I figured since next week the flood gates of new Elite owners will be swamping the threads, we could keep it all here. Post your pictures, comments, likes, dislikes, or anything in between.
I bought my 360 Elite on Thursday WAY early at our local Super Wal-Mart. As many of you followed my other thread know, there were some problems my PERSONAL LCD Vizio L32 experienced and your miles may vary. A quick rundown is as follows.
Fan and drive noise is a little quieter than my year old premium. My Elite came with the Hitachi drive. HDMI has horrible overscan unless you have 1:1 pixel, or some sort of a just scan mode. I personally feel that the Elite was made for people with 1080p and 1:1 via HDMI, because I tweaked the settings for about an hour and couldn't get HDMI to look as clean and punchy as VGA. (Components aweful for overscan on my set as well.) So I'm using VGA.
Also there is a slight handshacking flicker that appears green, purple, or other colors for a 1/4 second while switching functions via HDMI. (Probably my LCD'S fault, but not sure.)
The upconversion via HDMI at 1080i on standard def movies was AMAZING. 2 big thumbs up for the upconverting of DVD'S.
The 120 gig drive ships with about 3 gigs of garbage like demo's of old games that are free in the market anyways that need deleted. After you delete everything you get around 113 gigs left. Plenty for my HD movie downloads.
Overall, I'm glad I bought the Elite. Even though I'm using VGA instead of HDMI. But I have a feeling that all you 1080p 1:1 owners may be able to post more positive reviews for HDMI than I can. I'm pretty excited to hear what more AVS members think. :)

so do you have your elite set to 720p? or 1080i?

so do you have your elite set to 720p? or 1080i?

I'm running VGA at 1280x720. There is a wierd bug on the Vizio that crops of a 1/4 of the left screen if you run it at 1360x768. 1280x720 looks REALLY good on my set. Also VGA is nice because it bypasses all the supposed picture enhancers that cause more ghosting on my particular set, and more black crush. VGA wins hands down on my set.

ooh thats cool,im gonna get the elite next week or so,i was just wondering does anyone know if the hdmi will work good on my set?

SO could I use a memory card and transport my saved games to my ELITE. Or if not transport at least load a saved game and play it on the ELITE? This would at least help with a few titles that I plan on finishing... :)

I'm using an Elite connected via HDMI and it looks superior to my old premium 360 with VGA.

I'm using an Elite connected via HDMI and it looks superior to my old premium 360 with VGA.

1080p I assume?? Are you getting any overscan??

Can you use the HDMI for video then use the optical option for sound?

SO could I use a memory card and transport my saved games to my ELITE. Or if not transport at least load a saved game and play it on the ELITE? This would at least help with a few titles that I plan on finishing... :)

A memeory card will work fine for the tranfer of saved games.

Can you use the HDMI for video then use the optical option for sound?

Yes, that's exactly correct.

Awesome! Thanks! Amazon here I come! :)

Thanks again! :)

the elite comes with a transfer cable,the need of a memory card is not necceasary

the elite comes with a transfer cable,the need of a memory card is not necceasary

^^This is contrary to info from people who got the system early.

the elite comes with a transfer cable,the need of a memory card is not necceasary


wrong again.

oh,well i read that somewhere it came with a transfer cable,i guess it was wrong,so with the memory card can i transfer my gamer profile to the new elite harddrive?like my game saves,xbox live account etc.i dont really care for my demos videos and music

oh,well i read that somewhere it came with a transfer cable,i guess it was wrong,so with the memory card can i transfer my gamer profile to the new elite harddrive?like my game saves,xbox live account etc.i dont really care for my demos videos and music


yea, you can transfer saves, and gamer profile, and then if you have any arcade games they can "follow" your gamertag(though you'll have to d/l them again), but you'll only be able to play them if you're signed into your profile and are logged on to live (ms is trying to fix this)

As an Elite owner, I can confirm that the transfer cable is NOT included.

Good thing I got the 512 memory card! :)

For some reason my Viva Pinata save is locked - I can't transfer it to the memory card from the hard drive. Anyone else experience that?

For some reason my Viva Pinata save is locked - I can't transfer it to the memory card from the hard drive. Anyone else experience that?

Nope, It's locked and you are SOL :(

Good thing I never got that game...

For some reason my Viva Pinata save is locked - I can't transfer it to the memory card from the hard drive. Anyone else experience that?

Are your other games locked??

I didn't get the Elite, but I did pick up the 120 gig hdd last night at CC. After using a gift card from Xmas it cost me less than $100. It came with the data transfer cable and a software disc. I'll be hooking it up in an hour or two and will let you know how it goes.

I'd like to see more comparisons on VGA vs HDMI... anymore opinions, folks?

I didn't get the Elite, but I did pick up the 120 gig hdd last night at CC. After using a gift card from Xmas it cost me less than $100. It came with the data transfer cable and a software disc. I'll be hooking it up in an hour or two and will let you know how it goes.

Where do you connect the cable? How do you power on the second drive since it's not connected to the 360?

Where do you connect the cable? How do power on the second drive since it's not connected to the 360?


Transfer is going on now....eta is 43 minutes to complete. One end of the cable plugs into the back USB port of the 360 and the other end plugs into the 120gig hdd. The old hdd stays in place for the transfer. Then you insert the disc, tell it to transfer, and you wait. Hopefully all will go ok.

so, so far we have 1 with a 720 set that likes vga games but 1080i dvd's and another with 1080p that has hdmi as the shizzle.

guess since most shops have stopped sales til the 29th wont see much til then.

I still dont get it but hey, some people do and are hopefully happy...

Transfer is complete. I didn't take long at all. Everything seems to be in place.

I guess that I don't need the transfer cable anymore. If anyone wants to cover shipping (paypal) you can have it. PM me.

*********cable spoken for*************

PM sent

Vegas.. thats a pretty standup thing you did..

Hopefully being a forum we will be able to keep such good will acts like that continuing. How about for the next person that recieves the cable.. transfers their data.. and is finished with its purpose offers to send it to someone else if paypal is used to cover the shipping so the next person may properly transfer items.

And continue this cycle to help everyone upgrade.

Thanks Daekwan, I appreciate that!

Can someone confirm if the component video (or VGA, for those using that) will output at the same time as HDMI? I have a TV upstairs connected as well via a component video matrix switch, and that set does not have HDMI. If I connect a new Elite via HDMI in my main room (via Mits HD1000 projector) will it turn off the other video outputs? Also, anyone try HDMI with an Elite on the HD1000 projector yet?

Is it any quieter than the existing systems?

And I'll second a big thumbs up for Vegas.

EDIT: Nevermind, I saw in another thread it still sounds like a harrier at take off.

can anyone confirm that the elite will output 1080i for SD DVD and HDDVD over HDMI?

Jonathan Hickey: cable/cd shipped.

I got mine and lov'in it!!!!!

I got mine and lov'in it!!!!!
is it still as noisy as the older models?

The Elite definitely quieter than my older Pro System.
I posted my impression in the HDMI thread. Also the Picture Quality is great.
My LCD (Sharp LC37D90) is HDMI 1.2
and so is the Elite. Looks amazing with the 1080p dot by dot mode.
I'm so happy with the Elite I want to sell my PS3 (what was I thinking!).

Yeah, there is a 1080i option for HDMI.

The Elite definitely quieter than my older Pro System.
I posted my impression in the HDMI thread. Also the Picture Quality is great.
My LCD (Sharp LC37D90) is HDMI 1.2
and so is the Elite. Looks amazing with the 1080p dot by dot mode.
I'm so happy with the Elite I want to sell my PS3 (what was I thinking!).

Good to hear a positive HDMI user, because it looks terrible on my set. I figured that 1080p 1:1 was the key, and it sounds like my hunch was correct.

After plugging in the xbox elite, I was in awe. The thing is sick, gnarly sick! I'm not sure if it's my sony 60" xbr2 that makes the console look so good or if it's the console itself. The audio sounds great connected through my sony surround sound system via optical cable. The only thing I was disappointed in was the color of the console... It's really not black, if you compare it to the controller it comes with, the controller is black and the console is more like a gun metal grey, or like smoked black. Anyhow, I strongly suggest that you upgrade if you have a t.v. that has an hdmi connection, especially when Halo 3 will probably be made in true 1080p. Goodluck!

After plugging in the xbox elite, I was in awe. The thing is sick, gnarly sick! I'm not sure if it's my sony 60" xbr2 that makes the console look so good or if it's the console itself. The audio sounds great connected through my sony surround sound system via optical cable. The only thing I was disappointed in was the color of the console... It's really not black, if you compare it to the controller it comes with, the controller is black and the console is more like a gun metal grey, or like smoked black. Anyhow, I strongly suggest that you upgrade if you have a t.v. that has an hdmi connection, especially when Halo 3 will probably be made in true 1080p. Goodluck!

