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[Hooterville]

Got it.

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

Anyone have a clue with this?

 

[IJoel]

Anyone have a clue with this?

You could boot to the dashboard (Xbox button + Y), then eject whichever drive from there. I think.

Edit: Just tested this... it doesn't work.

 

[Hooterville]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

 

[Norse]

picked up this unit as well......way better than my old toshiba ad1 I had before. That thing took forever to boot and then took forever to load the hd dvds. The xbox add-on is fast, quiet, and the picture is exactly the same as the old toshiba. Great deal for 199......picked up troy, MI III, polar express, swordfish, and last samurai today...seems Target sells hd dvds for 19.99 each. =)

 

[wasting]

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

what the hell? could you explain why you think this would actually slow it up in the first place? im really curious

 

[cvxfreak]

Man... no place in the Bay Area seems to have it except for a Circuit City in Van Ness... argh!

 

[Stinkles]

I wonder if MS could do an update that ejects the last disc played instead of defaulting to the 360?

Mind you, the logic is iffy - if you're ejecting, you;re going over there anyway....

 

[NerdEyeBlind]

I picked up one today @ EB but not before stopping at several different places looking for one. Circuit City actually had some but sold them all. I went across the street to Best Buy and was told by a friendly sales agent that the player comes out next week. I told him that Circuit City had them. He got so upset probably because he actually believed the street date in Best Buy's system. I came later that day to pick up some HD-DVDs (Army of Darkness, MI-3) so the store isn't totally useless...

 

[Hooterville]

You could boot to the dashboard (Xbox button + Y), then eject whichever drive from there. I think.

Edit: Just tested this... it doesn't work.

Yes, I tried it and it does not work.

I can get to the dashboard but all I have there is Play HD DVD.

I guess you have to hit the eject button once the disc is in.

 

[purnoman3000]

Anyone in canada able to find this puppy? Been calling around and looking everywhere all week and I cannot findt it anywhere, as it seems to be the case for most people. For a hardware launch that could have great impact, MS is sure playing this low-key. Either that or retailers are simply caught off guard and simply didn't order the units because they didn't see the product as being valid saleswise for whatever reason.

 

[StingerNLG]

I highly recommend that you pick up Serenity when you finally get your player. Some scenes because of the dark look a little washed out, but some of the scenes of the cities in the daylight are just magnificent. Even my wife who really didn't even care about HD-DVD looked up and said "Wait, back that up? Is THAT what these new HD-DVD's look like??".

 

[lachesis]

Yes, I tried it and it does not work.

I can get to the dashboard but all I have there is Play HD DVD.

I guess you have to hit the eject button once the disc is in.

Yup. I couldn't do it myself. w/o any disc in, opening up isn't a problem - but when there's disc inside, I do have to press the eject button manually.

Hopefully there'll be some update via live fixing it...

 

[AgentOtaku]

does this thing make the same amount of noise when vertical? can't really tell...

...I have it setup right now vertically because it looks sooooo damn teh s3x....but I guess I'm nervous about playing a buncha HD-DVDs verticaly

 

[sportzhead]

Warning, large images.

I love this thing. The picture and sound quality is amazing. TV is a 1080P Westy.

 

[zmet]

I love this thing. The picture and sound quality is amazing. TV is a 1080P Westy.

Looks great! What size Westy do you have? Is this the 37' or 42'?

 

[sportzhead]

Looks great! What size Westy do you have? Is this the 37' or 42'?

42"

 

[Fallout-NL]

Damn, it almost looks like you can actually touch the objects on screen.

 

[purnoman3000]

I think that has more to do with the choice of movie (corpse bride) than it being in HD but yeah, still ****ing cool.

 

[Raistlin]

I think that has more to do with the choice of movie (corpse bride) than it being in HD but yeah, still ****ing cool.

The SD version does NOT look like that.

 

[jett]

If you don't buy Batman Begins along with this crap you fail.

 

[Stinkles]

The SD version does NOT look like that.

Lol. True. And this is a photo of a screen.

I wouldn't mind picking up some HD native content from Discovery Channel or something. Film looks awesome - especially in the way HD captures color and grain - but HD video is more precise still.


I think my favorite aspect so far though weirdly, is the layered, unified UI. DVD UI was so unreliably and often ugly.

 

[Fallout-NL]

I think that has more to do with the choice of movie (corpse bride) than it being in HD but yeah, still ****ing cool.

Well I have the regular DVD version of this movie and it doesnt quite have the same effect as this.

I think my favorite aspect so far though weirdly, is the layered, unified UI. DVD UI was so unreliably and often ugly.

What does this mean exactly? All DVDs are now controlled from a central interface, like from the player instead of each DVD having its own menu?

