Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been using this Xbox HD-DVD player for almost a month now and so far it works just great. I actually had no plans to buy either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD until one of those losers became a dominate player. Unfortunately it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon. And for $200, I couldn't pass it up since I already had an Xbox. And I couldn't bring myself to keep buying low-def regular DVD's with these awesome HD DVD's out there. AND, the HD DVD combo discs still have regular DVD content for normal DVD players in other rooms in the house.
Out of the box, this drive is extremely easy to setup. Just pop in the setup CD, plug it in, and you're ready to go. There is a separate power cord as well. The included remote is nice, but I'll stick with my Harmony 880. It's able to control all the basic functions of the player. The player is also unable take advantage of the improved audio quality of HD-DVD, so you just get the normal "good" audio quality you had with previous DVD's. Which isn't bad, but still somewhat disappointing. Otherwise, all the menu's work nicely, the player starts up fairly quick, and the picture quality is awesome - for component video at least.
Component is probably the biggest negative I can think of - and that's really due to the Xbox 360's fault, not the player itself. If you think HD DVD looks good on your xbox component connection in 1080i, just wait until you see it via your HDMI port in 1080i or even 1080p (if your TV accept 1080p and is big enough to take advantage of such a high res). Unfortunately, there is no word of HDMI for the xbox. So you only get 1080i via the Component connection. To get 1080p, you need the VGA cable, which has a somewhat better picture.
So I bought the VGA cable. The picture does look a little better on my 61' Samsung HL-S6187W since it's also at 1080p, but there is a 1-3" border around the screen, and the image is tilted. Samsung had no idea how to fix it. But I suspected that might happen since a TV with a VGA port is still a TV, not a PC Monitor. Your results will of course vary depending on your model TV.
The VGA port limitations aren't that big of a deal. If you REALLY want 1080p, you just need HDMI - period. I'll live with 1080i via Component for now until the 1080p players come down in price. In the meantime, at least I've got some awesome looking HD movies to watch on my new TV!
Pros:
* Cheapest HD-DVD solution if you have an XBox 360
* Easy to setup
* Accepts IR from your universal remote via the Xbox
* Great picture quality
* Includes Microsoft Remote and free King-Kong HD-DVD
* UPDATE: HDMI Output (with Xbox 360 Elite Only)
Cons:
* Only outputs 1080i via Component (VGA required for 1080p)
* VGA output has limitations, both due to Xbox and/or your TV
* Can't take advantage of HD-DVD improved audio quality formats
Bottom line, if you have an Xbox 360, and have a HD TV, you've gotta pick one of these up. You just can't go wrong for a $200 entry-level HD player!
*** ELITE/HDMI UPDATE ***
Just purchased the Xbox 360 Elite w/ HDMI. This HD DVD player is even more awesome than before. We just watched the entire Matrix Trilogy in HD DVD in 1080p on the 61" Samsung DLP - and it looked awesome. When compared to component, the HDMI picture is much more crisp, detailed, and even better black levels. Definately recommended!
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Product Description:
You've experienced next-gen gaming on Xbox 360™ ... now experience next-gen DVD movies with HD DVD. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player is the most affordable way to jump into the next generation of DVD technology, along with the flexibility to enter when you are ready. Just plug Xbox 360 HD DVD Player into Xbox 360 and enjoy the ultimate home theater experience with more clarity and detail than broadcast, cable or satellite HD. Feed your HDTV the high definition content it craves with HD DVD on Xbox 360!Includes the movie King Kong on HD-DVD.Xbox 360 HD-DVD requires a Xbox 360 game console.This is not a stand-alone HD-DVD player.
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