Xbox 360 as HD DVD Player: One and Only thread Here [Text View] - Page 19

ravnet

10-25-07, 12:02 PM

I have the Xbox360 Premium with HDMI out (recently released), and the HD-DVD addon connected through HDMI to my Toshiba 46HM95 DLP. I'm trying to figure out which is best for my TV for HD-DVD viewing: 1080i or 720P?

The native res on my TV is 720p, yet I keep hearing that with the HD-DVD addon on the 360, I should set my XBOX360 to output through 1080i instead of 720p because the source resolution on the HD-DVD discs is 1080p. Apparently it's best that the Xbox360 downconvert from 1080p to 1080i internally through the Xbox, then the scaler on my TV should handle the downconvert from 1080i to 720P. The reason this double conversion is better than the single conversion of having the Xbox360 scale to 720P and output that to my TV is that (and I read this somewhere) in order for the Toshiba HD-DVD A1 to downconvert an HD-DVD to 720P from 1080P, it first downconverts 480p then upconverts to 720P. This supposedly applies to the XBOX 360 HD-DVD as well, though I'm not sure.

Anyone have any thoughts on what's best? I've tried both settings on my TV, and the 1080i looks slightly better, but I don't know if that's just my mind tricking me from the info I'm getting online.

tcrews

10-25-07, 12:10 PM

First 1080p to 1080i is not downconverting, it's interlacing. Both have 1920x1080 pixels screen resolutions :)

Second, whatever looks best to you is what you need to set it to output. The Toshiba (original firmware, fixed in later software updates) did downconvert then upconvert to reach 720p but that's old news and no longer does this. The 360 addon never did this since it's the 360 that is doing all the processing.

Try both, and it sounds like to you the 1080i looked a little better so leave it at that. Would you prefer to watch a slightly less quality image because strangers on the internet told you it "should" look better set a different way? Which ever looks best to you is what you should set it to output :)

Deezul

10-25-07, 12:42 PM

Try both, and it sounds like to you the 1080i looked a little better so leave it at that. Would you prefer to watch a slightly less quality image because strangers on the internet told you it "should" look better set a different way? Which ever looks best to you is what you should set it to output :)

I believe Amir made a post once before that recommended 1080i for HD DVD movies as the 360 would be only changing a progressive picture to interlaced without changing a resolution. It's one item that folks have wanted on the next Xbox update - separate resolution settings for games and HD DVD movies.

TheAlternative

11-25-07, 10:45 PM

Read my signature and let's keep the momentum going!

cannondale0815

12-05-07, 01:12 PM

My Xbox 360 has the latest dashboard update, yet I still have problems with Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials. On the HD side of the disc, after going into the video calibration menu, I cannot select any of the options that appear in the sub menu thereafter. Known issue? I did a quick search but didn't find anything other than the original references that a dashboard update from earlier this year fixes the playback issues.

Foxbat121

12-05-07, 02:29 PM

cannondale0815

12-05-07, 02:48 PM

Mine works just fine. Just click the select button when the specific test pattern is the selection. In my test with HDMI 1080p, I can't get XBox 360 to pass BTB.

My problem is that I am unable to move the 'cursor' at all. When I get to the page behind the video calibration option, I see four sub-options, but cannot move the selection around or even press the select button.

A.VOID

12-05-07, 02:49 PM

WOW!

The update truly screwed the HD DVD player >>>

SO >>> I take the update and I go to load Transformers (You know, because I actually expected MS to fix the software so Transformers was 100% functional :rolleyes:).

First Issue >>> Transformers once again LOCKS on the loading screen.
Second Issue >>> So, I go to the Memory and delete the HD DVD cookies to get Transformers running. Well, big mistake there! My HD DVD drive has been removed! I still see it in the Memory, but no longer selectable to play the movie.

UNBELIEVABLE!

I mean, who is testing this stuff at MS? Transformers right out of the gate breaks the entire HD DVD sytem! :mad:

Back to loading drivers and I hopefully it will work again (minus Transformers)

MORE >>>
Put the driver disc in and the whole screen went blank. Rebooted and the HD DVD was showing up. Looks like Transformers is now working (so far) I even left a bookmark without locking it up and got the sign on page to work.

cannondale0815

12-05-07, 03:48 PM

Also, since the latest dashboard update (which I installed yesterday), the ICMP test fails in the network test section. I ran the network test right before I 'upgraded' the dashboard, and then again right after.

So this new update seems to have several undesired side effects. My main grime is that I am not able to connect to Live anymore to download potential future fixes...

TheAlternative

12-05-07, 05:45 PM

I don't have any answers to the problems you guys are having, but I will state that DVE HD works fine on my system, and Transformers HD also worked with no glitches. The updates are not the problem.

Good Luck

vhato

12-05-07, 11:44 PM

I am all kewl too. And HD-DVE doesn't help the average consumer anyway. Thanks for nothing Joe Kane.

cannondale0815

12-06-07, 06:51 AM

I am all kewl too. And HD-DVE doesn't help the average consumer anyway. Thanks for nothing Joe Kane.

Which is why they wrote these instructions: http://www.videoessentials.com/dvehd/images/DVE_HD_Program_final.pdf

cannondale0815

12-06-07, 06:53 AM

Here goes my next question: I am experiencing an occasional video stutter when playing King Kong. I tried clearing my HD cache (which was a solution that was offered earlier in this thread), but it didn't help. Any other suggestions of how it can be mitigated?

The stutter is more prominent in 'busy' scenes with lots of camera movement and lots of moving details in it.

firedan

12-12-07, 01:42 AM

Has anyone been able to pick up the Drive for the $129.98 price that T**sRUs has advertised on their web site? It has said "temporarily unavailable online" for about a week now. What is up with that? I need it for Christmas.

TIME2PLAYDAGAME

12-12-07, 06:05 AM

*EDIT* Everything is cool...Thanks anyway =]

MomboX

12-12-07, 12:55 PM

I got it for the 130 dollar price. I had to price match it over at CC though cause TRU was sold out.

sjso395

12-12-07, 03:38 PM

120inna55

12-12-07, 04:23 PM

I am having problems playing the new Harry Potter HD DVD in my player. I have returned in twice but am still getting a "Unplayable" error when it tries to load. If I flip the disk to the DVD side, it plays fine in SD. I also bought Bourne and another HD DVD and they all play fine. My Xbox is connected to Live so I should have all updates. Any suggestion, or am I in the wrong thread?? Thanks

Have you tried clearing the memory of the HD DVD partition of the console? I don't have this HD DVD, but it could just be a corrupt cookie that it has downloaded or is attempting to download. Just a thought and it's easily remedied.

sjso395

12-12-07, 07:34 PM

Have you tried clearing the memory of the HD DVD partition of the console? I don't have this HD DVD, but it could just be a corrupt cookie that it has downloaded or is attempting to download. Just a thought and it's easily remedied.

Yes I tried that. I gues this is whatI get for trying not to buy a stand alone unit. This thing seems to be riddled with bugs.

nirvanalx

12-12-07, 07:58 PM

Just picked this up from CC. I had them price match the toys r us $130. I already have the A1. I swear this thing puts a better picture than my A1. It seems when watching a dark scene with the A1 there is some kind of cloudiness or 'washed out' effect over the picture. I have always noticed it and the add on doesn't seem to suffer from it. I dont know if there is something wrong with my A1 or what but I called in a second set of eyes to make sure I wasn't crazy. Sure enough, he saw it too when I compared movies.

All in all I like it. It is very fast (just as fast as the ps3). It is a little louder, but I dont sit next to it so that doesn't bother me. Couldn't pass up that price with 5 free hd dvds.

TheAlternative

12-12-07, 08:08 PM

Sorry that you are having trouble, but I don't think the majority of owners have problems with this equipment. As for myself, I have not had any problems thus far.

sjso395

12-12-07, 08:59 PM

Jailbreak

12-13-07, 01:18 AM

What is currently the best XBox setup to get to display HD DVD movies?

daforce007

12-13-07, 06:04 PM

nirvanalx

12-13-07, 10:37 PM

How is it hooked up? HDMI Elite?

Yes HDMI Elite

120inna55

12-14-07, 07:26 AM

is anyone having issues with Tranformers on their unit right now? When I try to play it, it'll goto the "downloading update" screen and then freeze... is xboxlive messed up at the moment or?

*argh nevermind, i just saw the post on the previous page... so I have to reload the latest HD-DVD drive drivers?

I don't think so. I thought all you had to do was clear the memory on the drive: Dashboard-->System blade-->Memory-->HD DVD Drive, then delete all the stuff there. It's my understanding this doesn't hurt anything, but is the equivalent of deleting cookies or clearing the cache in your internet browser.

aaronwt

12-14-07, 08:05 AM

I don't think so. I thought all you had to do was clear the memory on the drive: Dashboard-->System blade-->Memory-->HD DVD Drive, then delete all the stuff there. It's my understanding this doesn't hurt anything, but is the equivalent of deleting cookies or clearing the cache in your internet browser.

You have to do the same thing with stand alone DVD players. I just had to do it when I watched Biurne Ultimatum. UNfortunately I deleted everything which may have deleted my username and other info relelated to discs web enabled features.

joe221

12-14-07, 06:05 PM

NexusRho

12-17-07, 03:03 PM

mikehalper1x

12-17-07, 05:34 PM

I know that true hd isnt a option because of the use of the spec hdmi 1.2 but I was wondering if there was a problem with the implementation of Dolby Digital Plus? Transformers was given 5 stars for audio in DD+ so I was hoping to see if the 360 with the addon could handle it.

the 360 converts all trueHD AND DD+ to whatever you choose on the HDDVD's advanced menu (xbox menu, not the disc menu).

the choices are DD, DTS, or WMA9 (i think only pioneer avrs can decode this, last i checked). the 360 cannot pass 5.1 PCM stream, which is how the standalone players do it. it has nothing to do with the HDMI spec, either. It's just the way it's designed.

So your best bet is to pick the best track on the disc (DD+ or THD), and then try the three options in the adv menu, and use whichever one you like best. it varies from movie to movie, to be perfectly honest.

the hdmi 1.3 is necessary to pass undecoded dd+ and THD tracks, but there are only a couple receivers that can decode the signal. technically, there should be no difference between player decode and receiver decode. but you're not going to get either.

I had the 360 AO, and now i have an A3 - pq is exactly the same, but for SQ, A3 blows the 360 away.

theroys88

12-17-07, 08:16 PM

Any one having problems loading Matrix reloaded? It took me several attempts before the movie starting playing. This is the first movie I have ever had problems with. My add on has been flawless and super quick compared to my A1 and my Samsung BDP 1400.