 

[Stinkles]

What does this mean exactly? All DVDs are now controlled from a central interface, like from the player instead of each DVD having its own menu?

Yep. It overlays on the main screen without interrupting the movie - so you can change options and settings without stopping the film. And as far as I know, it's a standardized interface (although studios may add their own custom fields).

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yep. It overlays on the main screen without interrupting the movie - so you can change options and settings without stopping the film. And as far as I know, it's a standardized interface (although studios may add their own custom fields).

Ah, that sounds great, thnx.

 

[marwan]

can the 360 HD-DVD player output 1080p through component? if anyone has tried it that is. I guess Sony is confusing us since the PS3 would only output 1080p with HDMI.

 

[Stinkles]

can the 360 HD-DVD player output 1080p through component? if anyone has tried it that is. I guess Sony is confusing us since the PS3 would only output 1080p with HDMI.

Component: 480i/480p/720p/1080i plus 1080p for GAMES.

VGA: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p for GAMES and MOVIES plus too many native VGA resolutions to list.

NOTE: If you are running MOVIES through 1080i component, on a 1080p TV, then you're effectively seeing a 1080p image thanks to the 24fps of movie content. Don't ask why, you just are. And remember, make sure your TV actually takes 1080p through VGA or component. Some don't.

 

[AgentOtaku]

yes...i ADORE the standardized UI

 

[nubbe]

Cool, you can even see the dust on the crow.

VGA: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p for GAMES and MOVIES plus too many native VGA resolutions to list.

How dose it do 1080i on VGA when the 360 doesn't support 1920x540?

 

[Raistlin]

Yep. It overlays on the main screen without interrupting the movie - so you can change options and settings without stopping the film. And as far as I know, it's a standardized interface (although studios may add their own custom fields).

I'm not sure about iHD ... but I believe BDJ has some interesting options like allowing the interface to be skinable. So while the overall functionality will remain the same, I believe individual titles can make it 'match' the movie to a certain extent.


At least that was a feature discussed a while back. Both 'layers' have been in limbo for so long, I stopped paying attention until they are finalized and we have some examples of their usage.

 

[Raistlin]

can the 360 HD-DVD player output 1080p through component? if anyone has tried it that is. I guess Sony is confusing us since the PS3 would only output 1080p with HDMI.

??

The PS3 outputs BluRay via Component at the same resolutions as the 360 HD-DVD (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) per the AACS spec. 1080p is a no-no.


Also, I believe PS3 games can be output at 1080p via Component ... though I don't know if that has been confirmed.

 

[Truelize]

Anyone in canada able to find this puppy? Been calling around and looking everywhere all week and I cannot findt it anywhere, as it seems to be the case for most people. For a hardware launch that could have great impact, MS is sure playing this low-key. Either that or retailers are simply caught off guard and simply didn't order the units because they didn't see the product as being valid saleswise for whatever reason.

I don't know if most stores are the same but Blockbuster says they are getting their on Tuesday. So hopefully most places will have it next week.
I have a $100 gift card to futureshop I've been holding onto waiting for this.




Does anyone know if it makes regular dvds look any better than just playing them through the Xbox 360?

 

[wasting]

Does anyone know if it makes regular dvds look any better than just playing them through the Xbox 360?

It does not upconvert over component, only VGA. if thats what your asking

 

[Truelize]

It does not upconvert over component, only VGA. if thats what your asking

Not really. I was aware that it doesn't do any conversion. I'm curious if anyone that has it actually sees a difference between playing a normal dvd in the HDplayer or just in the Xbox 360 by itself.

 

[Raistlin]

Not really. I was aware that it doesn't do any conversion. I'm curious if anyone that has it actually sees a difference between playing a normal dvd in the HDplayer or just in the Xbox 360 by itself.

I don't see how.


The MPEG decoding, de-interlacing, and scaling are all being done in the 360 just like before to my knowledge.


The only difference is where the MPEG stream is coming from ... so it should have no effect.

 

[Matrix]

Not really. I was aware that it doesn't do any conversion. I'm curious if anyone that has it actually sees a difference between playing a normal dvd in the HDplayer or just in the Xbox 360 by itself.

No difference,I checked for you.

 

[Stinkles]

Cool, you can even see the dust on the crow.



How dose it do 1080i on VGA when the 360 doesn't support 1920x540?

Magic!

Spoiler

Scaling. not sure to what res however.

And yeah, PS3 will output games at 1080p through component. Just won't upscale DVDs through component.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

can the 360 HD-DVD player output 1080p through component? if anyone has tried it that is. I guess Sony is confusing us since the PS3 would only output 1080p with HDMI.

