XBOX 360 HD-DVD Drive: QUESTION

[erkanasu]

Just graduated from college and have a wad of cash... I want to get an HDTV. I currently have a PS2 that I never play, I'm thinking of selling that and just getting a XBOX 360 and the respective HD-DVD drive.

Anyone here use the 360 HD-DVD drive?! Is the quality up there and are there any negatives to using this console add-on drive? Seems like a cheep solution until the format wars are over.

 

[swiftaw]

I presume you mean the HD-DVD drive as opposed to the HD (hard drive)

I have heard good things about it, plus I think once Leopard arrives you'll be able to plug it into your mac and os x will recognize it.

 

[Vidd]

I have heard good things about it, plus I think once Leopard arrives you'll be able to plug it into your mac and os x will recognize it.

I read that it did recognise it as an external drive but since OS X currently has no software that could play HD-DVDs, it just can't be used.

 

[swiftaw]

I read that it did recognise it as an external drive but since OS X currently has no software that could play HD-DVDs, it just can't be used.

That's what I meant by the fact that once Leopard shows up it will be useable.

 

[wwooden]

I have one for my 360 and it's a cheap way to get into the Hi Def format. In my personal opinion, unless you have a 1080p HD TV, you're not going to see a HUGE difference from DVD if you can upscale the DVD's. Yes, there is a difference and some of the HD-DVD add-ons are nice; In-Movie-Experience, UI, additional extras, but there are times where I have a movie in both DVD and HD-DVD and I honestly can't tell the difference because I have the VGA cable and upscale DVDs on the 360.

I've seen some DVDs upscaled on a 1080p TV and it is not as impressive as on a 720p TV, for obvious reasons. I'm sure this is the situation where the HD-DVD discs would make a huge difference.

So to some up; If you are planning on getting a 720p TV, try to either get the Elite 360 that has HDMI to upscale or buy the VGA cable to upscale regular DVD's and it will be adequate. If you are planning on getting a 1080p, then I would definitely recommend the HD-DVD drive add-on.

 

[erkanasu]

wwooden;

Thanks for that man. I have never heard of upscaling DVDs, that makes them look near HD?! I will get a sony 32 lcd HDTV (which has 1080 i think). The xbox elite i think is probably too much. How would this setup work out then: 32" LCD HDTV, XBOX 360 premium with HD-DVD drive add-on connected to TV via VGA (or component, which one is better?) , can I upscale regular DVDs with that setup, do I even need the HD-DVD drive to upscale with just the XBOX360? Thank you for helping me sort out my convoluted knowledge on this subject.

 

[GFLPraxis]

I read that it did recognise it as an external drive but since OS X currently has no software that could play HD-DVDs, it just can't be used.

The current Mac OS X does that. Leopard CAN play HD-DVDs, so when Leopard comes out you can use it.

 

[wwooden]

wwooden;

Thanks for that man. I have never heard of upscaling DVDs, that makes them look near HD?! I will get a sony 32 lcd HDTV (which has 1080 i think). The xbox elite i think is probably too much. How would this setup work out then: 32" LCD HDTV, XBOX 360 premium with HD-DVD drive add-on connected to TV via VGA (or component, which one is better?) , can I upscale regular DVDs with that setup, do I even need the HD-DVD drive to upscale with just the XBOX360? Thank you for helping me sort out my convoluted knowledge on this subject.

At 32", that tv is probably more in the area of a 720p in resolution. Even though it says "1080i", it is down scaling that to the native res of the screen which I guess is 1366x768. You don't need the HD-DVD drive to upscale dvds, just need the VGA cable to do that. Some people think that component is better than VGA, VGA does tend to look a little "washed out" or "faded". I noticed it when I first got the VGA cables, but once you reset set the contrast and saturation on your tv, it looks just as good. What I like about VGA as well is that you can set the XBox to the exact resolution of your TV, I found that I get much sharper images and games look crisper. I personally think you would be find without the HD-DVD drive and spending that money on more games or other accessories like the wireless wheel.

 

[erkanasu]

wwoodem:

Thanks for that info! I'll probably just get the premium system then, unless I can find a smoking deal on the hd-dvd drive. What size TVs typically switch to the native 1080p or i resolution? 720p is fine for all practical uses right?

 

[swiftaw]

wwoodem:

Thanks for that info! I'll probably just get the premium system then, unless I can find a smoking deal on the hd-dvd drive. What size TVs typically switch to the native 1080p or i resolution? 720p is fine for all practical uses right?

You need something 40" plus before the difference between 1080p and 720p is noticeable. I have a 32" HDTV which looks amazing in 720p/1080i

 

[erkanasu]

Cool, thanks again

 

[wwooden]

wwoodem:

Thanks for that info! I'll probably just get the premium system then, unless I can find a smoking deal on the hd-dvd drive. What size TVs typically switch to the native 1080p or i resolution? 720p is fine for all practical uses right?

I have a 42" Plasma 720p tv and I think it looks great, so 720p on a 32" should look even better.

The HD-DVD 360 drive is not as good a deal as it used to be. You can buy Toshiba's newest stand alone HD-DVD player for $300 after rebates and it includes 5 HD-DVD movies. If you buy the new Matrix Trilogy package that comes out tomorrow at the same time, you get an additional 2 more movies. That is a pretty good deal.

 

[gkarris]

I have it, it's awesome, and I only paid $160 for it over last Thanksgiving (Circuit City had a coupon for 20% off anything over $199).

That's what made it a *sweet* deal. At $199, not so much so.

You have to have 2 things:

1. A screen large enough to see the difference (I have a screen which is 60" diag in 4:3 and 55" in 16:9). I hear you have to have a screen of at least 42" to see the difference.
2. The movie HAS to be mastered or remastered for HD. If not, it looks just like the DVD.

 

[whooleytoo]

I have it, and use it with a 37" 720p LCD. I've only watched 1 HD-DVD so far (King Kong, which came with it), and it looks spectacular in some scenes, in others it's not noticeably better than a DVD.

On a 32" LCD I wouldn't expect you'd see much difference at all, unless you're sitting very close to the screen.