You need to download the 1080P update if your box is not already updated for it.

After doing more research on the Sony XBR3 owners thread... I have the 46 incher. According to several people there they say the VGA input displays 1080P from XBOX 360 however component does not for HD DVD.

My Owners manuel PC Input Signal Reference Chart says that VGA input on the TV Does VGA(640x480), SVGA, XGA, WXGA, SXGA and finally HDTV(1920x1080). So I guess it does 1080P. Also in the note section below the chart it say "This TV's PC input does not support interlaced signals."

Maybe I won't take it back. I'll have to crack the box open and see for myself.

Well...I just got done installing the XBOX 360 HD DVD player and swapping out the component cable for the 3rd party VGA into my XBR3 port #9. Everybody said it could be done. Well it worked but it sucked. You can't adjust the video settings like the HDMI or component. The picture looked OK after some adjustment but it was still too washed out for me.

In addition my 6 year old son who was playing Viva Pinata all evening via component was kicked off so I could watch 24. I installed the HD DVD player during the commercials. I fired up Viva pinata again after the video adjustment using VGA connection and it couldn't even play the video segments in the game without stopping and starting all jerky. It is all going back to BB tomorrow. It works but it sucks.

Well...I just got done installing the XBOX 360 HD DVD player and swapping out the component cable for the 3rd party VGA into my XBR3 port #9. Everybody said it could be done. Well it worked but it sucked. You can't adjust the video settings like the HDMI or component. The picture looked OK after some adjustment but it was still too washed out for me.

In addition my 6 year old son who was playing Viva Pinata all evening via component was kicked off so I could watch 24. I installed the HD DVD player during the commercials. I fired up Viva pinata again after the video adjustment using VGA connection and it couldn't even play the video segments in the game without stopping and starting all jerky. It is all going back to BB tomorrow. It works but it sucks.
Sony TVs generally aren't feature-laden with regards to the VGA port. it just doesn't seem like an interface they put much effort into.

Someone tell me if this is wrong:

DVI = Digital = 1080P

HDMI = Digital = 1080P

VGA = Analog = Can't do 1080P (Interlaced only)

I'm Taking the XBOX HD DVD player back that I just bought today. It can't deliver a 1080P signal via VGA. Its extremely misleading and confusing.

You are wrong as far as the VGA port goes it will do 1080p via VGA........The VGA output is also the only way to get upconversion to 1080p on SD-DVDs :) My Sammy acepts it and shows a 1080p signal when the 360 is connected.....

Sony TVs generally aren't feature-laden with regards to the VGA port. it just doesn't seem like an interface they put much effort into.
I have heard this as well before, with Sony not being able to do 1080p properly though VGA or having various other issues, personally I have a Samsung and have not witnessed the "washed out" image from VGA at all.......

You are wrong as far as the VGA port goes it will do 1080p via VGA........The VGA output is also the only way to get upconversion to 1080p on SD-DVDs :) My Sammy acepts it and shows a 1080p signal when the 360 is connected.....

The VGA port on the Sony is the only port out of nine that doesn't show what signal you are getting.

The VGA port on the Sony is the only port out of nine that doesn't show what signal you are getting.
http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746074p1.html not sure if this means anything but this article says that the xbr3 cant do 1080p via VGA...Hmmm not sure I have see people say the same thing as you where it says the manual say it will support but then they get a different thing when they actually use it. In many cases its just how your particular TV handles the VGA input (not all TVs do this well) it just in my case (Samsung HLS6188) handles the 1080p signal well. I DID however adjsut some settigns prior to hooking anything up to adjsut the picture quality to a better picture...

http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746074p1.html not sure if this means anything but this article says that the xbr3 cant do 1080p via VGA...Hmmm not sure I have see people say the same thing as you where it says the manual say it will support but then they get a different thing when they actually use it. In many cases its just how your particular TV handles the VGA input (not all TVs do this well) it just in my case (Samsung HLS6188) handles the 1080p signal well. I DID however adjsut some settigns prior to hooking anything up to adjsut the picture quality to a better picture...

That article is old!

Microsoft has since released a patch so it will work with the XBRs.

with my Sony 40XBR2, the VGA port works perfectly for the xbox 360 & xbox 360 HD DVD player. I was watching MI3 last night, looked sweet. No problems with 1080p.


CLARIFICATION:
1080p is 1920x1080 @ 60hz


If you push menu with the Sony XBR2 while the xbox360 is connected to the tv via VGA, you will see it is displaying it at 1080p.

with my Sony 40XBR2, the VGA port works perfectly for the xbox 360 & xbox 360 HD DVD player. I was watching MI3 last night, looked sweet. No problems with 1080p.


CLARIFICATION:
1080p is 1920x1080 @ 60hz
1080i is 1920 x1080 @ 30hz


If you push menu with the Sony XBR2 while the xbox360 is connected to the tv via VGA, you will see it is displaying it at 1080p.

Screw it...I returned the XBOX HDDVD...and picked up a couple of Blu Ray movies For the PS3 with the $$$ I saved. I'll wait for the upgraded XBOX.

Is there a 1080i option? I have a Samsung HLN-4365W, using VGA for my 360. I run it in 720p, since I think it's either 720p or 1080p, no 1080i option as far as I remember. How's 720p look with the HD-DVD?

I'm close to getting the HD-DVD add-on today. I'm reading up on the potential audio issues, since I'm big into audio.


(cross-post with other thread)

All VGA outputs are progressive, so no 1080i. I have a Sammy HLP, also 720p, and I run 1080i over component. I tried VGA, didn't see any difference, and went back. YMMV.

The audio problems are exaggerated, IMHO. Some dynamic range is lost on DD+ tracks. They don't sound bad, they're just not as full as they could be. THD and DTS tracks sound good on my Yamaha/Def-Tech setup, though there are some golden-eared purists out there who say otherwise.

For the price, the add-on is irresistible.

With games at least, I definitely noticed a difference switching from component to VGA (3rd party, $20 at Microcenter, came with nice optical cable) - on my 43" TV at 8 1/2 feet distance or so. Much sharper and clearer. My TV's old, and lets me turn DNIE on/off on component inputs. I run without it because I don't like the sharpening. DNIE doesn't come on using VGA either.

But the first game I tried was Gears of War, and it seemed sharper and clearer. In-game everything seemed much sharper.

At work as well (I work at a video game company), on my 21" ws Dell LCD, going from component to VGA was night and day improvement. But this is a monitor, so I sit pretty close. And I assume the scalers in the Dell to take it from 1280x720 to 1920x1200 (I think, it's 16:10 AR) are really bad.

Maybe it was easier to tell with games, which are usually very sharp compared to movies.

But way back when, I couldn't tell any difference between component and DVI from my HD cable box. Fast-forward to last year, after nearly 3 years of having HD, and experimenting with the cable box and the DVI cable I definitely saw an improvement - much sharper and clearer with DVI compared to component.


Thanks, wittangamo, for the response. You set my mind at ease. I take it at least now there aren't too many DD+-only releases coming out. And hopefully the audio conversion update is coming from MS soon.

I started having some issues recently with my add on and was wondering if anyone had similar problems.

To start I have had the 360 add on drive since November and until last week experienced no issues with my 12 discs.

Then last week I tried to play Serenity, which had already been viewed 2 months ago and this time would not load. The disc did not appear dirty. The drive starts to spin and I can hear it seaking. But the xbox just says reading. I tried loading it over and over again to no use. I then loaded a couple other discs which instantly started. Then I discovered that I had the same problem with Nacho Libre. Again I have played this before without incident.

I made probably a dozen attempts to load these discs to no avail. Eventually I got lucky and both titles loaded.

So far the titles I have had the most serious issues with are Serenity and Nacho Libre. Often I give up before I get these titles to work. I have also had issues with King Kong. Usually I can get it to work if I put in another non problem disc first, then eject, then put King Kong in.

The titles I have not had any issues with are the Departed, MI3, Slither, Bourne Supremacy, Aeon Flux and Superman 2. I also have played some rentals recently without issue but dont still have them to retest.

My discs are in good shape, and havent been used /handled much. Any one with similar problems or thoughts on my issue? Thanks in advance.

This has probably been posted somewhere in the 130+ pages of this thread, but I just joined the thread today.

I found this review of the 360 add-on and found it very enlightening.
http://www.dvdtown.com/news/reviewofxbox360hddvdaddon/4186
Just picked up my player today, with a handful of HD-DVDs, and I can't wait to try it out tonight.

I had issues with NIB Fearless and a rented copy of Hollywoodland. Fearless had some pausing and speed ups during the final spear fight while Hollywoodland wouldn't load at all in my 360 add-on. I cleaned them both and they played fine. I think fingerprints and grime affect HD-DVDs much more than DVDs, at least on the add-on. I have not had a single disc out of 30+ viewed that failed to play at all, however.

Can anyone tell me what resolutuin I can get when using a kds xbr 2 60" sony?

I know 1080p is not achievable via vga, wondering about 1080i and I understand upscaling happens only with a vga cable? Can anyone help out a rookie?

For the price seems to good to pass up, but want to make sure it's worth it.

I'm not sure about your display capabilities, but the 360 will output 1080p with the VGA cable (and upscale SD DVD to 1080p).

Cary

I know the add-on is capable of 1080p in vga but my set isn't, only through hdmi.

I may have to post over in the tv section, thought someone on here has to have an xbr2?

Thanks for the reply.

In my limited testing with the addon last night I saw a noticable improvment in resolution when using the VGA cables (to achieve upconversion to 720p) versus when using the component cables (480p) on my HP PL4260N. Unfortunately I seemed to also experience the 'washed out' effect that others have spoken of at the same display settings. I'm going to spend some time tweaking those settings to try and improve the color.

While the HDDVD picture looked OUTSTANDING, I noticed something else with the player that I'm curious as to whether anyone else has seen. As others have said, the player is pretty quiet when playing HDDVDs. However, it got noticably louder when I put in a SD-DVD. Has anyone else seen this?

I know the add-on is capable of 1080p in vga but my set isn't, only through hdmi.

I may have to post over in the tv section, thought someone on here has to have an xbr2?

Thanks for the reply.

46 XBR2 accepts 1080p via VGA fine. Not sure why your 60 is different.

I have a 40xbr2 and VGA works fine for 1080p, do you have all the updates download thru xbox live

Without having to read 135 pages, can somone tell me if the XBox HD player will upconvert standard DVDs? :o

TIA.

It will only display in 480p over component due to government regulation. It will upconvert beyond that with the VGA cable. I've been experimenting with both and I can definitely see a noticable difference with the upconversion to 1024x768 (my TVs native resolution) with the VGA cable.

Good to know. I've been looking into an upconverting DVD player but I also want a 360. If I can kill two birds with one device (actually two I guess), that will be good.

This is lifted from the "Industry Insiders ..." thread:

OK, at long last :), here is the official word from the Xbox team on the software update for HD DVD player on Xbox 360:

"We plan on shipping an update to the Xbox 360 HD DVD player in early to mid spring. In this update we will be adding DTS output, improved Audio, and improved title compatibility."

The variability there is that this is a software project and we are fixing/enhancing a lot of things and we want to make sure we get them right. So it is difficult to give an exact day for the update. First day of spring is March 20th I believe so that should give you some prespective on the approximate release date.

Let me again apologize for how hard it has been to get you some information on this update.

Has anyone noticed any issues with the black level on the add-on or HD-DVDs?

I just got mine yesterday, hooked to the DLP with VGA.
I had used Avia previously on the 360 to get the settings right, including brightness/black level (and I've extensively calibrated the set in the service menu).

But last night when I put in the Grinch HD-DVD, on the black screen before it started I saw noise. Then on the Universal intro screen, black screen to zoom out of the globe, there was noise in the black areas. I had to turn down the brightness about 3~4 notches to get rid of this. It could be just this HD-DVD in particular, so I need to check this with some other HD-DVDs.

Anyone else notice this?
I know there's an HD-DVD version of DVE. Anyone have it? How does it compare to Avia or the original DVD version of DVE?

Has anyone noticed any issues with the black level on the add-on or HD-DVDs?

I just got mine yesterday, hooked to the DLP with VGA.
I had used Avia previously on the 360 to get the settings right, including brightness/black level (and I've extensively calibrated the set in the service menu).When you calibrated before, did you calibrate using the VGA input?

Anyone else notice this?
I know there's an HD-DVD version of DVE. Anyone have it? How does it compare to Avia or the original DVD version of DVE?I haven't noticed any black level problems, but I've only seen a few HD DVDs so far. I have an LCD display though, not a DLP.

There is supposed to be a HD version of DVE coming sometime (it keeps getting delayed?). I'll be getting it when it's finally released.

When you calibrated before, did you calibrate using the VGA input?

I haven't noticed any black level problems, but I've only seen a few HD DVDs so far. I have an LCD display though, not a DLP.

There is supposed to be a HD version of DVE coming sometime (it keeps getting delayed?). I'll be getting it when it's finally released.


