High Definition, Here We Come... (Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD)

Member Name: johnpeter50

Product:	Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD
Date:	11/01/07 (319 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An extremely cheap HD-DVD playback device, Free 'Universal Remote', Good overall functionality.

Disadvantages: No HDMI Port, No support for DTS-HD/Dolby TrueHD audio, Adds to 'wear and tear' on Xbox 360.

INTRODUCTION
Finally, the joys of high definition content can be experienced by all within the UK thanks to Microsoft’s latest development; the Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive has taken more than twelve months of development time and over four million lines of code to make it to market, but will all that effort be enough to make us want to, “buy, buy, buy”?

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
The contents are neatly housed inside a white cardboard box that echoes that of the 360 itself. Inside you’ll find the HD-DVD drive, universal remote control (batteries included), instruction manuals, a USB connection cable, power adaptor, installation disc and, for a limited time only, a free copy of Peter Jackson’s epic “King Kong” in glorious high-definition.

SETUP
Installing the drive is a pain-free affair. Before you can connect the drive to your console however, you’ll need to use the installation disc; this should take but a few seconds to complete, and will inform you when it’s time to plug in and power on the drive, roughly mid-way through the proceedings.

Normal ‘plug-and-play’ common sense will allow you to quickly work out where everything connects to the 360, although there’s a handy quick start card included to help those who aren’t very ‘technologically’ minded. Those who own the wireless adapter will first have to move it from the rear of the console to the back of the HD player; but this isn’t a problem, requiring no modification to the existing settings, plus you’re rewarded by getting an extra USB port – an all round perfect solution if you ask me!

The drive is mountable in a variety of alignments to suit your needs, and can be moved fair distances away from the console using the included cable; this is a particularly nice bonus for those who have problems finding space under the ever-increasing weight of their home entertainment units.

After the obligatory console restart, you’ll probably be asked to update your firmware once you’re connect to the Xbox Live service or start playing an HD-DVD for the first time; this is an important step, as it provides a number of bug-fixes and added options for your drive, enhancing the overall HD-DVD experience. It’s a bit of a hassle, and has lead to a few troublesome consoles getting stuck in a loop, but from a personal standpoint I had no particular problem with the setup procedure.

DESIGN
Horizontally or vertically, the drive seems a little bulky and doesn’t really match the console colour-wise, eschewing the all-over white delights of the 360 for an unadventurous gray exterior; that said, there are a number of nice styling details (such as the iconic concave bevel that echoes the console itself) and a pleasant, glowing feather-light ejection button.

The device doesn’t seem particularly rugged, and it seems rather obvious that this drive is merely a repackaged OEM unit. Still, none of these factors affect the performance of the HD-DVD. Whilst design-wise there’s nothing to make you salivate, it’s *understandably* drab, especially when you consider that Microsoft is offering this unit at such a low price point – there’s no doubt it won’t win any beauty contests, but it’s far from a hideous piece of kit.

PICTURE QUALITY
The marketing information on the box claims that the drive will offer you up to six times the quality you’re currently getting from standard definition. This is a matter up for debate, and one I’m not going to touch with a fifty foot pole, but needless to say the picture quality is generally very good.

Naturally, your mileage will vary depending on what movie you’re currently watching; brand new crisp, clean transfers of recently released movies offer you an amazing visual feast, whilst older material from a dodgy source is going to look positively awful, high definition or not! However, it’s wrong to blame the drive in these instances and just like DVDs, certain discs are always going to be duds and others are going to shine.

To cut to the chase, put on a one-to-one basis, you’re going to get roughly the same quality of image from this add-on as you are other players currently available in the market. Whilst there have been reports to suggest that the picture quality on other, more expensive stand-alone players has been marginally better, the overall impact registered has been minimal.

The only downside, when it comes to the picture quality at least, is the unfortunate lack of an HDMI connector; this means that you’ll need to buy the HD-VGA lead if you want the full 1080p playback experience, although it’s doubtful at this early stage that your HDTV will even support this. Standard component output will max-out at 720p/1080i, which is probably what most folk are currently utilizing with their Xbox 360 anyway.

SOUND QUALITY
The lack of an HDMI connector seems to be the unfortunate downfall in the sound department too. Unlike other players that can output uncompressed tracks on certain discs, the 360 adapter down-converts audio to standard 5.1 Dolby Surround regardless of potentially better sources.