Interesting, I assume your set accepts 1080p?? Is that what your running at currently? What I'm most excited about hearing is how VGA looks compared to HDMI on a true 1080p set with both set at 1:1. Then we will truly see if the HDMI can output without any overscan like it does so horribly on my 720p set. VGA shows about 5% more picture than HDMI on my set. My LCD lacks any 1:1 feature for HDMI so we need more 1:1 HDMI comments.

Hey anybody that has the Elite right now. Does the Elite through HDMI have the same amount of output resolution options as VGA? I'm hoping you can select 1360 x 768 through HDMI...

Hey anybody that has the Elite right now. Does the Elite through HDMI have the same amount of output resolution options as VGA? I'm hoping you can select 1360 x 768 through HDMI...
HDMI offers the same as component- 480p-720p-1080i-1080p.

HDMI offers the same as component- 480p-720p-1080i-1080p.

That sucks. They should have given the same options as VGA, especially since they both are able to upconvert DVDs. Well, it looks like I will have to rely on my HDTV's scaler (it's 1366 x 768 native). All of the 720p channels look great, so hopefully it will do a good job with the Elite as well.

I'm planning on getting the elite...I don't care about game saves, but I do care about my profile...my questions are:

1. Can I just re-enter my gamer profile info into the elite?
2. How do I reformat my old 20g hd with my gamer info on it?

Anybody know?

thanks

I don't think that the non-"normal" HD resolutions like 1366 x 768 are part of the HDMI configuration. i.e. no HDMI adapters offer them on any appliance.

People are finjding out that "HDMI" isnt all its cracked up to be with the 360. VGA is much better for the majority, especially for those who want more fine tuned resolution choices for true 1:1 pixel mapping. All you need is a quality HDTV that does 1:1 pixel mapping at 1024x768 for those 42" widescreen plasma users, 1360x768 for the majority of LCD and plasma users and 1920x1080 for the new generation of LCD and plasma screens coming out.

nice to hear positive feedbacks,i should be picking mines up in a week so is that hdmi 1:1 really neccesary,and how can i find out if my tv supports it?

I don't think that the non-"normal" HD resolutions like 1366 x 768 are part of the HDMI configuration. i.e. no HDMI adapters offer them on any appliance.

Digital video cards in PCs can usually do non-HDTV resolutions, and most TVs accept them just fine. The 360's GPU is based on that kind of technology, so it would be just a matter of software to enable the resolutions.

Digital video cards in PCs can usually do non-HDTV resolutions, and most TVs accept them just fine. The 360's GPU is based on that kind of technology, so it would be just a matter of software to enable the resolutions.

However, I don't know of a device that will accept odd (non-480, 720, 1080) resolution inputs through HDMI.

I still dont get it but hey, some people do and are hopefully happy...

That suggests MS was right to do an Elite model, no?
I'm happy with my VGA 1080p connection but I might consider moving to the Elite...
...if I could find a use for the extra 100GB...
Only use I can think of would be to go re-rip all my CDs to the extra drive space but that would be a bit too much of a pain to do now. Now, if only we could copy stuff *to* the 360 drive...
I'll wait.
Cause I'm thinking the HDMI port is going to migrate down to the Core at some point...

However, I don't know of a device that will accept odd (non-480, 720, 1080) resolution inputs through HDMI.
They don't exist.
Yet.
The next-gen PC Video cards likely will have HDMI ports so something might develop there with future computer monitors but there is also a new VESA port in the off-ing, so its not a given.

nice to hear positive feedbacks,i should be picking mines up in a week so is that hdmi 1:1 really neccesary,and how can i find out if my tv supports it?

Check your manual, check the forums for your TV, contact the manufacturer. :-)
I think there is a thread floating around somewhere in the Flat Panel displays area listing models with 1:1 pixel mapping or Zero-overscan modes (not quite the same thing, BTW).
Off the top of my head I can say that Sharps, Westinghouses and Pioneers almost all have some kind of zero overscan mode on some port, Samsung DLPs offer it but older Samsung LCDs don't, Toshiba 1080p LCDs do but the rest of their line doesn't, Sonys uniformly don't, and some Mitsubishi LCDs do.
Pretty much everything else doesn't except over VGA.

YMMV.

Can someone confirm if the component video (or VGA, for those using that) will output at the same time as HDMI? I have a TV upstairs connected as well via a component video matrix switch, and that set does not have HDMI. If I connect a new Elite via HDMI in my main room (via Mits HD1000 projector) will it turn off the other video outputs? Also, anyone try HDMI with an Elite on the HD1000 projector yet?
BUMP- anyone able to verify if the component or VGA still works when HDMI is connected? Thanks

However, I don't know of a device that will accept odd (non-480, 720, 1080) resolution inputs through HDMI.

Well, my SXRD will. The only way to get full-screen 1:1 is to input slightly less than 1920x1080 on it. And I suspect that almost every 1366x768 LCD will accept its native resolution through HDMI. The plasmas with weird resolutions probably will too.

I'm not sure what other reasons anybody would have for running something other than 1080p or 720p, but I bet more TVs are capable of it than you think.

why does everyone think the 360 is automatically better then their display at scaling?

achieving 1:1 pixal mapping is only a benefit IF the device (i.e. 360) is better at scaling to the native resolution (i.e 1024x768p) then the TV is.

what spec in the 360 makes people convinced of this? I see a lot of posts from people who are trying to achieve it via VGA, or hoping to achieve via HDMI that may end up with a poorer quality picture. Sorry, but its true.

one other note. Just because your TV is 1024x768p and you send it a 1024x 768p signal via VGA and see the picture doesnt mean you achieved 1:1 pixal mapping. In order to really achieve 1:1 pixal mapping you must TOTALy bypass the internal processor of your display. MANY displays will not let you do that....in fact most of them wont (90% at least). Even the displays that let you achieve 1:1 and totally bypass the internal processor will only let you do it by certian inputs.

Sorry to burst any bubbles, but I thought I would save a lot of time an frustration.

Where does the VGA cable connecto to on the back of the 360? Does it only come with the HD DVD ad on?

I'd like to try to see what it would look like on my Pioneer Elite Pro 1140 plasma.

Where does the VGA cable connecto to on the back of the 360? Does it only come with the HD DVD ad on?

I'd like to try to see what it would look like on my Pioneer Elite Pro 1140 plasma.

Same spot as any other cable. VGA cable is sold seperately, by itself.

BUMP- anyone able to verify if the component or VGA still works when HDMI is connected? Thanks


From the "I just scored an elite" thread...

It is impossible to hook up the HDMI cable AND a VGA or component cable at the same time. The reason? They built the HDMI so snugly to the actual regular A.V. slot that the big VGA or component plug in portion COMPLETELY covers the HDMI slot!! What was MS thinking!!! So You have to pick HDMI, or VGA, component cable. :mad:

That is a shame. Although, it doesn't make sense. Unless this picture isn't accurate, it seems like there would be enough clearance to connect the HDMI and the component/VGA at the same time.

http://www.engadget.com/photos/xbox-360-elite-already-photographed/196496/

That is a shame. Although, it doesn't make sense. Unless this picture isn't accurate, it seems like there would be enough clearance to connect the HDMI and the component/VGA at the same time.

http://www.engadget.com/photos/xbox-360-elite-already-photographed/196496/
Should be easy enough for those who have an Elite already to check. Not that I don't trust that one quote, but can someone who has one double-check? Just try to plug them both in at once (comes w/ both cables)- if you have a chance and please let us know. Otherwise I'll get my broken white 360 replaced without the upgrade to the Elite, since I need to feed two displays at once and currently do so via component.