Yes, I calibrated most of the inputs I use. I rechecked the levels with Avia when I moved my 360 to VGA.

And I read that too - the HD-DVD version of DVE was supposed to be out next week and got pushed back again until next month.

I hope they at least fix the subwoofer/lfe level issue with this new version. It would be VERY cool if it was a combo disc, with SD on one side and HD-DVD on the other...

It would be VERY cool if it was a combo disc, with SD on one side and HD-DVD on the other...Heh, they won't get a double-dip that way ;) But yes, that would be great.

I have been told by Samsung the HL-Sxx87W DLPs expect PC RGB levels (0-255) for the VGA input, but the XBOX 360 sends Video levels (16-235). This would seem to explain the gray blacks.

This is between SD DVD (Avia) and HD-DVD (at least one - Grinch).

The issue is that the blacks, at least on the one HD-DVD I checked (Grinch), the add-on is showing one thing for SD DVDs (Avia) and HD-DVDs. I calibrated to about 58 brightness with Avia, then had to turn it down to about 55 to get rid of the noise in the blacks when going to HD-DVD. It's only about 3 notches on the brightness there.

It could just be the Grinch HD-DVD, I'll have to look into it more tonight.

46 XBR2 accepts 1080p via VGA fine. Not sure why your 60 is different.


46 lcd or plasma?
60" rear projection will not show 1080p vga

can i use xbox360 hd-dvd player on mce2005 or not?

OK, another question ...does the built in DVD player of the 360 upconvert, or just the HD?

just the HD as far as I know

I have been contemplating getting the HD-DVD add-on, but have reservations about it's performance and full compatibility with my Samsung HL-S6187W DLP set. Here are the issues/limititations that I have read about:

1) via component, you get 1080i for the HD-DVD movies, with regular DVDs at 480p.
2) only option for 1080p for HD-DVDs and more importantly upscaled regular DVDs is via a VGA connection.
3) Samsung DLP unit's VGA port expects "PC" RGB color set, not the Video color set the XBOX sends out. As a result, full blacks and full whites are not achievable (washed out image), and service menu stype programming is required to try and approach true colors.
4) Samsung DLP will automatically scale the VGA image to 92% size (per the TV manual), requiring stretching the image via the TV's menu to get full screen. Lost clarity/definition as a result?
5) there are issue with some audio formats, but these may be fixed in a couple of months with the next download.
6) not sure if VGA is less optimal for gaming than the component input.

So bottom line for me is, VGA port does not appear very attractive. Due to movine indesitry rules, component essentially renders the HD-DVD add-on's only usefulness as a 1080i HD-DVD player (understanding that 1080i for a movie shot at 24 frames is probably no worse than 1080p) without upscaling capability for DVDs. Also, I do not know of VGA for games is better/worse than 1080p via component.

For $200 with a movie (and go without the VGA cable) perhaps it is still a good deal.

Comments?

OK, another question ...does the built in DVD player of the 360 upconvert, or just the HD?
they both do an equal job upconverting. All the HD DVD add-on does is read the disc and send the info to be upconverted by the 360 itself.

I tested both the component and VGA cables with my HDDVD add-on on my HP PL4260N Plasma. I decided that the noticable improvment in the upconverted SDDVDs was worth the extra effort needed to tweak the image. It still does look very good, but I had to up my contrast a little from the component settings, and I had to up my 'saturation' (color on other TVs?) a lot. Maybe I'll consider playing around in the service menu to see if I can't adjust those extreme black level ranges.

Oh yeah, and I played Gears of War for hours last night over the VGA input, and it looked great. I wouldn't be concerned there.

1) via component, you get 1080i for the HD-DVD movies, with regular DVDs at 480p.
2) only option for 1080p for HD-DVDs and more importantly upscaled regular DVDs is via a VGA connection.


Yes on #1 and #2.
I have a 43" HLN. It doesn't accept 1080p, even over VGA. I use 1280x720 output over VGA. Looks stunning for HD-DVDs, games, and the upconversion looks good from what I've looked at. The only gain I personally would get from using component cables would be switching to component for watching HD-DVDs so I could get 1080i. But it would be scaled to 720p by the TV anyway, and I would lose the clarity and sharpness of the VGA connection. I haven't tried the component cables with the add-on, but I don't care to.




3) Samsung DLP unit's VGA port expects "PC" RGB color set, not the Video color set the XBOX sends out. As a result, full blacks and full whites are not achievable (washed out image), and service menu stype programming is required to try and approach true colors.


Run Avia or your favorite setup disc and set the brightness (black level) and contrast (white level) settings, etc.

I calibrated my set extensively, and actually the HOW-TO: Calibrating Your Display (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=523614) sticky in the HTPC forum was started by moi. Changing settings for Video (16-235) and PC (0-245) is just a matter of setting the Brightness (black level) and Contrast (white level) settings. If the VGA input's settings are expecting PC levels, you raise the Brightness control until you get the blackest black level the TV displays at Video level black. Contrast is a bit different, since you can't really make a DLP bloom like an old CRT. There are other ways of checking it, though (see my above linked thread). If the colors are under-/over-saturated, use the color/saturation control to adjust.


4) Samsung DLP will automatically scale the VGA image to 92% size (per the TV manual), requiring stretching the image via the TV's menu to get full screen. Lost clarity/definition as a result?


Nope, at least for my HLN. For PC/VGA, you can display it at full resolution, or a smaller resolution that puts black bars around the edge to get rid of overscan so you can see your whole computer screen. Not an issue with the 360/HD-DVD.


5) there are issue with some audio formats, but these may be fixed in a couple of months with the next download.

Yes, some issues with DD+ soundtracks. To be fixed soon.

6) not sure if VGA is less optimal for gaming than the component input.

It's sharper and clearer, especially if you're outputting the native resolution of your set.


So bottom line for me is, VGA port does not appear very attractive. Due to movine indesitry rules, component essentially renders the HD-DVD add-on's only usefulness as a 1080i HD-DVD player (understanding that 1080i for a movie shot at 24 frames is probably no worse than 1080p) without upscaling capability for DVDs. Also, I do not know of VGA for games is better/worse than 1080p via component.

For $200 with a movie (and go without the VGA cable) perhaps it is still a good deal.

Comments?


Re-evaluate based on what I posted here and what others have said. I still think it's a good deal, as do you. But hopefully the advice will help you decide if you want the VGA cables or not. I picked up a set of $20 VGA cables (came with nice optical audio cable) at MicroCenter close by, and they work great.

Is the 360 an upconverter WITHOUT the HD-DVD drive? Because my Misery DVD looks fantastic playing out of the 360 on my 50" Samsung.

As my TV has no VGA input, will a VGA to HDMI cable work?

As my TV has no VGA input, will a VGA to HDMI cable work?

No, not without a fairly expensive piece (couple hundred bucks) of equipment to do the analog to digital conversion.

Guess I'll wait for the rumored v2.

Your TV doesn't have component inputs?

I'm sure that even if they do release a V2 with HDMI, they would release an HDMI cable adapter, like the VGA, etc. for the millions who already have their 360s.

I do have component, but I was under the impression it would not upconvert over component, only VGA.

Yes, that's true. But depending on your TV, it may already have a good scaler. If you have a decent non-upconverting DVD player now, the 360 probably puts out a similar picture.

Secrets of Hi-Fi put the HD-DVD add-on through their tests:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=132#MicrosoftXbox%20360%20HD%20DVD%20Add-On
Does very well as a standard-def DVD player.


Here's the performace of the 360/tray itself as a DVD player:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=125#MicrosoftXbox%20360%20(Component)


Looks like a full review of the add-on player is forthcoming:
We will be serving up a complete review of the HD DVD add-on very shortly that will cover the full capabilities of this accessory as a HD DVD player. For now, the add-on continues the performance of the 360 as a stand-alone DVD player and continues to set the bar as a game console-based DVD player. At only $199 (for current 360 owners of course), this thing is a steal.

Has anyone here every heard anything like what I just found?
I asked Amir about this over on the Industry Insiders thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9867609#post9867609

I wanted to bring something up about the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.

I just purchased one this week, along with a handful of HD-DVDs. I use VGA out to my Samsung DLP at 720p, calibrated by me. I hooked up the player, used the Avia disc to make sure my levels were correct (had to turn Brightness/black level up about 5~6 notches), and was checking out some DVDs.

I was able to verify this by loading Call of Duty 3, which saves my screen/gamma settings in the options. A brightness setting of 51 is what it originally was, and previously I had used Avia to get that setting (before getting the HD-DVD add-on) and had tweaked CoD3's gamma setting to give the correct black level.

And I confirmed that this holds true when putting Avia in either the HD-DVD drive or main system drive. The Brightness black level has to be turned up 5~6 notches for SD DVD. Using the King Kong HD-DVD and SD DVD, to get the black bars at the top and bottom to be black, it required the same settings - 51 for HD-DVD and 56~57 for SD DVD.


I also experimented with the component cable connection, as my TV will take 1080i (not possible over VGA) but not 1080p. I tried component cables in both 720p and 1080i and found the following results.

For my component connection, HD-DVD requires the same Brightness black level setting I had used previously before switching to VGA cables - 59. However checking Avia and King Kong SD in either drive, in either resolution, I had to turn the Brightness black level setting down from 59 all the way to 35!


I confirmed all of this multiple, multiple times.

Unless this is just a fluke on my system only, it looks like the software update for the HD-DVD player altered the SD DVD decoding portion of the software, greatly throwing off at least the black level threshold. Perhaps it accidentally changed the IRE, although I don't know why it would be 5~6 notches off over VGA and 24 notches off for Component, and in the opposite direction.

quick question, does the xbox 360 hd-dvd player UPCONVERT regular dvds?

quick question, does the xbox 360 hd-dvd player UPCONVERT regular dvds?


Yes, if you use VGA. No, if you use component.

quick question, does the xbox 360 hd-dvd player UPCONVERT regular dvds?
Only if you connect it using VGA. If you are using VGA, the 360 will upconvert regular DVDs, whether or not you have the HD DVD player.

can I stick a regular dvd into the 360 hd-dvd player or does it have to go into the regular 360 consule to work. I mean upconvert that is,.

I have been contemplating getting the HD-DVD add-on, but have reservations about it's performance and full compatibility with my Samsung HL-S6187W DLP set....

...For $200 with a movie (and go without the VGA cable) perhaps it is still a good deal.

Comments?

Well, I went out and got it. Set-up and install took only a few minutes. First time playing the King Kong movie and the software prompt/download took place with no issues.

I'm using component video, and of course the movie at 1080i looked excellent, so I'm pleased enough so far. I may try the VGA cable later. But, next priority is to get a resonably priced audio receiver and some speakers - I'm still still using the TV's at the moment!

Be prepared to make some pretty significant changes to your display setting if/when you hook up the VGA cable. If you have the same settings as you component input, it won't look good at all. But you should be able to adjust it to get a great picture.

Corvall

can I stick a regular dvd into the 360 hd-dvd player or does it have to go into the regular 360 consule to work. I mean upconvert that is,.


With VGA, I believe it can go in either drive.

Be prepared to make some pretty significant changes to your display setting if/when you hook up the VGA cable. If you have the same settings as you component input, it won't look good at all. But you should be able to adjust it to get a great picture.

Corvall

...as "some" have experienced. Some "others" have found VGA to be dull, greyish, blurry, and generally lack lustre even after numerous alterations to display settings. These "others" stuck with component.

Try them both, and stick with what "you" like.

can I stick a regular dvd into the 360 hd-dvd player or does it have to go into the regular 360 consule to work. I mean upconvert that is,.
Doesn't matter. As long as you have the VGA cable, your 360 will upconvert DVDs. The HD DVD drive plays no part in this.

I've tried to read as much of this thread as I can without my eyes crossing, and I haven't seen this particular question addressed. So, here goes:
I have a Pioneer Elite PRO510HD CRT/RPTV. It accepts 1080i over component AND VGA. Will the 360HD add-on upscale to 1080i over VGA? Or will it only upscale to 720p or 1080p? All the posts I've noted here refer to 1080p upscaling only, not 1080i, so a little insight into this question will be appreciated.

but can you put a regular dvd in the hd-dvd player or just in the 360 consule itself.

I've tried to read as much of this thread as I can without my eyes crossing, and I haven't seen this particular question addressed. So, here goes:
I have a Pioneer Elite PRO510HD CRT/RPTV. It accepts 1080i over component AND VGA. Will the 360HD add-on upscale to 1080i over VGA? Or will it only upscale to 720p or 1080p? All the posts I've noted here refer to 1080p upscaling only, not 1080i, so a little insight into this question will be appreciated.


I could be wrong, but I don't think VGA can do interlaced signals. I think you have to select 720p or 1080p when using VGA.

If you calibrate your display properly and match it to your component picture (hopefully that is calibrated as well), you can see whether you like 720p over VGA or 1080i over component better. Your TV will handle component very well, but whether or not it handles a VGA signal well I do not know.

