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For Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, 83 customer reviews collected from 1 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.3.

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30.9.2007

Ive had a HD TV for a few months now, I have also been Watching the HD DVD Vs Blue Ray Debate raging on and on.. I wasnt ready to take the plunge but I found the Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive in a local shop for £99.00. I figured the only way the debate will be settled is if people start buying into one or the other and its HD DVD for me.. Cheaper hardware is the main reason i Chose HD DVD..Setting up this player isnt too hard, insert the CD (included in the box) into your console to do a firmware update and then plug the HD drive into the 360 via the included USB cable.. there is a power adapter with the drive but this is very small,the HD drive has 2 spare USB sockets on the rear which is a nice touch should you wish to add other accessories like the web camThe pictures look fantastic, not a massive leap forward from upscaled regular DVD's but my sony upscaling player is VERY good but even so its still a step in the right direction, colours look vivid, the picture on the whole looks sharp and very in focus and quite well detailed (im using a 720p LCD TV).. on the downside there is a certain amount of screen judder (slight jerky movement), especially when the credits scroll up the screen at the end of the movie but also can be noticed from time to time when the camera pans from left to right or right to left or even when an object slowly moves across the screen, its not a massive problem but expect to notice it from time to time.. the included remote control is fantastic, the keys light up green which helps with night viewing and with some effort you can make the remote work some TV's too (basic functions only).. the HD DVD drive itself is PIG UGLY!!! why the hell they made it look like a hard back book is beyond me but it does sit nicely ontop of the 360 (make sure you DO NOT cover the vent holes on the 360).. no serious noticeble noise comes from the HD drive but the noise from the consoles fans would drown out any noise from the drive.. the 360 is damn noisy!!!!If you are looking to dip your toe in the HD world but not ready to jump in then this is a pretty good way to check out what HD can be like.. the screen judder may be sorted out with a future firmware update altho apparently they have improved on this since the drive was released so hopefully further updates will improve it more...The HD DVD's Ive tried so far are :King KongVan Helsing300all look fantastic!HD DVD all the way for me.. Blue Ray is just too expensive and i think that will be what wins the format war.. go on.. dip your toe into the HD world!
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26.10.2007

Microsoft is really pushing HD-DVD as an alternative to Sony's Blu-ray, mostly for obvious reasons, but if you already have an Xbox 360, it's clear to see where the advantage lies; the price. However, running them side by side, there is little difference to choose between them.The HD DVD drive is a small unit, about a 3rd of the size of the 360 itself and stands either upright or flat, just like the 360. It simply plugs into the USB port on the back of the 360 and in to the mains. If you use the USB port on the back of your 360 already, don't worry, as the drive comes with 2 extra USB ports.The only thing I found awkward was keeping the wireless network device connected to the back of the 360 and running the USB to the HD Drive,however, you can just leave this lying loose on the back of the HD DVD drive if you want.Picture-wise this is amazing on a VGA monitor or HD TV. If set up correctly (in either 1080i or 1080p if your TV supports it) you'll notice the difference straight away. Even on my 17" monitor I could see the improvement. However, if you connect via the composite cable or even scart (why?!), you'll need to think about getting a VGA cable, or HDMI if you are lucky to have one of the newer Xbox 360s that have this, to get the best picture. Unless you use one of these methods you won't get upscaling on DVDs either, which give you a vast improvement over standard DVD pictures. I'd recommend VGA as I use it myself.Sound can be output through the 360 in the usual way (through the TV or through an external amp via the optical cable) and the drive supports the usual standard sound formats.Negative points can be given for the noise, partly the fault of the 360 itself (though newer models tend to be quieter) and partly the drive. It's not too bad if you're listening in a large room, but in a small bedroom or study it can be a bit off-putting during the quiet moments of a film.For the price, this beats anything out there at the moment, and with the price cut on the 360 it's tempting even if you don't have the games console yet.
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1.3.2007

