X Box as a DVD player

H

Hitokiri X

CAG Veteran
Hi, I'm new to the boards as well as a new x-box owner and was just wondering if anyone could offer me any info on the xbox as a dvd player. I'm looking to buy a DVD player to support my new speakers with optical output (logitech z-680), but since the xbox already has it, i'd rather just pay $30 for the dvd kit than $100 for a brand new dvd player, if the system is worthwhile as a dvd player that is... Any input is appreciated, thanks!
 
It sucks playing SOME dvds (it may be my tv) The Brightness goes to Dark To light
and has trouble Playing Family guy dvds for some reason
 
Well I was just wondering if the xbox has any major problems with dvd playback. My PS2 has a lot of trouble playing dvds, although that could have to do with it's age, but it never really was that spectacular as a dvd player in the first place. I've seen some dvd players that have trouble playing audio/video at points in movies where there is a lot of fast moving action (i.e. fight scenes). I was curious if xbox suffers from this. How fast does the dvd kit let you fast forward/ rewind (PS2 only lets you do 1x...ugh). Anyway, just questions of that nature, or personal feedback from your experience as well.
 
i know this is kinda off this topic but is it safe for me to connect my xbox to my plasma tv because i know its not safe with projections and i just wanted to make sure and as for the xbox dvd player i havent had any problems i have a halo xbox with a samsung i am not sure if that has anything to do with it though.
 
I've had my Xbox for about a year and a half and it's been my primary DVD player as well. As a matter of fact I just finished watching Kill Bill Vol. 2 on it. I have yet to experience a movie that it cannot handle (audio skipping, jerky picture, etc.). There is a list somewhere on IGN that points out some DVD's that the Xbox has difficulties with. I know the fast forward/rewind is at 16x (could be as high as 32x, I don't remember).

My Xbox is connected to my TV through my home theater system via A/V (no optical input for audio or S-video, oh well). The theater system does support Pro Logic 2 however, so it still sounds and looks damn good.

Overall I find the Xbox to be a great DVD player and the $30 investment in the remote is worth while.
 
It could be your Xbox drive possibly affecting DVD playback. Hitokiri, if image quality is important to you (especially if you have an HDTV or big-screen) then consider buying another DVD player.

The Xbox does not support progressive scan mode, which could lead to 'visual anomalies'. If you use AV or S-vid input to your TV then it shouldn't really matter. Also, DVD players can be had for under a hundred which support DIVX and MP3s. If you want convenience, then get the playback kit. If you're building the foundation for a home entertainment system, I'd go with the cheapass DVD player.
 
[quote name='magilacudy']It could be your Xbox drive possibly affecting DVD playback. Hitokiri, if image quality is important to you (especially if you have an HDTV or big-screen) then consider buying another DVD player.

The Xbox does not support progressive scan mode, which could lead to 'visual anomalies'. If you use AV or S-vid input to your TV then it shouldn't really matter. Also, DVD players can be had for under a hundred which support DIVX and MP3s. If you want convenience, then get the playback kit. If you're building the foundation for a home entertainment system, I'd go with the cheapass DVD player.[/quote]

Important to remember that progressive only matters if you have HDTV.

And your weakest link will always be the thing that affects image quality the most, whether it be the TV, cables, DVD player, or an av switcher.
 
The input is much appreciated fellas.

I haven't tried the xbox as dvd player yet though magil, my PS2 was the one having troubles. I just have a regular tube TV with the microsoft s-video kit hooking up my xbox directly to the back of the TV, so based upon the responses so far it doesn't sound like it should have any major trouble. What prompted me to create this topic and ask the question was that I was trying to watch my new Kill Bill 2 dvd on the ps2 last night and jerky video and skipping made it unwatchable. So after 15 minutes of that crap I determined that would be the last dvd I'd try to watch on that machine.
 
maybe it depends on the dvd but the last one i played had a fastest fast forward speed of 4x

also, i think you will be able to do better than $30 on the playback kit if that is an issue
 
[quote name='Smell']It sucks playing SOME dvds (it may be my tv) The Brightness goes to Dark To light
and has trouble Playing Family guy dvds for some reason[/quote]


That sound's like copy guard. You don't have it connected through your VCR do you?
 
