XBOX 360 HD DVD Addon Hands-On Impressions

R

Ruined

CAGiversary!
I was recently able to check out the XBOX 360 HD DVD addon on an immaculately calibrated 65" Pioneer 1080p Plasma display w/ 1:1 pixel mapping. The 360 was running 1080i Component video to the Pioneer which deinterlaces the signal to 1080p using inverse telecine. (resulting in 1080p video without quality loss)

VIDEO: A-
Compared to the Toshiba XA1 on the same setup, I'm happy to report that the 360 HD DVD addon looked fantastic based on the comparisons I was able to see - nearly as good, if not just as good. Yes, the 360 HD DVD addon kicks ass in video quality. You will not be disappointed. The 360 loses some points here for not supporting HDMI, but this is not from a quality perspective, only for DRM reasoning - however latest word on ICT is that it will likely not come until 2010 if ever. By then you'll surely have replaced this addon anyway. Therefore, I can't subtract much from the 360's gorgeous vid quality for a pithy $199 entry fee that includes King Kong and the 360 Media Remote.

AUDIO: B
The XBOX 360 addon is able to decode Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. However, due to the lack of 5.1 analog or HDMI on the 360, these formats are output as standard Dolby Digital. While this is a bummer, it is a good thing that the 360 can read these formats, as it means that studios can encode titles in TrueHD and know that every single player out there can read it (even if the user isn't getting full resolution).

FUNCTIONALITY: A-
The 360 HD DVD addon was much, much faster than the XA1, spinning up discs in a fraction of the time. If you hate loadtimes, you'll most likely want to elect the XBOX 360 HD DVD addon as your first hidef disc player. The drive was also quiet and the 360 is much quieter watching HD DVD movies compared to playing games. The HD DVD addon plugs into the USB port on the back of your 360, and the HD DVD addon provides two additional USB ports on the back for a wireless networking adapter or Xbox Live Vision cam.

Overall, highly recommended for the price and really exceeded my expectations!

edit: FAQ on the Player and HD DVD in general here:
http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111507
 
Thanks. I'm not overly concerned about sound, I have a more than capable (Logitech Z-5500s) setup but nothing revolutionary. Loading time was the main thing I was wondering about, glad to see it's improved over the eternally loading 1st gen players.

Now, if they release more than 3 or 4 movies worth buying, we'll really be in business.

Still hoping for HDMI, as there's no VGA port on the TV I'm buying and the VGA cord washes out the colors a bit anyway. Until then I'll leave my Panasonic upconverting player on there as well.
 
Thanks. I'm not overly concerned about sound, I have a more than capable (Logitech Z-5500s) setup but nothing revolutionary. Loading time was the main thing I was wondering about, glad to see it's improved over the eternally loading 1st gen players.

Now, if they release more than 3 or 4 movies worth buying, we'll really be in business.

Still hoping for HDMI, as there's no VGA port on the TV I'm buying and the VGA cord washes out the colors a bit anyway. Until then I'll leave my Panasonic upconverting player on there as well.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']Now, if they release more than 3 or 4 movies worth buying, we'll really be in business.[/QUOTE]

Well, Goodfellas and Army of Darkness are available. Let's see who gets "The Big Lebowski" first, and we're in business.

EDIT: Thanks for the good news, OP.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']Still hoping for HDMI, as there's no VGA port on the TV I'm buying and the VGA cord washes out the colors a bit anyway. Until then I'll leave my Panasonic upconverting player on there as well.[/QUOTE]


There will be no HDMI. Component 1080i or VGA 1080p only. Note that both Component 1080i and VGA 1080p will both look the same with HD DVDs on a 1080p TV that supports deinterlacing with inverse telecine (most recent models such as the Toshiba REGZA do this). As 1080i HD DVD can be deinterlaced to perfect 1080p without quality loss, so long as the TV does inverse telecine.

Of course, unfortunately you still can't upscale standard DVD over component (only VGA) due to DRM restrictions - however, after seeing HD DVD I'm betting you may find yourself dramatically reducing your standard DVD viewing time :)
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Did you happen to see a regular DVD on it to see how it looked?[/QUOTE]

No.
 
[quote name='Ruined']There will be no HDMI. Component 1080i or VGA 1080p only. Note that both Component 1080i and VGA 1080p will both look the same with HD DVDs on a 1080p TV that supports deinterlacing with inverse telecine (most recent models such as the Toshiba REGZA do this). As 1080i HD DVD can be deinterlaced to perfect 1080p without quality loss, so long as the TV does inverse telecine.

Of course, unfortunately you still can't upscale standard DVD over component (only VGA) due to DRM restrictions - however, after seeing HD DVD I'm betting you may find yourself dramatically reducing your standard DVD viewing time :)[/QUOTE]
yeah, but not a lot of movies are out on HD-DVD, and you cant rent HD-DVD's in stores yet
 
[quote name='anomynous']yeah, but not a lot of movies are out on HD-DVD, and you cant rent HD-DVD's in stores yet[/QUOTE]

The movies are coming out at a pretty steady clip and I know of a few places in LA that do rentals. The Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos are not going to bother until the numbers are far higher, so it's left to independent shops to reap the opportunity.

