OK here is a new issue. I spent have of the day yesterday trying to fix my computer that would not post. Only to find out that when I unplugged my add on it booted up fine. Now this has not been a problem since day one. Why now all the sudden I can't have my HD add on plugged in to my computer when it boots up.

OK here is a new issue. I spent have of the day yesterday trying to fix my computer that would not post. Only to find out that when I unplugged my add on it booted up fine. Now this has not been a problem since day one. Why now all the sudden I can't have my HD add on plugged in to my computer when it boots up.

Have you done a BIOS update lately or changed settings in your CMOS. Try resetting to defaults in your BIOS.

Did you turn off dynamic range compression on the 360 hd dvd settings?

I found the setting and it is turned off.

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 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.

OK here is a new issue. I spent have of the day yesterday trying to fix my computer that would not post. Only to find out that when I unplugged my add on it booted up fine. Now this has not been a problem since day one. Why now all the sudden I can't have my HD add on plugged in to my computer when it boots up.

I have a PC at work where the BIOS attempts to boot from an external USB hard drive if one is attached. it will actually change the BIOS settings to do this. I need to be careful when re-booting to make sure I do not to have an external drive connected and powered up. if i forget, i must disconnect the external and change the BIOS back to boot from the internal SATA drive. i do not remember whether it is Phoenix or Award BIOS, but it is a SuperMicro motherboard. never made sense to me, i just needed it to boot and work and this did the trick.

HTH

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.

It depends on the receiver. Some receivers sounds better using DTS others don't. My Harman Kardon AVR7200 sounds bettery using the DTS.

If I were you I would keep it a DD. Hope this helps.

i know this is a regular dvd but i cant play the first disc of the 10th season of the simpsons in the add on. its gives me unplayable content error, then i put it in the 360 and it plays fine. just wondering if this could lead to future problems.

If you have add on make sure your xbox is connected to the internet. I've never had a problem with my add on playing combo's or anything because my player updates itself for new updates. If you don't have internet access check xbox.com for updates and install them via cd.

Hi, tried looking and could not find a concrete answer. I'm wondering if the 360 hd add on drive will play foreign dvds that are region 2 let's say and PAL or is this limited to hd dvds being able to play?

Hi, tried looking and could not find a concrete answer. I'm wondering if the 360 hd add on drive will play foreign dvds that are region 2 let's say and PAL or is this limited to hd dvds being able to play?

I always thought that HD DVD has no region code and XBOX 360 HD DVD player can only play HD DVD and not SD DVD?

Can XBOX 360 HD DVD player output 24fps?

I always thought that HD DVD has no region code and XBOX 360 HD DVD player can only play HD DVD and not SD DVD?

Can XBOX 360 HD DVD player output 24fps?

I've played regular dvds on it so yes it does play sd-dvds, quality not so good though running through component

Can XBOX 360 HD DVD player output 24fps?

Unfortunately, no it can't. I've already ordered myself the Toshiba HD A35 to take advantage of my Sony XBR monitor's 24fps capability.

Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price drop (now US $129.99)

This just in: The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price has dropped from $179.99 to $129.99 (U.S. MSRP.) This new price is effective immediately in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Combine the new price with the 5 free HD DVD offer and it’s a pretty good deal.

http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/02/06/xbox-360-hd-dvd-player-price-drop-now-us-129-99.aspx

Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price drop (now US $129.99)

This just in: The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price has dropped from $179.99 to $129.99 (U.S. MSRP.) This new price is effective immediately in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Combine the new price with the 5 free HD DVD offer and it’s a pretty good deal.

http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/02/06/xbox-360-hd-dvd-player-price-drop-now-us-129-99.aspx

The price reduction is great...long overdue!

Amazon still shows it for $79. If you look it up, it shows as 179 for Target, but if you add it from the right side of the screen from Amazon, it shows $79 with free shipping, though it is not due to ship for another week or so.

Street prices between $79 and $99 (with 5 free movies ) should be an impulse purchase point. Any bundles with movies in the boxa and the remote?

Street prices between $79 and $99 (with 5 free movies ) should be an impulse purchase point. Any bundles with movies in the boxa and the remote?

It comes with King Kong and a remote.

does this drive support dual layer DVD+R media? I would think there would be a listing of supported media formats somewhere. I've been having mixed results getting my movie backups to play. I've googled this and also searched xbox.com with no results. My drive has the latest firmware updates.
Thanks

does this drive support dual layer DVD+R media? I would think there would be a listing of supported media formats somewhere. I've been having mixed results getting my movie backups to play. I've googled this and also searched xbox.com with no results. My drive has the latest firmware updates.
Thanks

I just tried one, and it did not work...so I assumed No.

I just realized somehting. They must have inlcuded the HD DVD update as part of a dashboard update or preloaded new 360's with it.

I had my Hd DVD player addon from Christmas, my 360 took a dive and I bought a new one and never loaded the disc back in and I have been watching HD DVD movies for a while with the new 360.



Also, I am waiting to see the answer of the region coding. I want to grab seom PAL movies, but not if they won't play.

I just realized somehting. They must have inlcuded the HD DVD update as part of a dashboard update or preloaded new 360's with it.

I had my Hd DVD player addon from Christmas, my 360 took a dive and I bought a new one and never loaded the disc back in and I have been watching HD DVD movies for a while with the new 360.



Also, I am waiting to see the answer of the region coding. I want to grab seom PAL movies, but not if they won't play.The addon has no concept of region coding. If your main console can play PAL movies, then the Addon can. The main console _is_ region encoded for DVD.

With Netflix going exclusive to Blue Ray and Best Buy really pushing & recommending Blue Ray plus the price drops on HD DVD players it seems the writing is clearly on the wall that the end is near for HD DVD. Bummer!

I'm wondering if Microsoft can do some sort of software push that would enable the 360 HDDVD player to play both blue ray and HD DVD discs at some point. I believe both the HD DVD and Blue Ray use the same type of blue laser and the difference is in the software but I could be wrong.

I'm wondering if Microsoft can do some sort of software push that would enable the 360 HDDVD player to play both blue ray and HD DVD discs at some point. I believe both the HD DVD and Blue Ray use the same type of blue laser and the difference is in the software but I could be wrong.

While both use a blue laser the lenses and focusing system of the two are entirely different. No firmware upgrade can enable an HD DVD player to play Blu-ray.

I just wanted to see if other owners have a loose AC connection as I do. It funtions 100% correctly but the power cord does not plug very snug at ALL into the device. Anyone else have this feeling as well or is my add on alone?

I just wanted to see if other owners have a loose AC connection as I do. It funtions 100% correctly but the power cord does not plug very snug at ALL into the device. Anyone else have this feeling as well or is my add on alone?

i noticed the same thing on mine...
your not alone

dm

I have a couple of quick questions. We have a xbox 360. I was thinking about getting the hddvd player with hopes of some decent blue ray players coming out down the road. We just bought a new sony 46 bravia and would like to watch some hd dvd movies.something we have never done. does the xbox do a nice job in hd?
I was thinking about running a long hdmi cable to the add on player so that I could keep the original 360 in another room due to noise & space. will i be able to control the movie with the remote that way? I hope this makes sense. thanks , chris

I have a couple of quick questions. We have a xbox 360. I was thinking about getting the hddvd player with hopes of some decent blue ray players coming out down the road. We just bought a new sony 46 bravia and would like to watch some hd dvd movies.something we have never done. does the xbox do a nice job in hd?
I was thinking about running a long hdmi cable to the add on player so that I could keep the original 360 in another room due to noise & space. will i be able to control the movie with the remote that way? I hope this makes sense. thanks , chris

The 360 plus HD DVD addon does an excellent job of playing HD DVD movies. I owned it, an HD-A2 and an HD-A35 and all gave excellent picture quality.

There are no connections on the HD DVD addon other than power, and two USB ports. It connects to your 360 via USB connection and uses your 360's video/audio connections currently in use for it's output. It's just a drive, the 360 handles decoding/processing the data coming off the drive and outputting it to your display.

