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[f@luS]

Preordered it ! available 24november here ! cant wait


edit : no war or smt , and sorry for hs but whats better , hd dvd or blueray right now? i dont wanna buy 2 times the same HD movie

 

[mollipen]

uncompressed and untouched down and dirty comparison. i won't label which is which. see if you can guess.

Easy.

Spoiler

First is HD-DVD, second is DVD.

 

[f@luS]

just check the building , the SD one , looks like to have one texture , very flat , no windows ...the hd is clearly better

 

[AgentOtaku]

i didn't get the aeris call, but i got the drive.

sorry to hear some people didn't get it.

uncompressed and untouched down and dirty comparison. i won't label which is which. see if you can guess.

these are obviously thumbnails. they're full res uncompressed pictures for the obvious reason, so be patient.



be sure to click on each picture TWICE to see the full sized picture.

great basic pics

 

[plagiarize]

Easy.

Spoiler

First is HD-DVD, second is DVD.

naturally

 

[AlanHemberger]

Has anyone encountered stuttering issues? My King Kong started stuttering this morning and I had to restart my 360 to get it to go away. Scary.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Has anyone encountered stuttering issues? My King Kong started stuttering this morning and I had to restart my 360 to get it to go away. Scary.

I've been hearing about it here and there....especially on AVS forums....kinda got me worried too =(

 

[Gary Whitta]

No luck finding one yet here in the SF bay area. Anyone sighted one?

 

[wasting]

Found one!!! I called up a gamestop, didnt expect anything, and hes like yeah we have one thats not for preorder, I got there so fast!

took alot of pics, opening it and stuff here

so awesome

 

[Dracos]

Ok, so I got mine hooked up and watched a few scenes in King Kong and most of Batman Begins. My 1st comment is go grab one of these fukers. I mean for $200 this thing is sweet. Mind you this is my 1st HD disc player, but damn the picture quality is good. The sound is great as well, although the output is a bit lower than my standalone dvd player. Also the dvd player is going straight into the receiver while the 360 goes through an HD splitter. I have yet to have one jitter problem or sound cutouts. The drive is very quiet and you can't hear anything while the movie is playing. The Xbox fan is still there but not the loud ass drive noise.

King Kong: From what I've seen so far, the PQ is crisp, colorful and sharp as hell. I don't like the movie at all, but this is a drastic difference from the SD DVD version. I don't have the DVD version here to compare, but I don't think I have too.

Batman Begins: Ok I have done input flip comparisons, and in some scenes the diference is not a whole lot, partly due to the softness of some of the scenes. Then you get to a scene that looks very different. Details in batman's suit and the rain on the latex that I never noticed before. Details in dark scenes really helps, and I have an older LCD RPTV, so I can use as much black detail as possible, trust me.

Feel free to ask me anything, although I'm about to eat and play some Gears in a few. Unless you are against HD-DVD or waiting for a standalone player for the HDMI, this is a perfect device to wait out the format wars with. Plus if you are luckly enough to get a PS3 then you have everything.

 

[AlanHemberger]

Found one!!! I called up a gamestop, didnt expect anything, and hes like yeah we have one thats not for preorder, I got there so fast!

took alot of pics, opening it and stuff here

so awesome

Oh shit!

Can you take a picture of Goodfellas playing for me? I want to see exactly how glorious it looks? please please please

 

[wasting]

not the best pictures, but here you go pictures

 

[Stinkles]

Hot. My Gamecrazy one is in. Any brick and mortar stores rent HD DVDs or Blu Rays yet?

 

[AlanHemberger]

not the best pictures, but here you go pictures
http://www.jesuswashardcore.com/hddvd/goodfellas/DSC02658.JPG[IMG][/QUOTE]
THANK YOU!

<3 <3 <3

 

[persiannight]

Am I the only one who think the HD-DVD drive is loud?? Maybe I have a defective one but you can certainly hear it spinning. The 360 itself is quiet, but my HD-DVD drive is makes some considerable noise. Maybe I'll try to exchange it for another one tomorrow.