Should be easy enough for those who have an Elite already to check. Not that I don't trust that one quote, but can someone who has one double-check? Just try to plug them both in at once (comes w/ both cables)- if you have a chance and please let us know. Otherwise I'll get my broken white 360 replaced without the upgrade to the Elite, since I need to feed two displays at once and currently do so via component.

why do you guys feel the need to output to two devices from one source? i don't think the console is designed to do that...and that's probably why the connection is too "snug" to have both hdmi and the hd-analog cables connected. what's the point in displaying the same image on two screens?

i just don't understand what you guys mean when you say you're 'losing out' if only one output can be selected.

why do you guys feel the need to output to two devices from one source? i don't think the console is designed to do that...and that's probably why the connection is too "snug" to have both hdmi and the hd-analog cables connected. what's the point in displaying the same image on two screens?

i just don't understand what you guys mean when you say you're 'losing out' if only one output can be selected.
Not sure why my reasoning is important to you, but you asked, so fair enough. I have a Mits projector and 92" screen in the main family room/theater. I also have a 50" Sony LCD display one level directly above it. All sources, including the 360, go to either display. I have an HTPC w/ movie server, an HD-Tivo, and the 360 to watch on either display. THe 360's bluetooth wireless controller works great upstairs even when the console is safe and secure in my downstairs AV rack. So while the Elite has HDMI and an HDMI connection may be nice to go to my new HDMI input capable Mits projector, I cannot have component disabled since it is the only way I can show it upstairs. So if HDMI disables component, I will stick to what I have and forgo HDMI. Is that clearer? Thanks

Should be easy enough for those who have an Elite already to check. Not that I don't trust that one quote, but can someone who has one double-check? Just try to plug them both in at once (comes w/ both cables)- if you have a chance and please let us know. Otherwise I'll get my broken white 360 replaced without the upgrade to the Elite, since I need to feed two displays at once and currently do so via component.

I've checked twice, and there is NO WAY to run the HDMI cable at the same time as the VGA or Component cable. There way to fat. The audio dogle fits perfectly, but they purposely made it about half the thickness as the Video cables.

I've checked twice, and there is NO WAY to run the HDMI cable at the same time as the VGA or Component cable. There way to fat. The audio dogle fits perfectly, but they purposely made it about half the thickness as the Video cables.
Thanks, sorry to hear that it won't work. Oh well, no Elite for me!

Not sure why my reasoning is important to you, but you asked, so fair enough. I have a Mits projector and 92" screen in the main family room/theater. I also have a 50" Sony LCD display one level directly above it. All sources, including the 360, go to either display. I have an HTPC w/ movie server, an HD-Tivo, and the 360 to watch on either display. THe 360's bluetooth wireless controller works great upstairs even when the console is safe and secure in my downstairs AV rack. So while the Elite has HDMI and an HDMI connection may be nice to go to my new HDMI input capable Mits projector, I cannot have component disabled since it is the only way I can show it upstairs. So if HDMI disables component, I will stick to what I have and forgo HDMI. Is that clearer? Thanks

thanks, mike. that was more than enough to satisfy my curiosity.

on a different but similar (paradox?!) note, it seems like you're doing quite well for yourself. why not just buy another console for the room upstairs? that's what i would do. shoot, i'd have a tv and 360 in every room of the house if i could afford it.

Anyone try a monster cable? They are as thin as the connector itself. I am wondering the same thing. Not to output at the same time though. I would like to run the HDMI to my TV. Optical to my Stereo. Then Composite to my 2.4Ghz wireless box that goes to the bedroom. I currently have a monster component for the main TV. I will be able to check it they both fit when I get an Elite this weekend. I figure if they do, I can get a used Monster 360 S-Video cable and get a small adapter to composite, use my current Monster optical adapter and have hdmi to the main TV.

I bet if my main TV is off HDMI will not activate and it should use the regular A/V connector. Can anyone test this?

Teddy

For you guys that are feeding two or more displays-there are 2 X1 and 4 X 1 output multipliers avaiable, for component, VGA AND HDMI. So you could still use HDMI on an Elite-but the HDMI multiplier is about $200 last time I looked.

Does anyone know if we will need to do the backwards compatible disc firmware to the ELITE? Liek this last one that just came out or will it have its very own firmware specific for it? :)

I'm interested in finding out from those of you who have 1080p native displays capable of 1:1 pixel mapping, if outputting 1080p from the Elite via HDMI has reduced or eliminated game lag (display lag). When I output either 1080i or 720p to my Panasonic TH65PX600u there's about a 3 or 4 frame lag. I'm hoping outputting the Panny's native resolution would reduce or eliminate this lag.

I'm interested in finding out from those of you who have 1080p native displays capable of 1:1 pixel mapping, if outputting 1080p from the Elite via HDMI has reduced or eliminated game lag (display lag). When I output either 1080i or 720p to my Panasonic TH65PX600u there's about a 3 or 4 frame lag. I'm hoping outputting the Panny's native resolution would reduce or eliminate this lag.
Why don't you give 1080P a try with the VGA cable?

Just picked up mine during a routine cat litter run at the local K-mart. They had one elite system behind the glass, hidden by the PS3s and other Xbox360s.

Went home, hooked it up, and.... got three rings. Argh. Funny thing, though, is that the system was running just fine while the errors were being displayed. I decoded the error to 0102 (unknown) from the error thread on this forum. After the initial setup and a reboot, the error didn't show up. Crosses fingers...

That aside, the HDMI looks great on my HLS5688W; looks like the Component but with the upscaling features of the VGA connection. I'll have to calibrate the setup when I have the time.

Why don't you give 1080P a try with the VGA cable?


I tried that already, but like most displays that can accept 1080p, my TH65PX600u can only receive 1080p via HDMI and not through VGA. It's true that when using VGA one of the resolutions to choose from is 1080X1920, but when I select it, the display will not accept it and the picture just goes blank.

I am going to hit some Kmarts tomorrow. Maybe they will want my business! :eek:

Question for the more technical in the crew. I want the Elite for the HDMI for DVD upconverting. My TV is 1080i, but has DVI-D instead of HDMI. The input is HDCP compliant, and with my old HD-TiVo box I used an HDMI-DVI converter cable.

However, I've read that doing that could cause picture quality loss. Before I upgrade to the Elite, does anyone see a reason that at 1080i I should have an issue going from HDMI to DVI (and I know about it being video only).

I've checked twice, and there is NO WAY to run the HDMI cable at the same time as the VGA or Component cable. There way to fat. The audio dogle fits perfectly, but they purposely made it about half the thickness as the Video cables.

even if you could fit two types of cable together, the 360 probably wasn't built to have 2 simultaneous displays.

Do you need a separate part for the audio dogle then? Does it include it?

even if you could fit two types of cable together, the 360 probably wasn't built to have 2 simultaneous displays.
Exactly. It takes a ton more horsepower to do this on computers (sometimes even a second graphics card).

Went home, hooked it up, and.... got three rings. Argh.

hahaahh...that's not really funny...but damn, right out of the box!

Exactly. It takes a ton more horsepower to do this on computers (sometimes even a second graphics card).

he's not looking for two simultaneous, just multiple displays. it's a networking thing.

i'm going to have to get signal multipliers for when i have my PJ and tv in the same room. that way, i normally use the LCD, but when i want to really immerse myself, i switch to the PJ (sports, movies, some games).

make sense? plus a PJ isn't always a good option if you have a bright room/during the day.

Does anyone know or can findout if Microsoft is going to make the wireless adapter in black for wifi? Want to get one but i really dont want to get the white one if they are eventually going to release it in black.

Does anyone know or can findout if Microsoft is going to make the wireless adapter in black for wifi? Want to get one but i really dont want to get the white one if they are eventually going to release it in black.

On the Major Nelson podcast he had a member of the Elite team on and he said that there would not be a black wireless adapter. Their reasoning is that it goes in the back and won't be seen or you can plug it into the HD dvd drive, if you have one, which will also not come in black.

I can confirm that my unit's fans are much quieter than my launch systems during HDDVD playback. Also, my DVD drive seems to be quieter than my launch units; this Elite has the Hitachi drive (has the notches near the front of the drive)...

Some pics:

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/3540/xbox360elite001ow2.th.jpg (http://img355.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite001ow2.jpg) http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4923/xbox360elite002cg3.th.jpg (http://img261.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite002cg3.jpg) http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3492/xbox360elite002jr8.th.jpg (http://img353.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite002jr8.jpg)

I can confirm that my unit's fans are much quieter than my launch systems during HDDVD playback. Also, my DVD drive seems to be quieter than my launch units; this Elite has the Hitachi drive (has the notches near the front of the drive)...

Some pics:

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/3540/xbox360elite001ow2.th.jpg (http://img355.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite001ow2.jpg) http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4923/xbox360elite002cg3.th.jpg (http://img261.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite002cg3.jpg) http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3492/xbox360elite002jr8.th.jpg (http://img353.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox360elite002jr8.jpg)

THAT is NOT black!

does that black look liks this black?

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/viewer.aspx?productId=1791&assetTypeId=1&shotId=2

Looks more like a smoke gray! :eek: MS must be colorblind!!!