For most people, this will be more than acceptable. You’ll still receive that immersive surround sound experience that you always have with the 360 and DVD. However, for the audiophiles out there, it’s a slight disappointment. Although various improvements may be made in this department at a later date (due to the updateable software backend), it’s unlikely that DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD will be making themselves known using this particular setup.

However, as the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”, and you can’t complain when the device is roughly half the recommended retail price of other HD-DVD players (and under a quarter of the price of Blu-ray for that matter!) currently on the market.

EXTRAS
Traditionally, I’ve been pretty unimpressed by Microsoft’s idea of what a freebie is. With my current accessories bill for the 360 running into the hundreds, I’m not exactly enthralled with their concept of ‘Value for Money’. But, by gosh, they’ve only gone and made a bargain-bucket HD-DVD player even more appealing by adding in a bundle of goodies with it!

First up is the universal remote control:

Traditionally retailing for twenty pounds, this backlit remote comes in pad-matching white and supports most brands of television as well as featuring 360 controller functionality. The buttons are made of rubber, which doesn’t make for the most pleasant of textures, but they’re all clearly and logically laid out on the remote.

All the keys are illuminated by the green backlight apart from the TV toggle switch that varies between green and orange depending on the function. This indicator can get annoying though, as it’s only when a button is pressed that the current mode is revealed – this in turn has lead to a number of frustrating moments where I’ve turned off the telly by accident instead of powering up the player/console.

Regrettably, this isn’t the only button mishap to affect the remote. Pressing the ‘Open/Close’ button ejects the main 360 tray rather than that of the add-on; this means that should you accidentally press the button when swapping HD-DVDs, you’ll be left with an open console tray that’ll automatically attempt to boot any disc present upon closing.

In spite of these minor set-backs, the remote is fairly robust and will perform a more satisfactory job at navigating menus than a control pad ever could. Sure, some may feel that every DVD player, high definition or not, should come with its own remote control as standard and therefore shouldn’t be considered an extra; however, in this case, I’d make an exception. I mean, would your normal ‘free’ remote allow you to play your Xbox 360 games and control the TV with backlight functionality? Didn’t think so…

The second inclusion is a free copy of the 2005 remake of ‘King Kong’ on HD-DVD:

Whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the film (too bloated, ‘textbook’ remake, slightly too heavy on CGI in places, etc) it really does show off the advantage of HD over standard definition content. The picture quality is very good and the audio track remains strong throughout.

The only real problem I have with this freebie is that it’s a limited time offer, and by the time you read this review it’ll be unlikely that you’ll be able to obtain one of these ‘King Kong’ packs. Personally, I’d have preferred a permanent sampler disc be included with the drive and then a limited time ‘mail-off’ slip allowing you a custom choice of movie (from a handful of titles) in a similar vein to the launch of DVD products way-back-when – but still, it’s the thought that counts, and you could do a lot worse than a solid-transfer of a three hour epic…

REGION CODING
Even today, DVDs are still plagued by various archaic region coding schemes; locking content by continent has meant that many people have been unable to playback imported discs that often feature better image quality, bonus footage and exclusive editions. HD-DVD currently has provisions to implement a similar scheme, although no discs have surfaced as of yet.

However, there’s a silver lining for those investing in the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on; the current drives in production are supplied region free out the box. This means that you are free to play back HD-DVDs from anywhere in the world!

Okay, the drive is still region locked for DVDs, but at least your high definition market has expanded to include the wealth of discs on offer around the globe, increasing HD-DVD choice from a dozen or so titles to well over a hundred (with three times that number currently expected in 2007).

COST
Impressively, the RRP for the drive is a penny shy of a hundred and thirty pounds, and at £129.99 you’re paying a far lower premium for high definition than you would be with a stand-alone player. Yes, there’s always a risk that the HD-DVD format may fail (however slight that risk may ultimately be) – but it’s certainly less dicey to invest just over a hundred pounds on a detachable player for your 360 than ending up with a large redundant box; at least this way, the worst you’re left with is a treasure trove of auction-site booty…

OVERALL
Well what can I say? If you want to buy an HD-DVD drive and you own a 360, then it’s really a no-brainer – this is the player for you; it’s cheap, reliable and will give you the high definition content you crave for a bargain price tag.

Those who like their gadgets “high-end” may sneer at the lack of HDMI and uncompressed audio, but those with ‘more money than sense’ are quite welcome to their inflated price-tags and ego.

Summary: In all, an excellent add-on that breathes life to your HDTV set.

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