Have a peek inside.

http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/news/inside_the_xbox_360_elite.htm

Classy for them to include cables for HDMI, Component and composite video with any combination of audio in the box.

Classy for them to include cables for HDMI, Component and composite video with any combination of audio in the box.

Yeah.. i mean a 6 foot cable is what.. 4$ at Monoprice, so it's must cost even less to them LOL! Sony should have included one, but they sell their'S 30$ so LOL!

The only downside to the whole Elite, is the sound and HDMI 1.3 (well the sound take care of that issue), it's half the package for people on this forum. Anyway, i would have sold my xbox and bought that one if it would have output sound like the HD-A2 in HDMI.. but since it don't and i have a 720p display, there's no point to it ;)

yawn. In fact, given that MS didn't include an HD DVD player, didn't include support for the advanced codecs in its firmware, etc. what is this doing in the HD DVD players section?

I agree, if Microsoft had just fully committed to HD DVD this war would be over already.

I agree, if Microsoft had just fully committed to HD DVD this war would be over already.
no it wouldn't

How can this be called an ELITE system (by the very definition of the word the top of the heap in its category) and not have HD-DVD built-in, HDMI 1.3 support, all audio codecs supported and a host of other missing stuff? But lookie, it has an HDMI output and it's black. Mmphh, I'll stick with my component/VGA-outputting 360 Premium system with HD-DVD add-on, thank you very much. :mad:

Well dad1153 I agree with you. If you already have a 360 their is no need to upgrade.

For the ones who will be buying this system cold without have a 360 the $80 is full worth it. Not only do you get the HDMI but you get the bigger harddrive they are charging us premium users like $180 or some super high price if you want to upgrade. Just for the bigger drive it's worth it and you get it to be black!

How can this be called an ELITE system (by the very definition of the word the top of the heap in its category) and not have HD-DVD built-in, HDMI 1.3 support, all audio codecs supported and a host of other missing stuff? But lookie, it has an HDMI output and it's black. Mmphh, I'll stick with my component/VGA-outputting 360 Premium system with HD-DVD add-on, thank you very much. :mad:

Agree completely. And to the poster above who stated so perfunctorily:"no it wouldn't". Yes it would. If XBox 360 Elite had included an HD DVD player (had the guts to do so with the necessary firmware to take care of the backwards compatibility issues re: the speed of the player) then HD DVD could have proclaimed: look at how many HD DVD players are out there - just like the PS3. The best propaganda HD DVD could have bought.

Agree completely. And to the poster above who stated so perfunctorily:"no it wouldn't". Yes it would. If XBox 360 Elite had included an HD DVD player (had the guts to do so with the necessary firmware to take care of the backwards compatibility issues re: the speed of the player) then HD DVD could have proclaimed: look at how many HD DVD players are out there - just like the PS3. The best propaganda HD DVD could have bought.
explain to me how that would have ended the war already?

explain to me how that would have ended the war already?


My point is that the claim of Blu Ray winning this war by numbers of PS3s alone, i.e., blu ray players "out there" would be entirely negatived by the Xbox 360 having an included HD DVD player assuming they could sell at a comparable rate. What would be left is the stand alones and at this point Blu Ray are pricing themselves out of the market. The war would presumptively be over unless Blu Ray began to sell cheap blu players which could certainly happen. But you only need to look at what the sales were for Blu Ray before the PS3 came along - they were poor.

I can imagine Bill Gates saying, look it, there are 3 million HD DVD players out there (Xbox 360 Elites). Strong incentive for all studios to go neutral as it was the pretence Sony used to convince Fox, Disney, et. al to support that format. Maybe it wouldn't have won the war but it would have presented challenges Sony may not have been able to overcome.

Classy for them to include cables for HDMI, Component and composite video with any combination of audio in the box.


But wait!!! The PS3 is the one true High Definition system!!!! Sure the PS3 only came with composite cables... BUT IT IS THE ONLY TRUE HD GAME SYSTEM!!!!

ok, enough of the sarcasm aimed to degrade the PS3 and Blu-Ray....

yeah it is a good movie by Microsoft. The only two video cables they aren't including are S-Video (don't ask me why someone would want to do that... despite being slightly better than composite) and the VGA cable. But it sure as heck smacks Sony across the face. Gamestop will probably be flooded with "used" XBox 360 Component Cables on April 30th.

But come on Microsoft, the 360 has been out 17 months, it is time for a price drop.

Maybe it wouldn't have won the war
thank you

i really can't follow your argument, but it doesn't matter. my only point was that the original statement:
I agree, if Microsoft had just fully committed to HD DVD this war would be over already
was just wrong

thank you

i really can't follow your argument, but it doesn't matter. my only point was that the original statement:

was just wrong

Fair enough.