That might have to do with the camera/lighting. In the right pic the HD DVD player looks light blue on my monitor :confused:

You may be right, good catch! :)

That might have to do with the camera/lighting. In the right pic the HD DVD player looks light blue on my monitor :confused:

The second pic is using a flash at night, the third is from morning sunlight (no flash). The third pic probably isn't the best color reproduciton. You can still tell the unit is not entirely black because of the TV/Stand/Remote colors are black.

Then they should call it smoke black....

The second pic is using a flash at night, the third is from morning sunlight (no flash). The third pic probably isn't the best color reproduciton. You can still tell the unit is not entirely black because of the TV/Stand/Remote colors are black.

You're right, that thing is butt ugly. If I were you, I would just give it away to someone... like... Me. :D

Just PM me for shipping info. ;)

Good point! Who cares what color it is as long as it performs well. ;)

Good point! Who cares what color it is as long as it performs well. ;)

Well since the elite is so light on new features then ones that it does have I want to be perfect.

that grey looks horible in my opinion. I will say this. If mine shows up looking that grey I will call MS and refer them to their site and ask them if they think my elite looks like the one advertise don their site.

My opinion is the color is not how they wanted it, but decided to release it anyway.

I`m going to hook the Elite up through HDMI.Will I still be able to plug in my digital audio(optical)cable into my 360 like I currently do,so I can play games and watch movies in 5.1 like I currently do???

Question for the more technical in the crew. I want the Elite for the HDMI for DVD upconverting. My TV is 1080i, but has DVI-D instead of HDMI. The input is HDCP compliant, and with my old HD-TiVo box I used an HDMI-DVI converter cable.

However, I've read that doing that could cause picture quality loss. Before I upgrade to the Elite, does anyone see a reason that at 1080i I should have an issue going from HDMI to DVI (and I know about it being video only).

Can anyone confirm that the elite upconverts? If so, does it upconvert to 1080i or 1080p? And how is the upconverting quality?

I`m going to hook the Elite up through HDMI.Will I still be able to plug in my digital audio(optical)cable into my 360 like I currently do,so I can play games and watch movies in 5.1 like I currently do???

Yes, the Elite comes with a special audio output dongle (either L/R RCA or optical) that plugs into the A/V conector. The component HD nor the VGA HD cables will not fit if you have the HDMI cable installed, though...

Can anyone confirm that the elite upconverts? If so, does it upconvert to 1080i or 1080p? And how is the upconverting quality?

Yes, the Elite up-converts with HDMI. Not sure though if you use HDMI->DVI though...

I'm looking at my Elite, and it looks A LOT MORE BLACK than these smokey grey pictures that we've taken with flash shows. It's pretty black in person so no worries.

Yes, the Elite up-converts with HDMI. Not sure though if you use HDMI->DVI though...

Is anyone able to comment on the quality of the upconverting? Does the elite look better than a 1080i upconverting standalone DVD player? If it is pushing everything to 1080p, one would think so - but I would like to hear some owners' thoughts.

Yes, the Elite up-converts with HDMI. Not sure though if you use HDMI->DVI though...

Does it upconvert to 1080P and about how well does it do this? Trying to figure out whether I wan the elite or just an OPPO 981 for now. If the OPPO PQ is night and day I suppose I will get that over 360, if not though 360 elite here I come :)

Does it upconvert to 1080P

Yes.

How well does it do this? Trying to figure out whether I wan the elite or just an OPPO 981 for now.

Sorry, I can't comment on the Oppo. HOwever, I can say that the HDMI is very similar to the VGA connection in terms of upconverting quality...I'll post a picture if I have time tonight.

if it's similar to VGA, comparing the 360 and the Oppo isnt "night and day" but the oppo is better.

could the 280 i spent on the oppo have been spent better elsewhere? yes.

Here are some pics taken from the Cars DVD using the HDMI connection. I understand that this isn't really a good way to show results, but hey it's better than nothing... 56" DLP TV, camera was 9 feet away...

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7954/carsdvd001ls0.th.jpg (http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=carsdvd001ls0.jpg) http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/4818/carsdvd002ua9.th.jpg (http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=carsdvd002ua9.jpg) http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7579/carsdvd003yv9.th.jpg (http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=carsdvd003yv9.jpg)

Elite migration how to video up an MajorNelson.com

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/04/26/120-gb-hdd-and-elite-migration-how-to-video.aspx

Yes.



Sorry, I can't comment on the Oppo. HOwever, I can say that the HDMI is very similar to the VGA connection in terms of upconverting quality...I'll post a picture if I have time tonight.

Dunno about the Elite...but that Oppo 981HD will make you slap your mother....it puts out an absolutely STUNNING picture from SD DVDs. So much so, that after I just built my father-in-law's new HT and put this Oppo up next to my PS3 and 360 showing bluray/hddvd....he told me he had absolutely no need for any kind of "HD" disk if he had the Oppo hooked up to his shiny new 1080p HDTV. And I can't really blame him after seeing the A/B results and comparisons we did.

Elite migration how to video up an MajorNelson.com

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/04/26/120-gb-hdd-and-elite-migration-how-to-video.aspx
I don't know if it's my screen on my laptop but after seeing the pics posted here and even viewing this video the Elite looks very flat in color. by going by the pics I have seen elsewhere(prerelease shots) I was truly expecting something with some type of glossy shine to it.

definitely not glossy, matte black, maybe even a charcoal or gunmetal

definitely not glossy, matte black, maybe even a charcoal or gunmetal

Charcoal is probably the best description.

I guess as long as it is darker and close to balck I am good... :)

Is anyone able to comment on the quality of the upconverting? Does the elite look better than a 1080i upconverting standalone DVD player? If it is pushing everything to 1080p, one would think so - but I would like to hear some owners' thoughts.


I compared the Elite dvd upscaler to my sony, and my sony was much better.

I haven't and never will use a video game system to watch dvds...

As an Elite owner, I can confirm that the transfer cable is NOT included.

According to the link below, the transfer cable IS included. What gives??

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/04/first_look_xbox.html

I compared the Elite dvd upscaler to my sony, and my sony was much better.

Thanks. This is the response I was looking for (I also have a Sony upconverter).

According to the link below, the transfer cable IS included. What gives??

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/04/first_look_xbox.html

It was included with the units sent out to review sites. It won't be in the retail box.

I am just glad I already transferred games to my memory card...

I just received a shipping confirmation on my Elite from Amazon. woohoo!! :D

I just received a shipping confirmation on my Elite from Amazon. woohoo!! :D

Just got mine from Toys R Us. The same Woohoo from me. Now, I have to decide what games to buy- GoW and Viva Pinata (keep the wife "happy" with my mondo purchase :p ) are a given.

I just received a shipping confirmation on my Elite from Amazon. woohoo!! :D

Me too! It wasn't scheduled to ship until 5/3. I'm pumped, but it's going to be a long weekend. :)

Mine isn't even processing yet. :(

C'mon Circuit City... if other places are allowed to start drop shipping them today, where's
my confirmation/tracking email??

I really want to here some users here over the weekend who have a 1080p T.V. and can achieve 1:1 pixel mapping via HDMI. Hopefully, someone has a second 360 that can compare the usually overscanned component picture aganst a true 1080p 1:1 via HDMI on the same set. Hopefully, by Sunday we'll see some posts here. :)

I'm marching into Walmart tomorrow night at midnight for mine... :D

I have a HDTV capable of 1080p via HDMI, VGA and Component Video so I have my choice. I'm currently using VGA to get 1080p HD DVD and my colors are spot on without any type of adjustments.

My question is, shouldn't games with screen tearing and v-sync issues via VGA be improved/corrected using the HDMI connection?

I'm planning to purchase one Monday from the local Gamestop or Wal-Mart.

Status of my pre-order from Gamestop shows: SHIPPED!! :D
I wonder if UPS Next Day Air Saver delivers on Saturday? I hope so!!!

I have a HDTV capable of 1080p via HDMI, VGA and Component Video so I have my choice. I'm currently using VGA to get 1080p HD DVD and my colors are spot on without any type of adjustments.

My question is, shouldn't games with screen tearing and v-sync issues via VGA be improved/corrected using the HDMI connection?

I'm planning to purchase one Monday from the local Gamestop or Wal-Mart.

I'll look forward to your report!!

I will be getting mine in about 25 hours. ;)

hey guys
preorders at CC are on for the past hour
if you intersted : http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/co/viewPSP.do?c=1

hey guys
preorders at CC are on for the past hour
if you intersted : http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/co/viewPSP.do?c=1

Preorders at CC have absolutely nothing to do with actually purchasing and receiving an item.