 

[wasting]

for the guys that have them, i just pushed the eject button. its soft, not like a click on the 360 unit. I really dont like it, feels like it will break. I'll be ejecting from the dashboard

 

[Dracos]

Yeah eject button is a soft push. I think it's fine. But, how do you eject from the pack in remote? It opens the main drive.

 

[AlanHemberger]

Am I the only one who think the HD-DVD drive is loud?? Maybe I have a defective one but you can certainly hear it spinning. The 360 itself is quiet, but my HD-DVD drive is makes some considerable noise. Maybe I'll try to exchange it for another one tomorrow.

Mine is really quiet. I think yours might be defective. I can't hear mine.

And yeah, eject button is really soft. I was scared to break it too.

I don't think the remote can open up the HD DVD drive.

 

[Stinkles]

Mine is really quiet. I think yours might be defective. I can't hear mine.

And yeah, eject button is really soft. I was scared to break it too.

I don't think the remote can open up the HD DVD drive.

It can from the 360 interface, but not the eject button - that ejects the 360.

 

[IJoel]

zOMG I just got mine! Picked up Batman Begins on my way back as well. There really aren't many good releases for either format, unfortunately.

 

[AlanHemberger]

zOMG I just got mine! Picked up Batman Begins on my way back as well. There really aren't many good releases for either format, unfortunately.

I picked up the following:
Four Brothers
Goodfellas
Batman Begins
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Jarhead
Last Samurai
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sleepy Hollow
Phantom of the Opera
Perfect Storm
Terminator 3
Traffic
Training Day
Troy
We Were Soldiers

That should entertain me for a good while

 

[bill0527]

OK WTF should I do?

This is my Christmas present from my wife. I told her I was going ahead and ordering it because I was worried they would either sell out or I wouldn't get the limited edition bundle with King Kong.

The deal is, I go ahead and order it from Circuitcity.com, and then she wraps it up and I don't get it until Christmas. Its a big deal to her this year because our 2 year old daughter is old enough to know what's going on...

Anyway, I realized that if I order this now, and don't get it until Christmas, WTF am I supposed to do if its a dud or it fries on me the first time I turn it on. I called CC customer care line and they said they've got a 14 day return policy on this... so basically I'm screwed. I'm sure I'll have a limited warranty with Microsoft, but if this thing is a dud when I hook it up for the first time, I don't want to have to wade through the 2 week ship-and-return bullshit with Microsoft.

Why do retailers have this policy? Don't they know people are buying gifts in November for Christmas? The girl at Circuit City told me I could always refuse the item when its delivered and then re-order it when it gets closer to Christmas... which is really freakin stupid.

 

[arne]

Anyone have any luck finding one in the Seattle area? The few places I did call only had their preorder stock come in. The lady at Target said that she "hopes they do come in soon, I've had plenty of people asking about it." I'm like greeeeat, I don't need more competition round these here parts.

 

[Edwood]

I preordered with Amazon.

I'll have to wait, but I'll save a tiny bit of cash with no sales tax.

-Ed

 

[AgentOtaku]

just hooked it up and put on King Kong and.....

.....ZOMG I'M IN YOUR JUNGLE!!!!!

 

[JB1981]

As the previous poster mentioned, only COMBO titles can be played on both HD DVD and regular DVD players.

Here's a list of current titles that fall into this category.

16 Blocks (Warner) <- COMBO
Animal House (Universal) <- COMBO
Army of Darkness (Universal) <- COMBO
ATL (Warner) <- COMBO
The Breakup (Universal) <- COMBO
Dazed and Confused (Universal) <- COMBO
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Universal) <-COMBO
Firewall (Warner) <- COMBO
Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner) <- COMBO
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Warner) <- COMBO
Lakehouse (Warner) <- COMBO
Land of the Dead, George A. Romero's (Universal) <- COMBO
The New Orleans Concert (Concert Hot Spot) <- COMBO
Rumor Has It (Warner) <- COMBO
Slither (Universal) <- COMBO
Tokyo Drift, The Fast and the Furious (Universal) <- COMBO
Unleashed (Universal) <- COMBO
Waist Deep (Universal) <- COMBO

Some upcoming COMBO titles include Superman Returns, Brokeback Mountain, Scorpion King, and Jet Li's Fearless

I'm assuming not every title is a combo due to storage? 'Cause EVERY movie should be a combo disc, if possible. It's an absolutely brilliant idea, if you ask me.

