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[Orodreth]

Some doubts/questions. I have an Asian 360 and may be interested in getting a HD-DVD Pal.

1) Where is the region locking, in the console or in the HD-DVD drive?

2) can it also be used to play games ? i´m not talking about the format controversy, just if its possible to play 360 games from it and in that case if again the region locking is in the console or the drive.

if its the later then could it be possible to play PAL dvd movies or/and PAL region locked games in my Asian 360?

 

[mrklaw]

Some doubts/questions. I have an Asian 360 and may be interested in getting a HD-DVD Pal.

1) Where is the region locking, in the console or in the HD-DVD drive?

2) can it also be used to play games ? i´m not talking about the format controversy, just if its possible to play 360 games from it and in that case if again the region locking is in the console or the drive.

if its the later then could it be possible to play PAL dvd movies or/and PAL region locked games in my Asian 360?

console. You can buy any HDDVD add on from anywhere and plug it into any 360.

- It'll play any HDDVDs from anywhere (no region lock on HDDVD)
- I don't think it'll play games from the drive.
- It'll play DVDs the same as the 360, so whatever region locking you have on the 360 will apply to the drive for normal DVDs

 

[Orodreth]

console. You can buy any HDDVD add on from anywhere and plug it into any 360.

- It'll play any HDDVDs from anywhere (no region lock on HDDVD)
- I don't think it'll play games from the drive.
- It'll play DVDs the same as the 360, so whatever region locking you have on the 360 will apply to the drive for normal DVDs

Thanks.

Bad news then. I was hoping to at least be able to play PAL movies.

 

[Captain N]

I'm so glad King Kong came in a regular HD DvD case and not a piece of paper.

 

[Blimblim]

Thanks.

Bad news then. I was hoping to at least be able to play PAL movies.

So far no HD-DVD have region coding. It will certainly change sooner than later though.

 

[Orodreth]

So far no HD-DVD have region coding. It will certainly change sooner than later though.

My comment was regarding the PAL dvd movies i already own and cant watch on my asian 360. I was hoping to be able to watch them using the HD-DVD but seems the region coding is in the console, not the drive.

 

[wasting]

I'm so glad King Kong came in a regular HD DvD case and not a piece of paper.

Yeah that is awesome, im scared when we get Ricky Bobby with PS3

 

[Leewan]

I don't think I'll get one until I absolutely have to. I still can't tell a big enough difference to justify buying one and I still can't see with my eyes the difference between 1080p movies and the television shows I watch at home. A circuit city guy told me you really can't tell the difference unless you have a TV larger than 50" unless your sitting only a few feet away.

 

[Sh0k]

Question regarding the HD-DVD movies, the couple of movies I have, King Kong and The Corpse Bride, they both come in 1080p resolution, but they also have the standard format, 480i/p. Is this standard resolution watchable in any DVD player ? Meaning that if I put the HD-DVD movie in an standard DVD player it will play the standard resolution ?

I was watching The Corpse Bride yesterday with my 3 year old kid using the HD-DVD player, he wanted it to watch it this morning; but I tried to put the HD-DVD in a regular DVD player that I have in the family room, but it won't recognize the movie.

 

[plagiarize]

Question regarding the HD-DVD movies, the couple of movies I have, King Kong and The Corpse Bride, they both come in 1080p resolution, but they also have the standard format, 480i/p. Is this standard resolution watchable in any DVD player ? Meaning that if I put the HD-DVD movie in an standard DVD player it will play the standard resolution ?

I was watching The Corpse Bride yesterday with my 3 year old kid using the HD-DVD player, he wanted it to watch it this morning; but I tried to put the HD-DVD in a regular DVD player that I have in the family room, but it won't recognize the movie.

look at the front of the case. if it says 'hd dvd/dvd combo' then yes. inside will be a flipper disc that is dvd on one side and hd-dvd on the other side.

if there's nothing that says combo, and it's a single sided disc, then unfortunately not.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I don't think I'll get one until I absolutely have to. I still can't tell a big enough difference to justify buying one and I still can't see with my eyes the difference between 1080p movies and the television shows I watch at home. A circuit city guy told me you really can't tell the difference unless you have a TV larger than 50" unless your sitting only a few feet away.

Ok. I have a 30" Widescreen Sony CRT HDTV. When I use this player, will I see a big upgrade over the DVD's I currently own that are being upscaled to 1080i? I have heard a couple of people say that this player won't make a difference for people with smaller sets.

 

[Sh0k]

look at the front of the case. if it says 'hd dvd/dvd combo' then yes. inside will be a flipper disc that is dvd on one side and hd-dvd on the other side.

if there's nothing that says combo, and it's a single sided disc, then unfortunately not.