MikeKuchiki

12-18-07, 11:09 AM

Hmm had no idea the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player had HDMI that was the one thing preventing me from buying one.....

I thought it only had USB. Does this mean the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player go up to 1080p? Or does it not really need to?

Pradeep

12-18-07, 11:20 AM

MikeKuchiki

12-18-07, 11:37 AM

The HD DVD addon only has USB, which connects to the 360. The 360 does all the decoding. So you would only get HDMI if your 360 has that as an output. And as noted above it can't do multichannel PCM, even if it does have an HDMI output.

That's great to know I have an xbox 360 that has an HDMI output which should also mean I'll have 1080p output right?

Also I'm more than satisfied with my current quality of sound where I wouldn't mind not having those higher audio qualities. I'm more concerned about the picture quality advantages that HD-DVD offers as opposed to the sound quality ones. I can manage with whatever level of sound I have to deal with.

I have a philosophy when it involves the much talked about superior levels of audio. I can't miss something I've never experienced :)

Pradeep

12-18-07, 11:43 AM

That's great to know I have an xbox 360 that has an HDMI output which should also mean I'll have 1080p output right?

Yes, provided your TV can accept 1080p input. In fact you will probably have better image quality that the A30/A35 which has problems with 1080p output for anything other than 1080/24p.

MikeKuchiki

12-18-07, 11:43 AM

Show proof, because the 360 DVD drive is Progressive Scan (480p) Only the HD-DVD add-on Upconverts.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/media/default.htm Click on the Movies tab. PROOF.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/digitalmedia/intro.htm -- MORE PROOF.
The DVD Player in the main console does NOT upconvert. It displays movies in 480p, no higher.

I've played DVD movies at 1080p on even my old Xbox 360 (actually doing it this very moment) so that most definitely can't be true. Thanks a lot pradeep that is great to know. I'm going to jump on amazon's special for today. Get the 360 HD-DVD player and get the entire Bourne Trilogy in HD-DVD. Nevermind looks like I missed that deal :(

Islanti

12-18-07, 12:15 PM

The built-in DVD player does upconvert over HDMI and VGA *now*. This was added after release. Note that component output will not be upconverted.

airbrat

12-18-07, 12:31 PM

Hi guys, I hope you can answer this easy question. I really don't want to sift through 152 pages of threads.

How does the Xbox 360 player rate as a HD player? Am I better off getting a different stand-alone player?

Amazon has this player for $179 plus The Bourne Trilogy for free. I think it also includes King Kong and an offer for 5 additional HD movies via mail in rebate.

So is the add-on a great player?

jzoz01

12-18-07, 01:50 PM

yanksno1

12-18-07, 02:32 PM

I have the add-on and an A3 and I actually like using the add-on better, it loads disks faster and in general seems more responsive.

I have a 1st gen 360 and it's pretty loud, so I moved the add-on to my desktop and bought a A2 (1080i only). Don't like how slow the A2 loads and quality looks pretty similar. If your 360 isn't loud, I'd take it over the A2 for sure.

Only thing I don't like about it is if you have a game in the 360 and a movie in the add-on and boot up it'll boot to the game. I think if you have a movie in the add-on it should boot to that (or at least an option to). You have to switch it in the 360 to boot to the dashboard to decide which one you want to do.

MikeKuchiki

12-18-07, 02:47 PM

It's great to know the 360 HD-DVD add-on is a quality piece of hardware even in comparison to standalones.

Rhegaana

12-18-07, 03:59 PM

I have the add-on and an A3 and I actually like using the add-on better, it loads disks faster and in general seems more responsive.

I recommend this post!!
Unless you have an HDMI receiver this is the best player to have. PQ quality are absolutely identical. Downconverted audio to DTS sounds great too!!

airbrat

12-18-07, 04:40 PM

sweet thanks!

awdpaul

12-18-07, 07:54 PM

Yeah, I've been really impressed with the HD DVD playback out of the AO. Definitely a bit of a downer when it comes to the newer audio formats, but I figured it's worth waiting until the 1.3 output players come down in price and there are more tracks with more than 5 channels of audio. I know it's a bit of a hype thing with 7.1, but hell regular DTS in 5.1 sounds pretty sweet already, figured it would need to be something special to be worth investing that much money in.

For the record I use an Xbox 360 Arcade with HDMI (that I conveted to essentially a premium by using my old premiums hd and wireless controllers) at 1080p to Mitsu 65" DLP.

Loxias

12-18-07, 07:55 PM

I am having problems playing the new Harry Potter HD DVD in my player. I have returned in twice but am still getting a "Unplayable" error when it tries to load. If I flip the disk to the DVD side, it plays fine in SD. I also bought Bourne and another HD DVD and they all play fine. My Xbox is connected to Live so I should have all updates. Any suggestion, or am I in the wrong thread?? Thanks

Not sure if you've solved your problem or moved on, but I had the same issue with HP5. Luckily, the new one from a return seems to work fine. Maybe try taking the disc back to a different location and getting one of theirs.

theroys88

12-19-07, 12:51 AM

Yumbo

12-19-07, 02:18 AM

What was today's software update for?

mosman22

12-19-07, 03:19 AM

I recommend this post!!
Unless you have an HDMI receiver this is the best player to have. PQ quality are absolutely identical. Downconverted audio to DTS sounds great too!!

If you have a tv that accepts 1080/24, the add on isn't a good option either. Not to mention the fact that i have a non hdmi 360 and it sounds like a fracking vaccum cleaner, even on the dashboard. There is just no way i could use my 360 as a hd dvd player when it is so loud. I mean i even hear people complaining about ps3 noise, compared to my 360 the ps3 is silent.

new2hometheater

12-19-07, 06:30 AM

Deezul

12-19-07, 08:24 AM

Imagine of Bill had done his homework and had the HD DVD drive incorporated in the game console and included a HDMI output. I remember a spokesman stating at launch that they
did not need HDMI and a incorporated drive was not in demand. What a bunch of retards.
Rule 1-if your main competition has it then you should also have it.2-if Sony strategy was to use the BR drive in its PS3 to help win the format war-then do the same. I have the
add on, a BDP1400 and a A1 and I prefer the HD DVD format and the interactive menus compared to BR. I will say that right now BR has a more desirable selection of movies.
I have 18 HD DVDs and 10 BR. Have not seen one advanced audio option on any BR movies. I do like the uncompressed DD and DTS.

I am quite happy with my 360 with HDMI, as my old rear projection TV doesn't have HDMI, and will only do 1080i anyway. My two other TVs will only do 720p, and even though they have HDMI, I'm using the VGA ports to save the HDMI for other devices.
If MS hd added an HD-DVD drive, they would have had to delay the releasse of the 360, and it's cost would have gone up considerably. MS is likely now making money on the console - it might only be a few bucks, but it's money. Sony is still losing money on the PS3 hardware.

spid

12-19-07, 09:31 AM

Imagine of Bill had done his homework and had the HD DVD drive incorporated in the game console and included a HDMI output. I remember a spokesman stating at launch that they
did not need HDMI and a incorporated drive was not in demand. What a bunch of retards.
Rule 1-if your main competition has it then you should also have it.2-if Sony strategy was to use the BR drive in its PS3 to help win the format war-then do the same. I have the
add on, a BDP1400 and a A1 and I prefer the HD DVD format and the interactive menus compared to BR. I will say that right now BR has a more desirable selection of movies.
I have 18 HD DVDs and 10 BR. Have not seen one advanced audio option on any BR movies. I do like the uncompressed DD and DTS.

They did do their homework. They now have a console on the market that can be sold for $279. Despite the leanings in this forum I would suspect the vast majority of Xbox360s are not hooked up via HDMI even when they have the option.

Foxbat121

12-19-07, 10:10 AM

Imagine of Bill had done his homework and had the HD DVD drive incorporated in the game console and included a HDMI output.

Imaging of Sony had done its homework, its PS3 division won't be in such a bad state today and losing almost $800 millions /quater. Microsoft did the right thing back then. Otherwise, XBox 360 won't be on store shielves now. It would be long killed. I won't be supprised that later iterations of XBox 360 do come with a built-in HD DVD drive (all new XBoxs now have HDMI ports) but that will be a limited edition for ppl who want to watch movie most of the time. Majority will still play games only just like majority of PS3 owners are.

Andy Pennell

12-19-07, 11:24 AM

What was today's software update for?

http://blogs.msdn.com/andypennell/archive/2007/12/18/xbox-360-hd-dvd-version-list.aspx

(How come there are two 'one and only Xbox 360 HD DVD' threads?)

Andy Pennell

12-19-07, 11:28 AM

NexusRho

12-19-07, 01:06 PM

I have read that the addon DD is actually better than regular dvd DD output. Is there any truth to that?

sneakmefood

12-19-07, 01:45 PM

for a non-HDMI 360, would it be better to use VGA or HD component cables when using the HD-DVD add on? i really want to get the new system with the falcon chipset and hdmi.

ekk

12-19-07, 02:28 PM

for a non-HDMI 360, would it be better to use VGA or HD component cables when using the HD-DVD add on? i really want to get the new system with the falcon chipset and hdmi.

from what i understand, in order to get 1080p with hddvd add-on, it has to go through VGA because component doesnt have hdcp (or something like that).

Billdemart

12-19-07, 02:30 PM

from what i understand, in order to get 1080p with hddvd add-on, it has to go through VGA because component doesnt have hdcp (or something like that).

That's the reason I bought a PS3. I have the non-HDMI 360 and my new LCD doesn't have a VGA in.

Deezul

12-19-07, 02:46 PM

for a non-HDMI 360, would it be better to use VGA or HD component cables when using the HD-DVD add on? i really want to get the new system with the falcon chipset and hdmi.

I believe there are a handful of TVs that will do 1080p through component. However, you won't get upverted DVDs unless you use VGA or HDMI. I think games will go to 1080p, and HD DVDs will do 1080p.

new2hometheater

12-19-07, 05:11 PM

Can someone tell me how I can identify an Xbox 360 elite with the lower power, 65 nm, Falcon Chip set? Can I tell by the SKU number? If I'm positive that I can get an Elite with the lower power (and lower noise) unit, I'll buy one and hook it to the HMDI port that I have my DVD player hooked in now and make the Xbox my 1080P DVD/HD DVD player

TheAlternative

12-19-07, 06:09 PM

My PC input just crapped out and I have to connect my Xbox and HD DVD drive through component. Does anyone use this drive as their primary player for DVD and HD DVD? I can get an elite and use my HDMI slot dedicated to my DVD player for the Xbox if the DVD playback is as good

I use my 360 and HD DVD as my primary movie player (HDMI). The benefit of using an add-on to watch movies is that if it craps out, I still have my game console and relatively low replacement cost. If you are asking if the upconversion of standard DVDs look good, yes it does (but does not compare to HD DVD). HDMI is the only way to go if you can. 1080p baby!