I have a couple of quick questions. We have a xbox 360. I was thinking about getting the hddvd player with hopes of some decent blue ray players coming out down the road. We just bought a new sony 46 bravia and would like to watch some hd dvd movies.something we have never done. does the xbox do a nice job in hd?
I was thinking about running a long hdmi cable to the add on player so that I could keep the original 360 in another room due to noise & space. will i be able to control the movie with the remote that way? I hope this makes sense. thanks , chrisThe 360 does a stellar job on HD DVD video. It does a reasonable job on the audio, depending on what receiver you have or what you're using for your sound. It's not the best at audio (no lossless), but I've never had a complaint.

The remote will not work in another room, it's standard IR. You can get by if you use the normal controller, which is wireless and will work through walls, and your console isn't too far away.

You can get the standalone Toshibas now for about the same you'd pay for an addon, and they will give you excellent performance, including really good DVD upscaling. It just all depends on what you're looking for.

You can get the standalone Toshibas now for about the same you'd pay for an addon, and they will give you excellent performance, including really good DVD upscaling. It just all depends on what you're looking for.[/QUOTE]


really. I never looked into getting a hd player. i just assumed that they would be to expensive just to waste money on until some more blue rays come out.
I would not mind spending 100 or so just to get me by. you say the toshiba and its called a standalone? any model #? anyways, thanks. I will look down that road.......chris

btw.. Does anyone know whats available over at netflix as far as HD_DVD movies. roughly what percent are available in hd?How much longer will you be able to rent hd-dvd's over there. I dont want to get a player if there is not going to be any movies available in hd.

I did check the netflix website. I could not find the answers. thanks

btw.. Does anyone know whats available over at netflix as far as HD_DVD movies. roughly what percent are available in hd?How much longer will you be able to rent hd-dvd's over there. I dont want to get a player if there is not going to be any movies available in hd.

I did check the netflix website. I could not find the answers. thanks

Of course it depends on what you want to rent. I rent a wide variety of movies and I'd estimate that 25% of them are available in HD-DVD - maybe a little less.

And here's a complete list of Netflix HD-DVD movies:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=873276

Unless one already owns HD DVD titles, I see no reason to continue recommending the AO to anyone.

Since Toshiba appears to be ending production of players, the remaining studio support can't be far behind.

I have my AO hooked up to a PC that also has a BD RW drive. This was a great way to straddle the format fence at minimal cost. Don't get me wrong, I plan on picking up discontinued HD DVD titles until they're all gone but, for first time buyers, I don't think HD DVD would be a sound purchase.

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

The Xbox360 hd add-on is now officially terminated.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/23/xbox-360-hd-dvd-now-dead-get-em-while-theyre-hot/

Hey guys Xbox HD dvd player is 49.99 at bestbuy.

Unless one already owns HD DVD titles, I see no reason to continue recommending the AO to anyone.

Since Toshiba appears to be ending production of players, the remaining studio support can't be far behind.

I have my AO hooked up to a PC that also has a BD RW drive. This was a great way to straddle the format fence at minimal cost. Don't get me wrong, I plan on picking up discontinued HD DVD titles until they're all gone but, for first time buyers, I don't think HD DVD would be a sound purchase.

Wow...I totally disagree especially considering the price. There's over 800 HD DVD titles worldwide and counting. That's a lot of titles you can watch in glorious HD.

I'm format neutral but purchase HD DVD when ever possible because I don't know which titles will, or will not work on my BD Player, Samsung p-1400; All my HD DVD titles 45+ work perfectly on my HD DVD add-on and my Toshiba HD-A3.

Hey guys Xbox HD dvd player is 49.99 at bestbuy.


I am heading out to be at the store when they open so I can pick one up.

is there a way to get the hddvd to the ps3? (SOrry if this has been asked before)

Wow- count me in for the $49.00 deal for the add on. It will be nice to have so I can rip my hd-dvds on my pc and convert them to blu-ray later on.

Wow- count me in for the $49.00 deal for the add on. It will be nice to have so I can rip my hd-dvds on my pc and convert them to blu-ray later on.

I wonder if this will be possible? Not for any illegal purposes, mind you, but it could be a way to make sure those HD-DVDs last for a much longer time.

Well its official it should be $50 everywhere now...Xbox.com has the price at $49.99

Link (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/default.htm)

OK, I picked up the drive with the hope of archiving my HD DVDs some day. To use the drive on acomputer, are there current links for drivers and software required? Some of those from early in this thread are dead.

CC now has them at $49.99

The Xbox360 hd add-on is now officially terminated.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/23/xbox-360-hd-dvd-now-dead-get-em-while-theyre-hot/

Wow, a TWC owned blog is an official Microsoft article...it's amazing what some people think.

Their source is yet another blog.

I'm not saying it's incorrect, just amazing as to what some consider "official"

With that said, I picked up one for my PC :)

a pity that it's now discontinued....at least it'll still play HD DVDs.

sivartk,

I consider the AVS Forums to be a place that people can go to place threads and have written discussions without the ad hominem attacks. Why could you not simply have stated you do not consider it "official" until a statement is released by Microsoft and then also pointed out that you have since bought an add-on? That would have been a respectable statement.

In any event, your point is correct in that the link was not to any direct comment by Microsoft.

....because it happens everyday on this site mutliple times...I guess I get tired of being nice ;)

sivartk,

I consider the AVS Forums to be a place that people can go to place threads and have written discussions without the ad hominem attacks. Why could you not simply have stated you do not consider it "official" until a statement is released by Microsoft and then also pointed out that you have since bought an add-on? That would have been a respectable statement.

In any event, your point is correct in that the link was not to any direct comment by Microsoft.The gamerscore blog is an official Microsoft blog. It is accurate.

Picked up my drive last night. Hooked it up to my pc running Vista and drivers were automatically installed. I ripped 2 hd-dvds to my pc last night. I figure when prices come down I can eventually transfer everything to blu-ray. I assume we will probably see programs popping up that will easily enable users to rip and transfer hd-dvd to blu-ray format soon. I know it can be done now using 3 or programs but I'm too lazy.

sivartk, I consider the AVS Forums to be a place that people can go to place threads and have written discussions without the ad hominem attacks.I didn't find sivartk's comment to be an "attack" at all--jeez man you need a thicker skin.

But along with "official" statements that aren't "official", it fries my butt to see all the comments here that "HD DVD is dead". It's no deader than VHS tape is dead, and might have a very long life for all we know. What's happened is Toshiba has stopped making players; at least LG has not quit and it's possible we'll see independents & hobbyists using the format for a long time to come.

So these 360 HD DVD drives can be used as external PC HD DVD drives? :) I had been watching the LG internal combo drive prices, but for a measily $50, I just ordered two. I wonder if I should now bother with the internal drives. Then again, this thing is not powered through the USB...

I will say that the idea that you can save your HD DVDs to a hard drive and probably burn them to BD-Rs in the future might help if you don't have a BD player in that respective room. Would be easier than carting a player around (I absolutely despise having to dig in a cabinet and rearrange cables!).

So, are the XP drivers still around, or does everyone ignore the install messages that pop up?...

Does anyone have a upc code from thier add-on box that they are not going to use? If so, may i have it please!! Thanks

Hey Guys,

Just a quick question. I just jumped on the HD-DVD player after it dropped to $50. I plan on hooking it up to my PC to watch movies on my Dell 2407 (rev A03). I have an HDCP compatible video card (8800gt) and my concern is making sure I can display in 1080p with the proper aspect ratio. I have the option of VGA or DVI but not HDMI. The other concern is the known issue with this revision of 1:1 pixel mapping. The monitor is 16x10 while the movie is 16x9. Will this not be an issue since it is not a stand alone player (will the video software be able to put black bars at the top and bottom)?

Thanks for your help!

Yea, i connected mine last night, at 1st it told me it couldnt find the drivers and then retried and bam instant installation....

Now, Yes im cheap, anyone know of a good HD DVD playback software or even a good HD DVD ripping software that falls in the price range of free.....LEGAL of course ;)

Anyway, even a cheap HD DVD playback software would be nice.

thanks in advance.

Yea, i connected mine last night, at 1st it told me it couldnt find the drivers and then retried and bam instant installation....

Now, Yes im cheap, anyone know of a good HD DVD playback software or even a good HD DVD ripping software that falls in the price range of free.....LEGAL of course ;)

Anyway, even a cheap HD DVD playback software would be nice.

thanks in advance.

free,,,, nothing right now.