I could be wrong, but I don't think VGA can do interlaced signals. I think you have to select 720p or 1080p when using VGA.

If you calibrate your display properly and match it to your component picture (hopefully that is calibrated as well), you can see whether you like 720p over VGA or 1080i over component better. Your TV will handle component very well, but whether or not it handles a VGA signal well I do not know.


My reason for asking, is that I could free up one of my component inputs for HD-DVR usage IF the XBOX will output 1080i over VGA. I would like to have upscaling of standard DVD's to 1080i, and my (limited) understanding is that this will happen only over VGA. I'm thrilled with the PQ of HD-DVD's via component, but I currently do not have an option to view standard DVD beyond 480p. That would be the second bonus of using VGA.
As to your question regarding how my set "handles" VGA, when I first got the set, my only HD source was an RCA DTC100 DirecTV box, which output HD only over VGA...so, it handles VGA quite well, at 1080I. Hence (I hope) you see the root of my question.

but can you put a regular dvd in the hd-dvd player or just in the 360 consule itself.

Either, the hd-dvd player upconverts and my experience is that it does it very well. To the point of not buying an HD version of a dvd I already own.

My reason for asking, is that I could free up one of my component inputs for HD-DVR usage IF the XBOX will output 1080i over VGA. I would like to have upscaling of standard DVD's to 1080i, and my (limited) understanding is that this will happen only over VGA. I'm thrilled with the PQ of HD-DVD's via component, but I currently do not have an option to view standard DVD beyond 480p. That would be the second bonus of using VGA.
As to your question regarding how my set "handles" VGA, when I first got the set, my only HD source was an RCA DTC100 DirecTV box, which output HD only over VGA...so, it handles VGA quite well, at 1080I. Hence (I hope) you see the root of my question.


Yes, I understand. I think that with the recent update to the 360, 1080p was enabled for VGA, but I do not think 1080i is available anymore. If it was I would have tried it, as my set takes 720p and 1080i, but not 1080p.

It would be nice to have a 1080i option there for VGA...

I've tried to read as much of this thread as I can without my eyes crossing, and I haven't seen this particular question addressed. So, here goes:
I have a Pioneer Elite PRO510HD CRT/RPTV. It accepts 1080i over component AND VGA. Will the 360HD add-on upscale to 1080i over VGA? Or will it only upscale to 720p or 1080p? All the posts I've noted here refer to 1080p upscaling only, not 1080i, so a little insight into this question will be appreciated.
Unless I'm wrong, there is no such thing as interlacing for VGA, so asking if the 360 supports 1080i over VGA is a little disingenuous. I don't know what the specs are on your set (and Google isn't helping) but if it accepts PC input via VGA at 1080, then it's going to be progressive input, because VGA can't do interlaced.

Unless I'm wrong, there is no such thing as interlacing for VGA, so asking if the 360 supports 1080i over VGA is a little disingenuous. I don't know what the specs are on your set (and Google isn't helping) but if it accepts PC input via VGA at 1080, then it's going to be progressive input, because VGA can't do interlaced.

I do not believe that the Elite's VGA input is compatible with computer input, though I have never tried it that way. I'm still as confused as ever on this issue.
Let me try another approach: When I tried the VGA cable on my 360, I had to select a resolution for the system to adopt. The test was whether you got a clear screen, or an unwatchable mess. As I recall, anything above the equivalent of 480p resulted in the unwatchable mess. (I haven't tried this in a while, so maybe I need to try it again). Maybe what I'm asking is: what resolution would I choose to allow upscaling of SD DVD and still allow HD DVD at its normal 1080i. Is it me not making any sense here, or am I just that confused? I have not had a device that uses the VGA input since I retired the DTC100, and that was probably 3 years ago. FYI, the DTC100 did not even have component outputs!
What other info will I need to provide about my setup to get this question answered intelligably?

I could be mistaken, but I think VGA had 720p and 1080i as options before the update that added 1080p. I think it's at 1080i on my test 360 at work (I work at a VG company), since it hasn't been updated. I can check tomorrow.

has anyone directly compared with a Set that has 1080p VGA
compared the 360 HDDVD at 1080p VGA
vs an HDDVD player with HDMI? or Blu Ray player?

is there much notable difference in quality?
do the HDDVDs look a a little washed compared to the HDMI HDDVD?

I haven't.
The look of the VGA signal depends largely on the display, whether it handles VGA signals well. But after calibrating the levels properly, VGA produces a sharper picture (in 720p) than 720p or 1080i on my native-720p DLP. This is immediately apparent on the dashboard in the text, and video games are sharper as well. I haven't done any major back-and-forth for HD-DVDs, though.

On the other hand, it is difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between a 720p display and a 1080p display once you get far enough away (past 6~8 feet or so, I imagine). On my TV, though, I could tell the picture was sharper moving to VGA from component on the Dashboard and in the games.

I haven't.
The look of the VGA signal depends largely on the display, whether it handles VGA signals well. But after calibrating the levels properly, VGA produces a sharper picture (in 720p) than 720p or 1080i on my native-720p DLP. This is immediately apparent on the dashboard in the text, and video games are sharper as well. I haven't done any major back-and-forth for HD-DVDs, though.

On the other hand, it is difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between a 720p display and a 1080p display once you get far enough away (past 6~8 feet or so, I imagine). On my TV, though, I could tell the picture was sharper moving to VGA from component on the Dashboard and in the games.

Presumably dashboard and games display sharper via VGA because the RGB signals are all full bandwith? If you use a component connection then only the Y signal is full bandwith, with the Pr and Pb colour-difference signals band limited to around half that of the luma? (Assuming they comply to standard component analogue specs - and if they didn't that could cause problems elsewhere with aliasing on sampling for fixed pixel displays)

This isn't an issue with HD-DVD replay - as the source is already 4:2:0 sub-sampled "on disc". However with RGB pixel based rendered sources generated within the 360 - like games, the dashboard etc. - then the full bandwith chroma of the VGA output may be an advantage.

(This is assuming the 360 is based on a "4:4:4 RGB" frame buffer internally for rendering, rather than a "4:2:2 YCrCb or 4:2:0 YCrCb" buffer style...)

Hello everyone, how are you doing? Sine all of you own a xbox 360 add-on I was wondering if you all could help me out with something?
I turn my xbox 360 on while I watch television just so I could give it a head start to load so by the time I switch the input the movie is almost about ready to play. Everytime I switch the input (I have it to video 5 on my sony 1080p/60 xbr3) from the tv show I am watching to the xbox 360 it always displays some static looking screens for a second and then goes right into the xbox 360's menu or whatever movie is about to be played.
It only does this with my 360 that is obviously hooked up through components. It never does this with anything that I have connected through HDMI.
Can anyone help me clear this problem up by telling me it is normal and not to worry or is this a problem only I have.

Thank you all for your time and God Bless!

I am a proud owner of the add-on and I am thanjful that MSgave me an affordable option to enjoy HD movies. So far I own 7 titles and (knock on wood) not one glitch or stutter or audio problem! I love it and too al who own xbox360's and are not sure...I'm tellin younow...GET IT!!!

Hello everyone, how are you doing? Sine all of you own a xbox 360 add-on I was wondering if you all could help me out with something?
I turn my xbox 360 on while I watch television just so I could give it a head start to load so by the time I switch the input the movie is almost about ready to play. Everytime I switch the input (I have it to video 5 on my sony 1080p/60 xbr3) from the tv show I am watching to the xbox 360 it always displays some static looking screens for a second and then goes right into the xbox 360's menu or whatever movie is about to be played.
It only does this with my 360 that is obviously hooked up through components. It never does this with anything that I have connected through HDMI.
Can anyone help me clear this problem up by telling me it is normal and not to worry or is this a problem only I have.

Thank you all for your time and God Bless!
It sounds like your TV is simply switching resolutions. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Hey guys....Joe Customer with some insight......

i have the add-on and I watch my movies through component cables and at 1080i and you know what? The movies look and sound friggin awesome!!!! Point? All this nonsesne about 1080p is for the extreme tech lover (if thats you...please no offense..as I stated...I am avg. Joe). My budget is limited but with what I have....the add-on player rocks..

My suggestion.....get rid of the remote.....and drop the player down to 149.99 or slightly less. Then watch what happens.....

You need the remote. At least it's bundled at $200 and not sold separately. That was a very smart decision. I also love that it's fully back-lit, which hardly any "included" remotes are.

Can you program the media remote so that it can be used to open the HD-DVD drive, just as it does for the core drive on the XBOX 360 unit?

No, I don't think so. You have to go to the Dashboard and use the lower half of the "pokemon ball" looking thing to eject with the remote.

No, I don't think so. You have to go to the Dashboard and use the lower half of the "pokemon ball" looking thing to eject with the remote.
Nope, you can't even do that. You have to get up off the couch and hit the Eject button on the unit.

That's right. You can close the tray from the Dashboard, or play the disc in the tray. If you're opening the tray, it's assumed you'll be near the unit to take the disc out anyway...

Just picked up my drive and the thing will not eject. There appears to be no way to eject from the remote and pushing the button on the front does nothing. So now there is a disk in there and I can not even get it out!!

Just picked up my drive and the thing will not eject. There appears to be no way to eject from the remote and pushing the button on the front does nothing. So now there is a disk in there and I can not even get it out!!
others have reported faulty eject buttons. i'd return it.

Is the 360 capable of downmixing DTS-HD audio tracks?

This is exactly why I said can the remote...we DON'T need it!! CAN the remote and DROP the price.

My 2nd add-on won't play Hollywoodland. First one plays no problem.
Would flushing the cache help?
How does one do that again?

Thanks

This has been answered b4 I think, but how do you turn off the "Live Alerts" during movie play? It annoys the hell outta me.

This has been answered b4 I think, but how do you turn off the "Live Alerts" during movie play? It annoys the hell outta me.
Press the Guide button, go to Personal Settings, go to Notifications and uncheck "Show During Movies."

Just picked up my drive and the thing will not eject. There appears to be no way to eject from the remote and pushing the button on the front does nothing. So now there is a disk in there and I can not even get it out!!

All CDs and DVDs have an "eject button". Bend out a paper clip and poke it slowly into the hole under the "360" you should be able to "pop" the drawer open.

Well I returned the player and my new one seems to eject fine so far.

All CDs and DVDs have an "eject button". Bend out a paper clip and poke it slowly into the hole under the "360" you should be able to "pop" the drawer open.

I noticed the same thing, so I press and hold a little longer than usual and it seems to work

Press the Guide button, go to Personal Settings, go to Notifications and uncheck "Show During Movies."
Thank You!

I turned off the Dashboard sound effects (far right blade, sound, changed from Dolby Digital + Sound Effects to just DD), because when I watch movies I do it at about -10 give or take, and that's WAY too loud for the sound level of the swishing and swooshing and every other sound effect on the Dashboard including the notifications.

And I turned off auto-sign in so I'm not signed in while watching HD-DVDs.

I don't know if anyone would care about this seeing that it is a HI DEF DVD player, but I played KK through my Toshiba 40" TheaterWide CRT RPTV last night at 480i through the component cables, and it looked damn good. The detail and color was as good as any SuberBit DVD I have seen, maybe a bit better. The only thing I did not like was the "jaggies" on the diagonal lines. I have not seen that artifact in years, since the early DVD players, so it was a bit shocking to see. I am guessing it has to do with the downconversion process, but it made some scenes look very "computer-like".

I have a qualitly external HD->480i downconverter arriving tomorrow, so I will hook it up to that to see what difference it makes.

And if you are all wondering why I am even bothering with all of this, I am holding off until this fall for my new HD set purchase in hopes of some significant improvements that have been rumored for the Sony SXRD XBR3 sets. When I do get the new set, this 40" CRT RPTV will be moving down to my master bedroom.

Thanks for the reply. I did try the power cycling with the menu/skip/FF and it did not remove that message. It just remained on the screen. I even left it displayed for @ 15 mins and still nothing. I called Microsoft support again today and they came to the conclusion it was the disc and to return it for another one from Netflix...sheesh.
I'm in the same boat... I tried it with V For Vendetta just to make sure, and it's fine. So I have to assume that something's strange with the release.

I don't know if anyone would care about this seeing that it is a HI DEF DVD player, but I played KK through my Toshiba 40" TheaterWide CRT RPTV last night at 480i through the component cables, and it looked damn good. The detail and color was as good as any SuberBit DVD I have seen, maybe a bit better. The only thing I did not like was the "jaggies" on the diagonal lines. I have not seen that artifact in years, since the early DVD players, so it was a bit shocking to see. I am guessing it has to do with the downconversion process, but it made some scenes look very "computer-like".

I have a qualitly external HD->480i downconverter arriving tomorrow, so I will hook it up to that to see what difference it makes.

And if you are all wondering why I am even bothering with all of this, I am holding off until this fall for my new HD set purchase in hopes of some significant improvements that have been rumored for the Sony SXRD XBR3 sets. When I do get the new set, this 40" CRT RPTV will be moving down to my master bedroom.

