I have not got the 360 yet, but I am for Christmas. I'm getting a Pioneer 5070 next week, and I was wondering if I should invest into a upconverting player or use the 360 for dvd content. I currently have a Sony DVP-NS425P player.

why not just buy the hd dvd add on..or do you not have an hd tv?

why not just buy the hd dvd add on..or do you not have an hd tv?

I'm getting a Pioneer PDP-5070HD on Monday.

Will the add on dvd player for the 360 be a better choice than the Oppo?

Check out the reviews at hometheaterhifi.com. The Oppo destroys the Xbox player, but the Xbox player does surprisingly well compared to other consoles/software based players.

The Oppo is the clear winner due to the design defect of the 360 known as LACK OF HDMI :)

I played The Lord of the Ring on Oppo and the Xbox only and the image qualities are almost identical and I could not tell difference. I am looking to buy the HD DVD playe and that's supposed to be whole lot better.

The Xbox HD-DVD player has nothing to do with upconverting DVDs. If you are talking about the Toshiba HD-DVD player, that also scored lower than the Oppo.

I think the XBOX HD-DVD add-on has spoiled me,
cant even bring my self to purchase SD DVD's now :(

If you prefer Cable/Sat HD channels over SD content
(basically 1080i source over 480i source)

Why would you not do the same for a DVD source?

If I could do it over (for my Pio 5070)
I would pass on the Up-Converter DVD player and the XBOX add-on HD player.
And just get an HD-DVD stand-alone player that will also up-convert SD DVD's
at least that way I could take advantage of DD TrueHD and DTS-HD Master audio tracks
...that the XBOX add-on wont (no HDMI OR 5.1 Analog output)

"If I could do it over (for my Pio 5070)
I would pass on the Up-Converter DVD player and the XBOX add-on HD player.
And just get an HD-DVD stand-alone player that will also up-convert SD DVD's
at least that way I could take advantage of DD TrueHD and DTS-HD Master audio tracks
...that the XBOX add-on wont (no HDMI OR 5.1 Analog output)[/QUOTE]

That is someting I have thinking about, but with the hd dvd vs blue ray war going on I'm not sure I want to invest in one yet. It seems hd dvd is the leader right now.

...but with the hd dvd vs blue ray war going on I'm not sure I want to invest in one yet. It seems hd dvd is the leader right now.

Well, isn't that your answer?
You already have the XBOX, no?
And you like the idea of an HD player? But don't know which to get?
Well, waiting for the dust to settle doesn't cost you anything and 360 upscaling over VGA is good enough as a stopgap until then.

Unless the money is just burning a hole in your pocket... ;-)

My main problem with ditching the Oppo for the 360 (VGA with or without the HD-DVD add-on) is the lack of Divx/Xvid support on the XBOX.

My main problem with ditching the Oppo for the 360 (VGA with or without the HD-DVD add-on) is the lack of Divx/Xvid support on the XBOX.

Exactly!

Otherwise, I am very impressed with the 360's DVD PQ compared to an Oppo 970.

Well.... there is the issue of Macroblocking, depending upon the relationship with the Oppo and your display. If your TV/Oppo combination is inherent to Macroblocking, then the Xbox 360 is the CLEAR winner for DVD playback as Macroblocking will mutilate your picture.... even with good calibration.

If, you dont have a Macroblocking issue then you may find that the Oppo edges out the Xbox 360.

I had a Mitsu 720p DLP RPTV and the Macroblocking issue was very obvious. No matter what I did with the Oppo, I could not get it to display DVDs better than the VGA output of the Xbox 360.

Now with the HD70, I find that the Oppo is alot better than it was with the Mitsu RPTV.

NOTE: I am referring to the Oppo 971

I did this comparison yesterday. The HD DVD is a great add on. But for HD DVDs only. So i guess that leaves the topic at SD dvds. I popped in a friend's Oppo yesterday to see if I really wanted to take the plunge into upconverted dvd players and I was really happy with the results.

The 360 looked like a VHS tape compared to the Oppo. While it's not stunning alone, it's stunning by comparison. Everything that was a fuzzy gray on the 360 was black on the Oppo. And it has it's own video settings. Contrast, noise reduction etc..

I'm going to buy the newly released Oppo this week (DV-981HD). The one i tried (OPDV971H) was a great machine and if you check the comparison chart i'm sure you'll see that the new one would be the one to get.

So if you want to wait on the HD movies format fiasco or if you have tons of DVDs laying around and want that HDTV to look better I would recommend this one.