For what you are paying for this little unit, it's an absolute bargain!Installed mine last night and sat down to watch Babel and The Departed. Both have stunning picture on my 32" Panasonic HD LCD. The whole menu interface has changed as well on some discs. With The Departed, the film starts playing right away and you can bring the menu up on screen at any time, it just slides up from the bottom with some rather neat animation and overlays itself.Just to clarify some previous reviews regarding region coding...At present, there is NO region coding on HD DVD's. You can buy American discs and they will play fine (both the discs mentioned above are American imports). However,some of the HD DVD's come as combo discs which have the new HD format on one side and the standard DVD on the other. The (region free) HD DVD side will play fine but the Standard DVD on the flip side is still subject to the current region coding structure. If you have a UK Xbox 360, this is region 2.There has been some issue made over the omission of any facility to provide an audio output capable of supporting DTS HD & Dolby True HD (new sound encoding formats). At present, the player takes whatever audio track is selected and downmixes it to regular Dolby Digital 5.1. I've got a full 5.1 home theater to take advantage of this and having listened to a wide range of DD and DTS 5.1 soundtracks in the past, the output from the player is more than sufficient. Rumour is abound that Microsoft are working on an update that will allow the player to convert the audio stream to full 1.5mbps DTS instead of Dolby Digital.I've always been an early adopter of new technology but with the current prices of both standalone HD DVD and Blu Ray players, this is a safe bet until there is a clearer picture of which picture which format will prevail in the long term.Who knows? If Blu Ray does eventually come out on top (personally I don't think it'll happen though), what's to stop Microsoft releasing an add-on Blu Ray drive?? Stranger things have happened....[...]
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13.8.2007

I too just made the upgrade to the HD DVD drive for the xbox 360.Setting this up seems pretty straight forward and yes your xbox 360 needs to have connection to the internet so that it can download some updates. This won't take long.The package and features include:External HD DVD driveRemote Controller and batteriesThe HD DVD drive has 2 extra USB portsinstallation disc and manualCable to connect HD DVD drive to the back of your 360Requires its own power supply but thankfully its a lot smaller than the brick that you need for the 360.Picture quality is great, again, as other reviewers have stated you will not really notice that much of a difference between the HD DVD's and standard DVDs but to be honest to really notice the improved detail quality,hook it up to a huge projector or massive 40+ in" LCD/Plasma TV and then play your old standard dvds on it and then say you can't notice any difference!Also it might help if you change the resolution settings on your xbox 360 display (ie 720P, 1080i and 1080P if your TV supports these resolutions) plus use either component/VGA/HDMI cable instead of the composite (ie red/white and yellow connectors) These will give you a much noticable difference. But again what cable you can use will depend on what connections your TV/monitor can accept.Another great thing about the HD DVD drive is that all HD DVD's are region free so you can play Asian, Japanese, USA, UK and European HD DVD movies in your HD DVD drive (This does NOT apply to standard DVDs). I recently purchased a HD DVD that had quite a lot of scratches and it played fine Plus you can hook the external HD DVD drive to your pc and watch movies on there (provided your pc is powerful enough to do that)..One last thing is that the external drive is quiet and don't heat up to crazy temperatues during operation, and after watching HD DVD's and other standard DVDs, taking them out of the drive and feeling how cool they are to the touch is assuring.
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16.1.2008

I received the hd dvd player as a christmas gift. Without getting into the technical side all I can say is I put in the cd that came with it followed the very simple instruction " connect the hd dvd player to your xbox 360" it worked.I have been sceptical about how good hd dvd was. I think all the talk of 6 times clearer confuses peoples thinking. To put it simply the picture you get running a hd dvd is better. Picture was clear, colours good and detail crisp the sound on the tv was good enough for me but I am sure it would be greatly improved via an av receiver with optical connection for the full effect. I have a Hitachi HD Plasma which I bought 2 years ago a 42pd6600 1080i for the technical minded.I connected it using a component hd av cable, straight forward connection.Update 2016: Still working well after all these years : ) So much for my prediction though dual format players HD is dead Blue Ray seems to be on the way out I guess its digital all the way these days!!!I sent of the bar code and receipt and received my 5 free movies it took a couple of weeks longer than stated but that was ok considering the time of year, I did email them when they didnt arrive in 28 days, they got back to me stating there was a huge demand but I did get my films. I checked out the individual prices of the movies I picked and added the remote control to it and it comes in at just over £100.00 of freebies, thats more than the hd dvd player.I know the hd blueray battle goes on but how long will it take to resolve? there is a good range of hd movies out now so if you have an xbox 360 already then this player is a good buy to get you into the hd market, I am sure when the dust settles who ever wins won't matter to much to the laymen as i am sure by then there will be a large selection of dual format players on the go.
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27.12.2007