I know what you mean. I have my Xbox 360 add-on feeding a 50" DLP for HD DVD, but I also have an old Tosh 36" SD CRT hooked up to an ATSC tuner. I watch OTA HDTV shows on it all the time at 480i and the PQ is much better than the same shows using the analog tuner. Sharper and more detailed, brighter colors, etc.

When I show people how HDTV looks downscaled on an SD display, they are amazed that it looks that good -- though I always have to explain why it's letterboxed. :cool:

has anyone here been able to get the xbox360 drive working installed internaly on a pc? i got the adapter for the minicd to parallel. windows sees the drive, but no programs can see the files from a hddvd. any suggestions or places i could find this out?

has anyone here been able to get the xbox360 drive working installed internaly on a pc? i got the adapter for the minicd to parallel. windows sees the drive, but no programs can see the files from a hddvd. any suggestions or places i could find this out?When you hook the 360HDAO to a PC with the normal USB 2.0 connection you get multiple devices as shown in Device Manager. One of them is the AACS thingy. A direct connection to just the bare drive itself would be missing this -- so any AACS handshake with a PC based software HD DVD player would fail.

Question, how do you hook up a Xbox HD-DVD to your PC, just the HD-DVD.

The mini USB cable that is provided is all you need, if I'm not mistaken. That and the power brick of course.

Question, how do you hook up a Xbox HD-DVD to your PC, just the HD-DVD.

You need Toshiba UDF drivers v2.5, Anydvd HD and PowerDVD v7 ultra
along the the 360 add on, it works perfectly as a HD player on any dual core PC.

ACCs/HDCP compliant hardware is not required.

Hey guys I have a 1680X1050 native res lcd(225bw).

Would this look crappy with the xbox hd-dvd drive due to the abnormal resolution? I have looked everywhere but can't find any answers.

Would it look better coming from a htpc? Thanks.

has anyone directly compared with a Set that has 1080p VGA
compared the 360 HDDVD at 1080p VGA
vs an HDDVD player with HDMI? or Blu Ray player?

is there much notable difference in quality?
do the HDDVDs look a a little washed compared to the HDMI HDDVD?

ditto here.
Can someone give reviews of X360 HDDVD (on the X360 not connected to PC) using VGA
vs.
Toshiba A2 using HDMI
Toshiba A2-X2 using HDMI

thanks,
Jon

ditto here.
Can someone give reviews of X360 HDDVD (on the X360 not connected to PC) using VGA
vs.
Toshiba A2 using HDMI
Toshiba A2-X2 using HDMI

thanks,
Jon

I tried component vs hdmi with hda2, on my 1080p bravia, to my eyes looked the same, result hda2 went back, some how audio is the stinky part on 360 drive but hda2 hdmi audio was marginally better, not a lot more

Good to here.
Anyone compare it vs. the A2X2 (going down in price) and is their best player right now.
(and has 1080p, and 1.3HDMI and true color)

kind of dead here...lately

kind of dead here...lately

Well there is not much to say. We are still stuck with a broken player that is not able to turn the f*cking dynamic compression off. Microsoft knows about this since half a year ago and they don't give a sh*t about destroying our movie experience. Instead of working on the issue and delivering a bug fix they are laughing their b*tts of, because they still find so many stupid morons that buy this POS. Instead of lying to us like in the last months they decided not to talk with us at all any more. The joke, laughing about the customers who wasted their money on a broken product, probably grew old.

Did I miss anything?

IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MICROSOFT UNLESS THEY PUT A GUN ON MY HEAD.

THEY SUCK!

Well there is not much to say. We are still stuck with a broken player that is not able to turn the f*cking dynamic compression off. Microsoft knows about this since half a year ago and they don't give a sh*t about destroying our movie experience. Instead of working on the issue and delivering a bug fix they are laughing their b*tts of, because they still find so many stupid morons that buy this POS. Instead of lying to us like in the last months they decided not to talk with us at all any more. The joke, laughing about the customers who wasted their money on a broken product, probably grew old.

Did I miss anything?

IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MICROSOFT UNLESS THEY PUT A GUN ON MY HEAD.

THEY SUCK!

And yet you still include the quote about HD DVD quality. I'd think that supporting anything MS did would be included in that. But hey, that's just me. You show me another $160 HD DVD player that works perfectly, and I'll switch! The HD-A2 is down to $300, but it won't do progressive, so that's out for me. So despite some of the issues, for cost alone, I think it's worth it... Then again, you get what you pay for... :)

And yet you still include the quote about HD DVD quality. I'd think that supporting anything MS did would be included in that. But hey, that's just me. You show me another $160 HD DVD player that works perfectly, and I'll switch! The HD-A2 is down to $300, but it won't do progressive, so that's out for me. So despite some of the issues, for cost alone, I think it's worth it... Then again, you get what you pay for... :)

Well I paid 470 Euro for a premium xbox with the HD DVD addon. And the system is not able to compete with the sound that you get from 50 Euro SD player. I still like HD DVD because HD DVD is much more then just Microsoft.

But I HATE Microsoft for treating us like morons.

Maybe I change my sig to a "I hate MS" sig. Or maybe I just continue to call their toll free number - from a cell phone >:) - and complain about the crappy sound.

I am just about to pull the plug on a toshiba xa2 hd player

This might have been asked before, but does any one know if the new Elite will pass the better audio through its HDMI port.. Would I finally be able to get TrueHD or any other the other ones the the Elite????

I am so close to ordering the Onkyo 605 when it comes out if I can get the upgraded audio... Also have the PS3, but just one devices right now isnt enough of an upgrade for me to get it... Just wondering... Thanks

Well there is not much to say. We are still stuck with a broken player that is not able to turn the f*cking dynamic compression off. Microsoft knows about this since half a year ago and they don't give a sh*t about destroying our movie experience. Instead of working on the issue and delivering a bug fix they are laughing their b*tts of, because they still find so many stupid morons that buy this POS. Instead of lying to us like in the last months they decided not to talk with us at all any more. The joke, laughing about the customers who wasted their money on a broken product, probably grew old.

Did I miss anything?

IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MICROSOFT UNLESS THEY PUT A GUN ON MY HEAD.

THEY SUCK!

Speak for yourself. I love my add-on. Once the sound update comes in then not only will it look awesome...but sound even better. Find me something that does the job for this cheap!

It will only output Stereo LPCM, DD, DTS, or WMA. I.e., what you can get from current 360's optical port. No multichannel LPCM, this has been confirmed.

However if that update ever comes out I'll consider it "good enough" for me, I already have a 360 with addon..

Does anyone have some good calibiration settings running on VGA connection to a Samsung HL-S5687W 1080p tv. I am going to be hooking it up to the 360 add on. I tried some settings but didnt come out right. Any suggestions would be great. :)

Well there is not much to say. We are still stuck with a broken player that is not able to turn the f*cking dynamic compression off. Microsoft knows about this since half a year ago and they don't give a sh*t about destroying our movie experience. Instead of working on the issue and delivering a bug fix they are laughing their b*tts of, because they still find so many stupid morons that buy this POS. Instead of lying to us like in the last months they decided not to talk with us at all any more. The joke, laughing about the customers who wasted their money on a broken product, probably grew old.

Did I miss anything?

IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MICROSOFT UNLESS THEY PUT A GUN ON MY HEAD.

THEY SUCK!

Caurus, you should really walk around this forum some more before jumping to those conclusions. Microsoft has insiders that speak with us multiple times a day. You should jump into the Insiders forum and ask them directly about your issues.

I just received this from Amir from the insiders forum about the xbox 360. Many people seem to ask him or Bob about the xbox 360 drive....

"Quote:
On the xbox I have marked as being able to decode DD+ and WMA Pro which my receiver can decode both. I was wondering if the xbox favors outputing it in one format (DD+ versus WMA Pro)? "


Today, it only outputs DD. With the updated software, you will be in command and able to choose DD at 640kbps, DTS at 1.5 Mbit/sec or WMA Pro at 1.5mbit/sec. Since your receiver understands all three, you can play with them and see what sounds best.

Does anyone have some good calibiration settings running on VGA connection to a Samsung HL-S5687W 1080p tv. I am going to be hooking it up to the 360 add on. I tried some settings but didnt come out right. Any suggestions would be great. :)
Here's one suggestion: wait until May 7. That's when Microsoft will release the Xbox 360 Spring Update. Among the enhancements will be the ability to adjust black level on VGA output.

I got a second HD DVD from a friend, but I don't need it so I'm selling it. He gave me everything that came with it, except the DVD update disk. I don't mind giving up the disk I got with mine if I know I won't need it. I think that as long as you have an Xbox Live connection, if I have to replace my 360, I can get the disk update from that. Is this correct? Or will the drive not be at the latest update without the disk?

Yep, you can get the update from Live. The disc is intended for those who are not connected...

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/download.htm

Are there any particular settings that the x-box should be on? I have a 4 yr old 72-inch Mits with component inputs - no VGA. I have Monster 360 hd cables. The signal comes in 1080i but the HD-DVD picture is somewhat washed out with a gray-blue tint that i cant get rid of by adjusting tint on the TV. Regular HD on the tv is awesome (especially stuff like Discovery HD) and 360 games are super. I have been reading the reports of "amazing" pq with the add-on and so far i'm not getting it. Any suggestions?

Caurus, you should really walk around this forum some more before jumping to those conclusions. Microsoft has insiders that speak with us multiple times a day. You should jump into the Insiders forum and ask them directly about your issues.

I just received this from Amir from the insiders forum about the xbox 360. Many people seem to ask him or Bob about the xbox 360 drive....

"Quote:
On the xbox I have marked as being able to decode DD+ and WMA Pro which my receiver can decode both. I was wondering if the xbox favors outputing it in one format (DD+ versus WMA Pro)? "


Today, it only outputs DD. With the updated software, you will be in command and able to choose DD at 640kbps, DTS at 1.5 Mbit/sec or WMA Pro at 1.5mbit/sec. Since your receiver understands all three, you can play with them and see what sounds best.


Yeah, my post was pretty bad.

But then Microsoft's behaviour is making me mad. Since LAST YEAR I am waiting for the bug fix. The PQ is so awesome but the SQ is so incredible bad - it is unbelievable. I should have sold or returned the addon right away. My fault. But since last year Amir is telling us that the update will come "soon" or sooner then later or in weeks and not months (which is months ago, I think). I am 100% sure it will come after the spring update. A LONG time after the spring update. And that is the reason why they are not telling us anything about the release date. Because everybody would try to get rid off the addon and nobody would buy it anymore. This is so EVIL from Microsoft - they treat their customers like rabid dogs or even worse.

Yeah, my post was pretty bad.

But then Microsoft's behaviour is making me mad. Since LAST YEAR I am waiting for the bug fix. The PQ is so awesome but the SQ is so incredible bad - it is unbelievable. I should have sold or returned the addon right away. My fault. But since last year Amir is telling us that the update will come "soon" or sooner then later or in weeks and not months (which is months ago, I think). I am 100% sure it will come after the spring update. A LONG time after the spring update. And that is the reason why they are not telling us anything about the release date. Because everybody would try to get rid off the addon and nobody would buy it anymore. This is so EVIL from Microsoft - they treat their customers like rabid dogs or even worse.

I wonder why yours sounds so bad. I have HD DVD movies that literally shake my apartment enough for several neighbors to complain, and the highs can be pretty decent as well. Full surround... I will say I have heard better, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to have a grudge against the add on. It does well right now. I'm sure I'll notice an improvement once the update is done, but until then I can live with what to me sounds pretty good.

Have you tried changing your sound fields on your AV receiver? Sometimes when I switch from a Dolby surround setting to a THX surround setting I hear a world of difference that way. Some of my Dolby settings sound sort of flat, but THX really adds the impact and highs that I like.

You must have your volume jacked up on your receiver. There is a known issue with the Xbox360 Addon that it is sending out the sound in NIGHT MODE that is making the sound really bad.

You must have your volume jacked up on your receiver. There is a known issue with the Xbox360 Addon that it is sending out the sound in NIGHT MODE that is making the sound really bad.

Agreed. The only way that I can get adequate sound levels on DD+ tracks is crank my receiver up to almost double what I have it normally set for for Blu-Ray movies, DVD movies, and regular old Dish network stations. Even then, I do not think we are getting the full sound effects due to "Night Mode" being turned on by default no matter how loud we crank our receivers. If I lived in an apartment with tons of neighbors this issue would not bother me as much as it does in my freshly built media room...

agreed....

i ran my Denon 2807 on 0db level to get loud enough sound but it still lacked bottom end. My dvd copy of king kong killed it!

If i ran the DVD copy at that level i'd be deaf(er)

:-)

I wonder why yours sounds so bad. I have HD DVD movies that literally shake my apartment enough for several neighbors to complain, and the highs can be pretty decent as well. Full surround... I will say I have heard better, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to have a grudge against the add on. It does well right now. I'm sure I'll notice an improvement once the update is done, but until then I can live with what to me sounds pretty good.