I did this comparison yesterday. The HD DVD is a great add on. But for HD DVDs only. So i guess that leaves the topic at SD dvds. I popped in a friend's Oppo yesterday to see if I really wanted to take the plunge into upconverted dvd players and I was really happy with the results.

The 360 looked like a VHS tape compared to the Oppo. While it's not stunning alone, it's stunning by comparison. Everything that was a fuzzy gray on the 360 was black on the Oppo. And it has it's own video settings. Contrast, noise reduction etc..

I'm going to buy the newly released Oppo this week (DV-981HD). The one i tried (OPDV971H) was a great machine and if you check the comparison chart i'm sure you'll see that the new one would be the one to get.

So if you want to wait on the HD movies format fiasco or if you have tons of DVDs laying around and want that HDTV to look better I would recommend this one.
I am curious to know how this friend's 360 was connected to the display. Component Video? VGA? At what display resolution?

Your post is too inconclusive to draw a fair comparison.

I find it hard to believe that at 720p through VGA that a DVD that looks great on the Oppo looks like VHS on the 360.

Please clarify this.

I did this comparison yesterday. The HD DVD is a great add on. But for HD DVDs only. So i guess that leaves the topic at SD dvds. I popped in a friend's Oppo yesterday to see if I really wanted to take the plunge into upconverted dvd players and I was really happy with the results.

The 360 looked like a VHS tape compared to the Oppo. While it's not stunning alone, it's stunning by comparison. Everything that was a fuzzy gray on the 360 was black on the Oppo. And it has it's own video settings. Contrast, noise reduction etc..

I'm going to buy the newly released Oppo this week (DV-981HD). The one i tried (OPDV971H) was a great machine and if you check the comparison chart i'm sure you'll see that the new one would be the one to get.

So if you want to wait on the HD movies format fiasco or if you have tons of DVDs laying around and want that HDTV to look better I would recommend this one.


I am curious to know how this friend's 360 was connected to the display. Component Video? VGA? At what display resolution?

Your post is too inconclusive to draw a fair comparison.

I find it hard to believe that at 720p through VGA that a DVD that looks great on the Oppo looks like VHS on the 360.

Please clarify this.

Yes please clarify, because both the Xbox 360 DVD drive and HD-DVD drive upconvert regular DVDs to 720P and I believe 1080i and 1080P.

The xbox 360 through component will NOT upconvert regular DVDs, this only happens through VGA, and trust me I just purchased a VGA cable from using component and its almost night and day with just regular DVDs.

I have been thinking about trying the XBOX -> VGA to my Pioneer 5070
I take it the VGA cable has a digi/opt toslink port for 5.1 audio like the component cables?

Also noticed the VGA cable has L & R RCA jacks to go to the TV
...but the Pio 5070 only has a single stereo pc audio input beside the VGA input :confused:

Does this mean there's no way to get 2 channel TV audio
if I dont feel like putting the full surround system on
for late night gaming with out the sub pounding ?

I'm currently using a Pioneer Up converting player (via HDMI) for my SD DVD's
and it looks WAY better than the XBOX (through component).

SD DVD's on my XBOX through component is stretched and the 2.40:1 material
with black bars top and bottom that are normally about 3.5-4 inches are
down to about 2" filling up more of the screen with more picture, but all the actors faces are distorted.
(too tall and skinny) in this case the camera does not add 10 pounds.

Just tried last night with Pirates II and poor Keira Knightly looked even thinner
Yikes, that girl needs a sammich!

For some reason the HD-DVD add-on is perfectly fine though
its just SD DVD's on the XBOX console.

I have been thinking about trying the XBOX -> VGA to my Pioneer 5070
I take it the VGA cable has a digi/opt toslink port for 5.1 audio like the component cables?

Also noticed the VGA cable has L & R RCA jacks to go to the TV
...but the Pio 5070 only has a single stereo pc audio input beside the VGA input :confused:

Does this mean there's no way to get 2 channel TV audio
if I dont feel like putting the full surround system on
for late night gaming with out the sub pounding ?

I'm currently using a Pioneer Up converting player (via HDMI) for my SD DVD's
and it looks WAY better than the XBOX (through component).

SD DVD's on my XBOX through component is stretched and the 2.40:1 material
with black bars top and bottom that are normally about 3.5-4 inches are
down to about 2" filling up more of the screen with more picture, but all the actors faces are distorted.
(too tall and skinny) in this case the camera does not add 10 pounds.

Just tried last night with Pirates II and poor Keira Knightly looked even thinner
Yikes, that girl needs a sammich!

For some reason the HD-DVD add-on is perfectly fine though
its just SD DVD's on the XBOX console.

Yes, the VGA cable has the toslink out. It also comes with a Y adapter so you can plug it into your TV (the L & R are combined into one).