They are both single sided DVDs, so I guess no luck. What is the meaning of the standard definition version of the movie included in the DVD, for people that have HD-DVDs players but using with an standard TV ?

 

[Alcibiades]

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

 

[DenogginizerOS]

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

You need to add Miami Vice to that list.

 

[Alcibiades]

They are both single sided DVDs, so I guess no luck. What is the meaning of the standard definition version of the movie included in the DVD, for people that have HD-DVDs players but using with an standard TV ?

actually, I think the box indicates that the special features are in 480i/p SD, but the movie is in 1080p HD.

 

[Crowza]

Ok. I have a 30" Widescreen Sony CRT HDTV. When I use this player, will I see a big upgrade over the DVD's I currently own that are being upscaled to 1080i? I have heard a couple of people say that this player won't make a difference for people with smaller sets.

You will definitely see a jump from DVD with a 30" CRT, as long as you are playing HD-DVDs.

 

[Alcibiades]

You need to add Miami Vice to that list.

oh yeah, missed that one...

 

[Sh0k]

actually, I think the box indicates that the special features are in 480i/p SD, but the movie is in 1080p HD.

Thanks, that may be it. I will double check the boxes when I get home.

 

[StingerNLG]

Well, at the least the player is starting to hit retail stores now. I found one at the GameSpot in Hamilton, 5 minutes from my house. The manager urged me to hang out until the UPS truck arrived, and if it wasn't there he would call every store in MD to find one for me. Thankfully, the store got one in today, and it's mine....all mine!!

See, a far cry from the EB Games guy that looked at me like he'd never even heard of the thing. It's amazing what happens when you go to a store with some competent people in it.

Also, I heard that Circuit City is also carrying the player, and a couple around MD had them last night.

 

[Hooterville]

Can you open & close the disc tray with the remote?

 

[AgentOtaku]

Can you open & close the disc tray with the remote?

yes

..just like you could with the 360

 

[Stinkles]

yes

..just like you could with the 360

You can't do that when the system is off - it opens the 360 tray (naturallly) but one cool feature is that hitting eject on the powered down HD DVD/360 combo does NOT start up the system - just jects the HD disc - very handy for those "can you drop off that DVD" in the morning conversations.

 

[AgentOtaku]

You can't do that when the system is off - it opens the 360 tray (naturallly) but one cool feature is that hitting eject on the powered down HD DVD/360 combo does NOT start up the system - just jects the HD disc - very handy for those "can you drop off that DVD" in the morning conversations.

ah hah, I see

 

[Matrix]

WOW it makes my oppo player look like shit.

I'm impressed,maybe I'll take some pics later if I have time.

 

[rage1973]

Ok. I have a 30" Widescreen Sony CRT HDTV. When I use this player, will I see a big upgrade over the DVD's I currently own that are being upscaled to 1080i? I have heard a couple of people say that this player won't make a difference for people with smaller sets.

Do you have high definition cable or satellite. It would be comparable to watching DVD and watching HD movies on HBO. Granted HDDVD will look a little better due to HD programming having more compression but it will be very comparable.

 

[Manp]

You can't do that when the system is off - it opens the 360 tray (naturallly) but one cool feature is that hitting eject on the powered down HD DVD/360 combo does NOT start up the system - just jects the HD disc - very handy for those "can you drop off that DVD" in the morning conversations.

how it works with the eject button on the remote when the system and the HDDVD drive are both on?

it opens both drives? it asks you which drive to open?

 

[Stinkles]

Do you have high definition cable or satellite. It would be comparable to watching DVD and watching HD movies on HBO. Granted HDDVD will look a little better due to HD programming having more compression but it will be very comparable.

Except for ESPN HD who who have somehow found a way to encode HD streams in MPEG 1 and also embrace the GIANT HIDEOUS LOGOS INSTEAD OF BLACK BARS concept for the times they choose not to broadcast in HD for no reason.

how it works with the eject button on the remote when the system and the HDDVD drive are both on?

it opens both drives? it asks you which drive to open?

On screen, the Play Disc icon is now split in half and you can select between the main drive and the HD DVD drive.

 

[Manp]

On screen, the Play Disc icon is now split in half and you can select between the main drive and the HD DVD drive.

yes i know that
so everytime you have first to select the half icon which refers to the HDDVD drive and then press the eject button on the remote?

well, having just one eject button on the remote i guess that's the only way to manage 2 drives

 

[Wonderdog]

This thread is severely lacking in drool-inducing photos or pics to get me excited. C'mon folks, satisfy my tech lust!

 

[AgentOtaku]

found this...

SDVD of King Kong

HDDVD of King Kong

SDVD

HDDVD

some more here

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=483968

 

[whatdidyousay]

some more here

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=483968

Now THAT's what I wanted to see. I'm officially impressed and will get the add-on (if I can find one)...