Got this little beauty for Christmas 2007 and set it up easily within about 5 minutes.The HD-DVD player comes with a CD to update the software on your xbox, this takes about 30 seconds and only requires you to put the CD in.It also comes with the xbox dvd remote which is excellent as my girlfriend doesnt like using the xbox controller to watch dvds.The HD-DVD player connects to the xbox via usb but cleverly it acts as a usb hub as it has 2 usb ports on the back, so you dont have to worry about not being able to connect your xbox camera.I first set this up on my Dads 40in Sony HDTV and was amazed at the picture and sound quality of my new Harry Potter 5 HD-DVD. However,when I set it up on my 32in Sharp Aquos HDTV I thought the picture, although still impressive, was not as good as the Sony.I put this down to the fact that the Sharp Aquos does NOT have any 'component in', just 'VGA in' and an adaptor that lets me plug in component cables.This is the only down side for me in an otherwise excellent product.Here is a check list I think might be helpful before you buy this:1. xbox 3602. High definition TV with component in.3. A spare power socket as HD-DVD player requires separate power supply.If you have the above then the xbox HD-DVD player is a must and a much cheaper option than any other player on the market.Hope this helps!P.S Ignore reviews saying that it is too noisy and you cant hear dialogue...yes it has a fan...yes you can hear it...but it in no way inhibits your viewing pleasure.
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17.11.2014

Its about time the Xbox 360 Console played some high definition DVDs that are on the same high quality level as Blue ray films.This HD DVD player is easy to attach to your xbox 360 console and even comes with its own power supply,software Disk and a lead which attaches between your console and the player itself.I had everything connected within 10 minutes as there is also a manual which came with it to show you how to attach it.You also need the software disk to instal the 360 HD DVD player onto your Xbox 360 console.Once you have instal the software and attach the player onto your Xbox 360 console and powered up the player.All you need then is to buy HD Films which are easy to purchase onlinesuch as Amazon for instance,or other retailers such as Cex for example and you can usually pick up decent HD DVD Films for under tenner.i will be discussing some HD DVD films i picked up,in another review laterThe payback quality on this portable 360 HD DVD Player is truly remarkable,the payback function is so easy to navigate,the playback quality is very high quality and so is the sound quality.If you didn't know you were watching a HD DVD on your Xbox 360,you would have thought you were playing a Blue ray instead,its that good.I would defiantly recommend buying one,as you can pick one up very cheap in various retailers which sell XBOX 360 accessories such as Cex or even on Amazon.These are just two places you can get them.
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10.10.2006

I have bought the HD add on and cant believe people are moaning about the audio side of things, its £130!! what do you expect, if you want the new audio codecs lay out the money for a Seperate HD-DVD Player , its not as if there are many if any amps actually supporting these new Audio Standards yet, let alone many HD DVD's that have them as well! I still feel its a good price for an HD DVD player, do be aware that DISNEY, FOX and MGM wont be producing any HD DVD's, Universal will be exclusively releasing on HD DVD with Warner and Paramount releasing on both HD and Blu-Ray so you might find there are quite a few films you wont be able to get on HD DVD.Personally for someone that has a 360 this is a really good way of not outlaying alot of money before the HD battle has been settled or a dual format player has been released. [...] Microsoft has updated the Xbox 360's with a 1080P patch (Full HD 1920 x 1080 Output, Full Progressive Scanning - this means everyline on every frame is refreshed, where as Interlaced 1080i, is every other line on every other frame is refreshed) what more do you need! Dip your toe in you wont regret it!! The Pictures are superb, if you want HDMI and HD Audio layout the extra money for a HD Player, otherwise you wont be dissapointed with this unit![...]
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6.11.2006

Despite its amasing cheap price I was SHOCKED to learn something even MORE amazing about buying this product. The serious amount of movies great movies found on HD DVD !! It seems Sony has backed the wrong horse and has given us a format that is not as widely supported!!!There are FAR more movies available on the HD DVD Disc format (just check Amazon), and no Universal picture releases on Blu Ray!!! When you compare the Xbox 360 with its cheap HD DVD add-on and its main competition; the PS3: there's really no contest the XBOX 360 is the best way to go for your console/movie playback needs.My advice is to not to wait for Sony's overpriced solution for HD movies to be released here in Spring and buy an Xbox 360 now.Not only is the Xbox 360 a more powerful unit (e.g. 3 times the triangle fill rate of the PS3) with better games, but the format it uses (HD DVD) is supported more with its discs being able to hold a massive 54GBs (45GB HD and 9GB Dual layer DVD on the flip side!) - Currently shipping Blu Ray movies are squeezed into 25GB and only encoded in inferior Mpeg 2 - unlike HD DVD which uses the much more Powerful VC1 Codec from Microsoft. Also Blu Ray does not provide the option of a normal DVD on the flip side
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10.11.2007