The 360 upconverts, but only through VGA. I tried for hours and hours on my 6070, the component connection was better then the VGA by far on games and marginally so on movies. But it was noticeable, right away. On VGA it softened the image way to much, on my VERY VERY old JVC player that upconverts to only 480p, it was noticeably sharper on all scenes. I tried tweaking everything I could.

You don't have to worry about HDMI with a HD player on the new pioneer because it can only display 720p, so it will downscale the image anyway if you pass it 1080p over HDMI.

Well I currently send 1080i to my 5070 from 3 different sources
and they all pass just fine, (even though scaled and displayed at 768p)

Motorola DCT HD cable box
Pioneer DV-490V DVD
XBOX 360 + HD DVD

Tried 720p also, but I prefer 1080i

My XBOX would not pass 1080p over component to my 5070
but I'm pretty sure someone said they were able to through VGA :confused:
Gotta admit I'm pretty darn satisfied gaming @ 1080i though :D

I've heard that the Pio PDP's will accept 1080p@24Hz
which in theory would be a perfect match to the new XA2.
The PDP 5070 has a 3:3 pulldown feature that will triple the p/24 to p/72
for a true judder-free picture...provided the XA2 has p/24 passthru.

Here's a couple screen shots from my $100 DV-490V
480i SD DVD up-converted to 1080i, then scaled to 768p
Motion was not paused, cheap $100 Fuji camera hand-held,
auto focus...

http://members.shaw.ca/ecojeeper/x13.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/ecojeeper/x7.jpg

I have the pioneer 5071 and I use the oppo 971. sorry the 360 dvd player sux. it does not upscale. and no i wont bother with vga cuz it has a washed out feel to it.


I also have the hd dvd player. again, no upscale. just stick to oppo when u want to upscale. nothing beats its.

Hey Tattootearz. Sorry if i my post felt incomplete. I was just saying the basics for the poster.

I borrowed the Oppo to play through my 42hpx95 Toshiba 1080i plasma. The 360 is hooked through component. I've heard that hookup up doesn't upscale and i've been feeling that the VGA was a waste of money from many people's postings. I just wish they would do HDMI already.

Games look awesome and SD DVDs looks lifeless. And it is calibrated with Avia. The Oppo was so much better to me. Enough for me to buy one soon.

And I didn't mean the 360 playing DVDs looked like VHS. I said it looked that way by comparison.

I have the pioneer 5071 and I use the oppo 971. sorry the 360 dvd player sux. it does not upscale. and no i wont bother with vga cuz it has a washed out feel to it.


I also have the hd dvd player. again, no upscale. just stick to oppo when u want to upscale. nothing beats its.

You don't have any macroblocking issues with that player? I've read the 970 would be best with the Pio 5070. Is the 5071 any different than the 5070?

I did this comparison yesterday. The HD DVD is a great add on. But for HD DVDs only. So i guess that leaves the topic at SD dvds. I popped in a friend's Oppo yesterday to see if I really wanted to take the plunge into upconverted dvd players and I was really happy with the results.

The 360 looked like a VHS tape compared to the Oppo. While it's not stunning alone, it's stunning by comparison. Everything that was a fuzzy gray on the 360 was black on the Oppo. And it has it's own video settings. Contrast, noise reduction etc..

I'm going to buy the newly released Oppo this week (DV-981HD). The one i tried (OPDV971H) was a great machine and if you check the comparison chart i'm sure you'll see that the new one would be the one to get.

So if you want to wait on the HD movies format fiasco or if you have tons of DVDs laying around and want that HDTV to look better I would recommend this one.

Just put in my order for the New Oppo DV-981HD. This puppy is supposed to deliver 1080p upconverts.

Upconverting with Xbox 360 over VGA to my Sammy HLS 1080p. Looks amazing for SD-DVD IMO. I don't noticed a washed out picture. One has to calibrate first. EVERYTHING 1080p for me :D I'm not even gonna comment on the HD-DVD quality. Everyone knows how good it is already.

This is the first Matrix. Sorry no tripod ... my hand was shacking lol and yeah I got all up close to TV. Also a pic from Gladiator. O motion was not paused as well.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q1/Izum27/Morpheus.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q1/Izum27/Gladiator.jpg

Just put in my order for the New Oppo DV-981HD. This puppy is supposed to deliver 1080p upconverts.

Don't forget to jump over to the standard def dvd players forum for advice and comments after you plug that player in. And remember to calibrate. I'm one day away from ordering one.

Don't forget to jump over to the standard def dvd players forum for advice and comments after you plug that player in. And remember to calibrate. I'm one day away from ordering one.

