HD-DVD player stopped working since last dashboard update

Just connected mine to my recently updated slim. Put the setup cd, and it was ready to go. Aside from not knowing where the HD-DVD option is on the new gui, it worked fine with the remote. Inserted disc, and it started playback automatically.

Would not be surprised if this is not planned obsolescence, due to MS no longer wishes to support the hd-dvd player. Especially since it died when BD took the lead.

MS isn't going to kill people's HD-DVD drives and if they did, everyone's would be killed. And that isn't the case.

They did it with the Zune, and have done it with their software products, so why not with the xbox platform. Especially with the fact that they killed off the orig. Xbox platform.

Companies do it all of the time, when it comes down to costs to support, and end users not using a product as much, as the numbers show. The HD-DVD player was not the best marketed product, when it came out, and its death was written, when MS refused to come out with a BD option to take its place.

I have several X360 HD DVD drives. Since last dashboard, not immediately, one of the drives randomly would get stuck in eject out and in but the tray doesn't move. I found if there are USB flash drive on X360, it causes it. If I unplug the drive from X360 port, power cycle the HD DVD drive, the drive stops misbehaving. My other drives that don't misbehave was not on when I updated X360 dashboard. Question is if the dashboard update touched something in the HD DVD drive firmware.

Unlike Sony that drops any feature they don't want to deal with, Microsoft may keep HD DVD as supported drive but they will not do anything to support it. All you can hope it your HD DVD drives last for sometime.

Update: Try plug your HD DVD drive to your Windows PC and see if the drive can read. If it does, then it's some other problem with X360 such as having USB flash drives connected.

Things like my original Xbox still works just fine, I regularly use a computer with Windows XP that still works fine. And if they had done something to make Zunes stop working, I'm sure I would've seen the headlines. When they cease product support, they don't send a message out through the internet that bricks all the affected hardware.

If he's having issues with his drive not working, it's not because Microsoft killed it. Every Xbox 360 still supports the HD-DVD add-on. Furthermore, let's say they unintentionally killed it with the most recent update. They sold millions of these things, hundreds of millions of disc, and I'm sure many are still in regular use. If Microsoft was responsible, reports of an issue like you're suggesting is responsible for his issues would be widespread within hours. Yet, no such reports exists and his problem is an isolated one.

You have missed the point. I never stated that the device would stop working, I stated that MS has planned obsolescence like every company out there, it would not be surprising that as of this year, they are no longer going to support the hd-dvd player, and most likely have also written in the new code to no longer allow it to be used.

This is not the only forum that has discussed that since the last dashboard update, this device is acting wonky. Also the age of this device has shown that it has gone beyond its planned usefulness. MS needs to get on the ball and either come out with a dual format player like what was discussed back when bd came king, by having this player play hd-dvd, bd, dvd, cd formats, or tell consumers straight up that they are not going to support the device, which they will not.

Also, this behavior has been known for the hd-dvd player to stop working, since 2010 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/f...d.php?t=269929

Again, the HD-DVD drive still works. They haven't written new code that disables it from functioning. And they never would do such a thing.

MS does not "disable" things for "planned obsolescence".

MS does not support XP anymore, but that does not mean that they are disabling XP's. The same goes for Zune. My Zune devices and my music account are working just fine and will continue to do so. I may not be getting any more updates, but that is not equivalent to disabling a device.

Does the new dash acknowledge its being connected to the Xbox? I haven't been able to find it. Used it have onscreen controls for eject and play. Hope I'm just overlooking it, but I can deal with if they didn't include that anymore.

No, they just remove code to make the device unable to work with newer Operating systems, or in this case, it has been a known fact that after the device was discontinued in 2008, that there has been problems with it working with the 360 after the dashboard updates that started at that point.

No longer supporting means that drivers are removed, or no longer supported, or in this case, the latest dashboard made sure that the hd-dvd was going to see its last breath. Come on, it has been four years since they stopped the manufacturing on it. How much longer do people have to hold on to ancient technology.

Look at the link I posted from 2010. This all started when that dashboard update was released, and now it is seen more with the last one that came about recently.