It's like the seinfeld car renting episode. They take the orders, they don't hold the item and that's really the most important part :)

Preorders at CC have absolutely nothing to do with actually purchasing and receiving an item.

It's like the seinfeld car renting episode. They take the orders, they don't hold the item and that's really the most important part :)
ha haha that is absolutly true ..i am still going to BB sunday to try to get an elite ...i am pretty sure that it will take a month for CC to send the elite since they are backordered..well i just tried it an it worked in case i don`t get one sunday :cool:

Why is nobody commenting on the possibility of the Elite reducing or eliminating display lag when outputting 1080p via HDMI to a native 1080p set? When I play on my premium outputting only 1080i or 720p or VGA via any resolution I get a 3 or 4 frame lag. If the Elite could either eliminate or greatly reduce this lag I would buy it for sure. Playing lag free in my book is way more important than bickering over the possibly miniscule picture differences between HDMI and component.

preorders up again at CC https://ssl.circuitcity.com/ccd/co/viewPSP.do?c=1

It does say this item is not eligible for pre ordering... :eek: I am going to Walmart anyway but I figued I would give it a try...

It does say this item is not eligible for pre ordering... :eek: I am going to Walmart anyway but I figued I would give it a try...
it is up for 10-15 minutes and then no more....i keep refreshing it until it takes the order

It must be getting trounced with people trying to order! :eek:

yeah i placed an order just in case i don`t get one tomorrow..i still think that it will take a maybe 2 to 3 weeks to get it from CC since they have it backordered

yeah i placed an order just in case i don`t get one tomorrow..i still think that it will take a maybe 2 to 3 weeks to get it from CC since they have it backordered

I did the same thing with Amazon on Thursday. It said it wouldn't ship until 5/3, so I figured I would wait and see what happened on Sunday. Next day, I get the shipping notice! The warehouse it shipped from is only 2 hours away, so it will either show up today or Monday.

I did the same thing with Amazon on Thursday. It said it wouldn't ship until 5/3, so I figured I would wait and see what happened on Sunday. Next day, I get the shipping notice! The warehouse it shipped from is only 2 hours away, so it will either show up today or Monday.

yeah ..i am just not sure how many BB will have .
so maybe there will be lines forming very early ..since there is a lot of hype about the elite

My first attempt will be at Walmart tonite then if that fails I will go to Kmart or BB in the morning...

Been hoping for an answer to this question- with the Elite, will the 360 finally give me 1080p on my Sony 50a2000? MS and Sony have not played well together especially regarding 1080p and this series.

BTW- prefer not to use VGA, just want 1080p via hdmi!

Been hoping for an answer to this question- with the Elite, will the 360 finally give me 1080p on my Sony 50a2000? MS and Sony have not played well together especially regarding 1080p and this series.

BTW- prefer not to use VGA, just want 1080p via hdmi!

Yes.. I have an XBR2 and am getting it for the same reason.

My first attempt will be at Walmart tonite then if that fails I will go to Kmart or BB in the morning...
yeah Im doing the same thing here I dont know why, but I want the elite system plan to sell my premium system. Im afraid I wont be able to get it later on in black..........so is it official that the black is limited and after all blacks are gone they plan to go back to olive white?

Has anyone who preordered from costco.com received an update to the status of their order?

10 hours and counting... :eek:

My first attempt will be at Walmart tonite then if that fails I will go to Kmart or BB in the morning...

lol, I'm doing the same thing too.

yeah ..i am just not sure how many BB will have .
so maybe there will be lines forming very early ..since there is a lot of hype about the elite


I will be SHOCKED if there is any significant lines anywhere.

I really hope there is not. I would love to be in Walmart at 11:50PM and walk out at 12:05AM and then have it set up by 12:35AM... That would be great! :D

I just hope my Wal-Mart has them available tonight. I was in there yesterday and they didn't have a clue about it.

I know mine has them since they attempted to ring me up last Saturday. I would call there now and ask electronics if they have them in stock and plan to sell them later... Or in 6 hours! :eek:

I will be SHOCKED if there is any significant lines anywhere.
I seriously hope soo.........

I'm in joerod's camp. I have a Walmart 5 mins down the street from me. I will hit them up tonight and see if they are selling early. If not, I have Kmart in the other direction as well as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Target in that order.

Man, I feel like we're waiting for a theme park to open so we can run to get in line for the best ride...

my walmart is not 24 hours and doesn't open until 8am

I am in a decent location. Within a 5 mile radius I have 3 eb games, a circuit city, a target, a toys r us, a best buy and walmart.

I'll get up early tomorrow and make the circuit until I score one.

Sad thing is I don't know why. I have a premium, I only have one hdmi port on the tv that is being used by the hr20 and my 20gb hd is only half full.

I don't like the white console and the black will look much better in my setup but seriously is that enough of a reason to get up early on a sunday and run from store to store until someone is gracious enough to take my $500?

It's a little loony tunes if you think about it.

i just got back from BB no lines haha a guy who works there told me that maybe they will have 50 or 60

I heard the closest BB to me will have 25. A friend of a friend works there. Also have a friend at the second closest Walmart to me scoping things out and seeing if people are lining up there for a midnight sale. I got people!

Elite migration how to video up an MajorNelson.com

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/04/26/120-gb-hdd-and-elite-migration-how-to-video.aspx

Thankyou VegasFlyby!
This is finally the post that answers most of my questions definitively.
Off to get my Elite in the morning :)
-Evangelo2

this sounds cool that there will be no lines and no one wants the system only hardcore dudes like us....YES...victory over ebay scalping.

2 hours until go time!

tempted to take a trip to Walmart. Post reports of lines if any for those who can

anybody going to BB ???

Honestly in most sections of the country these will be widly available. Most people could give a sh!t about buying the elite.

Its only a few select techie sections of the country where there will be shortages.

The only reason most stores would sell out would be scalpers,and since a good section of the country already has x-box 360's. These scalpers will flood the market again ala the PS3. The only sweet justice is 70% of the scalpers will be burnt,but I guess they don't care since they can return the stupid thing 30 days later.

Stores should put out a policy for opening week launches, that limit returns to 5 days max.

Honestly in most sections of the country these will be widly available. Most people could give a sh!t about buying the elite.

Its only a few select techie sections of the country where there will be shortages.

Like the silicon valley area?

Don't jinx me!!!!

Anyone know how much Wal Mart's extended warranty is?

Drove to my local Walmart, but there were no Elites and no lines. Blue laws here do not
allow sale of non-food items until 1:30pm on Sundays (obviously midnight is technically
Sunday) and of course they can't sell Elites before Sunday, so it's a catch 22.

Gotta love the bible belt. :rolleyes:

just called walmart , they have 5 eltites left ....they only had 8 ...no lines ..
!!!!!!!!

Well just tried my local Walmart. Seems that they are oblivious to the Elite being released today. Both them and the next nearest Walmart have to wait until the store manager arrives in the morning to get permission to sell the Elites. Sucks. I might as well just try Best Buy or Kmart in the morning.

I really hope there is not. I would love to be in Walmart at 11:50PM and walk out at 12:05AM and then have it set up by 12:35AM... That would be great! :D
12:37 am where are you joerod ??

Well just tried my local Walmart. Seems that they are oblivious to the Elite being released today. Both them and the next nearest Walmart have to wait until the store manager arrives in the morning to get permission to sell the Elites. Sucks. I might as well just try Best Buy or Kmart in the morning.
I hope mine aint damn them...

no problem getting mine here. 4 systems at one of the 24hr walmarts, and 4 people waiting.

hdmi is a substantial upgrade in PQ on my tv(sammy hlt series 50" dlp) over the vga connection i've been using. i'm very pleased. :) hd dvd looks great. gonna test dvd upconversion in a minute.

My local Wal-Mart "couldn't find them". So I called one about 20 minutes away and they had gotten two with one person waiting. They held the other one until I got there.

so is anyone building a pyramid to photograph yet? ;)

That was a close call. 4 systems here and 13 people waiting to get them. I got very lucky and was number 2! :eek: The others that came there showed up right at midnight or shortly after!!! I also was told there are people speding the night in front of my local Kmart and BB! :eek:

Hmmmm, my Best Buy has 26. If I don't get it from Kmart, which opens at 8am, then I will just take my PSP and wait in line a couple of hours early. Hopefully I won't have to do that though!

i just got the BB ad for sunday ...usually when they have a console , they always put the minimum number that they will have. that is isn`t the case for the elite...i guess they will have plenty ...maybe they will have it on their website by 5 am (that is when they put changes on prices and stuff)

Just called my local wal-mart and they have 0 and are not planning on getting any at all.

