Xbox 360 HD DVD player VIDEO REVIEW

directorpaul · 11-27-2006, 01:24 PM

http://jane-finch.com/videos/xbox360.htm

RAF · 11-28-2006, 10:35 PM

Thanks for the link. Very informative for those with some questions regarding the HD-DVD XBox360 add-on. Personally, I find myself using my HD-DVD/360 drive a lot more than my Toshiba XA-1. A few things stand out on the HD/360.

For one thing, the load times are significantly faster than the frustrating Toshiba. For another thing, the remote is far easier to use and the backlighting is much clearer and not as problematic (the Toshiba keys are harder to read and its motion/sound sensitive backlighting is quite annoying after a while.) Finally, the DISPLAY bar on the top of the screen with the 360/hd (which lists total time elapsed and total time remaining for a title) is a welcome relief from the Toshiba display which only lists time elapsed and not time remaining. Being used to Denon players and their time display, this was a welcome addition to my HD-DVD experience, especially since there is no consistency from studio to studio regarding how time is displayed in the HD-DVD menu system. The 360/HD makes this completely disc menu independent, which to me is a very good thing.

Yes, the 360/HD doesn't offer HDMI but for under $200 is a remarkable buy when compared to the cost of other units. Even the SD playback is comparable to other DVD players (unlike the PS3 which, according to reviews offers excellent Blu-ray playback falls short on SD picture quality.)

My 2 cents as a user.

RobertDW · 11-28-2006, 11:36 PM

When you press pause on the Toshiba you will see the time elapsed on the screen and if you look at the players display screen there you will see the time remaining.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAF

Thanks for the link. Very informative for those with some questions regarding the HD-DVD XBox360 add-on. Personally, I find myself using my HD-DVD/360 drive a lot more than my Toshiba XA-1. A few things stand out on the HD/360.

For one thing, the load times are significantly faster than the frustrating Toshiba. For another thing, the remote is far easier to use and the backlighting is much clearer and not as problematic (the Toshiba keys are harder to read and its motion/sound sensitive backlighting is quite annoying after a while.) Finally, the DISPLAY bar on the top of the screen with the 360/hd (which lists total time elapsed and total time remaining for a title) is a welcome relief from the Toshiba display which only lists time elapsed and not time remaining. Being used to Denon players and their time display, this was a welcome addition to my HD-DVD experience, especially since there is no consistency from studio to studio regarding how time is displayed in the HD-DVD menu system. The 360/HD makes this completely disc menu independent, which to me is a very good thing.

Yes, the 360/HD doesn't offer HDMI but for under $200 is a remarkable buy when compared to the cost of other units. Even the SD playback is comparable to other DVD players (unlike the PS3 which, according to reviews offers excellent Blu-ray playback falls short on SD picture quality.)

My 2 cents as a user.

directorpaul · 11-29-2006, 02:22 AM

After the software update, disc load times are now about 10 seconds. The HD-A1 is just too slow for normal viewers to use.

RAF · 11-30-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertDW

When you press pause on the Toshiba you will see the time elapsed on the screen and if you look at the players display screen there you will see the time remaining.

Yes I realize this, but it's still not as convenient as having all the information on the screen in one place. Granted, some of the studios have implemented their software so that the pause control sometimes shows a time line (the bar shows the total time and the position of the cursor shows the elapsed time) but this is not consistent from disc to disc so it can't be called an HD-DVD "standard." It is a function of the particular player. The HD-DVD/360 does this a lot more conveniently, in my estimation.

**HTF Ads**

ppltd · 11-30-2006, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAF

Thanks for the link. Very informative for those with some questions regarding the HD-DVD XBox360 add-on. Personally, I find myself using my HD-DVD/360 drive a lot more than my Toshiba XA-1. A few things stand out on the HD/360.

Robert, I have found myself using my 360 add-on more frequently than my Toshiba XA1 also. Here is a post I made on my 360 HD-DVD first impression



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