The cheapest playback software is Powerdvd 7.3 deluxe

Can you actually watch the movie from the HD DVD add-on on your computer or do you first copy to computer then find a program to run it.

Can you actually watch the movie from the HD DVD add-on on your computer or do you first copy to computer then find a program to run it.

either or will work. I just playback from the drive being that it's faster that way then ripping 24 gigs (give or take some) to HD then playing back.

either or will work. I just playback from the drive being that it's faster that way then ripping 24 gigs (give or take some) to HD then playing back.

Bought the HD DVD add-on just now plugged in to computer through USB also down loaded Powerdvd 7.3 trail version but all it gives me is not a supported format in drive f can it be played right from player or do I have to copy to hard drive.

Bought the HD DVD add-on just now plugged in to computer through USB also down loaded Powerdvd 7.3 trail version but all it gives me is not a supported format in drive f can it be played right from player or do I have to copy to hard drive.

ahh, almost forgot. You have to download the udf 2.5 drivers otherwise it won't recognize. It's near the beginning of this thread with the link to download them.

ahh, almost forgot. You have to download the udf 2.5 drivers otherwise it won't recognize. It's near the beginning of this thread with the link to download them.

I forgot to mention I'm running Vista pro does that matter
That seems to be a hard file to find.

Do web enabled features work when running the dirive on a PC? I Have the drive & powerdvd ultra and I am watching transformers perfectly but I cannot get the GPS feature to work (error 0010) Any Ideas? Thanks

I tried to install the THdudf file from the UDF file but it says that INF file you select does not support this method of installation. I have Vista Home premium with ge force 8800gt video card. Someone help please, thanks

Picked one up today at CC. Can't seem to find the UDF drivers though, every link I find on google is dead!!!

I tried to install the THdudf file from the UDF file but it says that INF file you select does not support this method of installation. I have Vista Home premium with ge force 8800gt video card. Someone help please, thanks

From what I've read, Vista already has the drivers....I have XP so I can't confirm. The drivers can be found, you just have to look ;)

Now I just need to find a decent priced playback software.

I am also looking for xp drivers and the cheapest (freeware) playing software. Why the wink about the drivers? Are they secret? Does any freeware work to play HDDVD?

I tried to install the THdudf file from the UDF file but it says that INF file you select does not support this method of installation. I have Vista Home premium with ge force 8800gt video card. Someone help please, thanks

I think I read with Vista it already has them.I went to Cyberlink advisor down loaded it ran it says my system not capable but I have a Blu Ray player in my laptop and it plays them perfect.:)

Why the wink about the drivers? Are they secret?

It's not a secret, but you have to think outside the google box....this forum doesn't allow the chat about illegal software and these drivers are borderline on breaking that policy.

What you need is something that has a file name kind of like this
XBOX360.HD-DVDRom.UDF.Reader.v2.5.WindowsXP-BluePrint

free,,,, nothing right now.

The cheapest playback software is Powerdvd 7.3 deluxe

Is that different than the v7 free trial? Must be, v7 gives me unsupported format on HD DVD disc'. Is that the $39.95 Deluxe upgrade from v7?

Possible alternative to Power DVD 7.3.

http://www.hddvdfreak.com/hd_dvd_software/index.html

It's not a secret, but you have to think outside the google box....this forum doesn't allow the chat about illegal software and these drivers are borderline on breaking that policy.

What you need is something that has a file name kind of like this
XBOX360.HD-DVDRom.UDF.Reader.v2.5.WindowsXP-BluePrint


Why not just get them from Toshiba
(http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_dtlViewDL.jsp?soid=1284868&moid=1209148&rpn=PQG30U&BV_SessionID=@@@@0372422895.1204555071@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadedhgigjdhcgfkceghdgngdgnj.0&ct=DL&all_docs=false)? ;)

Got to work on my comp, I changed the usb location and it read perfectly. Thanks

But have another question qhen I watch some movies, some parts it seems like it stop or flicks and than goes back again, I am not sure if I am saying right. I have Cyber Ultra Power DVD.

I watched my first hd movie tonight on the 360 drive hooked up to my HTPC. Smooth sailing except for the couple times my cat bumped the USB connector and I had to restart playback in Powerdvd 7.3. My 4800+ X2 was being pushed fairly hard, but I've only got a 7900GS so it doesn't have the newest hardware processing.

I'm pissed. I sent my 360 HD drive in for repair to Microsoft because I could not play some HD/DVD combo discs and took six weeks to get it back. Now my HD-DVD is in worse condition. I can't play any titles at all now HD and DVD. When playing DVD's it blanks out to black and makes a electronic chirping sound. This thing cannot even recognize HD-DVD's. So I bought another one since it's only $50 now and did not want to wait another six weeks. The new one has the same issues playing HD/DVD combo discs. I own about six Combo Discs that cannot play the entire movie. Mr. Bean gets stuck for about 3 chapters from 9-11 and Bourne Ultimatum gets stuck at the end.

Now my question is will there ever be an update fixing these combo discs since Microsoft and Toshiba discontinued these drives? I filed a complaint with BBB to see if I can get a refund for the first one. The new one I bought will be going back to BestBuy.

I'm pissed. I sent my 360 HD drive in for repair to Microsoft because I could not play some HD/DVD combo discs and took six weeks to get it back. Now my HD-DVD is in worse condition. I can't play any titles at all now HD and DVD. When playing DVD's it blanks out to black and makes a electronic chirping sound. This thing cannot even recognize HD-DVD's. So I bought another one since it's only $50 now and did not want to wait another six weeks. The new one has the same issues playing HD/DVD combo discs. I own about six Combo Discs that cannot play the entire movie. Mr. Bean gets stuck for about 3 chapters from 9-11 and Bourne Ultimatum gets stuck at the end.

Now my question is will there ever be an update fixing these combo discs since Microsoft and Toshiba discontinued these drives? I filed a complaint with BBB to see if I can get a refund for the first one. The new one I bought will be going back to BestBuy.

Have you tried to remove the HD-DVD player updates and reload them?

I installed the .udf driver and now my computer sees the movie (King Kong of course). I cannot get the movie to actually play though. I am using WinDVD 8 Platinum (trial version). It looks like time is ticking along the progress bar, but no sound or image.

Do I need to purchase first? I was hoping to try it out first to make sure it worked.

Also out of curiousity does any hardware come standard with a player that supports HDDVD. It has been established that there is no freeware, but if there is a burner or something that comes with the software I could kill 2 birds with one stone.

I installed the .udf driver and now my computer sees the movie (King Kong of course). I cannot get the movie to actually play though. I am using WinDVD 8 Platinum (trial version). It looks like time is ticking along the progress bar, but no sound or image.

Do I need to purchase first? I was hoping to try it out first to make sure it worked.

Also out of curiousity does any hardware come standard with a player that supports HDDVD. It has been established that there is no freeware, but if there is a burner or something that comes with the software I could kill 2 birds with one stone.

Now you just need PowerDVD Ultra. I believe all PC drives that read HD/Blu come with some sort of software. However, simply reading the comments off newegg for the drives themselves, seems you still need to upgrade the software that comes free anyways. So if you don't want the exta PC drive or burner, skip it and just get the software.

I recently got my add-on running with PowerDVD Ultra, and noticed movies with HDi, I need to unhook my internet because the movies lock up on the web enabled download screen. No biggie. Oh, and Ultimatum doesn't play for me. Played fine on my A2. :(

I installed the .udf driver and now my computer sees the movie (King Kong of course). I cannot get the movie to actually play though. I am using WinDVD 8 Platinum (trial version). It looks like time is ticking along the progress bar, but no sound or image.

If you haven't already, download and install CyberLink BD / HD Advisor (Beta) (http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/bdhd_support/diagnosis.jsp). Its a free download.

Run that, select HD DVD, and let us know if you get all green lights.

Thanks for the link. I suspect it may be my video card is too slow. We shall see.

Yea, I have some concerns that there might be some people who jump at the chance to buy the XBOX drive now for $50 (or even less), and not realizing that they might need to spend hundreds of dollars more in upgrading their PC to provide the minimal hardware required to process the HD DVD data.

If you haven't already, download and install CyberLink BD / HD Advisor (Beta) (http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/bdhd_support/diagnosis.jsp). Its a free download.