Yumbo

12-19-07, 06:19 PM

Haven't seen a new Elite revision yet (Australian stock).

theroys88

12-19-07, 06:25 PM

I am quite happy with my 360 with HDMI, as my old rear projection TV doesn't have HDMI, and will only do 1080i anyway. My two other TVs will only do 720p, and even though they have HDMI, I'm using the VGA ports to save the HDMI for other devices.
If MS hd added an HD-DVD drive, they would have had to delay the releasse of the 360, and it's cost would have gone up considerably. MS is likely now making money on the console - it might only be a few bucks, but it's money. Sony is still losing money on the PS3 hardware.

My point was on the format war. BR is leading in software sales. I think most of
the reason is the PS3. My point is that if MS had incorparated the drive into the game console and given 1 free movie I believe HD DVD would have a substantial lead. I love my add on. I have a older one with only component connections.

tmuirheid

12-19-07, 06:58 PM

MomboX

12-19-07, 08:39 PM

K this is the same post I made in the other xbox add-on thread I just wanted to put it here just in case thr person with my answer didn't go to that thread first.

Alright guys question. When I am watching a movie on my Xbox add-on it seems to jitter every once in a while. I myself think that this is unexceptable and dont see how anyone else isnt bothered by it.

So I am assuming that not everyone is having this problem. I have the xbox elite connected by HDMI. It is always something slight I am sure I dont notice every time it happens but I see it when ever there is a big fighting scene.

Is there an update or should I return mine and get a new one. Does anyone know anything on this issue?

David777

12-19-07, 10:34 PM

As far as deinterlacing/scaling, and what is the ideal thing to happen? I would imagine that deinterlacing in order to reconstruct the original 1920*1080 frames then scaling that down to 720p would be the ideal situation.

Deezul

12-19-07, 10:56 PM

"Originally Posted by theroys88
Imagine of Bill had done his homework and had the HD DVD drive incorporated in the game console and included a HDMI output. I remember a spokesman stating at launch that they"

While I don't want to get into a bashing Microsoft thing I will add this. I am looking at the PS3 or the Xbox 360. I'm wondering why in the world I have to buy an added on DVD player in order to have HD-DVD. With what the Xbox cost and on top of that I have to buy an external USB based HD-DVD player? Makes the PS3 look a little better.

Jim

What if BR "loses" the war? Then you'll STILL have to buy an HD DVD player to go with your BR player. And since the biggest reason to buy a PS3 is the BR player, sales of PS3s will drop.

On the other hand, if BR wins, and you already have a 360, you'll probably just drop another $200 and get a BR add on for the 360. It's already been stated that the 360 hardware could handle BR processing if it WAS added.

Again, it comes down to timing. There was no HD DVD standard announced when the 360 was announced, so it was not possible. Plus, although Sony says the PS3 will do Profile 2.0, until it does, you can't be certain. HD DVD standards are feature complete; there won't be a movie that comes out a few years from now that won't play with all of its goodies on a current HD DVD player. Can't say the same for BR.

MaXPL

12-19-07, 11:29 PM

so uh i have the hd dvd drive here, i brought it back home from school. my problem is that i'm using my brothers xbox rather than my own, which is the one i installed the hd dvd disc on.

now i wont have my xbox for a month and need a way to get that disc installed on this xbox somehow.

i know for a fact something is off because i just tried playing Syriana and there are no HD DVD interactive options available at all.

UnnDunn

12-19-07, 11:41 PM

MaXPL

12-19-07, 11:42 PM

yeh thanks doing so now. pretty lame that the console doesnt have an auto update function for this. installation discs are 20th century.

Andy Pennell

12-20-07, 12:57 AM

yeh thanks doing so now. pretty lame that the console doesnt have an auto update function for this. installation discs are 20th century.

Huh? It has the best auto-update in the business (via this thing called the internet). If you have already installed the update, it doesn't matter which Xbox it is attached to: the update is in the drive itself. Incidentally right now the update disc is pretty old: we are working with the Xbox folks to get this weeks Live update onto the page linked above.

Andy Pennell

12-20-07, 01:29 AM

from what i understand, in order to get 1080p with hddvd add-on, it has to go through VGA because component doesnt have hdcp (or something like that).

1080p works over VGA or HDMI, yes. Component is not allowed at 1080p per AACS rules. For DVD component video is limited to 480p per CSS rules.

savage1005

12-20-07, 01:57 AM

the thing i don't like about this player is how loud the 360 is when watching movies. i think i am going to sell my add on and get a stand alone player.

MaXPL

12-20-07, 02:10 AM

Huh? It has the best auto-update in the business (via this thing called the internet). If you have already installed the update, it doesn't matter which Xbox it is attached to: the update is in the drive itself. Incidentally right now the update disc is pretty old: we are working with the Xbox folks to get this weeks Live update onto the page linked above.

yeh well i guess i was wrong. i guess the console was already updated and ready to go. i do have xbl.

it just weird because Syriana has black bars on bottom and top and doesnt seem to have any interactive features. and i just found this out after i installed "the update" or whatever it was that i burned onto a cd and then my xbox read. i guess Syriana doesnt have interactivity and does have black bars then huh?

edit: and readintg through andys post i just realized the update is in the drive and not the console.

headband

12-20-07, 03:17 AM

since the disc is 1080p I would imagine it would just downscale that to 720p with no need to interlace/deinterlace it at 1080i

cybersoga

12-20-07, 04:51 AM

Since most Toshiba HD-DVD players can't output 1080p60 without deinterlacing artifacts even with 24p mastered discs, let me suggest what is more likely:

1080i60 -> deinterlaced to 1080p60 -> downscaled to 720p60

The reason HD-DVD needs deinterlacing is that all the discs are mastered with 60i timing, even 24p discs which differ only by having repeat field flags.

vhato

12-20-07, 07:27 AM

ekk

12-20-07, 09:10 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/19/madcatzs-xbox-360-hdmi-conversion-kit-up-for-pre-order/

i guess thats an option for folks without VGA or 1080p components on their TV. not sure how well it works though :D .. and 90bux seems kinda steep

Wheel

12-20-07, 09:36 AM

Even if one had to buy the add on HD dvd for their Xbox system, it is still cheaper then a PS3 if you take into account all the free HD dvds one will receive. I have yet to get the add on, but if all goes well, I will be using it tomorrow :)

In my case, I rather have a separate player, so I need not take out the game disc my 10 year old has in the Xbox. So this makes perfect sense to me.

Nys04

12-20-07, 09:46 AM

When I purchased the Transformers HD-DVD, it played fine and beautifully on my Xbox 360 HD-DVD add on drive. I haev watched it for almost four to five times already.

Yesterday when I had some friends over, I wanted to show them Transformers. When I inserted the disc, it prompted me for an update. I agreed to the update as per normal. The update took only a few seconds.

Now two problems appeared:

1. They now announce to me that web-contents cannot work and to play without web content. Thats fine by me.

2. Now the movie freezes mid-way through the movie and refuses to continue playing.

Anyone have any ideas what the heck the update was all about and how to solve the problem? Yesterday was 19 Dec 2007.

slyderulz

12-20-07, 09:52 AM

Not that I have done any testing, but I can.

I would assume the A3 wouldn't have the internal power to properly deinterlace or deinterlace at all anyway due to what we have seen and its price point.

1080p24 -> 1080i60 -> 540p30 -> 720p30

Wouldn't suprise me if it tosses out all even or all odd frames after the pulldown conversion from 1080i60.

Now I am going to be have to toss in HQV and he 1080p test disc from another thread and see.

vhato, if that does turn out to be the case would it be correct to assume that you would retain more of the source image by outputing 1080i to a 720p projector/monitor and letting the display de-interlace & downscale?

Deezul

12-20-07, 10:15 AM

"There was no HD DVD standard announced when the 360 was announced"

That was then, this is now. For them to continue to be produced needing the add-on DVD player does't make any sense when the cost of making the XBOX similiar to the PS3 then drives the cost of the XBOX into a different price point and it quickly changes that old "cost:value ratio" into an apples to oranges decision.

It turns the decision to buy either product into a "wait and see" mode.

IF the XBOX played HD-DVD without the add-on, I would have bought the Elite package yesterday.

Some people still have 27" 4:3 TVs, and are quite happy gaming on them and won't be moving to HDTVs any time soon. So an HD DVD drive slapped in to increase the cost of the box would mean they wouldn't buy the 360.

The cost of an Xbox is NOT similar to a PS3. PS3s are money losing consoles. Xboxs right now with DVD drives are turning a slight profit.

Microsoft has stated over and over the 360 is a GAMING platform, not a movie player. If you want to watch movies, but the HD DVD add on. If you want to just play games, then buy the console and you're set.

I don't expect to see a major new console from MS until the HDM "war" is either decided as a draw or a winner has been determined, then MS will release the Xbox 720/4000/whatever with that drive. I think it's quite possible sometime next year will hit $50 on the 360 Arcade, thus making them somewhat competitive with the Wii, if they don't come out with one cheaper.

Finally, if you want an HD DVD player via the 360, why not buy the Arcade for $280, then the add on for $180. That's only $10 more than the Elite. You don't sound like you need the 120 GB of storage on the Elite - you want games and an HD DVD player.

120inna55

12-20-07, 10:39 AM

boomster

12-20-07, 12:06 PM

Go to dashboard-->System Blade-->Memory--> then delete all memory under HD DVD drive. It won't hurt anything. It's similar to clearing the cache & cookies on an internet browser.

This is probably the best advice you can give. I had a problem with Transformers the second time I went to play it. It would hang in the first screen saying downloading update. I let it sit a good half an hour.

I went and deleted all the crap under the HD DVD memory and it worked flawlessly after that point.

MaXPL

12-20-07, 02:11 PM

i guess i'll try the same thing.

reason i'm doing it is because HD DVDs look awful on my dads new XBR4. they look beautiful on my two year old 32 inch Samsung LCD yet they look and sound worse on this brand new tv? it doesnt make sense.

Syriana looks DVD quality for some reason and the sound is just pathetic. Children of Men looks washed out and as does Bourne Ultimatum which also had black bars for some reason.

This XBR4 displays cable tv beautifully and I'm left wondering why HD DVDs are looking worse than my two year old set.

boomster

12-20-07, 03:10 PM

This may have been discussed, but I can't find anything off hand.

