of my HD-DVD player pre-order. I can't wait now. Now to decide what movies I am going to buy

1. Batman Begins
2. V For Vendetta
3. Corpse Bride
4. Serenity

so far I am thinking about getting those, and hopefully I get King Kong also for buying the HDDVD player.[/QUOTE]
King Kong is packed in the box w/ the HDDVD player, so you will get it
 
I'd also recommend Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift if you want the ultimate demo disc for the format. Great video, great audio, amazing interactivity with U-Control, and plays in both standard DVD and HD DVD players (dual sided). Go HD DVD! :)
 
[quote name='Ruined']I'd also recommend Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift if you want the ultimate demo disc for the format. Great video, great audio, amazing interactivity with U-Control, and plays in both standard DVD and HD DVD players (dual sided). Go HD DVD! :)[/QUOTE]

Shame the actual movie sucks :razz:

I might get one of these players when they drop to about $150, but until then DVD will suit me just fine.
 
[quote name='Ruined']The XBOX 360 HD DVD Addon does I was able to preview the unit and it looks amazing and works really well (super fast compared to the Toshibas).[/QUOTE]

I already know it's much faster than the Toshiba, but I'd rather stick with my slow player if I'm going to have True HD Audio. You just admitted the 360 drive will only do Traditional 5.1 DD. This is NOT True HD Audio.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top