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/wiki/Marwan

 

[Raistlin]

Magic!

Spoiler

Scaling. not sure to what res however.

And yeah, PS3 will output games at 1080p through component. Just won't upscale DVDs through component.

Or HDMI at this point.

 

[Chichikov]

NOTE: If you are running MOVIES through 1080i component, on a 1080p TV, then you're effectively seeing a 1080p image thanks to the 24fps of movie content. Don't ask why, you just are. And remember, make sure your TV actually takes 1080p through VGA or component. Some don't.

NOTE: telecine is more complicated than you think.
Don’t ask why

Spoiler

(seriously, what you’re saying is not necessarily true, but I suggest we let sleeping dogs lie).

 

[Raistlin]

NOTE: If you are running MOVIES through 1080i component, on a 1080p TV, then you're effectively seeing a 1080p image thanks to the 24fps of movie content. Don't ask why, you just are.

Unfortunately that is NOT true on all current 1080p TVs.

 

[Alcibiades]

At buy.com, if you use Google Checkout for items that are in-stock, you get $10 OFF automatically if you spend more than $30. You can use the coupon as many times as you want. During checkout, click on the bottom link where it says "google checkout". Some titles are already over $30, making this a really valuable coupon. Others, you can add something cheap to get over $30 and get for about twenty bucks or so after discount. Another decent option is getting two $20 titles, which after discount will come out to about $16 each. Remember to place one order at a time, but you can use this over and over.

The promotion was supposed to end Oct. 31st, was extended to Nov. 6/7, and for some reason is still working (no longer at other sites though). At the very least, take advantage of owning MI:3 for $21, it's a 2-disc set getting a ton of good reviews for video/audio. Some of the COMBO titles are good deals (though not as good as a few weeks ago since they upped the prices for almost all their items, even books, a few weeks ago). I actually ended up using this deal for a BUNCH of stuff and easily placed over 10 orders (that's over $200 easily) for stuff like DC Comics Absolute Edition graphic novels and some anime sets. The key here is that this coupon is reusable, so placing a bunch of orders for orders just barely over 30 bucks is really great.

List of titles over $30 and price after discount:


King Kong ($20.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/King_Kong/q/loc/322/203018842.html

MI: 3 ($20.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Mission_Impossible_3/q/loc/322/202945623.html

ATL ($23.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Atl/q/loc/322/202868745.html

Slither ($24.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Slither/q/loc/322/202881829.html

Tokyo Drift ($24.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Fast_and_the_Furious_Tokyo_Drift/q/loc/322/202912790.html

Good Night, and Good Luck ($23.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Good_Night_and_Good_Luck/q/loc/322/202920597.html

The Breakup ($23.94 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/The_Break_Up_Widescreen_HD_DVD_Combo/q/loc/322/202903348.html

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang ($22.93 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Kiss_Kiss_Bang_Bang_HD_DVD_DVD_Combo/q/loc/322/202787416.html

The Lake House ($23.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Lake_House/q/loc/322/202916944.html

Waist Deep ($24.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Waist_Deep/q/loc/322/202925457.html

Accepted ($24.89 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Accepted/q/loc/322/203140837.html

Rumor Has It ($22.93 after discount):

http://www.buy.com/prod/Rumor_Has_It_HD_DVD_DVD_Combo/q/loc/322/202639843.html

16 Blocks ($22.93 after discount)

http://www.buy.com/prod/16_Blocks_HD_DVD_DVD_Combo/q/loc/322/202761385.html

Firewall ($22.93 after discount)

http://www.buy.com/prod/Firewall_HD_DVD_DVD_Combo/q/loc/322/202787425.html

 

[racerx77]

I just upgraded my reciever..HTR-6090
http://http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=451765&CTID=5000400
1,000 dollar reciver for a mere 200 bones.

 

[plagiarize]

Unfortunately that is NOT true on all current 1080p TVs.

quite. make sure you have 3:2 pulldown on your 1080p.

the interface is 'skinnable'. Terminator 3 for example has a skynet themed interface with options down at the bottom instead of down the side.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I watched King Kong, V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, Bourne Supremacy, and Polar Express all on HD-DVD this weekend. My impressions:

1. The picture on my 30" CRT Sony HDTV is on par if not better than the HBO-HD broadcasts. In fact, they are better because you don't get screen door compression errors with the HD-DVD.

2. The sound is a little on the quiet side and is not as strong as I hoped. I am hoping there will be a driver update.

3. The load times are awesome. All loaded up faster than my current DVD's.

4. The X360 is relatively quiet, but you can hear it during quiet points in the movie. Not a deal breaker, but you can hear it.