Run that, select HD DVD, and let us know if you get all green lights.


Tried the CyberLink BD / HD Advisor said my laptop was not capable of running HD DVD or Blu ray but the laptop has a built in Blu Ray and runs them great so don't just rely on it

My laptop
Acer Aspire 7720-6395
Core 2 Dou T5250
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 M GS
3GB DDR2
17in WXGA LCD
Blu-Ray

Tried the CyberLink BD / HD Advisor said my laptop was not capable of running HUD DVD or Blue ray but the laptop has a built in Blu Ray and runs them great so don't just rely on it

Out of curiosity, what hardware elements for HD DVD/Blu Ray support, did the Cyberlink Adviser give you a red light on?

Out of curiosity, what hardware elements for HD DVD/Blu Ray support, did the Cyberlink Adviser give you a red light on?

Processor and Video card

mine got the red light on memory and video card. Processor was grey. I was hoping to at leasy see some stuttering images, but nothing.

mine got the red light on memory and video card. Processor was grey. I was hoping to at leasy see some stuttering images, but nothing.

I tried using my kid's old PC, and got similar results to what you are seeing. The Adviser gave the video card a red (no way), and the processor a grey (marginal).

And with PowerDVD 7.3, the best I got was just audio. The worse was that PowerDVD would quit/exit on its own.

I am not too sure how yellowcanary73 gets Blu-ray to play, but obviously it can. Possibly Blu-ray is more forgiving? Possibly his notebook has some other proprietary hardware that supports Blu-ray playback even when the rest of the PC can't?

Yea, I have some concerns that there might be some people who jump at the chance to buy the XBOX drive now for $50 (or even less), and not realizing that they might need to spend hundreds of dollars more in upgrading their PC to provide the minimal hardware required to process the HD DVD data.

you don't need that much.

i added an xt2600xt video card for$75 and everything plays fine

dell dimension 4700 (2.8 p4) w/2gb ram & nero8 hd

Does anyone else experience a blur during playback? For example, on some scenes, it appears that the video is a bit jagged and blurs for a split second as the scene pans, catches up and then plays for a while, then does it randomly through out the movie?

I shouldn't be having tv issues, as I'm running a new Pioneer 6010. I've heard of blurring on LCD tvs, but should I be experiencing this on such a high end plasma?

Are you running 1080i? Try changing the resolution to 720p and see if the "blur" goes away.

hey all, new to the hd dvd game here...just got a 360 hd dvd add on with a bunch of cheap hd dvds. All my discs play just fine except for one...Sky Captain. I've had two of them. Got the first one earlier this week, put it in and no matter what I tried it kept saying "Unplayable Disc." Called Amazon thinking it was a bad disc. Got the second one today and am having the same problem. Is this a known issue with this disc? Am I missing something? Any ideas?

Do by chance have another player you can try the disc in? I have seen other reports of the same problem on other websites for that disc.

I just went and tried my copy of Sky Captain in my 360 ad-on and it works perfect. Is your xbox connected to "live" to get updates?

I just went and tried my copy of Sky Captain in my 360 ad-on and it works perfect. Is your xbox connected to "live" to get updates?

Yeah I'm connected to Live. I don't have another player that I can try it on, but a friend has the same movie so I'm getting his tomorrow to check.

I had that very same problem. I got a new copy of Sky Captain and it work fine. Turns out there are to versions of that movie. The case is different and the art work on the Hd DVD itself is different. the one that worked for me has a ring of silver on the disc and the cover also has a silver frame.

One more thing to try is going to the "memory" tap and highlighting the HD DVD drive and hitting "Y". the delete all the content. If ever I get a "disc unreadable error" I'll do this and all is well.

Hope that helps.

I had that very same problem. I got a new copy of Sky Captain and it work fine. Turns out there are to versions of that movie. The case is different and the art work on the Hd DVD itself is different. the one that worked for me has a ring of silver on the disc and the cover also has a silver frame.

One more thing to try is going to the "memory" tap and highlighting the HD DVD drive and hitting "Y". the delete all the content. If ever I get a "disc unreadable error" I'll do this and all is well.

Hope that helps.

So I ended up trading discs with a friend. i borrowed his copy of Sky Captain and it worked fine in the 360 add on. His also had the silver border on the cover. I took the one from Amazon that didn't work over to his house and it played fine in his standalone so we just traded. Weird, but at least I got my movie now!

I'm finding, whether or not the player is connected to my 360 or PC, that some discs that appear fine will be 'unplayable' at least 90% of the times I try (eg. BSG Disc 1), and others will frequently be unplayable (Stardust, Lady in the Water, Planet Earth discs 5-6). I have all the updates, deleted the HD-DVD cache, changed cookie settings etc. No dice.

Should I return it? Silly question, I guess :)

So I ended up trading discs with a friend. i borrowed his copy of Sky Captain and it worked fine in the 360 add on. His also had the silver border on the cover. I took the one from Amazon that didn't work over to his house and it played fine in his standalone so we just traded. Weird, but at least I got my movie now!My copy of Sky Captain is the one without the silver border. Doesn't even play in my add-on. All my other titles I own, both the majority of the new and the minority of the used, all play perfectly. It shipped from DeepDiscount but was a belated birthday present a couple weeks back. Guess I could try and hunt for another copy for cheap online.:rolleyes:

Hey guys. I have a PS3 blu-ray player, but I am considering getting a 360 HD-DVD for a few movies (Matrix, some HD/DVD Combos, etc.) now that the player is really cheap. Is it worth it, or should I just wait for them to come out on blu-ray?

Hey guys, I'm trying to watch Feast on HDDVD (Xbox 360 connected via VGA to Sony 40xbr4 LCD) and the motion is very jumpy. At first I thought it was the LCD, but none of my PS3 blu rays (hdmi) have this problem. Anyone else having this issue? Is there an update to fix it or is it indeed my tv?

If I am using the addon on my PC, are the updates necessary? I've read the updates improve SD upconversion. From what I've read, both the addon and 360 have had updates that has given improvements for upconversion, so this means the addon does actual upconversion? I had thought the addon was just a transport, but I read an review of different upconverting players and the reviewer said the addon was better than the actual 360. That suprised me.

Either way, is there a way to get these updates for the addon without a live account? A friend of mine has a 360 and can hook it up to an internet connection, but does not have a live account.

the actual 360 also has a DVD drive, thus the difference in upconversion results. The add-on is indeed just a transport.

I believe there's a download you can burn a CD from for updates.

Is there any news of a forthcoming free software program to play HD-DVD's with this 360 addon over the computer?

Or is the cheapest way still to buy a program like Power DVD Ultra?

Sorry if this has been brought up before but I am a bit confused and need some help.

1. I want to confirm but DTS and WMA are going to sound softer than DD 5.1 right? I have a Pioneer 94TXH and when I change the setting in the HD-DVD addon to anything other than DD 5.1 there is a noticeable drop off in volume.

2. What exactly is the advantage of WMA vs DTS? I know both are 1.5Mbs so there is less compression over DD 5.1 but what is better. Most AVRs apparently do not handle WMA but the Pioneers happen to do this so I don't know whether I should use WMA vs DTS?

And how does all of these menus interact?

For instance, we have DD 5.1, DD stereo, and WMA on the top Xbox dashboard. Then we have DD 5.1, DTS, and WMA on the step-down HD-DVD drive menu. Finally, we have the audio options on the audio menu on the HD-DVD disc itself. Do I need to match up all of them or will one take precedence or what? Suppose I choose DTS on the disc menu but choose WMA on the HD-DVD player and DD 5.1 on the dashboard. What happens?

It's all a bit confusing so I'd appreciate any clarifications on this.

Thanks for your time

Dennis

Sorry if this has been brought up before but I am a bit confused and need some help.

1. I want to confirm but DTS and WMA are going to sound softer than DD 5.1 right? I have a Pioneer 94TXH and when I change the setting in the HD-DVD addon to anything other than DD 5.1 there is a noticeable drop off in volume.

2. What exactly is the advantage of WMA vs DTS? I know both are 1.5Mbs so there is less compression over DD 5.1 but what is better. Most AVRs apparently do not handle WMA but the Pioneers happen to do this so I don't know whether I should use WMA vs DTS?