 

[wasting]

combo titles come along with a higher price, which i dont want!

 

[Alcibiades]

I'm assuming not every title is a combo due to storage? 'Cause EVERY movie should be a combo disc, if possible. It's an absolutely brilliant idea, if you ask me.

Storage space isn't a problem, Tokyo Drift and The Breakup are dual-layer discs, the main problem might be replication issues...

Superman Returns is also going to be a dual-layer hybrid.

 

[ghostmind]

Just finished Mission Impossible 3... definite improvement - colors are richer and picture is sharper. My TV has an excellent scaler, so I've already been spoiled with upconversion, but this was even better.

Player was very responsive and quiet. Definite worthwhile purchase...

 

[Days like these...]

All you guys on the fence trust me it's well worth the $200, having said that I'm not paying $37.99 for the slither combo!

 

[Bog]

Guess I'll be picking up my GS pre-order later today.

 

[Stinkles]

just hooked it up and put on King Kong and.....

.....ZOMG I'M IN YOUR JUNGLE!!!!!

eatin ur bananaz

Hey, any bricks and mortar places rent HD formats yet?

 

[AgentOtaku]

eatin ur bananaz

Hey, any bricks and mortar places rent HD formats yet?

Only place I know so far is Netflix

 

[fernoca]

Bah!
Wal-Mart is now shipping on Nov. 15...

So, I'll guess I'll have it around the 17th..

 

[Alcibiades]

All you guys on the fence trust me it's well worth the $200, having said that I'm not paying $37.99 for the slither combo!

DUDE, NEVER pay that close to MSRP (which is $39.99 on some new titles)

amazon.com has it much cheaper, and using buy.com and the google checkout $10 OFF it's a way better deal (probably less than $25).

 

[rubso]

my HD-DVD is going to be shipped here soon, i need to see some Batman Begins Comparison Images too, Please.

 

[AgentOtaku]

DUDE, NEVER pay that close to MSRP (which is $39.99 on some new titles)

amazon.com has it much cheaper, and using buy.com and the google checkout $10 OFF it's a way better deal (probably less than $25).

dam straight my friend

been buying my titles on Amazon....and of course, they have their 10 percent off of all titles for year deal, going on right now that I'm enrolled in..

seriously, stay away from bestbuy and all those other suggested MSRP outlets

 

[lachesis]

Well, I've got mine today. Took some pics during setting up. I'm not much of photographer, and my TV doen't do 1080p, and I took the picture during daytime, w/o curtains and all. (lazy me.) Hope you enjoy.

HD-DVD drive box was smaller than I thought it would be.

Well, you know the drill. HD-DVD drive, Universal Remote, Power Supply, USB cable, Installation disc, and King Kong for the limited time.

In comparison w/ remotes - I kinda like smaller remote one. It snuggles very well into my hand. I guess I will get used the big one though.. I don't like how buttons feel, honestly. Small one was better for my taste, which came with my Prem pack. (Does it still come with remote?)

For those who are afraid of having only 1 usb in the back, which means no room for Wi-Fi adapter.. fear not.

MS has included a place for the officla adapter as well as an extra USB hub...!
It was a pleasant surprise, albeit small.

I've set mine on top of 360, in the middle, so that I won't cover up any existing vents.. but it does look pretty ugly. :lol

To install, boot up your 360...

which leads to my dash board.. hey no laughing at my low gamer score!

then place the install disc into your DVD tray, not HD-DVD...

then this update message comes up, and choose "yes", of course...

In a short while, updates are done.

Now, you have a Poke'Ball on your dash board...! Top half controls your normal DVD driver...

and bottom one controlls HD-DVD tray. I think it's backwards.. because my HD-DVD
is sitiing on top of the 360, not undearneath! Duh!

And surely, you now have control over your HD-DVD drive tray.

Size comparison between regular DVD and HD-DVD case... Blu Ray is about the same size as HD-DVD case. Just, bluer, of course.

It is indeed just a pack-in.. no printing of whatever inside. Something I kinda miss when I buy any DVDs.. I want to have a nice introduction booklet inside, which would give more merit to buy DVDs if not just for the movie.