I am going to pick mine up at MicroCenter- if they have any left.

I had just returned my 20G 360- $300(after rebate) and now will pay for an elite $480??? HDMI worth that much?

I am planning on playing the Xbox on a 22inch LCD Dell Computer monitor- will I get 1080p at 1680x1050 resolution with DVI input on the monitor????

I went to the close Walmart (2min drive) that originally told on wednesday that they had 6 in stock, and they apparently never had any. Idiots. So I went to the next closest Walmart (7min drive) I arrived at 12:24 and bought the last one they had. Woot. I was getting worried there, thought I might have to drive to the far Walmart (12 min drive) Going downstairs to hook it up to the Sammy now.

That was a close call. 4 systems here and 13 people waiting to get them. I got very lucky and was number 2! :eek: The others that came there showed up right at midnight or shortly after!!! I also was told there are people speding the night in front of my local Kmart and BB! :eek:
same here.....makes you wonder how crazy we can get just because they repaint it, add in 100gigs, and viola its like no one has seen the 360 before. :rolleyes:

My local Walmart got 4 systems and I was first in line with only one other guy.

I was number 2 in line at walmart, I showed up at 11:40, my buddy was there at 11:30m. They had 4 systems.

I drove to the closest 24-hour Walmart (about 30 miles away in Frederick, MD) and picked up the second of two Elites they had about an hour ago.

Walmart in Hewit Texas only had 2, I was second in line so I got lucky!

Only 2! :eek:

FYI: on bestbuy website right now (no in-store pickup though)

shipping is $5.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8301492&st=xbox+360+elite&type=product&id=1172881999620

And now that everyones getting there Elite, let the flood gates open!! I want to hear the raves and complaints of HDMI. How is 1080p HDMI vs 1080p VGA. Can someone do an overscan test on HDMI to see if they can get 1:1 at 1080p? This is what I'm waiting for.........

How is 1080p HDMI vs 1080p VGA

This is what I want to see

Woke up this morning at 7:30ish, went back to Walmart. They still didn't have the Elites out, nor did they have anyone around the electronics department. After waiting around for 10 mins with nobody coming around, I got fed up and headed to Kmart. They didn't have anything out either. But I found the electronics guy. At least he was knowledgeable about the Elites, and said he was just about to grab them from the back. Carted it out front and I snapped it up. Wasn't as bad as I thought. Missed out on getting it from Best Buy (Rewards Zone!), but it's only 10 bucks. I think the peace of mind and having it 3 hours earlier is worth it. :)

Woke up at 6am and figured why the hell not. Checked the Super Wallmart, they were sold out, drove by Target and saw 15+ people in line outside the store (They open at 8am) and then swung by the smaller wallmart nearby and found three of them.

Its matte black, kinda dull looking, like the black Zune. Looks better than my skinned but nowhere near as nice as the finish on the PS3.

Plugged in our memory card and moved my profile. Downloading Live Arcade games now. I'll then move any saves I need and then the extra content for Oblivion and Rainbow Six I am still playing.

Woke up at 6am and figured why the hell not. Checked the Super Wallmart, they were sold out, drove by Target and saw 15+ people in line outside the store (They open at 8am) and then swung by the smaller wallmart nearby and found three of them.

Its matte black, kinda dull looking, like the black Zune. Looks better than my skinned but nowhere near as nice as the finish on the PS3.

Plugged in our memory card and moved my profile. Downloading Live Arcade games now. I'll then move any saves I need and then the extra content for Oblivion and Rainbow Six I am still playing.


I went to a local Wally World Supercenter last night at 11:55pm and hung out for about five minutes. I was the only one there and I got one at 12:01am. I'm totally with you on this one, Frank. The matte finish just doesn't blow up my kilt like the glossy black PS3.

Anyhow, I've got a funny situation. I already bought a 120gb hard drive and transfered all my data from my 20gb HDD to the 120gb HDD. Now I need to know how to move all my data one more time from the store bought 120HDD to the all black 120gb HDD on my elite. If I can't move it, I don't know that I'll be keeping the elite. If I can, I've got a practically brand spankin' new 120gb HDD w/ cable and software for about 149.00.

This is actually something that I'm going to have to do again at some point in time - migrate data from a 120gb to an elite's 120gb HDD. I upgraded my son's premium to the 120gb but the TV his is hooked to doesn't do 1080p or 1080i, so the elite doesn't make sense for him yet. When I upgrade the TV in the living room, then I'll need to do the same moving of data.

I'm on hold now with XBL to see if there is a way this can be done. Any ideas would be appreciated. If it works, I'll have a 120gb HDD for a sweet deal for somebody, too.

^ Why not just swap the bought 120 for the Elite's 120?

Anyway, I was out all night, so around 6:30 or so, I decided to go to Wal-Mart. The plan was to buy it at Best Buy, since I used my PRP and have a $432 gift card, but I didn't feel like taking my chances, plus I doubt I'll be able to stay up until noon or whenever they open. The first WM we went to was sold out, so we went to another. The guy told me that they only got 3, mine was the 2nd one sold (first was sold around 5).

So, I came home and ordered the Elite from BB's website (which pretty much defeats the purpose of buying it at Wal-Mart). Too bad you can't redeem Reward Zone certificates online, otherwise I would've saved another $50. But I can always use those for Blu-ray movies or whatnot. I guess I'll just return the BB Elite at WM whenever it comes in. :)

Good news about the HDMI vs. VGA guys. I ran my Samsung with VGA since I bought it in December and really enjoyed it, although I could tell the colors weren't as vibrant (not really "washed out"). I hooked up the Elite last night and played a few games (SC Double Agent, PGR3, GoW) they all looked fantastic, the colors were richer and the overall clarity is better, especially in the dashboard.

The really big difference came via DVD upscaling. I have always had issues with the DVD playback on my Premium, via 480p component and 1080p VGA. I always had considerable static in several of my favorite titles. I am happy to report that is day and night difference through the HDMI cable, the statics are barely noticeable, if not completely gone :) I can only surmise that the static was video noise caused by the digital>analog>digital conversion process. Overall the upscaling is much better than my Phillips upconvert DVD player. HD-DVD's still look fantastic, they always did through VGA or component, still eye-popping with King Kong and Happy Feet.

Now the bad news for me.....The Elite box had a nice smoosh on the corner when I bought it, and there is definitely something rattling around in the console. I suppose I will try to swap it out at the the other wallyworld.

Update: Just returned from the closest Walmart, they exchanged it with no questions. But the new one has the exact same rattle. Quality control FTL :( Oh well.....

Update: Just returned from the closest Walmart, they exchanged it with no questions. But the new one has the exact same rattle. Quality control FTL :( Oh well.....

No rattle here. I think your Walmart staff may have dropped the pallet!

Are you sure the rattle is not just the thing that senses whether the console is horizontal or vertical?

Would be nice to get rid of my launch 360 and its obnoxious dvd drive for a newer Elite.

But I'll wait for the 65 nm revision.

I love the acquisition stories :) I went at midnight to the local 24 hour Meijer store and there was a young kid and I looking for an employee for about 10 minutes before we found someone who told us they only got one Elite. So, carma being what it is, I let the kid have the only one there. At 7am this morning I set out to Wal-Mart and there they were, Wal-Mart's only two Elites sitting in the glass case. As the guy got mine out, two other guys came up looking for Elites and there was no way I could bring myself to be that nice twice in one day :D I got mine !!

Update: Just returned from the closest Walmart, they exchanged it with no questions. But the new one has the exact same rattle. Quality control FTL :( Oh well.....

The rattle you are hearing is perfectly normal...all 360s do it. It's a switch that moves so that your system knows if it is laying horizontal or vertical.

I got mine. Went to a Walmart that is open 24hrs at 7:30. There were three guys already waiting, but they had four and I got the last one. But they made us wait till 8 with some bs story about how the system wouldnt let them ring it up until the electronics department 'opened'.

Whatever at least I got it.

I then went by the Frys thats in the same shopping center. They had them but were only selling them in an obnoxious bundle for $699. Trick that.

On the way home I drove by BestBuy which doesnt open till 10 and there were half a dozen people there waiting outside. But they said they were told the store had 25.

I do have a Circuit City pre-order which now does have an order number and my credit card shows a charge (not sure if its just the pre-auth or a real charge). I'm going to see if any of my friends that want one dont get theirs by the end of the day and then cancel the pre-order if they dont need it.

my bro walked into CC an hour ago and picked an elite up in the store.