5. The new menu options in HD-DVD are fantastic. I love how you can look at menu options without pausing the film.

6. The X360 runs a little warmer after watching a movie versus playing a mrathon session of Gears.

7. The remote that comes with the player is not as responsive as I would like. Seems to have trouble recognizing inputs.

All in all, I would give the player an A-. I think for the price, if you own an HDTV and you are a movie fan, it is definitely worth it. Netflix and Blockbuster both have all of the HD-DVD's available for rent online. With the exception of the sound, I would say this player is a welcome addition to the X360 experience.

 

[Raistlin]

quite. make sure you have 3:2 pulldown on your 1080p.

It is actually not that simple. The problem is HOW it does the de-interlacing, not simply whether it detects telecine or not.

the interface is 'skinnable'. Terminator 3 for example has a skynet themed interface with options down at the bottom instead of down the side.

Cool! I'm glad that feature made it in there.

 

[Diseased Yak]

I watched King Kong, V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, Bourne Supremacy, and Polar Express all on HD-DVD this weekend. My impressions:

1. The picture on my 30" CRT Sony HDTV is on par if not better than the HBO-HD broadcasts. In fact, they are better because you don't get screen door compression errors with the HD-DVD.

2. The sound is a little on the quiet side and is not as strong as I hoped. I am hoping there will be a driver update.

3. The load times are awesome. All loaded up faster than my current DVD's.

4. The X360 is relatively quiet, but you can hear it during quiet points in the movie. Not a deal breaker, but you can hear it.

5. The new menu options in HD-DVD are fantastic. I love how you can look at menu options without pausing the film.

6. The X360 runs a little warmer after watching a movie versus playing a mrathon session of Gears.

7. The remote that comes with the player is not as responsive as I would like. Seems to have trouble recognizing inputs.

All in all, I would give the player an A-. I think for the price, if you own an HDTV and you are a movie fan, it is definitely worth it. Netflix and Blockbuster both have all of the HD-DVD's available for rent online. With the exception of the sound, I would say this player is a welcome addition to the X360 experience.

Well, I was going to come in here and post impressions, but this about sums my feelings up, except for the sound. I felt the sound was just fine, i.e. - shaking the pictures on my walls, but then that's how dvd's sounded as well. I look forward to upgrading recievers someday and getting True DD/DTS. I only got to watch King Kong, but have 6 movies on order.

I placed my drive vertically beside my vertical 360 and didn't notice much if any drive noise. Highly recommended for anyone with an HDTV!

 

[btrboyev]

I was just reading somewhere there is a hack to get the xbox hd-dvd drive to run on a computer...any truth to this?

 

[Stinkles]

It is actually not that simple. The problem is HOW it does the de-interlacing, not simply whether it detects telecine or not.




Cool! I'm glad that feature made it in there.

Luckily, most sets do take care of the 1080i/1080p deinterlacing successfully, but if they don't it's an arsepain, so do the research when buying.

 

[Klocker]

I watched King Kong, V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, Bourne Supremacy, and Polar Express all on HD-DVD this weekend. My impressions:

1. The picture on my 30" CRT Sony HDTV is on par if not better than the HBO-HD broadcasts. In fact, they are better because you don't get screen door compression errors with the HD-DVD.

2. The sound is a little on the quiet side and is not as strong as I hoped. I am hoping there will be a driver update.

3. The load times are awesome. All loaded up faster than my current DVD's.

4. The X360 is relatively quiet, but you can hear it during quiet points in the movie. Not a deal breaker, but you can hear it.

5. The new menu options in HD-DVD are fantastic. I love how you can look at menu options without pausing the film.

6. The X360 runs a little warmer after watching a movie versus playing a mrathon session of Gears.

7. The remote that comes with the player is not as responsive as I would like. Seems to have trouble recognizing inputs.

All in all, I would give the player an A-. I think for the price, if you own an HDTV and you are a movie fan, it is definitely worth it. Netflix and Blockbuster both have all of the HD-DVD's available for rent online. With the exception of the sound, I would say this player is a welcome addition to the X360 experience.

my conclusions exactly

I placed mine vertically... looks sweet and takes up no room.

 

[eso76]

found this...

SDVD of King Kong

HDDVD of King Kong

wow, a huge difference.
So huge, in fact, one would wonder "why do i see such a big difference, since the pics are barely SD size ?". I mean...there's no way you could see a difference between a 480p and a 720p source, in a 620x450something picture...and you probably noticed there's a huge difference in colours and contrast too; which has obviously nothing to do with the source being SD or HD.
So i investigated further and noticed for some reason, the tv speaker is also much sharper in the hd example...
Sharpening pics and adjusting contrast to make the hd dvd look better...oh, the things teamxbox guys would do...