OK, I'm pretty sure I am getting a 360, but I don't know if I want the Elite or Premium. My TV is a 1080p LCD with 3 HDMI in's and I have plenty of HDMI cables thanks to Monoprice so the HDMI cable isn't a concern.

How likely am I to go through the 20GB HD on the Premium? Can any external hard drive be used with a 360 or doesn't it need to be a specific Microsoft kind?

Does the Premium or Elite have an optical audio out so I can run audio to a receiver and run video to the LCD via an HDMI cable?

Other than the color and the HD, is there any difference in hardware between the Premium and the Elite?

It may say 20GB, but you'll only have access to 12-13GB on it. It sounds like a lot until you download a map pack (500-800MB per) and a couple of large demos (many over 1GB). If you plan on viewing movies and television via Live, you'll be wishing for a larger hard drive very soon.

As for external drives, I'm pretty sure you need to buy the MS one.

And my 360 is quite old, and it has the optical audio option. I think it's safe to assume that newer ones have that as well.

How likely am I to go through the 20GB HD on the Premium? Can any external hard drive be used with a 360 or doesn't it need to be a specific Microsoft kind?

I have no problems with the 20GB drive, but I don't download much of the media from the marketplace. If you do that you'll probably have drive space issues trying to shuffle things around (having to re-download TV shows and demos instead of just keeping them around on the drive). You have to buy the MS hard drives. You can only use an external hard drive as a media source for media you put on it from your PC, not demos or marketplace content.

Does the Premium or Elite have an optical audio out so I can run audio to a receiver and run video to the LCD via an HDMI cable?

Only the Elite comes with the dongle that easily fits while the HDMI cable is plugged in. On the Pro you have the options of buying MS' dongle (very overpriced), opening or shaving down the component dongle, or buying a thinner, third-party VGA/component dongle to get optical audio out.

Other than the color and the HD, is there any difference in hardware between the Premium and the Elite?

Nope.

OK, I'm pretty sure I am getting a 360, but I don't know if I want the Elite or Premium. My TV is a 1080p LCD with 3 HDMI in's and I have plenty of HDMI cables thanks to Monoprice so the HDMI cable isn't a concern.

Most Premiums on the shelves have HDMI out now but do not include the cable unlike the elite (which wouldn't matter since you have the Monoprice cables).

How likely am I to go through the 20GB HD on the Premium? Can any external hard drive be used with a 360 or doesn't it need to be a specific Microsoft kind?

If you download a lot of stuff like HD content, demos, etc. then you might need more than the 20GB drive but it is not necessary for general gaming and you can delete stuff from the drive to make space for new content. You can only use the MS HDD.

Does the Premium or Elite have an optical audio out so I can run audio to a receiver and run video to the LCD via an HDMI cable?

This I'm not completely sure about but I believe both can run optical out on both using an audio dongle (great word). You might have to purchase the dongle separately for the Premium.

Other than the color and the HD, is there any difference in hardware between the Premium and the Elite?

Not much except for the included cables on the Elite.

Next Q - why is the Elite hard to find? Are they stopping production and making a new version or is it due to holiday shopping? Hardly any online retailers have any.

They are in stock now at buy.com

http://www.buy.com/prod/Xbox-360-Elite-System-Holiday-Bundle-120-GB-HD-HDMI/q/loc/108/205813681.html

Also, if you do end up buying from them, here is a coupon for ya.

http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=84773074

If I was buying new, I would get the Elite and not look back. The Marketplace just keeps expanding and who knows what's to come in the next year or two. I would like the extra space that the 120 GB drive offers, and they sell for $170 and it's hard to even find a deal on it for $150.

Go big, and go now. I love my 360.

go elite. wish i had one. Besides, black is better, white goes with nothing

Get whichever one fits your budget. The two machines are identical other than the color, HDD size, and included cables. The MS dongle that allows you to use HDMI w/ digital optical costs like $50 via MS. However, there are several other ways to achieve this (all less expensive). The easiest way is just to hack a component cable (that you can often buy used for a few bones if you don't want to use the one that comes with your new box).

As far as HDD size, I bought my box before the elite came out, and the 20gb HDD is plenty for me (but I don't download a lot of stuff). If you are going to be downloading a bunch of map packs, demos, arcade games, movies, etc... I would go for the elite if you can afford it. There is no easy way to upgrade the HDD short of buying a MS one. There are certain drives that can work with hacks, but it's really not worth the trouble.

As far as finding an elite, they shouldn't be that hard to find. Realize that it's just after the holidays, and because the Elite isn't the big seller for MS, there was less initial stock of them to begin with. I know that I saw a few of them in state college on monday when I bought my 40gb ps3.

I'm fine with my 20GB hard drive. I have never even come close to using it all. Demos, I play and delete but if I like it enough then I'll keep it for a while. Even then I just never have any trouble with HD space. I do not DL any movies however.......I simply use Xbox for gaming and for viewing movie trailer clips etc.

if i didn't have a budget, i would have gone with the Elite, but i was on a budget so i went with the Pro because it was the next best choice...

basically, i say go big or go home, and get the Elite. i'd rather have too much of something and not need it, than too little of something and need more, and have to pay a lot to get it later on...

good luck with whatever you decide to get...

Get the Elite. 20GB is not enough if you like to keep things. I am constantly having to clear out space. I never download any movies or TV shows. Just demos, game trailers, and arcade games. I'd like to keep some of the game videos around and a demo or two, but they are the fodder that must go to make space for the new ones.

If I had a choice I'd want the 120GB, like someone mentioned above. the Live content just keeps expanding and it is well worth the investment.

And the audio dongle is 50$. Plus black looks so cool.