Go to a CC store they will have them.

Would be nice to get rid of my launch 360 and its obnoxious dvd drive for a newer Elite.

But I'll wait for the 65 nm revision.

How much longer will we have to wait, and how will we be notified of their existance? Furthermore, how will we know when we buy one that the 65nm is even in the box we just paid for?

My local BB (I just came from there because I wanted an extra black controller) still had about 6 left. They had people in line when they opened this morning. It was funny seeing about 18 PS3s just sitting there and all the fuss about the ELITE... :D

I didnt buy one, but was at the local best buy 10 minutes before open to look at some other stuff.....(to be honest I didnt even realize the Elite came out today). There were about 10 people waiting for the store to open to get the Elite. The customer service area had a stack of about 25-30 Elites.

My local BB (I just came from there because I wanted an extra black controller) still had about 6 left. They had people in line when they opened this morning. It was funny seeing about 18 PS3s just sitting there and all the fuss about the ELITE... :D
that is why the creator of ps3 decided to retire early ..lol

My Walmart had one, went in and got it at 1pm with no problem.

My local EB had 2 (sold out), Target had 10, also sold out. I am glad I got mine early. I didn't feel like doing a midnight run or driving around on a wild goose chase today.

For anyone in NYC area Toy's R Us in Mid-Town had 15 Elites stacked on the floor. I was about to pick one up but thought better. I already have a 360 which works fine HDMI was tempting but decided against getting one. I think I will wait until the 65 nm comes out.

Rob

Are you sure the rattle is not just the thing that senses whether the console is horizontal or vertical?
HAHAH!! Switches own me......Oh well, better safe than sorry when it comes to electronics, that box looked like it had been dropped pretty hard.

Picked mine up this morning at Target. They had 2, salesman said nobody had asked yet. Went to wally-world, and kmart and all sold out. Fiancee dropped me off outside bestbuy an hour early this morning she went to the Target in the same shopping center called 5 minutes later and said they had them. Glad I didnt have to sit there for an hour then.

How much longer will we have to wait, and how will we be notified of their existance? Furthermore, how will we know when we buy one that the 65nm is even in the box we just paid for?

I doubt Microsoft will tell anyone, otherwise, people won't buy the current version.

Eventually, once they make the switch, people who are disassembling theirs will put up photos. After that, just look for a system manufactured after that date

I have a working Xbox, albiet with problems (loud fan, loud DVD drive, sometimes the DVD drive doesn't open properly, and no warranty).

Picked mine up at BestBuy. I was there about an hour after they opened and I was only the 6th person to buy one. They apparently at 22 or so.

As a Sony Bravia XBR owner I have no option for 1080p other than the Elite. I tried VGA and got 640x480 and the Bravia doesn't do 1080p over component.

After an hour, here are some impressions. I expected the dashboard to be razor sharp and it isn't. Same as 720p component. Especially noticible when checking friends list, the black type on the grey still looks pixelated. Just before taking on RAAM, you stand in front of the wall where the Lancer is and move the camera left and right. There seems to be a frame rate problem. When my warranty premium comes back I'll repeat the test on that. No frame rate problems during a Versus match and the Omen looked redder and cleaner than before. In Dead Rising when you're running outside in the daytime you see this demarcation line a few paces in front of you as you run. It's a seperation between the clearer texture in front of you and the less defined texture a few paces ahead. Some frame problems here and there. I was wondering if the pure digital path and 1080p resolution amplifies limitations of the games? I went from a 36" XBR CRT at 1080i to the 40" 1080p LCD recently so maybe I'm still used to the CRT doing automatic anti-aliasing and now there's nowhere for the flaws in the game to hide? Adding a digital scaler and new video pathway wouldn't hit performance and create frame drops.

The DVD drive is still the same volume but the fans are a little louder.

Went to the local Best Buy to return an overpriced Wii memory card ( actually found a Wii here at Walmart the other day, first I'd ever seen since launch, just wanted one for Metroid ). Had them sitting over by the customer service desk. They had none by the main display. Wonder how they are gonna sell them if people don't ask for 'em. Anyway, they had 14 out when I got there, they had 13 when I left :) Wasn't gonna buy one, but I saw them so, couldn't let 'em just sit on the rack.

My local BB (I just came from there because I wanted an extra black controller) still had about 6 left. They had people in line when they opened this morning. It was funny seeing about 18 PS3s just sitting there and all the fuss about the ELITE... :D
that is funny....I just got my elite in from target got the last one I applied for the target card got a 10k limit bought a elite with 10% off total price was 461.97 got my deal. :D

Comparing my new Elite at 1080p via HDMI versus 1080p via VGA on a Sony Bravia
46V2500 1080p LCD with 1:1 mode is much better.

Game detail/color and movie detail/color are both better. DVD upscaling on Star Wars was
excellent, HD DVD was sharper than it was over VGA.

All in all I'm very happy. The 'black' color isn't solid black, but it's certainly not 'gray'. Similar
to the black of the old Xbox it's sitting on currently.

It's fairly quiet though... DVD drive is a steady sound and even during Gears of War wasn't
distracting. Then again, I'm one who didn't think the original Premium was that bad either.
Also noticed that the fans didn't kick up to high gear when watching an HD DVD... I though
I remembered that with the Premium.

As a Sony Bravia XBR owner I have no option for 1080p other than the Elite. I tried VGA and got 640x480 and the Bravia doesn't do 1080p over component.

After an hour, here are some impressions. I expected the dashboard to be razor sharp and it isn't.
...
No frame rate problems during a Versus match and the Omen looked redder and cleaner than before.

The Dashboard is razor sharp for me, much better than VGA.

Comparing my new Elite at 1080p via HDMI versus 1080p via VGA on a Sony Bravia
46V2500 1080p LCD with 1:1 mode is much better.

Game detail/color and movie detail/color are both better. DVD upscaling on Star Wars was
excellent, HD DVD was sharper than it was over VGA.

I agree. I got the same feeling. Overall the picture just looks "cleaner". Even my wife noticed, she said games looks much clearer, like they are now "in focus" where before they were slightly "off".

I noticed the black level is different between games and HD DVD movies like my PS3. Blazing Angels still has video issues even via HDMI.

A 10,000 limit at Target! I would end it if my Wife had that! :eek:

Here is a test for you 1080p owners. If it's not to much trouble please do the following. This especially applies to owners of a 1080p T.V. that will do 1:1 over HDMI, but WILL NOT do 1:1 over component. Do a quick comparison doing the following. Plug in your Elite via component and go to the dashboard. Then use a measuring tape to see how far your screen is from the left edge of the screen to touching the first blade in the dashboard.

Then plug in your HDMI and set your T.V. to 1:1, or just fit, or whatever your set calls it so that overscan is turned off. And then take the exact same measurement as the component. I'm interested to see how much overscan everyones sets are cutting off via component. My Vizio cut off nearly an inch in component and HDMI, as opposed to zero overscan via VGA on my set. That's because I don't have any 1:1 mode for HDMI on my set. So can some of you fine members take those measurements and post your results? THANKS!! :)

WHOA, I'm getting a bad vibe here. I was just looking through the ELITE HDMI thread, and someone posted dashboard pictures via HDMI and component. THE BLADES WERE THE SAME MEASUREMENT OVER FROM THE EDGE OF THE SCREEN! Someone needs to compare VGA at 1080p to HDMI at 1080p as well to get to the bottom of this. Please do some measurements with a tape measure so we can get some hard facts here. Does the HDMI do 1:1 like VGA will do??

A 10,000 limit at Target! I would end it if my Wife had that! :eek:
yeah drove to another target though to get my black controller and plug and play kit as one since the current one I was at didnt have one. Low and behold there was 2 elites sitting at my 2nd target where I bought my plug/play/controller black kit. Man im glad MS came out with a bigger HDD becuase my 20gig was full to the max and I had to keep deleting items to put new items on such as movies, games, etc.....

Amen to the bigger HDD! :)

WHOA, I'm getting a bad vibe here. I was just looking through the ELITE HDMI thread, and someone posted dashboard pictures via HDMI and component. THE BLADES WERE THE SAME MEASUREMENT OVER FROM THE EDGE OF THE SCREEN! Someone needs to compare VGA at 1080p to HDMI at 1080p as well to get to the bottom of this. Please do some measurements with a tape measure so we can get some hard facts here. Does the HDMI do 1:1 like VGA will do??

I just so happened to have kept my VGA cable I bought with my previous Premium
system for use on my Dell monitor for more mobile gaming times like tailgating on
Thursday night games.