Does anybody know if any discs have implimented the settings to not view the HD DVD in full resolution yet? Since some of us use our AO with a component output instead of HDMI, I'm wondering if any HD DVD's have now starting to get downres'd.

I know the movie studios have the option to do so if you don't view it over an HDMI connection. I'm just curious if any have.

MaXPL

12-20-07, 03:23 PM

yeh i'm watching through component too on this XBR4. unfortunately though, HD DVDs looks amazing through component on my older tv.

Uptown193

12-20-07, 05:27 PM

vhato

12-20-07, 06:13 PM

vhato, if that does turn out to be the case would it be correct to assume that you would retain more of the source image by outputing 1080i to a 720p projector/monitor and letting the display de-interlace & downscale?

Most of the time, but not always. I believe from reading opinons over the years here at AVS, 1080i to 90% of the projectors is preferred when using the A2/A3. We better wrap this up, as this is off-topic for this thread.

MaXPL

12-20-07, 06:35 PM

maybe its hooked up via VGA and need HDMI or component. Try that b/c when i hooked up my Pio 5070 via VGA PQ was horrible. Its unbelievable hearing that the XBR4 has bad PQ.

thats the thing, every connection is identical to those i had when connected to my two year old Samsung.

this XBR displays cable television and videogames beautifully yet something has to be off with the HD DVD drive.

krackhead

12-20-07, 08:43 PM

sangdabom

12-20-07, 08:51 PM

Andy Pennell

12-21-07, 12:56 AM

thats the thing, every connection is identical to those i had when connected to my two year old Samsung.

this XBR displays cable television and videogames beautifully yet something has to be off with the HD DVD drive.

1. How exactly are you connecting the XBR to the Xbox?
2. What video mode is the Xbox set to?

Andy Pennell

12-21-07, 12:58 AM

theroys88

12-21-07, 01:12 AM

What if BR "loses" the war? Then you'll STILL have to buy an HD DVD player to go with your BR player. And since the biggest reason to buy a PS3 is the BR player, sales of PS3s will drop.

On the other hand, if BR wins, and you already have a 360, you'll probably just drop another $200 and get a BR add on for the 360. It's already been stated that the 360 hardware could handle BR processing if it WAS added.

Again, it comes down to timing. There was no HD DVD standard announced when the 360 was announced, so it was not possible. Plus, although Sony says the PS3 will do Profile 2.0, until it does, you can't be certain. HD DVD standards are feature complete; there won't be a movie that comes out a few years from now that won't play with all of its goodies on a current HD DVD player. Can't say the same for BR.

I am not one to bash Bill Gates because I think he is one smart cookie but with the XBOX 360 I think if they had done things right from the start it would of gone a long ways for the HD DVD camp. I have heard that MS is working on a HD DVD drive in the player and hopes to start production in 2008.

Uptown193

12-21-07, 01:56 AM

HD-DVD drive update = Red Ring of Death!

That was the case for me today. After I updated I tried watching Bourne 3 and the picture froze the HD player's light went out and when i restarted I had christmas lights! .... who knows... maybe it wasn't the update.... maybe it was the Bourne 3... i was having trouble with that on my A3. ... Seriously I don't think it was the update or Bourne, I probably had one of the last functioning first-batch consoles arround. RIP 360. ... hehe think MS will give me an upgraded system back?!?! :)

my xbox Elite broke (the disc drive) 2 weeks ago after i tired to play Need For Speed Prostreet which was brand new. I put the disc in then heard a lot of grinding then message popped up saying please put in a xbox compatible game/dvd I then put back COD4 and played perfectly, tried Prostreet again just to see whats going on and that was it didn't play any games at this point. Now i'm waiting for it to be repaired and its been 2 weeks, they are very slow over there in repairs its so sad. Next time it breaks i'm just going to buy a new one and sell the one they send back to me. lord know what I will be getting in return. Its probably someone in this thread who had a problem and they fixed now i'm getting yours. :mad:
other then that i love my HD DVD addon, great sound and PQ, loved Transformers. Big wow factor.

boomster

12-21-07, 07:37 AM

boomster

12-21-07, 07:41 AM

Two discs were released with the ICT flag enabled in Europe, by accident. No-one has done this deliberately, and with 200k+ Xbox users it wouldn't be very smart to do so IMHO.

Great, thank you!!

Goatse

12-21-07, 08:04 AM

I am not one to bash Bill Gates because I think he is one smart cookie but with the XBOX 360 I think if they had done things right from the start it would of gone a long ways for the HD DVD camp. I have heard that MS is working on a HD DVD drive in the player and hopes to start production in 2008.

bill gates no longer runs MS. He does humanitarian work, actually Warren Buffet gave his foundation 30 billion not too long ago.

Uptown193

12-21-07, 12:19 PM

If you have a tv that accepts 1080/24, the add on isn't a good option either. Not to mention the fact that i have a non hdmi 360 and it sounds like a fracking vaccum cleaner, even on the dashboard. There is just no way i could use my 360 as a hd dvd player when it is so loud. I mean i even hear people complaining about ps3 noise, compared to my 360 the ps3 is silent.

I dont know why your sayin that if you have a tv that accepts 1080/24 the add on is not good, i have a Pio 5070 which accepts 1080p/24 and which i have connected via HDMI to my 360 Elite and i get a beautiful picture and awesome sound through my Onkyo 705 which is also connected via HDMI and when i play a movie i dont even hear the 360 noise. Further, I have a PS3 and even when its quiet in the room i cant hear it.

MaXPL

12-21-07, 01:46 PM

1. How exactly are you connecting the XBR to the Xbox?
2. What video mode is the Xbox set to?

component cables are used for the xbox. hdmi for digital cable.

i used the same component connection on my other tv.

xbox is set to either 720p or 1080i. you think theres some upscaling or or downscaling going on since the tv is 1080p? should i perhaps set the video mode on the xbox to 1080p?

and yeh i just tried watching it again and its sort of unbearable. i dont understand it at all. everything looks fine when playing games, the games look better than on my other tv. but when playing these hd dvds the picture it not fluid, seems kinda grainy, and is also washed out. i'm gonna try switching to the other component input and see if that works; if not, i'll go out and buy a standalone player sometime and see if that helps.

furthermore, the sound is definitely off somehow too. the tv volume range is 0-100 and i usually hear cable at around 30-35. at that setting on an HD DVD, the sound is almost mute. i have to turn it up to 60 or so to hear anything.

i'm getting annoyed and hope to god there arent any compatibility issues with sony and hd dvd products.

bill gates no longer runs MS. He does humanitarian work, actually Warren Buffet gave his foundation 30 billion not too long ago.

yes but isnt he a senior consultant at MS now?

zanoni

12-21-07, 02:12 PM

yes but isnt he a senior consultant at MS now?

Kinda going OT here but my understanding is that he will remain as acting Chairman of MS. So he is still the big boss so to speak, but he won't be involved in the day to day workings of MS. Guess he will kind of approve or veto stuff here and there.

His full time "job" will be philantrophy though.

joe221

12-21-07, 03:37 PM

component cables are used for the xbox. hdmi for digital cable.

i used the same component connection on my other tv.

xbox is set to either 720p or 1080i. you think theres some upscaling or or downscaling going on since the tv is 1080p? should i perhaps set the video mode on the xbox to 1080p?

and yeh i just tried watching it again and its sort of unbearable. i dont understand it at all. everything looks fine when playing games, the games look better than on my other tv. but when playing these hd dvds the picture it not fluid, seems kinda grainy, and is also washed out. i'm gonna try switching to the other component input and see if that works; if not, i'll go out and buy a standalone player sometime and see if that helps.

furthermore, the sound is definitely off somehow too. the tv volume range is 0-100 and i usually hear cable at around 30-35. at that setting on an HD DVD, the sound is almost mute. i have to turn it up to 60 or so to hear anything.

i'm getting annoyed and hope to god there arent any compatibility issues with sony and hd dvd products.

Are you able to try a different device connected to the component input on the Sony? What does the Sony say it is receiving when you get input info from it? Also set the XBox to 1080p it can play games at 1080p from component. (I'm assuming the Sony can accept 1080p via component, some brands can't.) HDDVD won't play at 1080p via component at all.

MaXPL

12-21-07, 04:07 PM

yes i just connected the cable to component and it looks great. i had it connected through hdmi earlier but the sound does not come on sometimes when switching between inputs, which is an issue ive read about previously.

another issue, why is it that most of these movies seem to have black bars on top and bottom? everyone of my 15 HD DVDs displays a full image on my samsung, yet when watching movies like Transformers or Bourne, i get bars. the display is set to full on this XBR4 as well.

anyhow, watching Transformers right now and it looks good. i'm not sure what is up with Children of Men specifically, but something is off with the motion in that movie. sound is still incredibly off for some reason; ejecting the movie and starting up Madden08, the speakers nearly exploded with sound, whereas it was at normal speaking level during the movie.

Eluder

12-21-07, 08:34 PM

Hopefully I'm in the right thread for this.

I've got the HD-DVD addon for my 360 and have noticed I'm experiencing some odd, but intermittent problem with this. I've had the player for I dunno how long now, pretty close to owning since launch of the addon. I replaced my premium console with an Elite about a month ago, and this is when I really started noticing the issue. I'm not saying it's only the new console causing it since I don't use my surround system much, but still wondering.

Anyway, the issue is basically I'll be watching an HD-DVD, and be using my receiver (connected via optical using the included dongle). I find that sometimes during the course of a movie, the center or speech channel will be gone or extremely low. Now I do recall having an issue like this when 300 was released originally, and I had my premium console at the time. I recall this issue with 300 (both on old and Elite console) and today with The Kingdom. If I stop and restart the movie, it may not necessarily rectify the issue, but I can eventually get the audio working again and it'll be fine for the entire movie.

Now I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what may be causing this, and what the solution is. I've got all the dashboard and HD-DVD updates as I am always connected to Live.

Thanks.

257Tony

12-21-07, 09:23 PM

^^^Have you tried swiching between DTS and DD? It could be a situation with your receiver handles one or the other. You could also try enabling the dynamic range compression to see if that helps.

Eluder

12-21-07, 09:59 PM

To be honest, that's what I tried today, I switched it from DTS to DD5.1 and back to DTS and it seemed ok. The receiver is definitely capable of DTS, and haven't had issues with DTS decoding via my standalone DVD player. I guess I'll see what the DRC option does, maybe that's the culprit, cause I recall turning it on while watching The Kingdom today to see how it would affect the movie, maybe that caused some issue.

new2hometheater

12-22-07, 07:50 AM

HD DVD drive test results:

The Xbox 360 DVD player does a poor job of deinterlacing, get a copy of the HQV benchmark DVD and see for yourself:
http://www.hqv.com/benchmark.cfm

It failed and looked awful on the jaggies and motion tests. It is not as good as a my 3 year old Panasonic s97, although is a bit sharper on the Digital Video Essentials (DVE) tests.