Such is the situation of getting in early on a new platform. The same can be said for the Xbox 360 and other new consoles appearing next month.
 
[quote name='epobirs']The movies are coming out at a pretty steady clip and I know of a few places in LA that do rentals. The Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos are not going to bother until the numbers are far higher, so it's left to independent shops to reap the opportunity.[/QUOTE]

Blockbuster Online rents them out.
 
[quote name='Ruined']There will be no HDMI. Component 1080i or VGA 1080p only.[/QUOTE]

Did you see my other thread?

[quote name='Ruined']Of course, unfortunately you still can't upscale standard DVD over component (only VGA) due to DRM restrictions - however, after seeing HD DVD I'm betting you may find yourself dramatically reducing your standard DVD viewing time :)[/QUOTE]
Not for a while, since there's a miniscule number of titles out for it now - not to mention it's near impossible to get every title you really want in HD without buying both players...or if for some reason you only like Universal movies.

Like I said elsewhere in longer form - yeah, I want to see Batman and Army of Darkness in HD. However, I couldn't care less if I'm watching Best in Show or Dazed and Confused in HD.
 
You can get HD DVD and Blu-ray titles from Netflix. Just have to enable your account for them, there is no extra cost.
 
I'll eventually get one of these . Thanks for the info .


You should have asked to play Quake 4 on that setup , to check the framerate .
 
Slightly OT, but still in the realm of video and 360s.

Is it possible to connect a 360 to an HDMI input using the VGA cable with an VGA>DVI adapter and then an HDMI cable going to the TV? I'm not speaking theoretically, I'm wondering if anyone has or has heard of that connection being used and working.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Blockbuster Online rents them out.[/QUOTE]

That is a very different thing from being able to go to your local store and browse. Some people really need that.

Setting up a small number of warehouse operations for the Netflix-type operations is no big deal. It's a BIG commitment to put a section in each of thousands of storefronts. They'll start first in a handful of locations in affluent suburban areas where the early adopter density should be highest.
 
Can't wait for it to release...i'm really glad to hear it is a good quality player, I was dreading that it might look substantially worse than the HD-XA1.
 
[quote name='Trakan']It upconverts regular DVDs to 720p/1080i, right?[/quote]Is it the HD-DVD add-on that does this or the regular Xbox 360 drive after a dashboard/firmware upgrade?

For me, I guess it doesn't matter much if it VGA only.
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Is it possible to connect a 360 to an HDMI input using the VGA cable with an VGA>DVI adapter and then an HDMI cable going to the TV? I'm not speaking theoretically, I'm wondering if anyone has or has heard of that connection being used and working.[/QUOTE]

This is the magic question...really, I don't care about the copy protection as much as I want my regular DVDs to upscale. I do have an upconverting player right now, but I need to get rid of some of my stuff due to space limitations. This is the same reason I'm getting rid of my bulkier CRT-type TV for a flat panel.

Since VGA to DVI adapters exist and work, and DVI is essentially the same as HDMI (with HDMI just having the audio as well), it seems like it should.
 
So what do you need to buy to use the HD-DVD player to upconvert regular DVDs to 720p or 1080i? I'm probably going to buy the add-on but it would be great if I could also upconvert...
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Slightly OT, but still in the realm of video and 360s.

Is it possible to connect a 360 to an HDMI input using the VGA cable with an VGA>DVI adapter and then an HDMI cable going to the TV? I'm not speaking theoretically, I'm wondering if anyone has or has heard of that connection being used and working.[/QUOTE]

Yes, that is possible. However a VGA -> Component adapter is much cheaper.
https://www.audioauthority.com/index.php?p=productMore&iProduct=2

This will bypass the DRM and allow you to watch DVDs on 720p/1080i over component.
 
[quote name='javeryh']So what do you need to buy to use the HD-DVD player to upconvert regular DVDs to 720p or 1080i? I'm probably going to buy the add-on but it would be great if I could also upconvert...[/QUOTE]

You need a display with a VGA input or a VGA -> Component/DVI converter.
 
[quote name='javeryh']So what do you need to buy to use the HD-DVD player to upconvert regular DVDs to 720p or 1080i? I'm probably going to buy the add-on but it would be great if I could also upconvert...[/QUOTE]

You need a display with a VGA input.

Or one of these to convert the VGA output back to component (bypassing the DRM)
https://www.audioauthority.com/index.php?p=productMore&iProduct=2

For HD DVDs, you can just use regular component straight out of the 360.
 
[quote name='I AM WILLIAM H. MACY']Where'd you get one from?[/QUOTE]
Where exactly does it say he got one from?