Have you tried changing your sound fields on your AV receiver? Sometimes when I switch from a Dolby surround setting to a THX surround setting I hear a world of difference that way. Some of my Dolby settings sound sort of flat, but THX really adds the impact and highs that I like.

Sure I can crank up the volume but then I would become deaf. I want the full dynamics. I want low volume parts to be low volume and high volume parts to be high volume. There is nothing my AV amp could do. And it is not because it is an oldtimer (Marantz PS-17), it is because once the dynamics are crushed, this information is gone. There is nothing a processor could do.

I am really pissed about this issue. I would have sold my addon ages ago. But MS left the impression the update would come "soon", "in weeks but not month"... well, half a year later, I still got crappy sound and I would loose about 50% of what I paid for it, when I sell it now.

Fhank you very much Miscrosoft!

Now I even lost my writing rights to the insider thread. Critical questions about update the dynamic compression issue are not welcome anymore. So the point about the insider thread is to tell the insiders how great they are and how much we appreciate that they are coming done to us lowlifes. Pathetic.

I guess I am the only "HD DVD fanboi" who made it on Sony's AND Microsoft's blacklist - AND I AM GODDAM PROUD OF IT!

The only good thing about the dynamic compression bugfix and Microsoft's ongoing ignoring of their customers is that it inspires my creativity to develop some colorful metaphers about the situation.

This is the "brown metapher" (part of a censored and within 5 seconds deleted post from the insider thread):
---
Why is this so important for your customers and why are they, well, "unhappy". Lets draw a metapher: With the addon it is like we just bought a car. The seller of the car took a big dump on the back seat. Now we ask the seller, what's up with that? He says, don't worry, was an accident, I will clean this up soon. About half a year later, nothing happened. We cannot use the car. We ask the seller again, what's up with my car!? The seller says, well, it is still a good car, it corners like on rails, so I really do not understand what you are complaining about and the thing on the backseat will be fixed soon. Would you like to have such a car? See, we got it, it is the addon and it stinks.

So why can't we get a date? Is there really such a dark secret hidden in this date, that we, the customers, are better off, not knowing the date? I don't understand this.
---

Lets see if I find a metapher for every color... ;)

Last night I watched "The Eagles - Farewell I Tour" on HD DVD on my Add-On. I set the disc Audio to DTS, but my receiver clearly showed that it was receiving Dolby Digital. Is the 360 Add-On converting DTS to DD before piping out the digital signal over toslink?

If so, WHY!?!?! And is it planned to be corrected in Spring Update?

Seems very strange to me.

I am having MAJOR issues with the HDScape Exotic Saltwater Aquarium HD DVD. When I first put it in the HD DVD Add-On, it gave an error message saying it could not play the content. Even though I bought the Add-On in March, I loaded the Jan update to be sure I had the latest and greatest (what PITA if you do not have XBox live, BTW).

After the update, the disc actually played. But I have NO MENU INDICATOR graphics, so I can not tell what I am selecting. I try to do it by counting button clicks on the remote, but even that is flaky.

Is anyone else having a problem with this HD DVD disc?

Thanks,
Troy

Last night I watched "The Eagles - Farewell I Tour" on HD DVD on my Add-On. I set the disc Audio to DTS, but my receiver clearly showed that it was receiving Dolby Digital. Is the 360 Add-On converting DTS to DD before piping out the digital signal over toslink?

If so, WHY!?!?! And is it planned to be corrected in Spring Update?

Seems very strange to me.

You don't want to know.. Yes, the add-on is converting DTS to DD and on top of that the 360 add-on is not properly outputting DD.. It is stuck in "night mode". Chekout this thread for more information:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=757895

These issues have been noted since November 2006, and Microsoft is very aware. We do not know when the audio fix will be here, but it was confirmed that it will not be with the May 7th Spring Update for the 360..

I know it sucks. I stopped watching movies on my add-on over a month ago until they fix the audio issues. It drives me crazy... The only movies that seem to play good (audio wise) are movies that have TrueHD soundtracks..

I am having MAJOR issues with the HDScape Exotic Saltwater Aquarium HD DVD. When I first put it in the HD DVD Add-On, it gave an error message saying it could not play the content. Even though I bought the Add-On in March, I loaded the Jan update to be sure I had the latest and greatest (what PITA if you do not have XBox live, BTW).

After the update, the disc actually played. But I have NO MENU INDICATOR graphics, so I can not tell what I am selecting. I try to do it by counting button clicks on the remote, but even that is flaky.

Is anyone else having a problem with this HD DVD disc?

Thanks,
Troy

Well, I found my own answer at the HD Scape Blog (http://hdscape.blogspot.com/) :

XBOX 360 Users:

Originally, HDScape discs did not work at all on your players. With an update late last year, basic functionality given, however as you already know your disc does not work perfectly. If you are receiving an error code and the disc does not play, please make sure you have the latest Dashboard update.

However, even with the latest Dashboard update, you player will not play the discs flawlessly. You will not see a cursor which will allow you to make selections on the menu. Our engineers are in contact with Microsoft and are working to solve this problem. The next Dashboard update will fix this problem, and is expected to be released in the near future.

In the meantime, there is a way to work around this problem. You must wait 2-3 seconds after the main menu loads, then you may select menu options. This can be done by 'blindly' pressing up and down the number of times necessary to choose the appropriate option.

If you have any other problems, please feel free to contact us at: customercare@hdscape.com

You don't want to know.. Yes, the add-on is converting DTS to DD and on top of that the 360 add-on is not properly outputting DD.. It is stuck in "night mode". Chekout this thread for more information:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=757895

These issues have been noted since November 2006, and Microsoft is very aware. We do not know when the audio fix will be here, but it was confirmed that it will not be with the May 7th Spring Update for the 360..

I know it sucks. I stopped watching movies on my add-on over a month ago until they fix the audio issues. It drives me crazy... The only movies that seem to play good (audio wise) are movies that have TrueHD soundtracks..

Thanks ack_bk! Ouch...far worse than I imagined...you are right...ignorance WAS bliss. I knew about the "Night Mode" bug...but GEESH!

Oh well...just another thread to watch on AVSF! ;)

Regards,
Troy

You don't want to know.. Yes, the add-on is converting DTS to DD and on top of that the 360 add-on is not properly outputting DD.. It is stuck in "night mode". Chekout this thread for more information:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=757895

These issues have been noted since November 2006, and Microsoft is very aware. We do not know when the audio fix will be here, but it was confirmed that it will not be with the May 7th Spring Update for the 360..

I know it sucks. I stopped watching movies on my add-on over a month ago until they fix the audio issues. It drives me crazy... The only movies that seem to play good (audio wise) are movies that have TrueHD soundtracks..

Thanks ack_bk! Ouch...far worse than I imagined...you are right...ignorance WAS bliss. I knew about the "Night Mode" bug...but GEESH!

Oh well...just another thread to watch on AVSF! ;)

Regards,
Troy

***Apology in advance for not reading all 100 some odd pages of this thread.


That being said I want to confirm a few things because I'm still relatively new to this device, I purchased mine in March but really haven't gotten overly inquisitive since.


1. I'm using components, and play standard dvd's in the player mostly. I may be off base but I feel like it's up-scaling to something...maybe not 720p or 1080i but it looks a lot better than regular 480p. Is it better if I go with VGA when I get a new 1080p TV that has a VGA input? I would like to use this player as an up-scaler but don't mind getting an OPPO if it offers better performance.

2. Due to the intercooler being louder than all get out, is there a viable way to hook just the HD-DVD accessory to my computer provided I have the proper video card, I got mixed messages over on the HTPC...something about hating the AAIC or whatever.

1. I'm using components, and play standard dvd's in the player mostly. I may be off base but I feel like it's up-scaling to something...maybe not 720p or 1080i but it looks a lot better than regular 480p. Is it better if I go with VGA when I get a new 1080p TV that has a VGA input? I would like to use this player as an up-scaler but don't mind getting an OPPO if it offers better performance.


You eyes are playing tricks on you - It's still only 480p. Until April 29, the only way to get upscaling is via the VGA cable. With the Elite having an HDMI connection, you'll also get it that way.

Deezul

maybe if your TV is set to sutomatically zoom the 480p signal you are thinking it's upscaling.

The display is scaling the 480i/p to its native resolution. It won't show it as-is in a small window.

Lets see if I find a metapher for every color... ;)

Caurus,

I know you LOVE your "metaphers", because you post them in several different threads. But maybe you should try using the built-in Spell Checker that the AVS Forum offers: it is spelled metaphor.

;)

Regards,
Troy

You don't want to know.. Yes, the add-on is converting DTS to DD and on top of that the 360 add-on is not properly outputting DD.. It is stuck in "night mode".

That's incorrect. The "night mode" bug applies ONLY to DD+ tracks.

It does NOT apply to DTS or True HD tracks, which are converted to DD but do not have any dynamic range problem.

1. I'm using components, and play standard dvd's in the player mostly. I may be off base but I feel like it's up-scaling to something...maybe not 720p or 1080i but it looks a lot better than regular 480p. Is it better if I go with VGA when I get a new 1080p TV that has a VGA input? I would like to use this player as an up-scaler but don't mind getting an OPPO if it offers better performance.

2. Due to the intercooler being louder than all get out, is there a viable way to hook just the HD-DVD accessory to my computer provided I have the proper video card, I got mixed messages over on the HTPC...something about hating the AAIC or whatever.

No upscaling of SD DVD except over VGA. If you get a 1080p TV it would probably be worth investing in the VGA cable.

If by intercooler you mean the NYKO external cooler for the Xbox 360, you'd be better off without it. In addition to the excessive noise, it has actually been known to break a few consoles.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/27/nyko-intercooler-scorches-xbox-360-consoles/

Hooking the add-on to an HTPC is easy, but getting it to display can be tricky. You need a software player capable of reading an HD DVD. That will set you back $99 or so. That may also require a video card with HDCP to display over DVI or HDMI. Some people have been able to get VGA to work on older cards. There are separate threads on these issues if you care to search.

I got one of those NYKO external coolers for the Xbox 360 and when I looked at it I decided it wouldn't help much if used as designed. It actually blocks the built in fans exhaust path some. Fans on top of fans? Nah.

I took it apart and extended the cables mounting the fans to blow air in and out the back of my closed cabinet. Now when I turn on my 360 2 fans turn on and keep the air inside as cool as the air outside (or at least much cooler than it was without the fans).

That's incorrect. The "night mode" bug applies ONLY to DD+ tracks.

It does NOT apply to DTS or True HD tracks, which are converted to DD but do not have any dynamic range problem.

Thanks for that info. I did not realize that the converted DTS tracks were not affected by the "night mode" flaw. That said, many of the movies I own and have watched contain DD+ tracks, so this flaw still affects many many titles (especially catalog releases).

Greetings good people of AVS Forum.

I hope you'll be lenient towards me for not fully reading this thread looking for an answer before posting, but it is rather massive :(
(I did couple of keyword searches, but they turned out nothing related to this.)

I've noticed that for some reason all the HD DVD movies that I've played with the player seem to have more or less stuttering trail in fast moving scenes.
I'm watching them on the Sony KDS-55A2000 SXRD via component that is passed through NAD T163v2 and this happens with both 720p and 1080i signals.
As I haven't had any problems like this when playing Xbox 360 games I'd say it's rather safe to say that the problem isn't in the TV nor the amplifier.
I have the problem even without any noise reduction or DRC on.

I hope the description of the problem sounds somehow sensible, but that's the best I can describe it.
Any hints for possible further testing or adjusting would be most welcome.

Thank you in advance

Greetings good people of AVS Forum.

I hope you'll be lenient towards me for not fully reading this thread looking for an answer before posting, but it is rather massive :(
(I did couple of keyword searches, but they turned out nothing related to this.)

I've noticed that for some reason all the HD DVD movies that I've played with the player seem to have more or less stuttering trail in fast moving scenes.
I'm watching them on the Sony KDS-55A2000 SXRD via component that is passed through NAD T163v2 and this happens with both 720p and 1080i signals.
As I haven't had any problems like this when playing Xbox 360 games I'd say it's rather safe to say that the problem isn't in the TV nor the amplifier.
I have the problem even without any noise reduction or DRC on.

I hope the description of the problem sounds somehow sensible, but that's the best I can describe it.
Any hints for possible further testing or adjusting would be most welcome.

Thank you in advance

I have the exact same tv and I have the exact same problem. I think it even does it with my Blu-Ray movies with my PS3 running through the HDMI port. I just posted about this problem earlier in the SXRD thread.

I have the exact same tv and I have the exact same problem...

Thank you very much. I'll start keeping an eye on the SXRD-thread.

Thank you very much. I'll start keeping an eye on the SXRD-thread.

I was just looking through some of the post from the last couple of days and another poster has made a post about the choppy/jerky movement. I'm calling Sony tomorrow to complain and see if they have any ideas about whats causing this.

So...