However as an HD DVD player it is much, much sharper. I used both a standard DVD and HD DVD version of Digital Video Essentials in an A/B test set up and the standard DVD image was much softer and lacked the details of the HD DVD in both the bar tests and film sequences. The DVE disk can be found at:
http://www.videoessentials.com/

The test were run on my calibrated Samsung 61" HLR, with the Xbox set at 1080P through the PC input and the Panny s97 connected through HDMI.

Calibrating your setting with the HD DVD disk helps set the black levels, sharpness, and contrast and can make a huge difference. Both the DVE and HQV benchmark DVD's run about $25

joe221

12-22-07, 12:01 PM

zappa2001

12-22-07, 12:36 PM

I'm having this crazy issue with either my TV or HD-DVD drive for the xbox360. I believe it is the xbox360 drive currently.

Right now during some movies I own on HD-DVD I get weird pink/purple noise in same areas of the picture that was NEVER there before. It's a little random and will happen in the same movies in the same area. It doesn't show up in every scene in every movie. It doesn't cover up the whole screen.

The reason I believe it's the HD-DVD drive is because when I play games or watch downloaded HD (720p) content from my xbox360 I do not have this problem.... yet.

I have no idea if there is a patch I downloaded not to long ago that came with this defect? I don't know if my VGA cord is bad all of the sudden? (which it shouldn't be, I checked it out and it looks fine and it's plugged in snug on both ends)

It is a 2 year old Samsung DLP television(2005 for those that read this in 08') with the hdmi that doesn't accept a 1080p signal... so I'm not going to switch to hdmi. The VGA has never had a problem before. The contacts are clean.

I just started noticing this 4 weeks ago.

Andy Pennell

12-23-07, 11:35 AM

zappa2001

12-23-07, 11:49 PM

You won't like to read this, but the chances are good your Xbox is dying. I helped another user with this same issue which developed into a full RROD not long after. If you try your drive on a friends's Xbox you will likely find it to be perfect. (When he's not looking try swapping your Xbox for his :) ). At least if this develops into a RROD scenarion Microsoft will replace your Xbox under its warranty.

Damn it. I've never had the RROD, but I have had an unreadable disc error at crazy random times. (never on the HD-DVD player itself) I was hoping I was going to be one of the few that wasn't going to have that problem. I should have figured the day the warranty jumped to 3 years that only the insanely lucky won't ever have the problem show up.

HDCANUCK

12-26-07, 05:15 PM

Hey guys, I don't know who else to turn to. I have tried ALL the solutions found on the net already. I have the issue with the web update on my xbox 360 HD DVD player for the movie Transformers. I have cleared the cookies and all from both the player and my 360. This is supposed to fix the movie freezing up. Not for me. Transformers still freezes 2 minutes into the film. All my other 15 HD movies play completely fine. My HD player is out of warranty ( past the year) but this should be correctable. Does anyone know if you can do a update rollback? Can't seem to find anything on a search. Oh well just thought I'd try here as a last resort.

120inna55

12-26-07, 05:26 PM

...Transformers still freezes 2 minutes into the film. All my other 15 HD movies play completely fine. My HD player is out of warranty ( past the year) but this should be correctable...

Is it possible you have a defective disc? As you suggested, this is not a hardware problem. Are you sure you cleared all the memory under the HD DVD Drive (Dashboard-->System-->Memory-->HD DVD Drive)?

Otherwise, can you try someone else's disc?

HDCANUCK

12-26-07, 06:25 PM

Thanks for the reply, and yeah I have cleared everything everywhere, trust me!! lol. I forgot to mention that I have watched the movie twice flawlessly on the same disc, before attempting the third viewing immediately after the web update download. So I don't think the disc is the problem.

Eluder

12-27-07, 09:13 PM

If you haven't tried clearing the 360's HDD cache, try point 5 from here (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907586). This will get the 360 to download most patches again for software, which may resolve your issue. I actually just finished Transformers on my 360 add on about 15 mins ago without any issues and I have all the updates.

GrandMoff

12-28-07, 09:16 AM

While watching HD-DVDs my Xbox360 continues to run. This happens about 80% of the time. Any ideas? Is this a settings issue?

tcrews

12-28-07, 09:19 AM

While watching HD-DVDs my Xbox360 continues to run. This happens about 80% of the time. Any ideas? Is this a settings issue?

Huh? It should happen 100% of the time as your Xbox360 needs to be running for the HD DVD addon to function.

Could you clarify a little on what you mean.

gman99

12-28-07, 10:15 AM

Take any game discs out of the 360 drive. Quiets the unit diwn considerably when watching HD-DVD.

GrandMoff

12-28-07, 10:42 AM

Thanks, that has got to be the issue.
Since i normally leave a game in the drive.

Yuss

12-29-07, 08:15 AM

Take any game discs out of the 360 drive. Quiets the unit diwn considerably when watching HD-DVD.

Interesting, I always have a game disc in the drive when watching a movie on the HD drive. The main unit stays quiet and does not spin up. As soon as I put in a movie in the HD drive and close the tray, I can hear the main drive spinning down. I have an Elite (if that makes any difference).

I'll pay more attention to it during the movie to see if it starts up again.

new2hometheater

12-29-07, 11:52 AM

Don't leave disks in Xbox360 main drive!

If you move the unit with a disk in the unit you will scratch the heck out of the disk making it unusable.

Fingolfin269

12-29-07, 02:33 PM

I lost my instruction booklet somewhere along the way (translation: I'm a guy so I probably threw it away). How does one bookmark? The only menu I can get to pop up doesn't lead to this functionality and I've tried endless combinations of button mashing on the controller to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

facesnorth

12-29-07, 02:38 PM

facesnorth

12-30-07, 06:38 PM

bump

Rheal_Dubreuil

12-30-07, 07:13 PM

I know it has been reported that the 360 add-on downconverts all TrueHD and DD+ signals to either DD5.1, DTS or WMA Pro. Can anybody answer if this is permanent? Is it possible to update this via a firmware upgrade? Why would this be the case? Also, if it can do DD5.1, why can't it output multichannel PCM? I don't understand.

What about this article which states the 360 processes TrueHD through its software:

http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/archi...gence-day.aspx
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-ente...ork-212747.php

And these articles, including an avs article:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=75488
http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/...&&#post8214978

What idiots they are if it doesn't.......??

Also, I thought the ability to output DD+, and even TrueHD was a mandatory spec requirement in order to sell an HD-DVD player...?

From my understanding the way it works is that it down converts the True HD and Dolby digital Plus to 1.5 Mbits and outputs as DTS (provided you enable the DTS in the HD drive menu) to receiver of the toslink connection. If you have a non elite 360 then no I don't think it will ever do True HD or Dolby Digital Plus because I believe they require more bandwith than the cable can support well at the the true HD does. Not sure about the Dolby digital plus I think it is 1.5 mbits so I don't see why it could not other than copy protection stopping it from gonig over anything but 5.1 analogue or HDMI. The new Elites with the HDMI I have not Idea if they can do the True HD or not.

That is what I believe and if I am wrong somebody please correct me.

Thanks,

hiwind

12-30-07, 09:01 PM

can someone PM me please where to find the xbox 360 add on serial # so I can send away for the free movies please. I'd really apriciate it, Thank you

mikehalper1x

12-30-07, 09:22 PM

Also, I thought the ability to output DD+, and even TrueHD was a mandatory spec requirement in order to sell an HD-DVD player...?

the ability to decode DD+ and DDTHD is required. and the 360AO does decode them; it transcodes into DD, DTS, or WMA.

the requirement is to make sure that when a person selects the THD or DD+ track on an HD DVD, the receiver makes noise, as opposed to no noise.

it's the same logic behind requiring a DTS core track within a DTS HD MA track - imagine if you selected the DTS HD MA track, and everything went silent! that's how it would go with most units, because the players themselves don't decode the DTS HD MA... they decode the DTS core track. same concept.

Toshiba wants to make sure that no matter what track you select, you will hear something. so; THD and DD+ decoding is mandatory within the player but it is not mandatory that they be decoded to MPCM! and the xbox is compliant, as it decodes them into DD or DTS or WMA. ta da!!

also, i believe the 360 will not ever output M(ultichannel) PCM over 2.0 - i'm pretty sure i read in the insider's thread that the xbox hardware is not capable of outputting MPCM in 5.1; also, it will never bitstream THD or DD+

the reason it can do DD 5.1 but not MPCM 5.1 is because, well, if they were the same size, the DD codec would have never been necessary in the first place. DD is compression - it compresses MPCM into the DD codec, which is much smaller, and can run through the 360's connections. 360 hardware is not capable of running the much larger MPCM 5.1 stream; in fact, it's not even capable of running TrueHD, which is about half the size of the MPCM.

So remember, DD is very small (a lot of compression). DTHD is bigger (less compression, which can be unzipped to the equivalent of lossless). MPCM is even bigger (it IS the lossless!).

Your idea is like saying that, since a zip file is only 1MB, all the stuff in the zip file should only be 1MB. Well, then there would be no such thing as zip files! Think of audio codecs as zip files for audio streams, with MPCM 5.1 being the original, uncompressed file.

that should solve all of that.

joe221

12-30-07, 11:19 PM

can someone PM me please where to find the xbox 360 add on serial # so I can send away for the free movies please. I'd really appreciate it, Thank you

Isn't it on your packaging?

dad1153

12-30-07, 11:35 PM

Hi there. I've had my 360 add-on since it came out in Nov. of '06 and so far it has played pretty much everything I've thrown at it. Updated the 360 OS to minimize compatibility issues with newer HD-DVD movies. Even so-called trouble HD-DVD's like "Hollywoodland," "Children of Men," "The Good Sheperd" and "Transformers" have played through fine. This past month however the add-on met its match in the form of two titles: "The Host" and "The Sopranos Season 6 Part 2." I've deleted the cookies/files from the 360 hard drive, played the titles offline and made double-sure the HD-DVD's were not faulty (tested them on a Tosh HD-DVD player I gave my boss as a Christmas gift, and they played fine). Bottom line is that neither "The Host" nor "Sopranos S6 P2" will play on my HD-DVD add-on. Any help/advice you can throw my way would be appreciated. I'd hate to sell these HD-DVD's because they're fine (they wouldn't have played on the Tosh player if they were faulty) but I'll have to part way with them if I can't get them to play on the add-on since I'm not getting an HD-DVD player for myself anytime soon. :(

IfixitBIG

12-30-07, 11:41 PM

I wish I was your boss! I played "The Host" on my 360 add on, and had no problem.
Do you own these disc or rent them?

facesnorth

12-31-07, 01:48 AM

that should solve all of that.