Anyway, HDMI and VGA are identical on my Sony KDL-46V2500, a 1080p set with
1:1 mode. The default blade measures 2 1/8" from the upper left to the solid
black line of the first blade and 2 7/8" from the upper right of the TV screen on
both HDMI at 1080p setting and VGA at 1920x1080 setting.

AWESOME!! Could you do a measurement using your component cables to see what kind of different measurement you get??

Also for kicks, how is the color comparison? Can you get HDMI to look as clean and punchy as VGA?

1/1 mode is limited only by your display. It has nothing to do with the 360 itself. The only set I for sure know of that can do 1/1 on both component and HDMI is the Sharp Aquos 1080p sets. The Samsung did not do it over component OR HDMI, only VGA. The Sony was able to do it over VGA as well, and I have heard it can do it over HDMI but I was never able to get it to work that way. Overscan was the default in both HDMI and Component on both these sets and I was unable to change that. The Sharp Aquos I have now allows you to select overscan or 1/1 mode on any input that supports 1080p. Component and HDMI show exactly the same screen real estate on this set when set to 1/1.

Also, I got a tint of interferebce through component that I do not get through HDMI now, but I run my power and display wires together so that's likely where the problem arose. Over VGA I never got much interference, but the picture was blech.

The 1080p selection on my dashboard is grayed out as well. I have hooked it up to 3 different sources that accept 1080p! :eek: Any ideas? :)

Also for kicks, how is the color comparison? Can you get HDMI to look as clean and punchy as VGA?

Clean and punchy?

VGA was anything but that on my display... it was all right, but nothing like HDMI...
much better picture sharpness and color. But that may be partially my Sony since
not all picture quality settings are available (esp. sharpness) when using the VGA
input. They're all there using HDMI, which is why I went with the Elite. Looks
amazing.

Also, the Component test won't be helpful from me... the Sony will only accept
720p or 1080i over Component, not 1080p. And if I feed it 1080i, then I can
choose 1:1 pixel mode (can't with 720p).

So, if I am understanding what you're trying to learn here, I don't think testing it
on my set will help that much, right?

I hate to return my ELITE but if I cannot enable 1080p then I will do it... Any reason why 1080p won't work?

I don't see what TV you have in your profile... what display are you using?

I hate to return my ELITE but if I cannot enable 1080p then I will do it... Any reason why 1080p won't work?

Are you running it through your receiver? If so does your receiver support 1080p?

I have tried it with a sony ruby pj (which accepts 1080p) an Onkyo TX1000 (which accepts 1080p) and with my crystalio II VP (which accepts 1080p)... :confused:

I hate to return my ELITE but if I cannot enable 1080p then I will do it... Any reason why 1080p won't work?
No idea why it wouldn't work. Mine started at 1080i without me changing anything from the get go, then I just switched it over to 1080p and it works great. The only thing I can think of is for some reason the 360 thinks your TV is not 1080p capable. What model do you have so some other people can chime in if they have the same thing....

^^^^ Thanks. :)

No clue on the projector stuff... sorry. But like Tony posted, the handshaking isn't
happening right to say those devices support 1080p apparently.

Doubt it's just your Elite, but you could try hooking it up to a 1080p LCD if you or someone
you know has one to test it on.

The Dashboard is razor sharp for me, much better than VGA.
The black type and type in general looks better when there's a color behind it but when that brushed metal is behind it, it looks a litttle jagged. Never ran VGA except for my Powerbook which looks excellent. Maybe you could say it's a little more pixelated on the 40" Bravia but that's only when you're used to looking at it on a 23" Cinema Display. (Both are 1920x1080) I sold at least one Bravia because of how the computer looked on it. Maybe I have a differnet definition of razor sharp but as a graphic designer I notice type... :o It's embarassing really.

Oh yeah, I've read a fair amount here over the weeks and haven't seen a flame war yet. I'm used to arstechnica where things get ugly fast. :)

That was weird. I just unplugged it and then the 1080p option was ready... :eek:

Another "problem" with the Elite is jaggie shimmer. I noticed it more going from the CRT where it was not noticible to the LCD where you could see it here and there on Gears of War. In Dead Rising there are lots of vertical lines and there's shimmer all over the place. I'm using the petmic settings so it's not like the sharpness is cranked and all edge effects are off. Will just get used to it.

On IGN someone else mentioned frame rate hitches. Anyone notice anything? Could be when your in the game you don't notice but when you're looking for a problem you're going to find it.

Another "problem" with the Elite is jaggie shimmer. I noticed it more going from the CRT where it was not noticible to the LCD where you could see it here and there on Gears of War. In Dead Rising there are lots of vertical lines and there's shimmer all over the place. I'm using the petmic settings so it's not like the sharpness is cranked and all edge effects are off. Will just get used to it.

On IGN someone else mentioned frame rate hitches. Anyone notice anything? Could be when your in the game you don't notice but when you're looking for a problem you're going to find it.
I've not noticed either one, but I don't have Dead Rising either.

I have Gears and I'll download the Dead Rising demo and test them out sometime tonight.

I got mines!:)

I went to Wallyworld last night at around 11:15 last night here in Honolulu. I was hoping to catch one at midnight, but the guy at the electronics department said they did not receive any during their last shipment:(. Probably best as that Wal-Mart was stinking busy, full of people!

So I woke up late today and decided to call Best Buy to see if they had any -- which was at 11:45 this morning. They still had about 8 left -- don't know how much they were selling today, but still had one for me. So I went and picked one up! --afterwards I canceled my CC preorder.

Will update as to how the HDMI compares to VGA on my Samsung LN-T4053H. Anyway, enjoy your Elites!!!

Clean and punchy?

VGA was anything but that on my display... it was all right, but nothing like HDMI...
much better picture sharpness and color. But that may be partially my Sony since
not all picture quality settings are available (esp. sharpness) when using the VGA
input. They're all there using HDMI, which is why I went with the Elite. Looks
amazing.

Also, the Component test won't be helpful from me... the Sony will only accept
720p or 1080i over Component, not 1080p. And if I feed it 1080i, then I can
choose 1:1 pixel mode (can't with 720p).

So, if I am understanding what you're trying to learn here, I don't think testing it
on my set will help that much, right?

Try component at 720p with NO 1:1 and whip out your tape measure. I'm curious.

Even still for DVD playback it looks better than my Panasonic RP-91 which was pretty expensive in the olden days.

Regarding the stairstepping/jaggie shimmer, it's probably just a consequence of 720p being bumped to 1080p. The Wii suffers from this even worse. The circle on the voting channel looks like a radial saw blade and your character in SSX Blur has stairstepping all along the edge of their body. Hey, Guitar Hero II is in 1080p... :cool:

Anybody know if they will continue sending out shipments since they sold out like hotcakes in my area?

Anybody know if they will continue sending out shipments since they sold out like hotcakes in my area?
they should since its not limited.

Regarding the stairstepping/jaggie shimmer, it's probably just a consequence of 720p being bumped to 1080p. The Wii suffers from this even worse. The circle on the voting channel looks like a radial saw blade and your character in SSX Blur has stairstepping all along the edge of their body. Hey, Guitar Hero II is in 1080p... :cool:
So all the stairstepping/jaggies I see in R6:Vegas,and other games are because the 360 is upconverting 720p to 1080p?I hope that`s the case because HDMI didn`t even fix the stairstepping/jaggies.I can`t get rid of them.

Try component at 720p with NO 1:1 and whip out your tape measure. I'm curious.

1 5/16" in the upper left and 2" in the upper right setting it at 720 over
Component (which 720p does not allow 'Full Pixel' 1:1 mode on my Sony)

So all the stairstepping/jaggies I see in R6:Vegas,and other games are because the 360 is upconverting 720p to 1080p?I hope that`s the case because HDMI didn`t even fix the stairstepping/jaggies.I can`t get rid of them.
Ha! Next generation... Or put vaseline in your eyes.

I think I will stick with 1080i over HDMI and let my crystalio II do the work. ;)

Anybody know if they will continue sending out shipments since they sold out like hotcakes in my area?

According to the manager of the Gamestop that I go to, the next shipment is not expected until mid May

got my elite yesterday.. i'm enjoying it.

GT: Alu BOH

if anyone wants to play some R6V

I purchased the X-box 360 Elite yesterday at Bestbuy. They received 22... they sold them all.

Purchased Splinter Cell: Double Agent, GoW, Viva Pinata, Dead Rising, GRAW, GRAW2, Fable, Halo 2, Rainbow 6, Fuzion Frenzy 2, and Burnout Revenge 2.

Gamertag is "Wiretwisterz"