If I select the TrueHD track on Batman Begins, I'm hearing it WITHOUT the Night Mode Problem? Do I understand that correctly?

If I do, then King Kong has the problem but not Batman Begins...right?

yes in theory.

however the nine inch nails true hd track was causing all sorts of problems on the
add on drive

Incompatibility list:

Add "DVD Essentials" HDDVD edition. :(

It totally freezes when entering the test area.

How does it compare to Toshiba's USB DVD DRIVE?

Incompatibility list:

Add "DVD Essentials" HDDVD edition. :(

It totally freezes when entering the test area.

Known problem, will be fixed in the May 7 update.

How does it compare to Toshiba's USB DVD DRIVE?

Same hardware, and you need a software player for use with a PC.

Same hardware, and you need a software player for use with a PC.

can u hook it up to xbox 360

I new to all this audio stuff, I read up on what the differences are between them so I have a basic understanding. But I still have one question. IF I want to play the movie without the night mode, then all i have to do is select TrueHD on my optical cable, but why did microsoft only impliment a night mode with DD+ and not TrueHD. Isn't TrueHD the same or better quality than DD+?

can u hook it up to xbox 360

Not sure, but I suspect that might be a problem. The two drives have the same hardware, but the firmware might be different enough to prevent the Xbox from recognizing the PC version. You might be able to flash, but why risk it?

Bottom line, we know the Xbox add-on works with a PC because people have done it. We don't know if the Toshiba PC drive works with the Xbox because AFAIK, nobody has tried.

I new to all this audio stuff, I read up on what the differences are between them so I have a basic understanding. But I still have one question. IF I want to play the movie without the night mode, then all i have to do is select TrueHD on my optical cable, but why did microsoft only impliment a night mode with DD+ and not TrueHD. Isn't TrueHD the same or better quality than DD+?

MS didn't do it on purpose. Dolby designed DD+ so that it defaults to night mode unless the player has a GUI that offers the option to switch between night mode and uncompressed sound. (You'd think it would be the other way around, right?) Standalone players have that option.

MS didn't program that setting into the Xbox 360 dashboard, so DD+ tracks default to night mode.

That also explains why other audio formats aren't affected. TrueHD and DTS are converted to DD for optical output as is, DD+ steps down to night mode before the conversion.

MS didn't do it on purpose. Dolby designed DD+ so that it defaults to night mode unless the player has a GUI that offers the option to switch between night mode and uncompressed sound. (You'd think it would be the other way around, right?) Standalone players have that option.

MS didn't program that setting into the Xbox 360 dashboard, so DD+ tracks default to night mode.

That also explains why other audio formats aren't affected. TrueHD and DTS are converted to DD for optical output as is, DD+ steps down to night mode before the conversion.
AHH I see, this makes sense-damn DD+ people making a night mode. Thanks for the explaination

MS didn't do it on purpose. Dolby designed DD+ so that it defaults to night mode unless the player has a GUI that offers the option to switch between night mode and uncompressed sound. (You'd think it would be the other way around, right?) Standalone players have that option.

Where in the DD+ documentation does it state that the metadata parameter settings for dynamic range defaults to "night mode"? Isn't the purpose of metadata to provide information for the players decoder concerning dynamic range, dialog normalization, downmixing, etc so the audio will be transcoded properly? Having a Graphics User Interface (GUI) audio setting option does not seem to be a requirement for proper utilization of the metadata and therefore the correct DD+ transcoding for the optimum audio experience. I think MS is deflecting the audio deficiencies of its software solution for the HD-DVD add-on.

If I'm wrong, please direct me to the correct Dolby documentation with the metadata default flag for "night mode".

MS didn't do it on purpose. Dolby designed DD+ so that it defaults to night mode unless the player has a GUI that offers the option to switch between night mode and uncompressed sound. (You'd think it would be the other way around, right?) Standalone players have that option.

MS didn't program that setting into the Xbox 360 dashboard, so DD+ tracks default to night mode.


Yeah, who could have known this.

Who could have known that the default is the setting the prevents cheap TV speakers from getting blown to pieces by the DD sound with full dynamics?

I wonder if MS ever tested the addon before they put it everywhere on the shelves. Obviously not.

Yeah, who would have known that something is wrong with the dynamic compression. It is not like dozends of people where suggesting since 5 month that something is wrong with the dynamic compression. - Oh. Actually there where dozends of people who where suggesting that something is wrong with the dynamic compression.

So who could have known? Well my guess would be that a chimpanze could have known - but MS? No, MS could not have known.

But MS could have gotten its head out of its **** about half a year ago and could have delivered us the bug fix.

*temper tantrum*

wow

These issues have been noted since November 2006, and Microsoft is very aware. We do not know when the audio fix will be here, but it was confirmed that it will not be with the May 7th Spring Update for the 360...


WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Stop the presses, when did they confirm this?

I never understood why they were stalling until a major update (Spring) now you are telling me they aren't even going to make that?
What, are they waiting for HDDVD to fail first?

It seems MS is great at never confirming anything but bad news.

Hey fans, we know you were disappointed with the "Elite" err, we mean black Xbox, but hold onto your pants, you ain't seen nothing yet.
All the stuff we promised to fix for the Spring update months ago, we'll get ready to wait 7 or 8 more months.

That will teach you to complain about Backwards Compatibility!

Just amazing, what is next, are they going to start taking away features?

wow

Yep, sometimes it gets me. Usually when I come from my home theater where I tried to enjoy a HD DVD. Which is not possible with the xbox addon.

150,000 very unhappy customers. Does MS care? Nope.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Stop the presses, when did they confirm this?

I never understood why they were stalling until a major update (Spring) now you are telling me they aren't even going to make that?
What, are they waiting for HDDVD to fail first?


Amir said it somewhere in the insider thread. The two updates where decoupled and he confirmed several times that the bug fix will not come with the spring update. Well, but then looking at his track record, what he said and what came true... there is still a chance...

*laughing*

...but then: let's not be hasty!

how do I block posts from specific users again? I love my HD DVD and netflix.

I wonder if MS ever tested the addon before they put it everywhere on the shelves. Obviously not.
.


I feel sorry for MS, what ever they do people complain about it!
I am waiting for the forza 2 demo right now and here in this thread we are waiting for the audio fix and everybody is like, "c´mon what the hell are you waiting for release it already", still you are complaining about them not testing things enough and releasing flawed software...

And we all know there is going to be some new flaw with the new stuff anyway.... there always is...

if there isnt some nerd is going to tell everybody about that little insigificant artefact he sees/hears when standing on his head naked at his grandparents house and then everybody will look for it and of course there lives will be ruined by this big flaw.

well what are forums for hey! :-)

There is a very good reason why people on the forums feel badly treated by Microsoft, more than usual.

1) If they had more carefully selected a Beta testing group, that included people like us on this forum, we would have spotted the sound problem prior to release. Microsoft have entered the AV world, but with all the VGA issues, sound issues, they clearly have not realised the need to involve some of us in their testing, which we are happy to do, especially if we get to keep the kit!

2) The DRC issue is such a severe one, that regardless of the test cycle cost to Microsoft, it is a P1 defect, and as such should have been fast tracked through as a hotfix/patch. The DTS stuff can wait. 6 months on for a P1 defect will not make any customer happy, even the most patient.

3) The vagueness of release dates can be understood to some extent. Unit testing can fail. QA can fail. A build server can fail and need to be rebuilt. Transparency is much much better than no information. This is still a lesson big corporates such as Microsoft need to learn.

Jonathan


I feel sorry for MS, what ever they do people complain about it!
I am waiting for the forza 2 demo right now and here in this thread we are waiting for the audio fix and everybody is like, "c´mon what the hell are you waiting for release it already", still you are complaining about them not testing things enough and releasing flawed software...

And we all know there is going to be some new flaw with the new stuff anyway.... there always is...

if there isnt some nerd is going to tell everybody about that little insigificant artefact he sees/hears when standing on his head naked at his grandparents house and then everybody will look for it and of course there lives will be ruined by this big flaw.

well what are forums for hey! :-)

how do I block posts from specific users again? I love my HD DVD and netflix.

Go into your "User CP" and you will see the Buddy/Ignore boxes. Enter the persons name in the "Ignore" field, then submit it.

I bought the 360 Elite on Sunday and HD DVD add on this weekend. It all works great and I love it. The main reason I chose the XBOX was for the Media Extender abilities. When I went to rent an HD DVD on Sunday, though, I was sad to see that all the movies I wanted to watch were on Blu Ray. What gives.

After reading more, I know am tempted to buy a PS3 and an original XBOX (modded). That way I get Blu Ray and the Media Extender for just $20 more than the Elite with add-on.

I can't fine reasons to make me want to keep the 360 with HD DVD. Please help with facts.

You posted the same question in two threads. My original answer is here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10453609&&#post10453609

just checked it, thanks!

Does anyone know whether the elite system will output 1080p HD-DVDs through the new HDMI connection? If so it might be worth upgrading for mew to get the better picture quality.

I bought the 360 Elite on Sunday and HD DVD add on this weekend. It all works great and I love it. The main reason I chose the XBOX was for the Media Extender abilities. When I went to rent an HD DVD on Sunday, though, I was sad to see that all the movies I wanted to watch were on Blu Ray. What gives.

After reading more, I know am tempted to buy a PS3 and an original XBOX (modded). That way I get Blu Ray and the Media Extender for just $20 more than the Elite with add-on.

I can't fine reasons to make me want to keep the 360 with HD DVD. Please help with facts.

do you work for sony or one of their viral marketers? :eek:

Does anyone know whether the elite system will output 1080p HD-DVDs through the new HDMI connection? If so it might be worth upgrading for mew to get the better picture quality.

Yes. When it comes to HD DVD, the old Xbox 360 does 1080p over component (if your TV can accept it, most can't,) and VGA (again, if...) The Elite does all that and adds 1080p over HDMI. Whether you will notice a difference between the digital and analog connections depends on your TV and your eyes.

The real difference is upscaling standard DVDs. The old Xbox only does that over VGA, the Elite also does it over HDMI.

I bought the 360 Elite on Sunday and HD DVD add on this weekend. It all works great and I love it. The main reason I chose the XBOX was for the Media Extender abilities. When I went to rent an HD DVD on Sunday, though, I was sad to see that all the movies I wanted to watch were on Blu Ray. What gives.

After reading more, I know am tempted to buy a PS3 and an original XBOX (modded). That way I get Blu Ray and the Media Extender for just $20 more than the Elite with add-on.

I can't fine reasons to make me want to keep the 360 with HD DVD. Please help with facts.

So you didn't even buy the XBox to play games on?? Why not spend half the amount of money and buy a Tosh A2? If you don't care about games, just forget about the game systems.

Also, you can use the Core for Media Center, you don't need an Elite for that.

Yes. When it comes to HD DVD, the old Xbox 360 does 1080p over component (if your TV can accept it, most can't,) and VGA (again, if...) The Elite does all that and adds 1080p over HDMI. Whether you will notice a difference between the digital and analog connections depends on your TV and your eyes.

The real difference is upscaling standard DVDs. The old Xbox only does that over VGA, the Elite also does it over HDMI.

The Xbox 360 can not do 1080p over component for HD DVD, only for games. Whatever "association" governing this does not allow 1080p transmissions over component connections for HD DVD movies. Games are exempt and can be in 1080p over component.

The Xbox 360 can not do 1080p over component for HD DVD, only for games. Whatever "association" governing this does not allow 1080p transmissions over component connections for HD DVD movies. Games are exempt and can be in 1080p over component.My understanding was that 1080p over component was not allowed for upconverting SD DVDs. HD DVDs play at 1080p over component just fine. I've been using VGA for months now though, so I can't verify.

My understanding was that 1080p over component was not allowed for upconverting SD DVDs. HD DVDs play at 1080p over component just fine. I've been using VGA for months now though, so I can't verify.


tcrews is right--HD DVD playback is limited to 1080i over component.

tcrews is right--HD DVD playback is limited to 1080i over component.

You can have 1080p playback over component on the Xbox360, there was an update for it a while ago before the Elite was announced. Only catch is that you need a TV that can provide 1080p over component which is a rare thing. But yes 1080p is possible.

Out of curiosity, is the 1080p output completely pure?

You can have 1080p playback over component on the Xbox360, there was an update for it a while ago before the Elite was announced. Only catch is that you need a TV that can provide 1080p over component which is a rare thing. But yes 1080p is possible.

Yes, you can have 1080p output over component, but ONLY for games. 1080i is the maximum output over component for HD DVD, Blu-ray and HDTV from any device, Xbox 360, PS3, stand alone players, it doesn't matter. 1080p is not allowed for movies over an analog connection.

Out of curiosity, is the 1080p output completely pure?
It depends, if the game is rendered at 1080p then yes, if the game is rendered at some other resolution than it is scaled to 1080p.

Yes, you can have 1080p output over component, but ONLY for games. 1080i is the maximum output over component for HD DVD, Blu-ray and HDTV from any device, Xbox 360, PS3, stand alone players, it doesn't matter. 1080p is not allowed for movies over an analog connection.