And how does all of these menus interact?

For instance, we have DD 5.1, DD stereo, and WMA on the top Xbox dashboard. Then we have DD 5.1, DTS, and WMA on the step-down HD-DVD drive menu. Finally, we have the audio options on the audio menu on the HD-DVD disc itself. Do I need to match up all of them or will one take precedence or what? Suppose I choose DTS on the disc menu but choose WMA on the HD-DVD player and DD 5.1 on the dashboard. What happens?

It's all a bit confusing so I'd appreciate any clarifications on this.

Thanks for your time

Dennis

Okay, I'll try to explain this.

The settings in your Xbox 360 Dashboard's audio options (the "System" blade) affect game and standard DVD playback. Select WMA if your receiver supports it, which it sounds like it does.

The settings you can pull up while watching an HD DVD affect how the Xbox outputs the information it's getting from the disc. Since the Xbox 360 isn't capable of outputting the Lossless audio, it has to downmix the audio codec (TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, whatever) and choose a new method to output. Select DTS, unless your receiver supports WMA Pro....which it does....in which case you select WMA Pro.

Finally, the HD DVD's own menu with audio selections. Here you can select either standard Dolby Digital, or Dolby TrueHD, or DD+, or whatever. Select the highest option available, TrueHD if its there or whatever else...anything is better than standard Dolby Digital. Your Xbox will take that audio signal and downconvert it to DTS or WMA Pro, depending on what you selected in step 2.

Hope that helps!

Okay, I'll try to explain this.

The settings in your Xbox 360 Dashboard's audio options (the "System" blade) affect game and standard DVD playback. Select WMA if your receiver supports it, which it sounds like it does.

The settings you can pull up while watching an HD DVD affect how the Xbox outputs the information it's getting from the disc. Since the Xbox 360 isn't capable of outputting the Lossless audio, it has to downmix the audio codec (TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, whatever) and choose a new method to output. Select DTS, unless your receiver supports WMA Pro....which it does....in which case you select WMA Pro.

Finally, the HD DVD's own menu with audio selections. Here you can select either standard Dolby Digital, or Dolby TrueHD, or DD+, or whatever. Select the highest option available, TrueHD if its there or whatever else...anything is better than standard Dolby Digital. Your Xbox will take that audio signal and downconvert it to DTS or WMA Pro, depending on what you selected in step 2.

Hope that helps!

why should we choose wma?

I have a pioneer 515 avr have choosen wma in the xbox360 settings expecting a little light to come on in the avr but it never did.

I don't know if this is the right place to put this or not, but I was in a Game Stop yesterday and the store employee said that the 360 was possibly going to be adding a Blu-Ray player that could be hooked up to the 360 kind of like the HD player. Has anyone heard anything about this or was she just blowing smoke?

Thanks and sorry if this is in the wrong place.

Microsoft has denied this, but.......they have denied things in the past that has materialized. I doubt we will see anything soon.

Good thread, still going through most of it. I'm getting an HD set soon (around Black Friday) and the 360 HD DVD player is the cheapest way to get a nice 1080p source.
But for regular DVDs, is the player good for upscaling -I'll be using a 1080p set. I keep reading mixed reviews, with people either liking it or not.

For the current prices, this is an awesome deal.

Good thread, still going through most of it. I'm getting an HD set soon (around Black Friday) and the 360 HD DVD player is the cheapest way to get a nice 1080p source.
But for regular DVDs, is the player good for upscaling -I'll be using a 1080p set. I keep reading mixed reviews, with people either liking it or not.

For the current prices, this is an awesome deal.

All upscaling is done by the Xbox, not the HD-DVD drive. So you'll get the same upscaling with a DVD inserted into either player. So if you don't plan on buying HD-DVD disks (which aren't made any longer) then don't get this add-on.

As far as the quality of the upscaling, it's unfortunately not very good. One of the most noticable problems is the handling of jaggies. (Sorry, I forget the technical term. I've got a disk from HPQ that clearly shows the problem.) I keep hoping that Microsoft will issue a software update that makes this a great upscaling product.

Good thread, still going through most of it. I'm getting an HD set soon (around Black Friday) and the 360 HD DVD player is the cheapest way to get a nice 1080p source.
But for regular DVDs, is the player good for upscaling -I'll be using a 1080p set. I keep reading mixed reviews, with people either liking it or not.

For the current prices, this is an awesome deal.

and you'll only get 1080p with a vga cable

and you'll only get 1080p with a vga cable

:confused: You can get 1080p with HMDI, and on some TVs (not Sony XBRs) you can get 1080p with component. Why do you say VGA only?

:confused: You can get 1080p with HMDI, and on some TVs (not Sony XBRs) you can get 1080p with component. Why do you say VGA only?

I thought the xbox hd drive only gave 1080p with the vga and 1080i with component for movies. Not sure about hdmi.

I know games will do 1080p with component.

sorry for the confusion.

I thought the xbox hd drive only gave 1080p with the vga and 1080i with component for movies. Not sure about hdmi.

I know games will do 1080p with component.

sorry for the confusion.

I used to have component and "only" got 1080i on movies. So when I got a new Xbox I made sure to get an HDMI version so that I could get 1080p. Of course I doubt I can tell the difference, but I like to think that it matters.

All upscaling is done by the Xbox, not the HD-DVD drive. So you'll get the same upscaling with a DVD inserted into either player. So if you don't plan on buying HD-DVD disks (which aren't made any longer) then don't get this add-on.Hmmm, I didn't know the 360 did any upscaling on DVDs, thanks for the info.

I do plan on getting some HD DVD movies (they're hella cheap now), so the HD DVD drive will be the cheapest way for me to get on the HD movie bandwagon (not including whatever HD selection Comcast decides to implement).

And re. HDMI and 1080p, it is correct, you do get 1080p via HDMI.

Hmmm, I didn't know the 360 did any upscaling on DVDs, thanks for the info.

My problem is that I can't tell if the 360 does the upscaling any better than my TV. I know it "should" be able to do better because it's got the horsepower, and I keep hoping for a magic software update from Microsoft that will put it on par with higher-end upscaling DVD players.

Hey guys, I actually tried the search ("PC connect") but either my search skills suck, or there hasn't been a discussion on this: how do you connect it to a PC? Keep in mind I haven't got the drive yet, but I'm just wondering this after reading some of this thread.

BTW, I should get my drive next week or so, as long as Ike stays out of the way. :(

Can you get lossless audio with the 360 add on via hdmi? Say you have everything hooked up by hdmi would the hd dvd add on play lossless audio at 1080p or not?

Can you get lossless audio with the 360 add on via hdmi? Say you have everything hooked up by hdmi would the hd dvd add on play lossless audio at 1080p or not?

Sorry but no.

Is Microsoft still providing the update through Xbox Live for the Addon? I recently bought an Elite, hooked up my older Addon, played a HD DVD but was never prompted an update? Or is the updated tied to the Add on itself and not the system?

Can you get lossless audio with the 360 add on via hdmi? Say you have everything hooked up by hdmi would the hd dvd add on play lossless audio at 1080p or not?Not 5.1 or more multichannel with the XBOX 360 player, rather it can only do lossless stereo.

This is a copy of a post I placed in the Samsung DLP Owners thread. Hoping someone here has additional info.

Help me with XBOX 360 connection

I picked up my 67A750 from BestBuy on Friday (much like Halyconjedi, got them to match CC's price and 3 year 0% interest).
I replaced a Sammy 720P DLP model 6163W. I connected all my components similarly to how they had been on the old set:
Dish Network HD-DVR - HDMI 1
PS3 - HDMI 2 (DVI on old set which only had 1 HDMI port)
XBOX 360 - VGA port
Wii - Component 1
DVD recorder - Component 2

When I tested the 360, I got an onscreen message "Mode not supported".
I moved the 360 to the HDMI3/DVi port and it worked fine. i didn't see any seettings in the Xbox 360 itself that might resolve the issue. I tried lowering the resolution, but it had no effect.
now, using the 360's HDMI port, requires removing the VGA cable from it, which removes the attached optical audio port. (I have all my components running audio directly to my Pioneer THX receiver). I moved the optical out to the Sammy TV, but I understand that this only supplies 2.1 audio the the receiver. The other option would be to get a component cable for the 360 with optical audio out, (taking out the DVD recorder or moving it to a different port).

so, my questions are:
Has anyone had success running this set with an XBOX 360 via VGa port? and if so, how?
Will the component connection support 1080P HD-DVD's through my 360?
(Samsung live support says yes, but i want that conformed by the REAL experts here).