Thanks Mike, that was a good explanation. And you are right. I just go this back from an Xbox response rep. While he was inaccurate somewhat since HDMI 1.3 would not be necessary to send multichannel PCM, he at least confirmed it's not possible. And his talk about my frustration was because their first rep responded like an idiot and did not address my question at all. He answered a question about stereo PCM which had nothing to do with what I asked so I wrote back frustrated that they didn't even read what I said.

Hi, Ryan!

Thank you for writing Xbox Customer Support!

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience that you may have at the moment.

It sounds like this has been a very frustrating experience for you.

I understand that you are inquiring if the Xbox 360 can convert TrueHD to Multi-channel PCM over HDMI (Xbox 360 Elite). The Xbox 360 Elite version is 1.2 and inorder to use or convert true HD to multi-channel PCM it requires firmware version 1.3, as of this moment there is still no firmware updates available for the Xbox 360 Elite. It is advisable to log in to the Xbox website for further updates. Thank you so much for your time and understanding.

Should you have further questions or inquiries please do not hesitate to call our toll free hotline.

Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply 'with history' (include any previous e-mail) so we can expedite our service to you. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services, please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.

You may also call Xbox Phone Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) at your earliest convenience, and we will be happy to help you. We are open everyday from 9am to 1am EST/ 6am to 10pm PST.

Note: You may now check your XBOX console's warranty and repair status online at http://service.xbox.com/ using your Windows Live ID account.

To expedite service, please provide Service Request Number XXXXXXXX when you call. This e-mail acknowledges our receipt of your message to Xbox Customer Care. We appreciate you taking the time to write us with your concerns and value you as an Xbox customer.

Sincerely,

Christopher
Xbox Customer Care

james138

12-31-07, 11:10 AM

I just got my Xbox 360 HD drive and have a couple of issues with discs being labeled as unplayable. My question is this a problem with the drive or the discs. I rented Stardust and after about 15 tries the drive read the disc. The same problem happened with the Bourne Supr, but I could never get the drive to read the HD side, so I had to settle for SD. It's also at times stated that King Kong can not be read, then I eject the disc and put it back in and it plays fine. I'm connected to Xbox Live too. Should I try to return the drive? Or is this a common problem with the discs?

8IronBob

12-31-07, 11:18 AM

james138

12-31-07, 12:46 PM

How do I get these updates?

BChico

12-31-07, 12:50 PM

How does the upscaling of standard DVD's work with the HD-DVD add-on? Will it upconvert to 1080p over HDMI?

8IronBob

12-31-07, 12:53 PM

How do I get these updates?

You can find that answer right here from Team Xbox Support themselves:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/download.htm

I was just looking through this to make sure I even did this right.
Seems like it should automatically update if you're hooked into Xbox Live.
Otherwise, you need to download a file to a CD-R and run that through the console itself.

tcrews

12-31-07, 12:54 PM

How does the upscaling of standard DVD's work with the HD-DVD add-on? Will it upconvert to 1080p over HDMI?

Upscaling doesn't work with the HD DVD add-on, it works with the 360. You need either an HDMI or VGA connection to upconvert.

You do NOT need the add-on.

BChico

12-31-07, 01:00 PM

Upscaling doesn't work with the HD DVD add-on, it works with the 360. You need either an HDMI or VGA connection to upconvert.

You do NOT need the add-on.

Does it upconvert to 1080p? I currently have an Oppo 981HD, wondering if I need to hold on to the Oppo, or if I can just use the Xbox. Just got an Xbox/HD addon this week...

8IronBob

12-31-07, 01:02 PM

Very true, and even downloading movie trailers on the X360 will automatically play at the resolution of your television/VGA HD connection. I was just downloading a few movie trailers to get an idea of what a full HD DVD movie would look and sound like, since the quality of a downloaded movie trailer and a full HD DVD should look and sound fairly similar.

tcrews

12-31-07, 01:04 PM

Does it upconvert to 1080p? I currently have an Oppo 981HD, wondering if I need to hold on to the Oppo, or if I can just use the Xbox. Just got an Xbox/HD addon this week...

If your TV is 1080p then yes the 360 will upconvert SD DVD's to 1080p over and HDMI or VGA connection.
However, I don't believe it's that great at it from what I've read. SD DVD's (upconverted, scaled, re-mixed, whatever) pale in comparison to HD DVD's anyway :)

facesnorth

12-31-07, 01:54 PM

james138

12-31-07, 04:36 PM

Yeah, I just tried it with new Harry Potter movie and that won't work either! I'm assuming that since I belong to Xbox Live I have the right update, correct?

BuckeyeR/T

01-01-08, 08:57 AM

Yeah, I just tried it with new Harry Potter movie and that won't work either! I'm assuming that since I belong to Xbox Live I have the right update, correct?
I am having the same problem. I am thinking I am going to take mine back to BB. At first it would not play any HDDVD's. This will be my third XBOX HDDVD player. The first one would not manually eject.:confused:

Stefan A

01-01-08, 06:07 PM

I just tried to play Bourne Ultimatum and I got the Disc is unreadable error. Not too encouraging considering everything is brand new. Any advise?

Stefan

Pradeep

01-01-08, 06:16 PM

I would try exchanging the disc first. Did you buy it at a brick and mortar store?

Pradeep

01-01-08, 06:18 PM

Exchange the disc only after making sure you are upgraded to the latest firmware.

james138

01-01-08, 06:49 PM

I just exchanged my drive for a new one and the new Harry Potter movie seems to be playing.

What is the best position for the player lay it on top of the 360, stand it next to the hard drive side, or the other side? I'm worrying about it overheating.

Stefan A

01-01-08, 06:58 PM

I would try exchanging the disc first. Did you buy it at a brick and mortar store?

Amazon. Since I am constantly connected, I gues updates happen automatically. How do I force a firmware check?

Stefan

JasZ

01-03-08, 03:40 PM

I guess I'll try asking this in here. I just got an elite and I've been watching DVDs upscaled to 720p over HDMI and they look like crap. There is this kind of static-like noise looking stuff on the screen especially in solid coloredbackgrounds and skin tones. Looks about like watching a VHS tape. It also appears to be there when I watch the 300 HD-DVD. Not to mention that some movies appear to get blocky.

I used to have a premium and it looked great over VGA on the same TV. Why does this looks so bad? I think someone may have mentioned something about a digital scaler problem?

BTW, I'm watching on an HP LC3700N.

Yumbo

01-03-08, 04:08 PM

Select 1080i.

Buddy C

01-04-08, 04:25 PM

Warner just announced they were going exclusively blu-ray. Our Add-Ons will make a nice bookend.:(

xclusives619

01-04-08, 05:42 PM

Will this make microsoft have to make a blue ray add on this year?

Deezul

01-04-08, 06:00 PM

Will this make microsoft have to make a blue ray add on this year?

Wouldn't surprise me if they did. Amirm stated that the 360 has the power to do Blu-Ray, and since the add on is just a drive and not the player. I likely won't be buying ANY new movies on HD DVD or Blu Ray, as I want BGA to release a standard Profile so that I'll be able to view all content 10 years from now on a new disc. I have a Sony DVD player I bought in 1997 that still works great and never needed an "upgrade." THAT bothers me more than anything else BGA did - they released a rush standard to compete the HD DVD, and then when they saw how much HD DVD folks like some of the features that were standard in HD DVD, BGA decided to release a new profile to make them the new "standard." I would like to get a Blu Ray player, but every time I'm about to pull the trigger, I wonder to myself if this player will be no good in a year or so.

TheAlternative

01-04-08, 06:35 PM

Read my signature and let's stop Sony's monopoly!

joe221

01-04-08, 07:22 PM

Read my signature and let's stop Sony's monopoly!

I voted earlier today, but look at the numbers... :(

120inna55

01-04-08, 07:51 PM

Read my signature and let's stop Sony's monopoly!

I voted, too. Thanks for the link. I hope my sig is legal, too. If not, please let me know and I'll take it down.

RedSox34

01-05-08, 12:17 AM

Just got my add on hd dvd player and are a little confused about my connections. My xbox 360 was connected at first by using the component cable provided with the console. This supplied a great picture when viewing HD dvd's (1080i) , then I bought a hdmi cable to connect my xbxox to my tv and now the best resolution I can get is 720p. Did i miss something somewhere in setting this up?

UnnDunn

01-05-08, 03:15 AM

If your TV is a so-called "720p" set (ie. it's native resolution is 1280x720 or something similar), then it has indicated to the Xbox that it prefers 720p, so that's what the Xbox 360 will send it.

This is a feature of HDMI.

120inna55

01-05-08, 07:45 AM

bobvan

01-05-08, 12:43 PM

My add on plays everything unlike Toshiba A-30 and venturer players in sticking with it.

Nox

01-05-08, 05:12 PM

Will this make microsoft have to make a blue ray add on this year?

My thought on this:

If Microsoft does decide to support Blu-ray it would be wise of them to make a dual format drive. Keep in mind that Universal, Paramount, and Dreamworks are still HD-DVD exclusive. So unless these studios announce a change, HD-DVD is not dead. It may only be 30% of the market, but their movies would still only be available on HD-DVD and not on Blu-ray.

A dual format drive would give continued support for HD-DVD yet allow Blu-ray playback without alienating Microsoft's current costumers.

Andy Pennell

01-06-08, 11:14 AM

Did you run updates from Toshiba on the drive? Remember, even tho the updates are from Xbox Live, they are from Toshiba, not Microsoft. These may probably help you in determining what you can and cannot play.

This is incorrect. Xbox 360 HD DVD updates are from Microsoft, and have nothing to do with Toshiba.

BigJeff

01-08-08, 01:52 AM

I have my 360 connected via network yet I am still unable to select dts output from my console settings. How can I get the update if it hasnt auto updated already?

tcrews

01-08-08, 06:41 AM

I have my 360 connected via network yet I am still unable to select dts output from my console settings. How can I get the update if it hasnt auto updated already?

It's not in the console settings, it's in the HD DVD playback settings, you have to be playing an HD DVD and you bring up the on-screen playback controls.....one will be advanced audio or digital audio or something like that. Select it and it'll give you the option to do DD, DTS or WMAPro as well as the option to turn on/off DRC (Dynamic Range Compression).