[quote name='Ruined']I was recently able to check out the XBOX 360 HD DVD addon on an immaculately calibrated 65" Pioneer 1080p Plasma display w/ 1:1 pixel mapping. The 360 was running 1080i Component video to the Pioneer which deinterlaces the signal to 1080p using inverse telecine. (resulting in 1080p video without quality loss)

VIDEO: A-
Compared to the Toshiba XA1 on the same setup, I'm happy to report that the 360 HD DVD addon looked fantastic based on the comparisons I was able to see - nearly as good, if not just as good. Yes, the 360 HD DVD addon kicks ass in video quality. You will not be disappointed. The 360 loses some points here for not supporting HDMI, but this is not from a quality perspective, only for DRM reasoning - however latest word on ICT is that it will likely not come until 2010 if ever. By then you'll surely have replaced this addon anyway. Therefore, I can't subtract much from the 360's gorgeous vid quality for a pithy $199 entry fee that includes King Kong and the 360 Media Remote.

AUDIO: B
The XBOX 360 addon is able to decode Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. However, due to the lack of 5.1 analog or HDMI on the 360, these formats are output as standard Dolby Digital. While this is a bummer, it is a good thing that the 360 can read these formats, as it means that studios can encode titles in TrueHD and know that every single player out there can read it (even if the user isn't getting full resolution).

FUNCTIONALITY: A-
The 360 HD DVD addon was much, much faster than the XA1, spinning up discs in a fraction of the time. If you hate loadtimes, you'll most likely want to elect the XBOX 360 HD DVD addon as your first hidef disc player. The drive was also quiet and the 360 is much quieter watching HD DVD movies compared to playing games. The HD DVD addon plugs into the USB port on the back of your 360, and the HD DVD addon provides two additional USB ports on the back for a wireless networking adapter or Xbox Live Vision cam.

Overall, highly recommended for the price and really exceeded my expectations![/quote]
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Is it the HD-DVD add-on that does this or the regular Xbox 360 drive after a dashboard/firmware upgrade?

For me, I guess it doesn't matter much if it VGA only.[/QUOTE]

The regular DVD drive will do it.
 
[quote name='Ruined']Yes, that is possible. However a VGA -> Component adapter is much cheaper.
https://www.audioauthority.com/index.php?p=productMore&iProduct=2

This will bypass the DRM and allow you to watch DVDs on 720p/1080i over component.[/quote]I just wanted to be able to use my HDTV as a computer monitor at the same time and it only has one VGA input. So I was going to use the 360 VGA Adapter and connect that through the HDMI input on it instead. Interesting read so far.
 
[quote name='anomynous']The regular 360 drive upconverts with a VGA cable, you dont need the HDDVD drive to upconvert[/QUOTE]

Is there any way for me to use the upconversion feature? All my HDTV has is component and HDMI inputs.
 
Despite the fact that you are way, way too fanboy-like for me to trust your opinions, I have to disagree with you on the price point (won't bother with the other things seeing as how I have no comparison to make for myself).

Pithy $199 though? It's a stand alone drive that fials to take advantage of all the A/V features of HD-DVD, for that reason alone it's overpriced IMO. Add to that the added noise (even in the dashboard the 360 is louder than just about any DVD player), the plain ugly looks of having in you home theather setup, and other HD-DVD features that seem like they maybe missing and IMO this thing should've topped out at $150 max.

I'm fully aware it's by far the cheapest solution for Hi-def DVD viewing at the moment, but I just think MS & Toshiba had a chance to take an even bigger leap foward ahead of Blu-ray in this "war" and get more Hd-DVd saturation in homes had they priced it somewhere around a $100 or so. At $200 and 2/3 the price of the core system itself, I think they missed their chance to sell it the average 360 buyer, just an opinion though, one that could easily be proven wrong in the coming months.
 
Interesting news, as I do have a VGA input on my plasma that I never use. As far as VGA cables go, is there only the one Microsoft sells, or are there others? Also does the VGA support 1080i? Im reading different things around the net.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Those of you who are interested in learning more about 1080p, may want to listen to Major Nelson's latest podcast:
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/10/15/Show-198-The-one-about-1080p-and-Family-Settings.aspx

I think we will likely talk about it on this week's CAGcast as well.[/QUOTE]

Good, I need something to listen to at work today.... Although I usually find Major's podcasts a little on the boring side compared to CAG.

Damn it Cheappy, I know you are bored off your ass in Japan ;) , the least you could do is have two podcasts a week, make one auxiliary comedy hour where you and wombat get drunk and make asses of yourselves.

(In a nutshell, I really enjoy your casts, keep up the good work)
 
While I admittedly have not listened to the podcast, I don't know if I'd want to get my 1080p information from Major fucking Nelson.
 
It isn't major nelson that gives the false info most of the time, it is usually the guests he has on that appear to talk out of there ass. While major isn't completely innocent, I highly doubt he knows much about video/hd tv's and the what not.
 
Nice summary, OP. I'm thinking of asking for this for Xmas. $200 is a good price, but $0 is a lot better! It's one of those "wouldn't mind having, but might balk at buying" type of items.
 
Nice summary, OP. I'm thinking of asking for this for Xmas. $200 is a good price, but $0 is a lot better! It's one of those "wouldn't mind having, but might balk at buying" type of items.
 
any interesting info out of the major nelson podcast? I was w/o my ipod all last week, so I am a little backlogged on podcasts. Just finished listening to the moochcast, another solid cagcast.
 
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