Will the component connection support 1080P HD-DVD's through my 360?
(Samsung live support says yes, but i want that conformed by the REAL experts here).

HD-DVD's will only play at 1080i with component. Sorry can't answer the other questions.
Video Games will do 1080p.

Ive got a slight problem with my add-on (may be the 360, dont know). I bought it the day it was released and used it a LOT as it was my only HD DVD player until I bought a XA2 earlier this year. Never had one problem with it except for a couple combo discs acting up but that was expected.

Anyways, I recently hooked it back up a few days ago after putting it up back in January because I may be selling my XA2 and some of my HD DVDs. My 360 is a Premium 20GB unit that is hooked up via component to my Onkyo 705 then goes out HDMI to my 60" Kuro. It was hooked up to the 705 last year so I know that can't be the problem. The issue Im having is seeing quite a bit of 'judder' during playback. Ive only tried out two discs since hooking it back up (Transformers and The Matrix) and it is really noticeable. Any ideas as to what may be causing this now?

Thanks!

Is your firmware up to date? If your xbox is connected to the Internet, it should update automatically.

I have the 360 HDDVD add-on. Whenever I select TrueHD in the disc menu (right now I'm watching the Matrix Revolutions) I do NOT get an indicator for TrueHD. I only get the Dolby 5.1. I have set the HDDVD audio options to all the different options and cannot get it to display.

Does anyone have experience with this and have suggestions on how to set up the HDDVD and the Onkyo for the best sound?

I have the 360 HDDVD add-on. Whenever I select TrueHD in the disc menu (right now I'm watching the Matrix Revolutions) I do NOT get an indicator for TrueHD. I only get the Dolby 5.1. I have set the HDDVD audio options to all the different options and cannot get it to display.

Does anyone have experience with this and have suggestions on how to set up the HDDVD and the Onkyo for the best sound?

the 360 HD DVD addon can only output DD or DTS no matter what you select for the movie to output. The 360 will internally decode the TrueHD and re-encode it to DD or DTS depending on what you set the HD DVD player settings to be.

Thanks!

Does anybody got a XBOX 360 HD DVD drive with a firmware version different from MC08?

Question, if I have an Xbox 360 with hdmi, will it send Dolby Truehd to a connected receiver? Or does it down mix everything to DTS or DD?

Question, if I have an Xbox 360 with hdmi, will it send Dolby Truehd to a connected receiver? Or does it down mix everything to DTS or DD?

No TrueHD, only DTS/DD.

Amazing that this question is asked and answered four times on the last page of this thread. It's one thing to not search, it's another to not bother doing a quick scan of the last page of the thread. Ahh well.

Real question then:

If you had to choose between the 360 HDDVD addon and an HD-A2, which would you pick?

I feel compelled to make this decision but am hampered by different factors. First, I like the simplicity of having just one device handle all of my viewing (MCE extender for cable/DVR/movies, DVDs, games, HD DVDs), so ditching the A2 would allow me to pull off the one connection feat. On the other hand, I have really enjoyed the results of SD DVD upconversion with my A2, and don't want to give it up (I'm limited to component on the 360). So I'm in a bind. Thoughts?

Thanks.
tno

No TrueHD, only DTS/DD.

Amazing that this question is asked and answered four times on the last page of this thread. It's one thing to not search, it's another to not bother doing a quick scan of the last page of the thread. Ahh well.

Real question then:

If you had to choose between the 360 HDDVD addon and an HD-A2, which would you pick?

I feel compelled to make this decision but am hampered by different factors. First, I like the simplicity of having just one device handle all of my viewing (MCE extender for cable/DVR/movies, DVDs, games, HD DVDs), so ditching the A2 would allow me to pull off the one connection feat. On the other hand, I have really enjoyed the results of SD DVD upconversion with my A2, and don't want to give it up (I'm limited to component on the 360). So I'm in a bind. Thoughts?

Thanks.
tno

I have the 360 HDDVD add on and a component connection to my TV and I borrowed my friends HDMI 360 and I really didn't notice that much of a difference in picture quality. Here is a link to see the difference between HDMI and Component with the 360. http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/xbox-360-elite-vs-classic-the-test/

Amazing that this question is asked and answered four times on the last page of this thread. It's one thing to not search, it's another to not bother doing a quick scan of the last page of the thread. Ahh well.

Real question then:

If you had to choose between the 360 HDDVD addon and an HD-A2, which would you pick?

I feel compelled to make this decision but am hampered by different factors. First, I like the simplicity of having just one device handle all of my viewing (MCE extender for cable/DVR/movies, DVDs, games, HD DVDs), so ditching the A2 would allow me to pull off the one connection feat. On the other hand, I have really enjoyed the results of SD DVD upconversion with my A2, and don't want to give it up (I'm limited to component on the 360). So I'm in a bind. Thoughts?

Thanks.
tno

I sold my add on a long time ago to get an A2. If you have an HDMI AVR then its a no brainer, no lossless at all coming from the 360 add on, plus the DVD upconversion, and its much quieter.

Does anyone know if the HD DVD Drive in the Xbox 360 stand alone player is the same as the drive unit in the Toshiba A3? My A3 disc drive is acting up and I want to repace it myself

Free 'Zoom Player' plays .EVO streams without any issue for me.

I recently bought an HP pavillion PC that runs Vista 64 bit. I hooked up my HD DVD drive and Vista automatically installed the drivers for the HD DVD. The computer has an HDMI output on it. However, I want to play my HD DVD's on my computer. What do I need to do? Thanks. You can send me a private email if you prefer.

Amazing that this question is asked and answered four times on the last page of this thread. It's one thing to not search, it's another to not bother doing a quick scan of the last page of the thread. Ahh well.

Real question then:

If you had to choose between the 360 HDDVD addon and an HD-A2, which would you pick?

I feel compelled to make this decision but am hampered by different factors. First, I like the simplicity of having just one device handle all of my viewing (MCE extender for cable/DVR/movies, DVDs, games, HD DVDs), so ditching the A2 would allow me to pull off the one connection feat. On the other hand, I have really enjoyed the results of SD DVD upconversion with my A2, and don't want to give it up (I'm limited to component on the 360). So I'm in a bind. Thoughts?

Thanks.
tno

I have both and use both;the A2 gives you lossless sound if connected to an HDMI receiver,the Add-On gives you 1080p output(A2 is 1080i only).
I give the upconversion nod to the A2,but the Add-On connected via HDMI to a 1080p display is actually pretty good,and a tad underrated.

I recently bought an HP pavillion PC that runs Vista 64 bit. I hooked up my HD DVD drive and Vista automatically installed the drivers for the HD DVD. The computer has an HDMI output on it. However, I want to play my HD DVD's on my computer. What do I need to do? Thanks. You can send me a private email if you prefer.

Any help would be appreciated.

Any help would be appreciated.

You need software that will support HD-DVD. Corel's WinDVD Plus Bluray V9.0 says it supports HD-DVD playback.

You need software that will support HD-DVD. Corel's WinDVD Plus Bluray V9.0 says it supports HD-DVD playback.

Is there any free software out there or what software is the most economical. My HP laptop has a Blu-ray player which my Microsoft Vista software supports but it does not support the HD DVD drive for video playback. It's ironic that Microsoft does not support HD DVD which was its HD format of choice. Thanks for nothing Microsoft.

I did a quick search on this thread but didn't find anything relevant.

Today, while watching regular TV and both the 360 and HD DVD drive were on, I noticed the drive's eject button light (always green) had turned red.

Bricks were shat, and I thought -great, my cheap find really ended way too early; I got this drive plus about 20 movies for less than $90, remote included.

I did see on Microsoft's KB (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927406) to leave the unit to cool down. It hasn't been more than 5 minutes since mine went red, but has anyone here had their HD DVD drive go red on them?

I haven't picked up the 360 drive yet for my laptop, just wanted to see if anyone here knows if it will work.