I feel like this is discussed several times a week in this thread... 1080i is the highest output available for HD DVD over component with the 360, plain and simple. The Elite with HDMI, is capable of 1080p with HD DVD, but only using HDMI or VGA and the original 360 is capable of 1080p with HD DVD using the VGA cable.

Is anyone having problems with subtitles on this device? I have problems with Clerks 2, smokin aces, alpha dog, lucky number slevin. The subs wont work properly

You posted the same question in two threads. My original answer is here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10453609&&#post10453609

"I'm in love with the Media Extender capabilities, too. Add in the fact that there's an authoring sticky in the software forum that tells you how to burn HD DVDs on standard DVD+-R, single- or double-sided. Nothing like recording NBC's Heroes in HD on the PC and burning each episode as an HD DVD."

Can I trouble you to link this? I can't find it. Sounds most interesting! Thanks!

Known problem, will be fixed in the May 7 update.

Not so much. DVE HD-DVD still doesn't work. Update hit.
:mad:

The HD-DVD update that will fix title compatilbility issues is going to come out a little later. Some places say within a couple of days others say next week.

I can get past the video test tab(it would freeze up before the update) but the only tab that works past that one is the video demo's the rest still freeze up.

You can have 1080p playback over component on the Xbox360, there was an update for it a while ago before the Elite was announced. Only catch is that you need a TV that can provide 1080p over component which is a rare thing. But yes 1080p is possible.

O, so very very wrong. You my friend need to stop posting misinformation. Games will do 1080p over component, HD-DVD will not do 1080p over component.

FYI 1080p over component tvs are not rare at all.

My understanding was that 1080p over component was not allowed for upconverting SD DVDs. HD DVDs play at 1080p over component just fine. I've been using VGA for months now though, so I can't verify.

Please read above post. HD-DVD's WILL NOT do 1080p over component. Where O where are you people getting all this wrong info. It is very frustrating.

"I'm in love with the Media Extender capabilities, too. Add in the fact that there's an authoring sticky in the software forum that tells you how to burn HD DVDs on standard DVD+-R, single- or double-sided. Nothing like recording NBC's Heroes in HD on the PC and burning each episode as an HD DVD."

Can I trouble you to link this? I can't find it. Sounds most interesting! Thanks!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146

THANK YOU!! :D

ok i finally got the HD add on today but i am using it as an HDDVD drive on PC. i got everything up and running fine and everything seems great.

i have done a ton of searches and i'm sure this is covered somewhere in this thread but does anyone have any tips for getting the most out of this player when only using it on your PC ? i assume that the remote does not work when you have it hooked up this way correct? right now i use power dvd ultra to playback and i had to buy a copy of AnyDvd to eliminate the HDCP compliance.

if anyone has any tips let me know they are greatly appreciated. there just seems like there should be some options in the setup but maybe you would only get those if connected to a 360?

When does the new update come out for HD DVD DVE?

ok i finally got the HD add on today but i am using it as an HDDVD drive on PC. i got everything up and running fine and everything seems great.

i have done a ton of searches and i'm sure this is covered somewhere in this thread but does anyone have any tips for getting the most out of this player when only using it on your PC ? i assume that the remote does not work when you have it hooked up this way correct? right now i use power dvd ultra to playback and i had to buy a copy of AnyDvd to eliminate the HDCP compliance.
The remote is for the Xbox 360. The HD DVD drive has no IR receiver.

If your PC has an IR receiver you could get the remote to work with your PC though I suppose, if you have the right software.

Remember, the HD DVD drive is a simple USB 2 drive. All the control of it is in the PC and its software. The drive itself just spits out the data.


Not so much. DVE HD-DVD still doesn't work. Update hit.
:mad:
The HD DVD Update has not hit yet. See below.


When does the new update come out for HD DVD DVE?
This week (hopefully).

FYI for all those using VGA Cables for their add-on

http://img271.imageshack.us/img271/9834/360resiw2.jpg

The UPDATE is out! It fixed DVE HD-DVD!!! :D

Now I just need a TV I can calibrate! :(

No DTS, yet?? :(

DTS is there, as is WMA-Pro.

No DTS, yet?? :(


After you update the player, press "B" button or "Display" on the remote. It brings up a bar at the bottom of the screen for Subtitles, Audio, etc. In the middle of the bar is a Digital Audio option button, where you select the output audio, as well as turn on/off DRC.

should DRC be on or off

also do you have to change DTS on every disc you play or can it be a one time thing. basically if you set it to dts and the next disc you put in a disc which has no DTS option, will it automatically play it in dolby digital.

also do you have to change DTS on every disc you play or can it be a one time thing. basically if you set it to dts and the next disc you put in a disc which has no DTS option, will it automatically play it in dolby digital.
It's almost irrelevant what track is on the disc.

If you set the Xbox 360 to DD, ALL tracks are played as DD, whether they be DD+, DTS, or TrueHD.

If you set the Xbox 360 to DTS, ALL tracks are played as DTS, whether they be DD+, DTS, or TrueHD.

It's almost irrelevant what track is on the disc.

If you set the Xbox 360 to DD, ALL tracks are played as DD, whether they be DD+, DTS, or TrueHD.

If you set the Xbox 360 to DTS, ALL tracks are played as DTS, whether they be DD+, DTS, or TrueHD.

This is totally true!

The trick now will be which track sounds best with what output. For example, if a movie TrueHD, will DD or DTS sound better when output? This is a test I'll be trying on a per movie basis.....good thing the UI is very easy access and switching between DD and DTS is easy (on the fly)!

This is totally true!

The trick now will be which track sounds best with what output. For example, if a movie TrueHD, will DD or DTS sound better when output? This is a test I'll be trying on a per movie basis.....good thing the UI is very easy access and switching between DD and DTS is easy (on the fly)!
I only tested a couple of clips on a couple of movies, but the DD setting on the 360 was a bit louder than the DTS setting. I dunno if it was better or worse, just louder. Since that volume seems to match my setup well, and because it sounds pretty good, I'll stick with DD for now until I can test DTS some more.

EDIT:

Dave Vaughn confirms that the DD output is louder than the DTS output. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10544538&&#post10544538)

He made no comments about quality though.

I did some testing on the XBOX 360 update for HD DVD. First off, thanks for fixing the Dolby Digital output...it now works properly. As for DTS, the audio is coming out at 5 dB lower than the Dolby Digital output using the TrueHD audio tests on the DVE HD DVD disc. I have confirmed this by using my SPL meter. Just thought you would like to know.

After you update the player, press "B" button or "Display" on the remote. It brings up a bar at the bottom of the screen for Subtitles, Audio, etc. In the middle of the bar is a Digital Audio option button, where you select the output audio, as well as turn on/off DRC.

Yay!!! :D :D :D

DTS works, now the Eagles sound like they should!

Thanks, didn't know it wasn't automatic! I originally just chose DTS on the HD-DVD.

I only tested a couple of clips on a couple of movies, but the DD setting on the 360 was a bit louder than the DTS setting. I dunno if it was better or worse, just louder. Since that volume seems to match my setup well, and because it sounds pretty good, I'll stick with DD for now until I can test DTS some more.

EDIT:

Dave Vaughn confirms that the DD output is louder than the DTS output. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10544538&&#post10544538)

He made no comments about quality though.

I think DTS has always played at a lower volume than DD, I may be wrong but I've noticed that. As long as the amp is good I have found that DTS is better. Now TrueHD is another story. :confused:

I think DTS has always played at a lower volume than DD, I may be wrong but I've noticed that. As long as the amp is good I have found that DTS is better. Now TrueHD is another story. :confused:


No, it's the other way around. With normal DVDs, the volume is usually the same level, but DD is usually encoded with DialNorm which tells the receiver to reduce the volume by 3dB or so. So DTS on standard DVDs usually plays about 3dB louder than DD.

I do not know if the 360's DD output is applying DialNorm when converting from DD+ or any of the other codecs. But if anything, DTS should be at the same volume as DD.


At first I would have thought that maybe the 1~2 people had only calibrated the receivers for DD and not DTS, with DTS levels at default. But if someone has checked it with an SPL meter, he probably has all of the settings correct and it does look like there is a problem there.
I'm going to check it out myself tonight.

No, it's the other way around. With normal DVDs, the volume is usually the same level, but DD is usually encoded with DialNorm which tells the receiver to reduce the volume by 3dB or so. So DTS on standard DVDs usually plays about 3dB louder than DD.

I do not know if the 360's DD output is applying DialNorm when converting from DD+ or any of the other codecs. But if anything, DTS should be at the same volume as DD.


At first I would have thought that maybe the 1~2 people had only calibrated the receivers for DD and not DTS, with DTS levels at default. But if someone has checked it with an SPL meter, he probably has all of the settings correct and it does look like there is a problem there.
I'm going to check it out myself tonight.


see this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10545513&&#post10545513

My Sams Club in Joliet IL has the HD DVD add on for $135 if anyone is interested.

hi i am going to florida in 2 weeks and i am wondering if the xbox 360 hd dvd drive is dual voltage to play in britian

does any one know if you buy an xbox 360 hd dvd drive in america that it will work in britian

does any one know if you buy an xbox 360 hd dvd drive in america that it will work in britian

Yes, you just need to get a figure 8 cable power cable.

Has anyone gotten their 360 drive to read the 2nd and 3rd movies from the matrix trilogy in their PC? I can read the first movie just fine but before and after the update i can't read the second or third movies.

I've updated the nero plugin to the latest and it says it can't read a file on the disc and then quits playing.

edit: So when i use the analog connection to my monitor the new nero doesn't have that message. It's now just a matter of finding a free utility that will let me rip the movie to HDD so that i can stream it to my machine downstairs for viewing. :)

My Sams Club in Joliet IL has the HD DVD add on for $135 if anyone is interested.

Thanks! :)
My cousin in near-by Lockport owns an HDTV and a 360. And, I know he's been looking for a deal on the HD DVD add-on for awhile, now. I'll e-mail him this news!

Has anyone gotten their 360 drive to read the 2nd and 3rd movies from the matrix trilogy in their PC? I can read the first movie just fine but before and after the update i can't read the second or third movies.

I've updated the nero plugin to the latest and it says it can't read a file on the disc and then quits playing.

Your PC player needs newer AACS keys: the 2nd and 3rd movies require the latest. Your player's keys have been revoked, so you need an update of the player software. You'll get this problem with many of the newer titles until you upgrade.

Since the update, does the Optical out still sound better then Analog?

How is the HD-DVD Player when paired with the Elite? I have been holding out on making the jump to HD, but if this combination works well for 1080p, I will go with this.

Thanks

Works like a charm for me. Love it! I know Target has it for around $175 or $180.

Thanks for the quick reply and information. So does this set up convert 1080p24 to 1080p60 well? I have a 1080p HD television, but as yet I don't have anything to take advantage of this.

From a purely subjective point of view, the HDDVD looks terrific.

Hey guys
I've got the hd add on for the 360. Everything was fine with it until last week when my first netflix hddvd didn't really work... it would start, then during the FBI warning or whatever it freezes. I figured it was netflix... Just got a new Heart HDDVD in the mail today, same exact thing. However I tried playing Unforgiven, and that was fine. I've had an aweful time with the upgrades, in fact I don't have any. I'm not in xbox live and I think that is problem with the downloads. What do you guys think is going on? Do I have bad luck and got two bad dvd's in a row? Is it upgrade issues? Or is this the hd add on equivilent to the 3 red lights I had to deal with 5 months ago?
thanks
Joe

My wife and I use our HD-DVD Player at least 3-4 times a month since release back in November I think. Never once had a problem.

You said you have NO updates and you have had several issues getting the updates. What problems have you had?

I am highly confident your problems are related to your lack of updates. Even current stand-alone HD-DVD Players require updates due to manufacturers changing keys to prevent piracy as well as adding new features. Whatever the problem is with updating, I firmly believe you will continue to have problems using any Next-Gen Hi-Def format until you are able to update the devices via Internet.

You can update manually by burning a disc with the updates on them and then running the disc on the Xbox360. If you search the xbox360 website you can find very specific directions about how to update with out the internet.

I absolutely agree that your problems are probably related to not having the current software running on your system.

You might also want to give the discs a good cleaning. Windex and a handkerchief, even tap water and dish detergent if you rinse well.

Netflix rentals often have lots of fingerprints and smudges of better-left-unknown substances, not to mention scratches. All can play havoc with playback. I've had several discs that froze until I washed them and then performed without a hitch.

You can get your update right here (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/download.htm#disc)

Follow their instructions, and enjoy your movies.