Some DVDs work some don't I would recomend just buying a cheap $40 DVD player and leave the consoles to playing games.

I've only had a couple DVDs not work in my PS2 and Xbox, both StarWars movies Don't work. but they work find in my cheapass DVD player.
 
Well I guess my biggest issue is that I also want a dvd player that can support the digital optical output the logitech speakers allow for. Since the X-box can do that, I just wanted to make sure that it could also do eveything else equally well.
 
[quote name='Ebraum'][quote name='Smell']It sucks playing SOME dvds (it may be my tv) The Brightness goes to Dark To light
and has trouble Playing Family guy dvds for some reason[/quote]


That sound's like copy guard. You don't have it connected through your VCR do you?[/quote]


nope i do not
this is the case

I got Some Dvds that dont go dark to light
and some other dvds get darker and brighter
and when i watch Family guy its all wavy

i have it in the yellow and white things on my tv (yea i know i dont know which one that is :( )
 
has trouble Playing Family guy dvds for some reason
Click to expand...

It plays my Family Guy dvd's just fine.

It does support progressive scan if you can install the exploit, and either modify your dashboard, or install DVD-X2 or XBMC. But otherwise, no.

I use the optical output on my brother's Xbox for his surround system. Works just fine, never had a problem with a single dvd.

And Smell, your problem sounds like Macrovision, thats what it does when you're connected through a VCR. The ones that work just fine are probably not copy protected. This is not a typical Xbox problem and the symptoms are exactly what Macrovision does.
 
I would buy a standalone player. Then you won't have any problems. Samsung sells one for $60. I would do that instead of using the Xbox... Just because you can't be sure.
 
Just because you can't be sure.
Click to expand...

Your just creating unsubstantiated FUD. It works fine.

If you have the cash for a progressive scan dvd player with optical out, then fine. But if you want to save money and use your Xbox, thats good too. Unless you own a DVD that you know for a fact will not work on the Xbox.

Of course, if you don't have an HDTV, progressive scan won't help you anyway.
 
Cool, thanks dafoomie.

I guess I'll just go ahead and buy the kit and try out some dvds. It sounds like most people are satisfied with the xbox player despite a few 'coaster' dvds. I can always return it if things go south.
 
I'm pretty sure that the problem with it going light -to-dark is you have it hooked up toyour VCR. The Xbox has to be hooked up directly to your T.V. to prevent this. I tried to put my Xbox on my bigger T.V. so I could watch a few movies but it was doing that light to dark thing. Then my dad told me that it might have to be hooked up directly to the T.V. and now it's all better whenever I do take it downstairs.
 
light-to-dark is definately due to a VCR. That's what it does.. "copy protection".. try hooking the XBox directly to the TV. I have my XBox hooked up through a "selector" box.. which is hooked to my TV.. which is hooked to my stereo.. so I have excellent sound coming out of my stereo.. I don't have a DVD kit for my current XBox, but when I had one previously on my older XBox, everything worked fine.
 
I guess I'll just go ahead and buy the kit and try out some dvds. It sounds like most people are satisfied with the xbox player despite a few 'coaster' dvds. I can always return it if things go south.
Click to expand...

If you can find a 3rd party dvd kit, it'll be a lot cheaper.

I think Amazon has one for under $15 shipped, though a 3rd party, gameliquidation.com. Not sure how great they are though.

EB has the real ones used for $22.
 
I like it as a DVD player for the most part. My one gripe is the fact that you can't use the remote to enter numbers on menu screens, which is often how some easter eggs are accessed. It's a pain in the ass. I have a couple (literally a couple - I doubt it's more than two) movies that have problems where they freeze/play/freeze/play for several minutes at one point in the film (the two films are Evil Dead - Book of the Dead edition and Full Metal Jacket). Aisde from that, I've been happy with it.
 
oh wtf was i thinking theirs a Vhs built into the tv but i never use it cuz its broke i guess i forgot it was there

yea that solves the problem i need a new tv now
 
The Xbox DVD kit is going to be better than any other cheap DVD player ($50 or less) you can get on the market. If I was very serious about DVDs and watched them all the time, I'd probably invest in a $100 - $150 nice DVD player. But for me the Xbox DVD player works perfectly. I've never had a problem watching any DVD movie and its never skipped or froze on me - unlike other cheap DVD players I've owned.