It's a 2ghz core 2 duo with 4gb of ram with an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

it's vista 32 bit

is the only thing I need to do is download AnyDVDHD and be able to run it that way? Any and all help is immensely appreciated. thanks in advance.

I am new to this thread so forgive me if this question ahs already been answered but has anyone wondered how a simple USB cable (480 mb/s) can transfer all the data that a HDDVD contains when we are told that we need HDMI 1.3 for 1080p which transport 10.2 GB/s of data?

I figure the HD-DVD drive is just outputting the compressed data from the disc to the 360 via the USB cable. Even if you had a relatively short movie completely filling a dual-layer disc, that'd be 30 GB / 90 min = 45.5 Mbps, if my quick arithmetic is correct.
The 360 is decoding and outputting the ("uncompressed") video signal to the display. And THAT is the connection where the high bandwidth of HDMI (or component video) is necessary.

Has anyone bought the reconditioned HD DVD add on drive from buydotcom. Does it come in the factory box with King Kong HD DVD and remote?

yes, yes, no, yes.

That is to say, I just bought one, it came in the factory box, it DID NOT have the King Kong HD-DVD, but it did have the remote (and power brick/cable, data cable, installation disc, and manuals).

Hi I do not know if this has been answered or not but I will ask anyways. Can the xbox hd dvd player be hooked up to the ps3 usb ports and work? I was just wondering because I really did not want to have both systems in the same room. Let me know thanks

Hi I do not know if this has been answered or not but I will ask anyways. Can the xbox hd dvd player be hooked up to the ps3 usb ports and work? I was just wondering because I really did not want to have both systems in the same room. Let me know thanks

No, the HD DVD add on is just a drive. All the supporting code for playback, etc...are running on the 360. There is no code or drivers for the PS3.

I broke out the Transformers HD-DVD the other night and every 5-10 minutes I guess the video would drop out, the XBOX white and green screen logo would appear for about half a second then jump back to the video and continue on for about 5-10 minutes then drop out to the boot screen again. I have never watched an HD-DVD on THIS particular 360. Games and other Xbox Live stuff are fine without issue.

Its a situation of console -> receiver -> TV.

Console is a 360 Elite on HDMI
Receiver is a Panasonic SA-XR700 w/HDMI 1.2a
TV is a Toshiba 65HM167 w/HDMI 1.3

My PS3 plays Blu-ray fine on HDMI and like I said, everything else in the 360 works fine. Just HD-DVD movies.

Thanks.

No, the HD DVD add on is just a drive. All the supporting code for playback, etc...are running on the 360. There is no code or drivers for the PS3.

Do you know if this works with a PC (XP or Vista) ? Thanks.

Yes though you will need software to play back the movies as well as an HDCP capable video card. The drive itself will be recognized and download the needed drivers to work under Vista/Win7. I think you manually have to find/download/install the drivers under WinXP (been a while since I did on that OS).

Yes though you will need software to play back the movies as well as an HDCP capable video card. The drive itself will be recognized and download the needed drivers to work under Vista/Win7. I think you manually have to find/download/install the drivers under WinXP (been a while since I did on that OS).

Wow, that's cool. I didn't know you could use the HDDVD add on with a Windows PC. Do you know if you can use the add on to rip the movies to the hard drive (assuming you have the right ripping software)?

Wow, that's cool. I didn't know you could use the HDDVD add on with a Windows PC. Do you know if you can use the add on to rip the movies to the hard drive (assuming you have the right ripping software)?

Yes, that's what I use it for...to rip them to my PC for use with Window Media Center. You'll still need the playback software, etc..

I broke out the Transformers HD-DVD the other night and every 5-10 minutes I guess the video would drop out, the XBOX white and green screen logo would appear for about half a second then jump back to the video and continue on for about 5-10 minutes then drop out to the boot screen again.
I recently (read: yesterday) switched over from VGA output to HDMI on my 360. My first trial HD DVD viewing from the add-on and the new set up worked without a hitch. Later that night I tried a different HD DVD and got the same results as you; however, I also received a message stating "HDCP Link Not Established" or something similar every now and then. Obviously with the previous VGA output I didn't need to worry about HDCP but now with the HDMI I guess I do. I'm going to switch to a different USB cable tonight and see if that clears up the annoying video drops.

So I did a ton of troubleshooting last night and I figured out what the issue was. It wasn't the Toshiba HDMI cable. It wasn't the Monoprice USB cable nor the USB hub nor the HDMI switchbox. No, it was because I am currently using both HDMI-out and a Monoprice s-video/component for optical-out at the same time. There's a small notch in the Monoprice cable that allows the HDMI cable to be used at the same time in the 360. Even though I'm not utilizing any video signal from that cable, I guess the 360 can still sense that I could and is running an HDCP check every 10 minutes or so. Once I removed the Monoprice s-video/component cable I no longer got video dropouts back to the white and green 360 logo screen.


But I likes my cheap optical output so the Monoprice cable stays, heh. I have an HD-XA1 hooked-up to the same HDTV so it's not like I really need to have HD DVD ability via the 360. It was convenient to be on Live and watching a movie while waiting for friends to show up but I guess it'll be DVD-only for me from here on out with the add-on.

I broke out the Transformers HD-DVD the other night and every 5-10 minutes I guess the video would drop out, the XBOX white and green screen logo would appear for about half a second then jump back to the video and continue on for about 5-10 minutes then drop out to the boot screen again. I have never watched an HD-DVD on THIS particular 360. Games and other Xbox Live stuff are fine without issue.

Its a situation of console -> receiver -> TV.

Console is a 360 Elite on HDMI
Receiver is a Panasonic SA-XR700 w/HDMI 1.2a
TV is a Toshiba 65HM167 w/HDMI 1.3

My PS3 plays Blu-ray fine on HDMI and like I said, everything else in the 360 works fine. Just HD-DVD movies.

Thanks.
I recently (read: yesterday) switched over from VGA output to HDMI on my 360. My first trial HD DVD viewing from the add-on and the new set up worked without a hitch. Later that night I tried a different HD DVD and got the same results as you; however, I also received a message stating "HDCP Link Not Established" or something similar every now and then. Obviously with the previous VGA output I didn't need to worry about HDCP but now with the HDMI I guess I do. I'm going to switch to a different USB cable tonight and see if that clears up the annoying video drops.
Man, I hope I can get an answer on this months later. I'm having the exact same issue. I dug out the old 360 HD DVD add-on because blu-ray movies are starting to be released that'll no longer play on my Samsung combo player, so if I need to get a new blu-ray player I was going to fall back on the 360 add-on for the rare occassion I watch an HD DVD. Well, this is the first time I've used the add-on with my HDMI-equipped xBox 360 (had to get a new one of those last fall after I got RROD). And the problem the two of you describing is exactly what I'm experiencing. Any help would be much appreciated.

What's worse, I think the video drop-outs just fried the HDMI-out port on my receiver, because it's not outputting a signal at all any more from any devices :(:mad:

Man, I hope I can get an answer on this months later. I'm having the exact same issue. I dug out the old 360 HD DVD add-on because blu-ray movies are starting to be released that'll no longer play on my Samsung combo player, so if I need to get a new blu-ray player I was going to fall back on the 360 add-on for the rare occassion I watch an HD DVD. Well, this is the first time I've used the add-on with my HDMI-equipped xBox 360 (had to get a new one of those last fall after I got RROD). And the problem the two of you describing is exactly what I'm experiencing. Any help would be much appreciated.

What's worse, I think the video drop-outs just fried the HDMI-out port on my receiver, because it's not outputting a signal at all any more from any devices :(:mad:


Dont worry, your not alone...mine still has this issue.

And it sucks.

Im not sure about my other hd movies (i probly have 12-15-but I dont even try and watch them because of this very issue) but transformers 1 is completely un-watchable because of the constant drop outs...but when I play transformers it drops out every 30 secs to 2 min

I haven't picked up the 360 drive yet for my laptop, just wanted to see if anyone here knows if it will work.