The Console settings only give you stereo, DD and WMAPro.

jmdajr

01-08-08, 10:24 AM

do you think there is any chance in hell we will ever get internal decoding of dolby digital plus and trueHD.

tcrews

01-08-08, 10:27 AM

do you think there is any chance in hell we will ever get internal decoding of dolby digital plus and trueHD.

We already do.

We just won't ever get the option to "output" it. Currently the 360 decodes all the audio formats and encodes them to output them as your selected choice (DD, DTS and WMAPro).

jmdajr

01-08-08, 10:30 AM

We already do.

We just won't ever get the option to "output" it. Currently the 360 decodes all the audio formats and encodes them to output them as your selected choice (DD, DTS and WMAPro).

Yes I already know that. So basically the answer is no. Everything downconverted to legacy formats.

Goatse

01-08-08, 10:55 AM

anyone have a pioneer receiver that decodes WMA?? does it sound better than DTS 1.5 on HD dvds?

joe221

01-08-08, 10:32 PM

Paramount dumped us too. The fat lady is doing arias like crazy.
It's time for MS to announce a BR add on... :(

xzener

01-08-08, 11:32 PM

Well, I do have a Xbox 360 and an HDDVD add on. But I use it entirely different from all of you. I modded it to fit into my HTPC case. Check it out!! Movies look so amazing in HD dont they?? Have you guys seen Transformers yet?? HOLY COW!!
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/xzener/HTPC004.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/xzener/HTPC005.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/xzener/HTPC002.jpg

mdmaclean

01-09-08, 05:44 AM

Yuss

01-09-08, 07:11 AM

Paramount dumped us too. The fat lady is doing arias like crazy.
It's time for MS to announce a BR add on... :(

Not true,

"Paramount has responded to reports that it intends to defect to the Blu-ray camp, insisting that it has no intention of abandoning the HD-DVD format."

from http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2206746/paramount-continues-back-hd-dvd

Goatse

01-09-08, 08:17 AM

joe221

01-09-08, 12:57 PM

Not true,

"Paramount has responded to reports that it intends to defect to the Blu-ray camp, insisting that it has no intention of abandoning the HD-DVD format."

from http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2206746/paramount-continues-back-hd-dvd

Yay, for now. The reality is we can't get that fat lady to shut up! :eek::(

All Toshiba has left to do now is price their 3 players at $69 $129 $199 and more free movies with good choices, ALL Warner Titles and let er rip, before it's RiP. Include with all purchases a form to send to the BR studios that you have the player and want to buy titles! It's do or die now.

aravs

01-09-08, 01:31 PM

Well, I do have a Xbox 360 and an HDDVD add on. But I use it entirely different from all of you. I modded it to fit into my HTPC case. Check it out!! Movies look so amazing in HD dont they?? Have you guys seen Transformers yet?? HOLY COW!!
[

xzener thats a great build. did you follow a guide or do you have step by step pics of how you removed the housing from the 360 hd drive and got it into your htpc. I would be very interested in doing this. I hate having a big white drive in my audio tower.

again, good job

joe221

01-14-08, 03:13 PM

Yay, for now. The reality is we can't get that fat lady to shut up! :eek::(

All Toshiba has left to do now is price their 3 players at $69 $129 $199 and more free movies with good choices, ALL Warner Titles and let er rip, before it's RiP. Include with all purchases a form to send to the BR studios that you have the player and want to buy titles! It's do or die now.

A fair first step, but it won't be enough...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080114/tc_nm/toshiba_hddvd_dc_1

mikehalper1x

01-17-08, 11:42 AM

anyone have a pioneer receiver that decodes WMA?? does it sound better than DTS 1.5 on HD dvds?

yes, i have the 82txs, and i find myself using the WMA output on the 360 plenty. I've found that every movie is different; some sound better in DD, some DTS, and some WMA.

i would say WMA sounds best in about 40% of the movies i've watched, with DD and DTS just about splitting the rest. so WMA sounds better more often than either DD or DTS, but not more often than both.

I just watched Ray, sounded better in DD. Transformers sounded better in DTS. Bourne movies, WMA. When WMA is better, it just has a cleaner, more open feel to it.

I also am not part of the "louder is better" group, so i'm not just telling which is louder; i volume match whenever i change output.

If you are looking at two equal receivers, with equal price, go with the pio for the WMA. however, i don't think the difference is great enough to justify spending more, or to justify giving up other features. i would advise someone to get a standalone + the receiver they want, rather than use the 360 and get the pio for the WMA.

WMA still doesn't compare to PCM. my wife immediately notices whether or not i'm running the A3, regardless of which output i'm using. She'll just walk in the room and say "this doesn't sound as good" whenever i am using the add on.

Jigga Moog

01-17-08, 01:31 PM

If Micro$oft goes blu-ray can they just do a firmware upgrade to make the HD DVD add on read blu-ray.

Jigga Moog

01-17-08, 01:37 PM

Thanks Mike, that was a good explanation. And you are right. I just go this back from an Xbox response rep. While he was inaccurate somewhat since HDMI 1.3 would not be necessary to send multichannel PCM, he at least confirmed it's not possible. And his talk about my frustration was because their first rep responded like an idiot and did not address my question at all. He answered a question about stereo PCM which had nothing to do with what I asked so I wrote back frustrated that they didn't even read what I said.

Hi, Ryan!

Thank you for writing Xbox Customer Support!

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience that you may have at the moment.

It sounds like this has been a very frustrating experience for you.

I understand that you are inquiring if the Xbox 360 can convert TrueHD to Multi-channel PCM over HDMI (Xbox 360 Elite). The Xbox 360 Elite version is 1.2 and inorder to use or convert true HD to multi-channel PCM it requires firmware version 1.3, as of this moment there is still no firmware updates available for the Xbox 360 Elite. It is advisable to log in to the Xbox website for further updates. Thank you so much for your time and understanding.

Should you have further questions or inquiries please do not hesitate to call our toll free hotline.

Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply 'with history' (include any previous e-mail) so we can expedite our service to you. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services, please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.

You may also call Xbox Phone Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) at your earliest convenience, and we will be happy to help you. We are open everyday from 9am to 1am EST/ 6am to 10pm PST.

Note: You may now check your XBOX console's warranty and repair status online at http://service.xbox.com/ using your Windows Live ID account.

To expedite service, please provide Service Request Number XXXXXXXX when you call. This e-mail acknowledges our receipt of your message to Xbox Customer Care. We appreciate you taking the time to write us with your concerns and value you as an Xbox customer.

Sincerely,

Christopher
Xbox Customer Care

Okay I thought the elite only had HDMI 1.2 and to have 1.3 it is a hardware issue not a software issue? It sounds like this guy is saying that to go 1.3 all we need is a update.

Foxbat121

01-17-08, 02:10 PM

HDMI 1.2 is more than enough to pass multi-channel PCM. HDMI 1.3 needs a hardware upgrade. I don't know if that guy has any idea what he's talking about.

jmdajr

01-17-08, 02:30 PM

HDMI 1.2 is more than enough to pass multi-channel PCM. HDMI 1.3 needs a hardware upgrade. I don't know if that guy has any idea what he's talking about.

he doesn't!

my solution. bought a dedicated player. hell its cheaper than ever before!

magarwal1217

01-17-08, 04:57 PM

HDMI 1.2 is more than enough to pass multi-channel PCM. HDMI 1.3 needs a hardware upgrade. I don't know if that guy has any idea what he's talking about.

I'm pretty sure there was some statement by Microsoft that since they didn't change anything except for adding the HDMI 1.2 output, the motherboard does not have the throughput/bandwidth to pass PCM audio.

boneycat

01-17-08, 06:11 PM

M$ should drop the prices on these players to keep up w/ toshiba's price cuts.

bobvan

01-17-08, 07:11 PM

Buy it on ebay some are as low as $80.00 BIN

Andy Pennell

01-18-08, 01:25 AM

I'm pretty sure there was some statement by Microsoft that since they didn't change anything except for adding the HDMI 1.2 output, the motherboard does not have the throughput/bandwidth to pass PCM audio.

The Xbox HDMI hardware can't pass mutli-channel uncompressed audio, it is essential the S/PDIF output rewired over HDMI, nothing more. The support person is misinformed.

Andy Pennell

01-18-08, 01:27 AM

If Micro$oft goes blu-ray can they just do a firmware upgrade to make the HD DVD add on read blu-ray.

Er no. No amount of firmware updating will cause the HD DVD optical pickup to read a Blu-ray disc. Its like putting diesel in your car: if it is designed for petroleum, it just aint gonna work...

jmdajr

01-18-08, 09:16 AM

I see so it is basically a hardware limitation and the xbox will NEVER be able to ouput MultiPCM. Yes hdmi1.2 can techinically output it, but the hardware that reaches it doesn't have the goods.

mchuckp

01-18-08, 10:08 AM

I just got a 360 add-on. I have been using an A2 for quite some time. I don't think I am imagining it, but I don't think the 360 has as good a picture. It seems a little less sharp and I see a little bit of noise here and there. The A2 gives me a very smooth, noise free picture.

The A2 is hooked up via HDMI. The 360 is hooked up via component. Both are set to output at 720p to my 720p DLP.

Anyone else agree with this who have tried both?

Would going to VGA help? I was wondering if it had something to do with going digital>analong>digital via component.

I really want to use the add-on in place of my A2 as I need more room for other gear but it is hard for me to accept reduced quality.

TheAlternative

01-18-08, 10:52 AM

Jigga Moog

01-18-08, 06:47 PM

When I bought the HD DVD add on, the day it came out, it fit my needs at the time with DD5.1 audio perfomence(video is A+)and it was cheap for me with some coupons.I am going to pull the trigger on a onkyo that handles uncompressed audio that the 360 will never ever output so I am going to get a A35 when they drop a little more and a stand alone blu-ray player that can output uncompressed audio. So even if micr$oft comes out with a blu-ray add on I am Not going to buy it because of the lack of uncompressed audio output. Knowing Micro$oft it will only be $100 cheaper then stand alone which is not worth it to me.

macaw

01-24-08, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by macaw on 10/2006
Why is this thing an add-on? Why not just have a second release of the Xbox 360?

It seems like Apples can release a new iPod every few months and sell a bunch of them. The add-ons for consoles have rarely done well.

Because then existing Xbox360 owners miss out on the HD DVD action. This way, anyone who wants the cheap upgrade can have it.

Good call, beards.

TheAlternative

01-24-08, 02:09 PM

Has anyone been over to the youchoose.net website where you can vote for HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? The comments there are f*cking hilarious! What kills me is the Microsoft/Bill Gates haters. "He's the devil!" They say. But they sure like their computer world that Microsoft made a household item, don't they?!