Microsoft is working backwards on not telling the end users what they are doing with the 360 platform, and by not introducing a BD platform for it. It is just like the fact that they refuse to pay Apple to allow them to allow end users attach ipod devices to the 360.

The tricky thing about including older unsupported feature is they often don't do much or any testing if any of the new codes in dashboard happen to cause incompatibility.

Since Microsoft still include HD DVD player as an app in the new dashboard, that indicates Microsoft hasn't 100% want to drop it. As for testing, who knows. I have used HD DVD in the new dashboard to play HD DVD movies and still plays the movies. I like being able to use X360 HD DVD drive to play DVD movies. It reduces wear on the internal DVD drive.

It's a good thing Microsoft doesn't own movie or music studio because they are not as tight on making non-supported formats to be incompatible. If you follow the history of PS3 firmwares over the years, Sony has disabled several non-supported especially formats that don't have DRM to play on PS3. Even if you remove Region 2 off DVD movies, X360 will play it but PS3 refused to play it. Even with video output support is very loose. If you just want to play games on X360, your screen doesn't need HDCP over DVI to display HD. Sony loves to lock up everything.

alright, dug out my HD-DVD drive and some discs to test this out.

When I first inserted the HD-DVD, it didn't launch. I couldn't find any HD-DVD player in the new dashboard. So I went to settings to re-enable autoplay which I usually leave disabled. Then I reinserted the HD DVD and it autolaunched.

Now, under the apps, there is an HD DVD icon. I disabled the autoplay feature again and now I can insert the HD DVD and launch the movie manually.

I tested Transformers, I am Legend, Happy Feet, and The Matrix. Movies just as beautiful as I remembered them.

The 360 really does a nice job with them. I think I prefer the functionality over my Toshiba HD-A30 and Toshiba HD-A2 players. I'd have to boot those again and compare image quality (which I'm not going to do).

If anyone's curious, no, there is no Kinect functionality (as expected) for the HD DVD player. Had to bust out the media center remote again. How retro...

Although I'm new to Xbox I had no trouble finding the HD DVD player in the new dash. I'm surprised you guys didn't look in the video section. When I put in a disc it will read in the home menu as if there were a game in it. No problems playing my French titles with subs.

I think the issue is that there is no HD DVD player in the video apps section until you launch an HD DVD for the first time since the dashboard update.

You cannot manually download the HD DVD app like you can with Youtube or Netflix. But once you have launched an HD DVD, the player will appear in your video apps section.

And if you're like me in that you disable autoplay, you'll never be able to launch an HD DVD in order for it to recognize the disc and set up the HD DVD player in order to play it.

It's listed in my dash if this is what your talking about.

I don't know of a single instance where MS REMOVED a working driver. That has NEVER happened. They may have replaced it or disabled it due to a bug or security issue, but they have never removed a driver because it is no longer supported.

As others have posted already, hd-dvd drive is working even with the latest dashboard update.

Provide an example if you are going to keep spreading mis-information.

Tested out my copy of Babysitters last night, worked just fine.....

I haven't had any issues with my HD-DVD drive through any of the dashboard updates, including this one. Still works just fine.

I believe your HD DVD player is dead. Same type of thing happened to me 2 years ago.

I could swear there was an eject option on the controller I think it was X before the dash update. So now when you watch an HD DVD you can't eject it through the controller anymore while the disc is in there. It will eject if you hit the HD DVD app with no disc, but there is no way to eject using the controller anymore while a disc is in there.

The Y button ejects now. Also make sure the drive is plugged into a rear USB port, as those are the only ones recommended for hd DVD drive use

I have the HD-DVD drive in the front USB port and it works fine. Nothing will ever displace the Kinect from the rear port (as the rear port is the only USB port on the older 360 systems that have access to the full data bandwidth) of my system. HD-DVD is capable on the front ports. Kinect is strongly recommended for the rear port if you care about gaming performance.

lololol

All I get is the control panel and even that has no eject option when an HD DVD is in the drive. I also have it plugged into the back of my unit.