I agree that MS has made a half attempt concerning HD DVD. I cannot understand why they did not include a built in HD drive and a HDMI output. I have both a A1 and a add on. Playback and response is much better then the A1.
The optical connection is poorly designed in the add on. Also the dynamics in the audio department is poor. Hopefully MS will come up with a fix. I am enjoying watching HD movies. Still the majority of my movie watching is still in the DVD format and the PQ of a good transfer is still very good. We are far from HD DVD or Br from being a niche.

I agree that MS has made a half attempt concerning HD DVD. I cannot understand why they did not include a built in HD drive and a HDMI output. I have both a A1 and a add on. Playback and response is much better then the A1.
The optical connection is poorly designed in the add on. Also the dynamics in the audio department is poor. Hopefully MS will come up with a fix. I am enjoying watching HD movies. Still the majority of my movie watching is still in the DVD format and the PQ of a good transfer is still very good. We are far from HD DVD or Br from being a niche.

The primary reason why the HD DVD wasn't integrated is because current HD DVD read speeds are NOT as fast as the 12X DVD drive in the XBox 360. If the HD DVD drive was integrated the best case scenario was that all the games work fine but load slightly slower. The worse case scenario is that some XBox 360 games don't work due to the decrease drive speed. I know that seems a bit strange, I would think all 360 games could work in a slower drive, but I'm just speculating. Microsoft is in it to bitchslap Sony out of the number one spot, however I think the Wii has got Microsoft beat to it.

I'd actually consider getting one if it could output multichannel PCM (for games or HD DVD).

I'd actually consider getting one if it could output multichannel PCM (for games or HD DVD).
agree, this is where they screwed the pooch

"I agree, if Microsoft had just fully committed to HD DVD this war would be over already."

Thats is just dumb and has nothing to do with this thread.

What does all this have to do with what's inside the current xbox elite? I didn't know that this was the hddvd vs blu-ray section.

Thrillhouse thats the point im trying to get at why do people go this route in every discussion? Keep the HD format war out of this. I edited my response as not to provoke.

yawn. In fact, given that MS didn't include an HD DVD player, didn't include support for the advanced codecs in its firmware, etc. what is this doing in the HD DVD players section?

I'm sure that they could have included an HD-DVD drive if they charged another $200 for the Elite.

Oh wait, what can you buy for $200? It's on the tip of my tongue.

What people really want when they say that MS should have included an HD-DVD drive in the Elite is a subsidized (free) HD-DVD player. MS doesn't have enough of an interest in HD-DVD to give you one for free like Sony does with Blu-Ray and the PS3.

The primary reason why the HD DVD wasn't integrated is because current HD DVD read speeds are NOT as fast as the 12X DVD drive in the XBox 360. If the HD DVD drive was integrated the best case scenario was that all the games work fine but load slightly slower. The worse case scenario is that some XBox 360 games don't work due to the decrease drive speed. I know that seems a bit strange, I would think all 360 games could work in a slower drive, but I'm just speculating. Microsoft is in it to bitchslap Sony out of the number one spot, however I think the Wii has got Microsoft beat to it.

No, 360 games would not work with the HD-DVD drive. A lot of 360 games use streaming textures. They stream the textures off the DVD as they are required. Gears of War is one of these games. A slower drive would prevent the loading of these textures on time.

How can this be called an ELITE system (by the very definition of the word the top of the heap in its category) and not have HD-DVD built-in, HDMI 1.3 support, all audio codecs supported and a host of other missing stuff? But lookie, it has an HDMI output and it's black. Mmphh, I'll stick with my component/VGA-outputting 360 Premium system with HD-DVD add-on, thank you very much. :mad:
ELITE if thats the case would have HD DVD and BLU RAY!!!!!

If I didn't have a Premium already, i'd buy the Elite. But I can buy a black case, and I don't really need a 120GB HD right now.

agree, this is where they screwed the pooch

This seems like a significant mistake. Is there any possibility that this functionality (multichannel PCM) could be added in the future via firmware?

But come on Microsoft, the 360 has been out 17 months, it is time for a price drop.

time has nothing to do with it... when sales start to go down, they'll drop the price...

i expect we don't see one til 08... maybe very late 07 for the holiday. why? well, halo3 will be a system seller, regardless of the price, which is coming out later this year. i don't see them dropping until after that.

I would pick up an elite if it came with a lifetime warranty (meaning until the next MS system is released). After the failure of my Premium I just can't fathom sinking that money back into a 360 only to have it fail. I was lucky to be able to take the Premium back and get my money. If the Elite proves to be a significant improvement in terms of longevity I may change my mind.

No, 360 games would not work with the HD-DVD drive. A lot of 360 games use streaming textures. They stream the textures off the DVD as they are required. Gears of War is one of these games. A slower drive would prevent the loading of these textures on time.