Almost immediately, it boots up..!

King Kong HD-DVD Menu. Nice... now they can afford a bit more colors in menu as well, it seems..

I was checking out what this U-control thing is... only to find out that I seem to have some overscan "sometimes". Perahps my TV's unique Sony resolution doesn't really match well... but oh well.

Asides that, pretty normal stuff, if not fleshed out a bit.

Pannel & remote response was good - there's nothing to complain about. Picture quality is pretty good, albeit it I admit my pics sucks...! :lol However, I am only seeing it in 720p, because I can't have 1080p on my TV. Menus are pretty easy and efficient to follow around. NO complaints, at all.

Then I turned on my TV, and there's Starwars HD marathon going on Cinemax. Return of the Jedi... immediately drawn in...

But my patience with Ewoks ran out... so I turned it off. I mean, I'd rather watch from the beginning. I hope the trilogy, a definitive version (a good version) will be released on either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray sometime soon...

I bought these two other movies a couple of days ago. 19 dollars each at Target... For now, I'm happy with the price I'm seeing, although I will refuse to pay for the full price of 30some dollars for a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray!

All in all, it's a good entry level system for HD-DVD which won't bomb your wallet, and you will be able to enjoy HD-DVD movies until you decide to buy a good HD-DVD/Blu Ray or even Hybrid players in the future. I'm quite satisfied with what I've seen so far.

lachesis

 

[rubso]

Nice lachesis =)

 

[Ninja Scooter]

question: I was never an expert on the whole Bluray/HDdvd/resolution shit, but i always assumed that with these new formats, it would eliminate the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen on widescreen tvs?

 

[GitarooMan]

question: I was never an expert on the whole Bluray/HDdvd/resolution shit, but i always assumed that with these new formats, it would eliminate the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen on widescreen tvs?

No, because the original aspect ratio of many movies is wider than widescreen tvs.

 

[Frankfurter]

Really awesome pictures and description, thanks

@Ninja HD or BluRay/HD DVD don't have anything to do with that. It's all about the aspect ratio of the original movie. Most movies that are created with cinema in the mind have cinemascope aspect ratio (~2.35:1 [widescreen TVs are 16:9 / 1.85:1]) so you still have black bars. They are just smaller than the black bars of a cinemascope movie would be on a 4:3 TV (about half of the TV would be black).

Edit: I guess I'll bite and buy the damn HD DVD add on. ~190&#8364; with King Kong included isn't that much after all.

 

[dirtmonkey37]

If it slows the 360 boot up, I'm not buying it.

 

[Matrix]

If it slows the 360 boot up, I'm not buying it.

It doesnt.

 

[Sh0k]

To anybody on the fence of buying one, they posted a Circuit City coupon for $40. off of any $199. purchase at the CAG forums.

Here is the link for the coupon :

http://www.badongo.com/file/1668694

You can get the player for $160, at that price with the FREE King Kong movie and remote control, there is no reason not to get it.

 

[Stinkles]

Hey Lachesis, I know you don't like the Big remote better, but remember it's backlit. Bam.

 

[Doc Savage]

Question to all that have the drive, is there a way to open the HD-DVD disc tray with the open/close button on the media remote? It seems like it is only possible by pressing the button on the drive itself, which is fine but I would like to see if anyone else might have figured something out.

I am also thankful for the updated universal remote, i used to hate turning off my TV accidentally when I meant to turn of the 360.

 

[Dracos]

Question to all that have the drive, is there a way to open the HD-DVD disc tray with the open/close button on the media remote? It seems like it is only possible by pressing the button on the drive itself, which is fine but I would like to see if anyone else might have figured something out.

I am also thankful for the updated universal remote, i used to hate turning off my TV accidentally when I meant to turn of the 360.

Haven't figured out how.

 

[Hooterville]

Got it.

How do you eject the disc tray via the remote once it's playing?

 

[lachesis]

Hey Lachesis, I know you don't like the Big remote better, but remember it's backlit. Bam.

Yeah. that's one of the reason I don't like it... I'd rather turn it off and leave it off if possible! (insert frugal battery life FTL face here)