Will do Frankie. Thanks, Let me know when you get yours as well.

Hey Tattootearz. Sorry if i my post felt incomplete. I was just saying the basics for the poster.

I borrowed the Oppo to play through my 42hpx95 Toshiba 1080i plasma. The 360 is hooked through component. I've heard that hookup up doesn't upscale and i've been feeling that the VGA was a waste of money from many people's postings. I just wish they would do HDMI already.

Games look awesome and SD DVDs looks lifeless. And it is calibrated with Avia. The Oppo was so much better to me. Enough for me to buy one soon.

And I didn't mean the 360 playing DVDs looked like VHS. I said it looked that way by comparison.

Oh...so you're just comparing a regular dvd player (the 360 via component) to an upscaling player (the OPPO). I would expect those results. A true comparison would have been if the 360 was hooked up via VGA where it upscales.

Most of the complaints that I've seen about washed out images are for the video games and not the upscaling for movies. Most of those comments have been pretty positive.

I have my 360 connected via VGA, movies look great! Nothing is washed out, from what I understand the washed out look has more to do with how your TV takes the VGA connection, rather than how the 360 sends out the signal. There was an update for the 360 not too long ago that addressed the output of VGA, it was on text instead of video I believe.

I just pulled the Oppo out of retirement for kicks...

The results? WHOA!

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/12/34213562660.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4211255)

I know a few people will scoff, but I'm not kidding when I say the 360 upconverting via VGA cable looks just as good as ANY upconverting DVD player I've seen, including the Oppo and Panny S77S.

I know a few people will scoff, but I'm not kidding when I say the 360 upconverting via VGA cable looks just as good as ANY upconverting DVD player I've seen, including the Oppo and Panny S77S.

I'm pretty impressed with it as well, I've seen the Oppo's, not all that impressed

King Kong Upconverted via 360

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p291/spinksjnx/DSCF0773.jpg

King Kong HD-DVD

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p291/spinksjnx/DSCF0771-1.jpg

Crappy 3.1mp camera used quality doesnt do justice...Get the HD-DVD drive man!

King Kong Upconverted via 360

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p291/spinksjnx/DSCF0773.jpg

King Kong HD-DVD

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p291/spinksjnx/DSCF0771-1.jpg

Crappy 3.1mp camera used quality doesnt do justice...Get the HD-DVD drive man!


Uh, I realize the camera isn't up to par but these images don;t look very impressive. enough to want to delete the post.

Of course HD-DVD is going to look better, I don't know how you're even comparing a DVD upconvert to HD-DVD.

This thread is about 360 upconvert compared to the Oppo, or maybe I missed something...

What about Oppo's vs Pioneer DV-490V-S on a Pio 5070 display?

Uh, I realize the camera isn't up to par but these images don;t look very impressive. enough to want to delete the post.


I know they werent top notch they were rushed I posted these on another forum for a guy who asked for them. But the difference is their the standard dvd is washed out and not as bright or crisp while the HD one looks like its right their in front of you...Granted the pictures do no justice to how well they look it does show a difference between the two formats....

So to conclude the Oppo isn't marginally superior to the 360 over VGA? That's good to know...and saves me cash.

Unless you have a really large screen. You are just not going to notice any worthy difference that will justify the extra price.

My 360 Elite via HDMI is very impressive when upconverting DVDs. I don't have an Oppo but on my 100 inch screen it makes a huge difference over my regular Sony DVD player.

some may like the 360 dvd player but has anyone noticed how games have good black levels but when u pop in a dvd it get's wayyyy to bright?

some may like the 360 dvd player but has anyone noticed how games have good black levels but when u pop in a dvd it get's wayyyy to bright?

You could probably use the new black level option to fix that.

My vote definitely goes for the 360. When I bought my Elite as a 2nd 360 I wasn't too concerned about utilizing the HDMI. I just liked the color and bigger hard drive. But I forgot that the 360 could upconvert DVD's. So I tried the HDMI connection and popped in a movie. I was thoroughly impressed. It was better than my Samsung upconvert player. I don't know how VGA fairs but I do know that HDMI looks great when it comes to upconverting regular DVD's.

I'd like to hear some fresh thoughts on the quality via VGA if anyone could oblige (no eliteness here).

My main problem with ditching the Oppo for the 360 (VGA with or without the HD-DVD add-on) is the lack of Divx/Xvid support on the XBOX.

Six months later and this is still my problem with ditching the Oppo. I've even considered ditching the Oppo and my 360 HD-DVD add-on for a Toshiba HD-A2, but still have the same issue.