 

[wasting]

awesome pics at the link, i will find one today!

 

[StingerNLG]

BTW, I can not upconvert to 1080i or 720p over component when putting in a regular DVD. I know a couple of people were speculating, but it put my TV back to 480p as soon as I let it load up.

HOWEVER, Radio Shack sells a VGA to Component adapter that is supposed to be for Computers. As it's $39.99 and Radio Shack has a return policy, I am going to try that route to see if it will work.

 

[f@luS]

Oh shit and thats 720P?

thats tons better than anything ive see in 720p (including shitty live video and microsoft WMHD)

 

[AgentOtaku]

BTW, I can not upconvert to 1080i or 720p over component when putting in a regular DVD. I know a couple of people were speculating, but it put my TV back to 480p as soon as I let it load up.

HOWEVER, Radio Shack sells a VGA to Component adapter that is supposed to be for Computers. As it's $39.99 and Radio Shack has a return policy, I am going to try that route to see if it will work.

VGA does work, but I decided to not use it because my LCD core factory VGA settings suck and I could not get a good picture out it of using VGA. The picture would flicker with some colors as well as not fit the entire screen, even when res was set to 1280x720
So I just went back to component =/

 

[whatdidyousay]

some more here

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=483968

Umm...I was reading through that thread and it appears the guy Photoshopped the HD-DVD pics. Comparing the light switch and other things outside the screen, it looks like he sharpened the image and raised the brightness and contrast of the HD-DVD pics. :lol

 

[HokieJoe]

Okay, I finally bought one at Circuit Sh***y. Now I have to drive about 20 miles to pick it up.

Freaking Gamestop.

 

[AlanHemberger]

I found something weird.

I popped in my DVD of Lord of War last night in my add on and checked my tv. My tv said the current input was 720p. I even restarted a few times. Granted, I didn't see a difference in how it ever looked. Still looked like shit.

So then I popped in my Fellowship of the Ring DVD and noticed a lag from the 360 dashboard while it switched resolutions and then it started playing. I checked my tv and it said 480p.


Uhh, yeah. I think it just might be a glitch within the software or something. Because it doesn't look like it's really upscaling. I can't see a difference AT ALL. But it shows that it's outputting at 720p with Lord of War. I'll try more DVD's tonight.

 

[jjasper]

I wasn't planning on getting one but damn those pictures are awesome. I am very impressed. It just jumped to the #1 Christmas present.


How long is King Kong and the remote a pack in? If I get it for Christmas will I get it packed in?

 

[Convergys]

those are photoshopped, look at the light switch plate in the room, the hddvd version is cleaner :lol :lol :lol :lol HD light switches FTW!!!

 

[newsguy]

Those who saw the standard def version can now see the glory of the booger Jack Black has encrusted in his nose.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Freaking Gamestop.

Even after getting the call from Aeris last night and being told it would be in today, it is not there. I am seriously beginning to think they will never have it. Between the cancellation of my Gears preorder and the cancellation of all other preorders, I have a ton of credit that I cannot use at that store today. After I get the player, I am NEVER doing business with them again.

 

[open_mouth_]

after reading all the positive impressions, I went over to amazon.com and ordered one of these badboys for $199 w/ free shipping + no tax.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Even after getting the call from Aeris last night and being told it would be in today, it is not there. I am seriously beginning to think they will never have it. Between the cancellation of my Gears preorder and the cancellation of all other preorders, I have a ton of credit that I cannot use at that store today. After I get the player, I am NEVER doing business with them again.

....stop it...your scaring me =(

 

[DenogginizerOS]

....stop it...your scaring me =(

I am sitting here pondering making the call to ask them if their 5:00 shipment has come in.

 

[plagiarize]

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.

 

[AgentOtaku]

I am sitting here pondering making the call to ask them if their 5:00 shipment has come in.

just called again (its 1pm up here btw)......and TA DAH! my drive is ready to be picked up

....and now I wait another 3 hours to get off work (>___<)

 

[ghostmind]

EB called me around noon to pick it up... they only got 1 in (my preorder)... they also got 1 of the wireless wheel in (looked sweet)... I think this is the last time I order from EB B&M tho...

 

[DenogginizerOS]

just called again (its 1pm up here btw)......and TA DAH! my drive is ready to be picked up

....and now I wait another 3 hours to get off work (>___<)

I made the call. AND the winner is...

Spoiler

NOT ME!!!

 

[AlanHemberger]

I made the call. AND the winner is...

Spoiler

NOT ME!!!

That sucks buddy. Go buy something from them with your credit and then return it for cash. (if you can do that) and then take the cash and go to Circuit City where people seem to be having good luck finding them.