No progressive DVD output from XBox (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

Possibly due to fears of losing money by selling consoles to HT buffs who might not buy any games (MS loses money on each console sold, then starts turning a profit after you buy a few games), the ability to output a progressive and HD signal while watching DVD has been removed from the XBox.

 

[Joel Mack]

Source?
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"The internet is a place where people from all over come together to
bitch about movies and share pornography."

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Threads at AVS and IGN, which I confirmed with a followup phone call to somebody I can't name due to his NDA situation.
Microsoft has changed the text at this page:
http://www.xbox.com/hardware/adapter...tionavpack.htm
Say buh-bye.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

I doubt it was fear of losing money. Even the HT buffs would rent or buy a game or two. Are we even sure this is true? Anyone else back this up?

 

[Joel Mack]

Say buh-bye.

Indeed.
Cancel one pre-order, I guess.

Maybe if the rumors of GCN pre-orders later this month pan out, I will still get a NextGen system in November...
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"The internet is a place where people from all over come together to
bitch about movies and share pornography."

 

[Chad Ferguson]

This is not a proven fact yet. On Teamxbox.com chat they state that this is a hoax, I beleive them. Don't drop preorders based on rumors.

 

[Graeme Clark]

Sigh
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[Dan B]

Hmm...interesting if this is true. Does this mean Xbox can still play DVDs at 1920x1080i, however? (assuming it ever could)
-Dan

 

[Sean Oneil]

This is NEW information and is inconsistant with all previous Microsoft advertising and press releases regarding this issue.
Looks like Microsoft has indeed CHANGED their stance on this issue. I think that they will get themselves in a lot of trouble with this decision. All previous advertising and press releases from Microsoft had stated that the X-Box would be able to do 480p DVD playback. 1080i was speculation, but 480p was CONFIRMED by Microsoft themselves for almost a year. Now all of a sudden they want to cripple their own hardware and take away the ability to even do 480p DVD playback. I can understand why MS would not want to implement 1080i, but to take away the 480p feature that a lot of people were counting on was just wrong!
This is blatent false advertising, since MANY people have pre-ordered an X-Box based on Microsoft's earlier claims. And, many more will no doubt continue to pre-order the X-Box bundles (WITH the DVD playback package option for an extra $30.00 and the Progressive A/V pack for $20.00) because they will not be made aware of the changes implemented to disable 480p DVD playback.
I think MS had better re-consider this decision, for no other reason than their deceptive marketing tactics coming back to bite them on the a**.
If you promise and promote something as a major selling point, you have to deliver on those promises. Personally, I don't think that I will be buying an X-Box anymore.
Just a few hours ago, I was excited with the idea of owning one, and I know that it will be a great gaming system. But I simply LOATHE deceptive marketing, and will not support any company which practices such tactics. If MS makes good on their promise to at least deliver 480p DVD playback then I will pick up a system. If not, then they can forget about my business.
Any others upset over this?
[Edited last by Sean Oneil on September 10, 2001 at 02:31 AM]

 

[Sean Oneil]

Hmm...interesting if this is true. Does this mean Xbox can still play DVDs at 1920x1080i, however? (assuming it ever could)

Nope. 1080i is not NTSC. NTSC is maximum 480 interlaced lines (roughly).
The system has the power to scale DVD to 1080i, but MS has chosen to take the low road and cripple their own hardware.

 

[Sean Oneil]

quote: This is not a proven fact yet. On Teamxbox.com chat they state that this is a hoax, I beleive them. Don't drop preorders based on rumors.[/quote]
I just checked teamxbox.com and could find nothing about this. Anyway, that site is crawling with more fanboys per-byte than almost anywhere on the internet. I would tend to believe the official X-Box site before a site like teamxbox.com.
Again, this link is to the official X-Box site.
http://www.xbox.com/hardware/adapter...tionavpack.htm
[Edited last by Sean Oneil on September 10, 2001 at 02:40 AM]

 

[Wolf Jenkins]

Nope, it appears to have been nerfed. Looks like several 'official' usenet posts from Microsoft employees that this is now the case - xbox.com seems to indicate this as well.
Bummer. Will still keep my pre-order for now, as I already have a progressive scan DVD player, but I was interested in the scaling.
Keep in mind that someone could always hack this in...

 

[Sean Oneil]

Sure someone could hack this in. It is just slimy of Microsoft to tout 480p DVD ability for a year and then quietly attempt to disable that feature with no real effort to make consumers aware. Consumers will get duped into buying an X-Box based upon Microsoft's own claims of 480p DVD playback.
That is just plain wrong, and I hope that someone in the national media picks up on it, and it garners MS some bad press. Maybe then they will keep their word.
[Edited last by Sean Oneil on September 10, 2001 at 02:45 AM]

 

[Ron Gilbert]

It does indeed appear to be true. My problem is this: While I agree completely with Microsoft's desire to emphasize gaming aspects only, I feel that so many of their decisions have been made out of unwarranted fear of wrongful perception. Thus, no keyboard/mouse support, no vga, and now only standard DVD playback. It won't stop me from acquiring an Xbox, but MS has, IMO, underestimated the draw of these features - whose to say people wouldn't be atracted to buy games as a result of prog. scan playback. Oh well.

 

[Andrew Grall]

While I was not yet sold on the X-Box, I have been thinking about it...
This is one mark against it now, however...
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View Dr. Grall's DVD collection

 

[AndyVX]

I'm not quite sure why they would do this. Does this mean that there will be no 480p for games also?
Andrew

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Petition, anyone?

 

[John Kilroy]

I understand that games will still support 480p.
Also, this is a software change, which could be updated at a later time. Perhaps after the Christmas season when a bunch of games and a bunch of progressive DVD players have been sold, MS will update for progressive ability.
John Kilroy
(who's hoping)
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Link Removed

 

[William Bailey]

Letter I wrote,
If this is true that MS has decided to disable progressive playback for DVD movies I will cancel my pre order and also cancel my subscription to X-Box magazine. This would have been the first gaming console I've ever bought.
I've always had a nice gaming computer but was ready to try a console with my Home Theater system. Sony did not fit the bill. X-Box had me excited with rumors of the possibility to scale DVD playback to 1080i and definite 480p.
What a disappointment. Looks like I will be waiting for Nintendo/Panasonic's NextGen system with DVD playback. If they drop the ball I'll just upgrade to a stand alone progressive scan DVD player and get that Geforce 3 for my computer.
Please get Halo out for the PC like you promised (Ha) soon after launch.
William
Don't know if it will help but at least they now know they are losing sales to HT gamers.

 

[paul h]

Hmmmm, what was that thread started the other day about Hype vs Reality...add XBox to that already.