Ok, I started this thread in a different area of this website, and it didn't help me... I hate to bother people with this stuff, when it is probly really easy. Anyway, I had trouble with the update, all i was looking for was dts, i couldnt figure out the problem and quit. Now the dvds wont play so its obviously has to be addressed. Basically my unit is so outdated that I dont even have the ability to do DTS. When I use the remote and the lower 3rd bar comes up there is no audio options. I've tried to go over to xboxlive, even though I am not a member... it says downloading update, but that doesn't seem to update anything. Then when I went to the xbox site to download onto a cd, when i put that cd in the xbox nothing happens... the only thing that I get is when I go to the media blade and scroll down the bottom says something about there being some type of a cd in there, but it doesn't do anything, and I can't seem to get it going. So I really dont know what to try next. Tried xbox support last nite, on hold for 45 minutes and went to bed. If anyone has the patience to help i'd really appreciate any ideas. Thanks!
Joe

Hi all, New and just thought I would jump in but first can one of you clear something up for me?? I have a Sony HDTV but not 1080P and wanted to know if I would see any picture improvement adding an 360Xbox HD player to my system or should I wait until I've finally purchased a 1080P HDTV??? I'm already using a Proggresive DVD player.

You can get your update right here (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/download.htm#disc)

Follow their instructions, and enjoy your movies.


Just wanted to thank Backlash, and everyone else for their input, not sure if i did something different, but when i put the disk in this time, it took it and downloaded the new program. Everything works great, and especially sounds great with the DTS.
thanks again!
Joe

Hi all, New and just thought I would jump in but first can one of you clear something up for me?? I have a Sony HDTV but not 1080P and wanted to know if I would see any picture improvement adding an 360Xbox HD player to my system or should I wait until I've finally purchased a 1080P HDTV??? I'm already using a Proggresive DVD player.

Yes. You'd get a huge improvement going from 480p to 1080i.

Just wanted to thank Backlash, and everyone else for their input, not sure if i did something different, but when i put the disk in this time, it took it and downloaded the new program. Everything works great, and especially sounds great with the DTS.
thanks again!
Joe

Congrats, Joe. Enjoy.

Not a problem, we've all been there at some point or another.

So a regular DVD player only displays in 480i? while a Proggresive DVD player plays in 480p? I was told by a Sound Advice guy the digtal HDTV is probably up scaling the signal to what 720p??

I was wondering if you can calabrate your HDTV using DVE with this player?
I just read when I purchased DVE that it will now work after the latest dash update.
If it works correctly are there any settings I should default to on the 360 to make the best of the calibration?

Thanks for your time.

So a regular DVD player only displays in 480i? while a Proggresive DVD player plays in 480p? I was told by a Sound Advice guy the digtal HDTV is probably up scaling the signal to what 720p??

If you have a display that has a native resolution of 720p or 1080p, it is true that anything you pass to the display will be "scaled" to said resolution, however, it is possible that the scaling done at the source may produce a better result.

Effectively upscaling 480i content to 1080p requires some fairly intelligent processing as the final product will be a combination of source material and what amounts to fabricated pixels that are guesstimated into the image by the video processor. For a variety of reasons (the biggest probably being profit margins), television manufacturers shy from spending too heavily on video processing and thus the chips and software embedded in a display are usually primitive and relatively ineffective.

If you've ever seen a Runco plasma, you probably were impressed. If you'd placed it side by side with a similar display from NEC or Pioneer, you may have been shocked at the difference in image quality. You may have been even more surprised if someone revealed to you that Runco sources their panels from these manufacturers. The difference in quality, and in large part the extreme difference in price, between a Runco plasma and a Pioneer plasma is the video processing that Runco incorporates into their televisions. These displays are meant to show you the best possible image regardless of source and they do an incredible job.

This is all to say that it is true your display is upscaling (or downscaling) all material to its native resolution, but it may not do it as well as the scaling performed in the source. With the Xbox 360 the only way to output scaled DVDs is via the optional VGA cable or through HDMI if you have the Elite.

I can honestly say that the standard-def DVD playback through my Xbox 360's VGA cable into my 768p Samsung HT-P4264 plasma is much better than the image I get with the component HD cables. There could be many reasons for this beyond just the scaling, but whatever the cause, the effect is a much improved picture and a very happy 360 owner.

I'm sure this has been asked but I don't have time to search through 4,000+ replies so sorry.

I have the Ultimate Matrix Collection and I am on my second set after an exchange with buy.com. Despite that, Reloaded will still not load (ironic) using the HD DVD drive with the 360. Also, I called Warner about this and they have no clue about the problem. What should I do?

So if I add the HD-DVD to my 360 and use it to play the HD-DVD movies I should atleast get a 720p or 1080i resolution which would be much better than what I'm getting out of my current standard progressive DVD player playing regular DVD's. : ) I'm doing it! Thanks

I'm sure this has been asked but I don't have time to search through 4,000+ replies so sorry.

I have the Ultimate Matrix Collection and I am on my second set after an exchange with buy.com. Despite that, Reloaded will still not load (ironic) using the HD DVD drive with the 360. Also, I called Warner about this and they have no clue about the problem. What should I do?


I have it also and have watched all 3 movies twice now with not even the slightest hint of a problem. Are you allowing your HD-DVD drive to be updated?

I'm sure this has been asked but I don't have time to search through 4,000+ replies so sorry.

I have the Ultimate Matrix Collection and I am on my second set after an exchange with buy.com. Despite that, Reloaded will still not load (ironic) using the HD DVD drive with the 360. Also, I called Warner about this and they have no clue about the problem. What should I do?

The first disc ( The Matrix), is previous encryption, the second, new/updated. You need to update. Worked, and is working fine on 360, but the second disk disabled my copy of PDVD 6.5.

^Thanks for both replies. My HD DVD drive is updated with the latest firmware and it still would not play Reloaded. I did send my 360 in last week for the RROD so I haven't been able to use it in 2 weeks. I guess if there has been a new update in the interim, I'll give it a try and hope for the best. Thanks again.

This may be an obvious question, but:
I just bought a new Epson 1080p Home Cinema Projector. My plan is to connect my Xbox 360 to it via a Denon receiver that UPSCALES all signals to 1080p. I currently only have Component Cables on the Xbox and know that it does not support 1080p on HD-DVDs. My question is if I connect the Xbox to the Denon via component cables and my HD-DVDs gets upscaled to 1080p, will the picture quality be the same as if I connected to the Denon via an VGA/DVI cable. Or is something 'lost' in the upscaling process? Cant seem to find this answered anywhere, as I dont have a good technical understanding of what upconversion is. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!!

I just popped in Happy Feet HD DVD and was prompted for another update. Does anyone know what the update was for?

We got one after popping in Bourne Identity.
Relentless Enemies STILL does not work.

This may be an obvious question, but:
I just bought a new Epson 1080p Home Cinema Projector. My plan is to connect my Xbox 360 to it via a Denon receiver that UPSCALES all signals to 1080p. I currently only have Component Cables on the Xbox and know that it does not support 1080p on HD-DVDs. My question is if I connect the Xbox to the Denon via component cables and my HD-DVDs gets upscaled to 1080p, will the picture quality be the same as if I connected to the Denon via an VGA/DVI cable. Or is something 'lost' in the upscaling process? Cant seem to find this answered anywhere, as I dont have a good technical understanding of what upconversion is. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!!
Converting from 1080i to 1080p and vice versa is done merely by interlacing or deinterlacing, not up- or downconverting.

When the source material is 24fps (as in movies) or 30fps (as in many games) interlacing and deinterlacing are lossless. 60fps material (some games and most non-film 720p programs) will lose half of its image data due to interlacing, and depends heavily on the video processor doing the interlacing to get it right.

In your case, because movies are 24fps, there should be no difference whether you use VGA/DVI in 1080p mode, or component in 1080i mode.

I was reading on the 360 website and saw this information about the firmware update:

"HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables"

Is this possible?

I know VGA can, but I thought that component could not carry a 1080p signal

Clarification?

I was reading on the 360 website and saw this information about the firmware update:

"HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables"

Is this possible?

I know VGA can, but I thought that component could not carry a 1080p signal

Clarification?

Games support 1080p over component. They are not resticted by HDCP. HD-DVD movies will only display up to 1080i and regular DVD's will display 480p through component.

Games support 1080p over component. They are not resticted by HDCP. HD-DVD movies will only display up to 1080i and regular DVD's will display 480p through component.

That is incorrect as well. Component supports 1080p even from HD-DVD however it will not UPSCALE your existing SD DVD's to 1080p over component, - only VGA and or HDMI.

The problem is most TVs ignore 1080p over component.

FYI:

http://www.provantage.com/microsoft-9z5-00013~7MSSX04P.htm

154.27 for the HD-DVD addon

Thanks for the clarification and the link!

Another important point on the 1080p feature of the XBOX360 HD-DVD is this.

While it does pass 1080p over Component cables to your HDTV or 1080p monitor, it's an analog signal. As such, you need to calibrate and adjust your HDTV accordingly to get the ideal viewing characteristics you want. It may even require a driver specific to your monitor for the colors to look right. In short, component cable connection with your XBOX360 HD-DVD takes work.

I have those expensive Monsters Component cables as well as the Monsters sVGA cables. I have tried both and prefer the sVGA XBOX360 cables for 1080p to my monitors and HDTV much much more than the Component.

No adjustments needed whenever I connect through the sVGA XBOX360 cables...
Excellent 1080p everytime.

Paul

I too prefer VGA on my tv & projector.

I too prefer VGA on my tv & projector.

same here, i actually tested the component cables again last night to see , and i was blown away by how much better the VGA was looking after calibration. Component HD looks a little muddy and soft compared to VGA on my 360 setup with my projector....

oleus

That is incorrect as well. Component supports 1080p even from HD-DVD however it will not UPSCALE your existing SD DVD's to 1080p over component, - only VGA and or HDMI.

The problem is most TVs ignore 1080p over component.

You my friend are dead wrong, HD-DVD's will only display 1080i through component. As stated in my previous post this is because of HDCP.

Please stop posting incorrect information.

Please read the article and especially the graph on the bottom of the linked page to support my information:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360/hdtv.htm


Also tv's do not ignore 1080p through component. Either your tv is capable of 1080p through component or not.

My Sharp LCD is 1080p capable through component and displays games in 1080p but HD-DVD's in 1080i. Through VGA it will display games and HD-DVD's at 1080p.

My Panny 1080p plasma does 1080p through HDMI but it does not support 1080p through component.

If VGA is just as capable as HDMI, is there any justification for going with the Elite? I own a Toshiba 57" capable of 1080p with both HDMI and VGA inputs.
I know that I have to run audio cables with the VGA, but but other than that, is there a difference?

Thanks

Edit: Never mind, only get 1080p via HDMI. Elite it is!

If VGA is just as capable as HDMI, is there any justification for going with the Elite? I own a Toshiba 57" capable of 1080p with both HDMI and VGA inputs.
I know that I have to run audio cables with the VGA, but but other than that, is there a difference?

Thanks

Edit: Never mind, only get 1080p via HDMI. Elite it is!


You can get 1080p through VGA. It really depends on your television and your eye on which will look better in your situation.

If VGA is just as capable as HDMI, is there any justification for going with the Elite? I own a Toshiba 57" capable of 1080p with both HDMI and VGA inputs.
I know that I have to run audio cables with the VGA, but but other than that, is there a difference?

Thanks

Edit: Never mind, only get 1080p via HDMI. Elite it is!

Do you mean that you can get only 1080p through HDMI on your tv? I hope so because with the 360 1080p is possible through VGA for HD-DVD's, SD-DVD's, and games.

Keep in mind that VGA is an analog signal. Some people will argue that a digital signal will look a little better than an analog.

The Elite has a bigger HDD.

I'm new here and I'm not quite sure if I should have made a seperate thread from this or not but I have a question about my hd-dvd add-on.

I bought my HD-DVD drive for my 360 off of Ebay and when it arrived I cringed when I saw that the seller had just smacked a shipping label on the box of the HD-DVD drive and shipped it just like that. It was the same box that it was in when you buy it at the store with no other boxes or packaging protecting it. However the install for the drive went well and so did the firmware update. I am now on the most recent firmware update.

Now here's the problem. I pop in 300 on HD-DVD and it freezes around chapter 16 (I've noticed some people had the same problem on these forums citing it was a problem with the combo format). So I tried batman begins in HD, about half way through that dvd I had the same problem, it froze and then after 10 secs kicked back in with the video going 5 times faster than the audio. Next I tried out King Kong, same problem there, around half way it freezes again.

So what do you guys think the problem is, I don't think its any of my hd-dvd's (they are all brand new and scratch free). Could there have been something wrong with the firmware update (eventhough it should've have at least been able to play King Kong as that is packaged with the player and shouldn't require firmware updates). Do you think something is wrong with the player? Maybe my Xbox 360? Also I put my hd-dvd player on top of my 360 (as the picture in the manual said you could), is that ok?

Also whenever it freezes I hear faint clicking sounds, is this a busted hd-dvd drive, the auctioner on ebay said he would refund my money. Do you think it is something wrong with the player? I find is strange that it can play a movie that is 2 hours long fine for about an hour and fifteen minutes and then it just freezes.