It's a 2ghz core 2 duo with 4gb of ram with an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

it's vista 32 bit

is the only thing I need to do is download AnyDVDHD and be able to run it that way? Any and all help is immensely appreciated. thanks in advance.


yes hd-dvd will work just fine on that setup. You will need a software player though

I broke out the Transformers HD-DVD the other night and every 5-10 minutes I guess the video would drop out, the XBOX white and green screen logo would appear for about half a second then jump back to the video and continue on for about 5-10 minutes then drop out to the boot screen again. I have never watched an HD-DVD on THIS particular 360. Games and other Xbox Live stuff are fine without issue.

Its a situation of console -> receiver -> TV.

Console is a 360 Elite on HDMI
Receiver is a Panasonic SA-XR700 w/HDMI 1.2a
TV is a Toshiba 65HM167 w/HDMI 1.3

My PS3 plays Blu-ray fine on HDMI and like I said, everything else in the 360 works fine. Just HD-DVD movies.

Thanks.

sounds like a TV issue. the only time my 360 does that is when I turn off the TV with the console on and then turn the TV back on (Like if I have to go somewhere for 30 mins or something)

Is there are firmware update for your set?

I know, I know, this thread is OLD, but I gotta say, I just got my HDDVD add on drive for the xbox and am amazed. I can't believe they weren't all bought up on amazon.com. Especially for how cheap movies can be found for. I will be enjoying blu-ray AND HDDVD.

Possibly dumb question to ask on here.

When the new 360 launched, on some of the early spec sheets I saw, the new 360 (supposedly) was now equipped with HDMI 1.3. This would (technically) allow bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA.

First, can anyone confirm HDMI 1.3? Second, if it is true, would this mean we who still own the HDDVD drive would enjoy the next gen audio formats finally?

I know, I know, this thread is OLD, but I gotta say, I just got my HDDVD add on drive for the xbox and am amazed. I can't believe they weren't all bought up on amazon.com. Especially for how cheap movies can be found for. I will be enjoying blu-ray AND HDDVD.

Thst exactly what I did, $30 for a brand new player, 1-2$ disc, yeah!

Possibly dumb question to ask on here.

When the new 360 launched, on some of the early spec sheets I saw, the new 360 (supposedly) was now equipped with HDMI 1.3. This would (technically) allow bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA.

First, can anyone confirm HDMI 1.3? Second, if it is true, would this mean we who still own the HDDVD drive would enjoy the next gen audio formats finally?


I can tell you definitively the add-on does not decode or bistream the lossless formats.Your choices are vanilla Dolby Digital(not Plus) or DTS.The capability for lossless audio was never patched in or enabled.

I knew it wasn't previously an option, but that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the new 360 had HDMI 1.3.

Guess I'm still stupid enough to believe just because the tech is dead they wouldn't abandon the existing tech given the ability.

Has anyone even tried it yet? It wouldn't hurt to know for certain with and actual test.

It's got me curious.

Has anyone even tried it yet? It wouldn't hurt to know for certain with and actual test.

It's got me curious.

I have an xbox 360 slim and the hddvd add-on, although I don't see any options other than dolby or dts I'll try a lossless disc to see if anything better streams.

Although I am curious if anyone with multiple hd-dvd drives can compare the ability of the drives to read scratched discs. I have a few with few minor scratches but the xbox add-on won't play them without stuttering terribly.

Just played Pan's Labyrinth, which has a DTS-MA audio track. All I got was the re-encoded DTS track the 360 put out. I'm using an hdmi receiver.

Looks like still a no go for lossless. DTS is still not bad for re-encodes. Better than standard dvd for sure and I would liken it to DD+. 1.5mbps bandwidth unless I'm mistaken

The Xbox 360 is incapable of lossless audio due to hardware limitations(audio data paths can't handle the required bandwidth).Only WMA.

The Xbox 360 is incapable of lossless audio due to hardware limitations(audio data paths can't handle the required bandwidth).Only WMA.

I read somewhere, I don't remember where it's been awhile, that it actually does get transferred to hd audio but then it has to get compressed back to the core track before it can be output, because of the hardware limitations. I'm not sure why it couldn't just be output once it was hd, like I said it's been to long. I just remember thinking it was interesting.

ah i miss HD DVD

ah i miss HD DVD

Are you Pete...Colin's friend from LII?

I only have the 360 add-on, but anyone with a standalone and the 360 player, how does the 360 player compare to various standalones in terms of scratched disks?

Hello everyone. Please forgive me for not wanting to wade through the full thread - apologies if this has already been answered.

I've bought an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. The idea is to rip my 100 or so HD DVDs using ToNMT.

However, upon connecting to my Windows XP PC it just shows as a CD drive, and when I try to use Auto Source on ToNMT it shows as 'No HD Media Found'. I understand this is a problem with XP, but there are drives out there which can be used.

Anyone got any ideas and/or links?

Many thanks.

Steve W

Did you install the UDF 2.5 Reader? http://www.videohelp.com/tools/UDF_Reader

Hello everyone. Please forgive me for not wanting to wade through the full thread - apologies if this has already been answered.

I've bought an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. The idea is to rip my 100 or so HD DVDs using ToNMT.

However, upon connecting to my Windows XP PC it just shows as a CD drive, and when I try to use Auto Source on ToNMT it shows as 'No HD Media Found'. I understand this is a problem with XP, but there are drives out there which can be used.

Anyone got any ideas and/or links?

Many thanks.

Steve W

I have windows 7 and it saw it as soon as I connected the USB chord, it found the correct drivers. You say it reads it as a cd drive, do you have a player for it such as tmt5? I'm not at home so I'm not sure what mine is read as. Just download a trial copy of tmt 5 and see if a disc will play. Other than that just google xbox HDDVD drive and windows xp driver, hack, fix, etc.

Cheers chaps.

I've found this:

http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/Xbox_360_HD_DVD_Windows_page1.html

I'll give it a go when I get home and let you know how I get on.

Steve W

I have windows 7 and it saw it as soon as I connected the USB chord, it found the correct drivers. You say it reads it as a cd drive, do you have a player for it such as tmt5? I'm not at home so I'm not sure what mine is read as. Just download a trial copy of tmt 5 and see if a disc will play. Other than that just google xbox HDDVD drive and windows xp driver, hack, fix, etc.

Tried UDF 2.5.

Tried tmt5.

No joy.

Still says 'DVD XDrive (F:) CD Drive'.

When I click on it (with HD DVD of Blade Runner in) it comes up with an error message: 'Windows cannot read from this disk. The Disk might be corrupted, or it could be using a format that is not compatible with windows.'

Steve W

Tried UDF 2.5.

Tried tmt5.

No joy.

Still says 'DVD XDrive (F:) CD Drive'.

When I click on it (with HD DVD of Blade Runner in) it comes up with an error message: 'Windows cannot read from this disk. The Disk might be corrupted, or it could be using a format that is not compatible with windows.'

Steve W

What is UDF?

It's the file system used by HD DVDs

Don't give up. I still have an XP system and it works fine. http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=15597

It's the file system used by HD DVDs

Blurays can use it to, I was just wondering what UFD 2.5 was. I wasn't thinking about one of the revisions, the context he used it in sounded like he was talking about some sort of player he tried using to get his HDDVD playing.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, 2.5 was just the driver version from Toshiba that could be used for the xbox drive.

Don't give up. I still have an XP system and it works fine. http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=15597

Cheers Dave in Leeds (from Steve in Huddersfield).

Steve W

Hello everyone. Please forgive me for not wanting to wade through the full thread - apologies if this has already been answered.

I've bought an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. The idea is to rip my 100 or so HD DVDs using ToNMT.

However, upon connecting to my Windows XP PC it just shows as a CD drive, and when I try to use Auto Source on ToNMT it shows as 'No HD Media Found'. I understand this is a problem with XP, but there are drives out there which can be used.

Anyone got any ideas and/or links?

Many thanks.

Steve W

You definitely need to install UDF filesystem drivers to use the XBOX 360 drive on Windows XP. Went through that process myself a ways back, but I have Windows 7 now and the drive is natively supported.

I am having a problem though. Going through my Warner HD DVD's and backing them up since I am seeing reports of problems with these discs. Most have been fine, but the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix refuses to be recognized by the XBOX 360 drive connected to my PC. All my other HD DVD's are recognized fine, and this disc seems to load and play fine in the Toshibe HD-A30. I cleaned the disc just in case, but that did not help. Anyone know of a particular problem with this disc on this player?