How hard is it to create an HD-DVD drive that spins at SD-DVD speeds when an SD-DVD game is placed inside and then slows down to a crawl once an HD-DVD is put it. It seems very feasable to me and a technology barrier that could be overcome with a new drive motor and a firmware update that recognizes the difference between an SD-DVD and an HD-DVD when placed inside.. My current DVD-R can burn at a whole range of speeds so there is no excuse from anyone saying this wasn't a possibility...

How hard is it to create an HD-DVD drive that spins at SD-DVD speeds when an SD-DVD game is placed inside and then slows down to a crawl once an HD-DVD is put it. It seems very feasable to me and a technology barrier that could be overcome with a new drive motor and a firmware update that recognizes the difference between an SD-DVD and an HD-DVD when placed inside.. My current DVD-R can burn at a whole range of speeds so there is no excuse from anyone saying this wasn't a possibility...
anything is possible,but comes at price though would you buy a 800 dollar elite 360? look at PS3 prices is keeping folks from buying it.

anything is possible,but comes at price though would you buy a 800 dollar elite 360? look at PS3 prices is keeping folks from buying it.

In order to win some you have to lose some.. You set a price-point to equals that of the PS3 however delivering the same type of specs even if it is at a loss per unit greater than what you had before. At this moment in time, the PS3 seems like a bargain in comparison to what you get with the Elite, which shows poor planning, development, and execution. HDMI 1.3 with advanced audio and an HD-DVD drive would have at the very least matched the PS3 in specs that matter. A larger hard drive and changing the color to black with a crippled HDMI seems like a wasted opportunity. I don't see how adding an HD-DVD drive would make the Elite cost upwards of $800 to the consumer since the Ps3 at launch cost around $800 total cost with a retail loss averaging $275 between the two models per unit sold.

Take a look at the breakdown for the cost of the PS3 (link below) at the time of launch (yes these prices have gone down since then but it proves my point that Microsoft could have done the same).. I highly doubt Research and Development costs for an HD-DVD drive that spins at different speeds would exceed $800 retail which would mean a cost greater than $1000 per unit for Microsoft.

http://www.isuppli.com/news/default.asp?id=6919

So, again, you just want a free HD-DVD drive in the Elite. Obviously, MS doesn't want to lose as much money on the 360 as Sony is willing to lose on the PS3. That seems pretty smart to me.

The Elite is what it is. Don't buy it if you don't want it.

So, again, you just want a free HD-DVD drive in the Elite. Obviously, MS doesn't want to lose as much money on the 360 as Sony is willing to lose on the PS3. That seems pretty smart to me. The Elite is what it is. Don't buy it if you don't want it.

My thoughts exactly. Why complain? If you are that bent out of shape, protest and buy a PS3. Or, lean on MS until they engineer a sku that appeals to you.

I predict (via hunch only) that the Elite will sell well. Honestly guys, how many really care about HDMI 1.3, advanced audio codecs, including an HD drive, etc.?

I care, I know many of you care, and many on this board care, but is the number in the hundreds? Thousands? Even if the number is in the thousands, I doubt its in the tens of thousands. Which means the vast majority could care less.

both systems are what they are.

i don't understand why EVERY single thread on here becomes 360 vs ps3.

NO ONE will win. maybe this generation, sure but both xbox and ps will be around for a while. so will BD and HDDVD. the format war will not be won, when most people are still buying SD DvDs.

remember, we're in a board that contains the elite video/audiophiles of the world. most people i know still don't have an HDtv. keep some perspective.

both systems are what they are.

i don't understand why EVERY single thread on here becomes 360 vs ps3.

NO ONE will win. maybe this generation, sure but both xbox and ps will be around for a while. so will BD and HDDVD. the format war will not be won, when most people are still buying SD DvDs.

remember, we're in a board that contains the elite video/audiophiles of the world. most people i know still don't have an HDtv. keep some perspective.
Well said!

thank you. they're both great systems. i enjoy both. i'm sure ps will come out with some good games, as they start rolling.

heck, they have some great games out right now, they're just already on 360... but if you didn't get a 360, you have a good, strong library.

just enjoy people! and hope nintendo doesn't have a comeback and wipe everyone off the face of the planet. :)

If I didn't already have a 360, and was as first time buyer, I'd get the elite. It's only 59 bucks more here so why not. If the board turns out to be more reliable, then heck yeah, I might get one anyways.

The ps3, until it actually has a library, has nothing going for it other then blu ray, and maybe that it's quieter, cooler, and more reliable of course. When my first 360 died, I thought long and hard about getting the ps3, but there is no games for it that I care about now or even this year. GT-HD is the only thing that interest me.