Mamasboy

01-25-08, 08:54 PM

I have an Xbox elite 360 hooked to my AV unit via HDMI. If I get the Xbox HD DVD add on can I use the same HDMI connection from my xbox for watching HD DVDs?

I keep reading that Xbox HD DVDs don't do HDMI an need to be hooked to the tv or receiver via component cables.

It doesn't make sense that the Xbox HD DVD wouldn't make use of the Xbox HDMI connection.

If I get one of these things, how do I connect it to my AV unit?

C Dub

01-25-08, 09:50 PM

bflip1080

01-26-08, 01:12 PM

Rheal_Dubreuil

01-26-08, 01:46 PM

Mine did not show that and was really close in quality to my HD-A1.

zanoni

01-27-08, 04:05 AM

bflip1080

01-28-08, 11:13 AM

zanoni

01-28-08, 03:55 PM

In most cases and most setups DTS is better. Yes on some setups it requires you to raise the volume a few levels to get more of a reference level, but there is usually much more clarity, depth, and overall better sound. DTS allows for 1.5Mpbs bandwith instead of 640 kpbs for DD (i think that is what it is limited to, but don't quote me on DD). more bandwith is like a wider river and allows for a larger flow of information.
Ah I see.. I actually suspected something along these lines but was not too sure.

And I do know that louder does not necessarily equal better, but at the same time it makes it difficult for the ear (unless you are a total audiophile hehe) to pick out the best sounding track if one automatically sounds louder than the other.

Good beans, thanks mate!

Dawg90

01-28-08, 05:04 PM

In most cases and most setups DTS is better. Yes on some setups it requires you to raise the volume a few levels to get more of a reference level, but there is usually much more clarity, depth, and overall better sound. DTS allows for 1.5Mpbs bandwith instead of 640 kpbs for DD (i think that is what it is limited to, but don't quote me on DD). more bandwith is like a wider river and allows for a larger flow of information.

But DD is more efficient with bandwidth than DTS, so that will make up for some of the difference. If you hear a difference that's one thing, but I wouldn't assume the higher bandwidth makes it better.

wakashizuma

01-28-08, 07:01 PM

Sorry if this has been asked or dicussed before. But it is kind of hard to scan through all 158 pages of this thread.

Is there a general consensus as to what is best to set digital output as on the HD DVD player? Im talking about DD5.1 Vs DTS.

My receiver is a Yamaha RX-V2700 and can handle all formats except the new HD ones of course. I know the HD DVD player will basically downconvert the True DD+/HD/DTS signal to either DD 5.1 or DTS as per the selections. But what is considered the optimal setting?

I tested with Transformers and with DD 5.1 selected the track sounds louder and boomier. When I select DTS I must raise the volume a bit for it to sound as loud and boomy. When I play king kong, there is one particular scene where Kong is grabbing for the shackled girl and you hear a roar through the rear channels. In DD 5.1 the growl is pretty noticeable. With DTS selected it sounds more subdued. Not bad, but not as pronounced. Again, I need to raise the volume in DTS to get same effect. Is this normal?

Oh forgot to mention. I'm running on an Elite through HDMI connection to the receiver, if that helps.

I had the exact same problem before and I even made a thread about it here. I have a Yamaha receiver as well.
As you said it yourself, the problem is that DD's loudness can fool your ears especially in action scenes when it "seem" to deliver more punch.
The fact is the DTS output is more dynamic and it has more depth; I think being more dynamic is the reason it also has a lower volume as well.
Try to use a musical source to find out the difference; that makes it much easier I believe.

Andy Pennell

01-31-08, 07:49 PM

bflip1080

02-01-08, 12:59 PM

A picture is worth a thousand words: any chance of a screen-shot?

I'll try, all i've got is a 1.3 camera phone, i'll see if i can borrow a camera. thats a good idea thanks!

zanoni

02-02-08, 02:51 PM

I had the exact same problem before and I even made a thread about it here. I have a Yamaha receiver as well.
As you said it yourself, the problem is that DD's loudness can fool your ears especially in action scenes when it "seem" to deliver more punch.
The fact is the DTS output is more dynamic and it has more depth; I think being more dynamic is the reason it also has a lower volume as well.
Try to use a musical source to find out the difference; that makes it much easier I believe.

Good call on the use of music to test, you where right. In the end DTS sounds a loot more dynamic to my ears. I'm no expert but if my ears think so then what the heck right? Haha.. I just raise the volume a tad for DTS decoding and the boom and might are all in there.

xenokai

02-03-08, 01:22 PM

OK, has anyone noticed a checkerboard type effect in the blacks with the add-on.

I have my addon with a newer elite connected via hdmi to my samsung lcd. i can't help but notice some little boxes or like a thick window screen pattern over the blacks and other darker colors. it seems to be the xbox, because i hooked up my old vizio and saw the same problem(just less detail which is to be expected). My hd-dvr and computer show none of the similar distortion. I also tried different hdmi cables and inputs and no change. please help. thanks.

Sorry to say this but im glade you see it because on my hdmi 360 i get the same affect over hdmi. My tv is a westinghouse and i see the same thing your seeing. if your not looking for it you dont really see it. Mines a westinghouse and yours a samsung so its not just the westinghouse tv it has to be the xbox. bleh there weak ass hdmi

joe221

02-19-08, 12:05 PM

It's Over:

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.
HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.
"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.
Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.
This decision will not impact on Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.
Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.

Renagade

02-19-08, 12:17 PM

I wonder how Microsoft is going to play this..

120inna55

02-19-08, 12:45 PM

I wonder how Microsoft is going to play this..http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Console/J7L7H2R4

SoCoolAZ

02-20-08, 10:02 AM

Well, Sony didn't lose this round. Below is an article from my 88 year old uncle who was alive and choosing incorrectly during the 80's VHS/BETA wars...and now he chooses wrong in the HDDVD/BLURAY war. He is very upset, as the article reads:

http://www.socoolaz.com/article.cfm?articleID=30121

:mad:

joe221

02-20-08, 11:59 AM

Renagade

02-20-08, 12:14 PM

I still have my LaserDisc collection, and my player even though it doesn't work like it use too..

joe221

02-20-08, 08:56 PM

I still have my LaserDisc collection, and my player even though it doesn't work like it use too..

I have about a hundred or so, but my Pioneer died years ago. I gave up on it with DVD then HDDVD. I think I'll wait on BRD, as I'm starting to think downloadable media will win over all. It has NOTHING to do with quality of media. Just look at what's become of music.

GizmoDVD

02-21-08, 12:40 AM

Rumor has it this will be dropping to $49.99 very soon...at least at Game Stop.

Claw97000

02-21-08, 01:02 AM

+1. Here is the story over at Xbox forums...

http://xboxfamily.com/xf/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1440&Itemid=1

joe221

02-21-08, 01:24 AM

It would be "nice" if all the studios that stabbed HDDVD in the heart have a little heart on the customers they sold disks to. Maybe a trade in program to at least get BD copies of the titles they sold to us then fritzed out on us. It would be the "right" thing to do, but hey.

Dawg90

02-21-08, 08:09 AM

+1. Here is the story over at Xbox forums...

http://xboxfamily.com/xf/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1440&Itemid=1

Hmm, good that I sold mine for $60 this week then.

I like this quote. :)

Casual consumers likely still don’t even know the war is over. The casual consumer is like a Vietnamese soldier hidden in a spider hole somewhere. They’re cut off from info and are still waiting to attack despite a cease fire being called.

TMcNasty

02-27-08, 10:45 PM

Jigga Moog

02-27-08, 10:52 PM

guys...quick question, but only because I'm going to the store early am and I'm at work right now.
I know (I think anyway) that the add-on drive upconverts SDDVD's...is it to 1080p?
Also, if added to a PC (I don't have an XBox) does it still do all the upconvert stuff for SDDVD's?
The HDDVD drive does not upconvert. The 360 upconverts internally. If you don't have the HD add on the 360 will upconvert through the drive on the 360 and if you have the Hd drive it will upconvert through both.

Jigga Moog

02-27-08, 10:55 PM

SpcSubby

02-28-08, 10:17 AM

now that the players are so cheap I was thinking about picking one up to back-up my hd-dvd movies to my pc so I can move my hd-a1 to another room. I know its possible to play movies on pc from the drive but what I'm not sure about is how to rip them to the HDD, does the hd-dvd player just show up as a drive, so that I can use anydvd and dvdfab hd?

dgj23

02-29-08, 05:48 AM

HD DVD add on is perfect, Xbox 360 is crap. Then again every HD DVD player is crap. I had so many xbox 360s that would crap out on me. Toshiba HD DVD players don't always play movies without freezing. I bought every 3rd gneration player from different place and all players had same problems. I have over 60 HD DVD movies and cant watch any peacefully. I might buy BH200 or another xbox 360 just for HD DVD. I love the format. Its a shame blu-ray won even though I was going for blu-ray. I am getting the imported Godfather collection coming out in June for HD DVD. It better still be released. I am going to build up my HD DVD collection before it is 100% dead.

TheAlternative

02-29-08, 06:53 AM

vhato

02-29-08, 07:13 AM

plissken99

04-19-08, 11:43 PM

So... why does the add on drive not output bass? Picked it up for $50 with a $30 rebate at Hastings, and I regret it. Got it cuz my XA2 is on the fritz, and I can't stand bassless action movies.

tmuirheid

04-20-08, 10:48 AM

Yuss

04-20-08, 01:44 PM

They are offering a rebate:
:)
"Greetings from Amazon.com.

You are receiving this e-mail due to your purchase of an HD DVD player from Amazon.com before February 23, 2008.

As you may know, manufacture of HD DVD players ceased February 23, 2008, and major studios in the U.S. have ceased production of HD DVDs. In recognition of this development, Amazon.com is providing all customers who purchased qualifying HD DVD players a credit for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com for each HD DVD player unit purchased from us prior to February 23, 2008, up to a limit of 10 per customer, or a maximum credit of $500 per customer."

tmuirheid

04-20-08, 07:07 PM

This is embarassing but I cannot get a picture out of my HD DVD addon drive for my 360. I can hear the movie play, the HD DVD remote controls what is happening on the disc, I just can't see anything.

I'm running my 360 via HDMI to my LG 32" LCD (720p). Games play wonderfully but it falls apart when I try to watch my HD DVD drive.

Any help would be appreciated.

OK to sove my problem I had to change my display setting under the System Blad to 1080i from 720p. Once I made that change I could then see and hear the hd dvd movie - this is curious because my LG is clearly a 720p lcd model. Perhaps if I was using a vga cable or component cable I would have had a different outcome but there you go.