Besides, its good to use when your TV doesn't have 359235 inputs on it and you can save one by combining your game player and DVD player into one input.
 
No problems here with movies or my family guy dvd's. The first dvd kit I picked up didn't work but after I returned it for a new one, no problems. A good purchase instead of a whole new dvd player.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']
has trouble Playing Family guy dvds for some reason
Click to expand...

It plays my Family Guy dvd's just fine.
[/quote]
Same here. Ive never had any problems with any DVDs on my Xbox, even DVD-Rs.
 
Xbox has a better dvd player because of the console speed and stuff... I too have logitech Z-680's but I only use them with my ps2 because for xbox to have an optical you need an advanced av pack or HD pack. I'll prolly buy it when i get my hdtv :p
 
I've used my XBox as a DVD player for over a year now and I've never had any trouble. It works considerably better than the PS2. I've only encountered a couple of really scratched discs that it wouldn't play at all.
 
Xbox is a pretty good dvd player i used it for like 3 yrs no problem, a launch box with the sorry drive(thompson i think), sometimes i get a disc read error but its once in a blue moon, the remote for the xbox has long battery life too(i guess) just like every other remote control, 32x FF and Rewind and if u pause and FF it goes to slow motion like 1/4x FF, miscrosoft isnt charging u for the remote they are charging u for the DVD symbol to make it legal to play DVDs, also xbox plays DVD+R and DVD-R, i guess read speed of 4x is fast enough for all movies i've watched, only skips when a disc is scratched otherwise the Xbox plays movies fine
 
I would just buy a seperate DVD player. You don't want to overuse your XBOX, since they are known to die.

You can pick up a cheap DVD player for $30-$40 that will probably outperform the XBOX.

So, byt the time you pay for a XBOX remotecables...it may be just a little more to get a standalone DVD player.
 
[quote name='doubledown']I would just buy a seperate DVD player. You don't want to overuse your XBOX, since they are known to die.

You can pick up a cheap DVD player for $30-$40 that will probably outperform the XBOX.

So, byt the time you pay for a XBOX remotecables...it may be just a little more to get a standalone DVD player.[/quote]

Since when are Xboxes known to die? Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

And by saying "probably" outperform the Xbox it implies you don't know. So if you don't KNOW, why are you even in this thread?
 
The Xbox is a great DVD player, it is the one I use in my room, I also have a Ps2, the Ps2 sucks in comparison to the Xbox. Grainy picture, and worse sound IMHO.
 
Also, I know the Xbox has an auto--off feature after 6 hours of inactivity, does anyone know if it will shut off while watching a dvd, lets say when its sitting on the menu screen? Also I like to take my discs out when the console is not on, this feature would turn it off when inside. Is that bad?
 
The only reason I bought a stand alone DVD player was really because it did not play DVDR's as well as it should (not sure which drive I had though). That aside, I found it to be a very good DVD player in it's own right.
 
I really don't recommend using the Xbox as a DVD player. My brother bought the kit and many DVDs skip or have trouble playing.

Just buy a regular DVD player for $50.
 
I've abandoned my Pioneer 5 disk in favor of my Xbox DVD playback. I haven't found any dvds that do not work. In fact, it works like a dream playing back my DVD+Rs. I've used my Xbox on regular CRT TVs, using S-video as well as on a Samsung DLP with the HD kit. In the former case, the only thing I've noticed that improved the video with both my Xbox and Pioneer was better component cables ($100+).

Btw, you can ff and rr at 32x. My only complaint is that it isn't a changer!
 
[quote name='Marioeatspikachu']i know this is kinda off this topic but is it safe for me to connect my xbox to my plasma tv because i know its not safe with projections and i just wanted to make sure and as for the xbox dvd player i havent had any problems i have a halo xbox with a samsung i am not sure if that has anything to do with it though.[/quote]
You should be good man, I hooked my Xbox up to the one at my work and it played fine, pretty tight actually except the one we have here has no speakers
 
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