There has been plenty reviews on this Hardware so there is no need to go into it, its just a simple question of choice vs price. Having both a PS3 and 360 I find there is hardly any difference between the two formats, just the titles that you can buy. Each company has gone out there way to sign up major film companies. Sony having the slight advantage as they own several Hollywood studios. However Microsoft are doing a great job of convincing the rest that they can offer a medium just as good as Blu-ray.Many reviewers mention price, and this is of course a factor, a basic PS3 costs about £279 with inbuilt player, a 360 with sell for about £179 + £99 for HD player, so no difference there,but I have to admit that I do like the fact the the Ps3 is all in one, not extra connections, and no extra hardware. However Microsoft are now giving away 5 free films with all new HD player purchased (for a limited time), simple return your receipt to Microsoft after choosing you 5 films from a limited selection, and they will send these title to you. Giving that most new HD/Blue-ray cost on average £15 this is a great deal. So in summery If you have a 360, buy a HD drive. if you want a Ps3 you will but Blu-ray. Simple.
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29.3.2007

The Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive add on is great. I got one of the earlier packs with King Kong. I opened it out of the box and it look good sitting next to the 360. I put the disc in and there's a quick update which takes no more than a few seconds and I was up an running within a couple of minutes.The picture quality was very good, I was used to the upscaling through VGA and I think it is an improvement. As I only have King Kong on HD DVD I can't really compare the quality to the DVD release, but I watched a few minutes of a standard DVD upscaling and switched to this, the HD-DVD picture was clearly better, sharper and more vibrant. Upscaling vs HD - HD is definitely better, if you want the best,buy the best!I can't wait to buy some more, Bourne Supremacy is on its way at the moment.The only downside is there is a lack of titles at the moment really, and a strange array of old releases to go with brand new releases, also the cost, HD DVD's are going to set you back £17+ each at the moment but prices are coming down.Its a great buy, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys watching DVD's once or twice (or more) a week. You might want to hold out until later in the year though for more titles.
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13.7.2007

Firstly i would like to say i do not own an xbox 360 or intend to buy one (i cant get to grip with the controller) but i do consider this an excellent buy for those with one. For those in the hd-dvd camp, this is the cheapest option to get a hd-dvd drive.i want to clear up a few things about blu ray and hd-dvd while im here.1. blu ray and hd-dvd have the same picture quality, difference is just in the size of the disk, and a controlling chip in the hardware.2. This drive will output 1080p .. but.. you need to have your xbox360 connected to the tv via vga cable.3. Difference between the xbox360 and ps3 in graphics is 1080p res and hdmi. xbox360 uses component which can output 720p and 1080i max,or if using the vga 1080p. ps3 uses hdmi which can put 1080p to the tv (if tv compatible)4. xbox 360 is also analogue meaning that as good as the hd pics are, you will see film grain and distortion on larger screens. ps3 is digital so doesnt have this (as badly)but for those who want the best home cinema they can get on a budget. get this drive and a semi-decent small form factor pc with dvi and optical out.ill also mention i used to work for sony around the ps3 release so im not talking nonsense :P
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30.6.2007

I bought this from another store at a cheaper price. (Game something) you guys can figure it out. This is the best way to get into the Hd dvd world at a less costly manner. It is cheaper than stand alone hd dvd player which cost around £299. The picture queality is amazing, you get up to 1080i on this but if you have an elite with hdmi connection it delivers a 1080p resolution. You can really see the difference with HD movies. The first movie i saw was harry potter and the goblet. That was simply amazing to see the bright colours, sounds etc in hi def.standard DVD's also look great in this. Regarding the movies available on hd dvd. There is a small but good range available in the uk online and in stores but they are expensive.Try virgin mega stores as you can get most hd dvds for around £15 onwards. Also try american sites that sell hd dvds. They have a much wider range than the uk and newer releases than us. Like the matrix which is not even out here yet and yet it is out on hd dvd in the US. Try hdmoviesource.com. i bought around 70% of my hd dvds from them. They are english guys in the us.
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18.1.2008

I was bought an XBox HD DVD player for Xmas, to run alongside my Xbox 360 Elite and I have to say for £100.00 it's pretty amazing! I also rent a 46" Samsung 1080p LCD and quite frankly, you'd be hard pushed to find a better picture, without spending some serious dosh! With everything connected via HDMI cables and running through a decent home cinema system, it's pin sharp, great colours with excellent sound and with the great special features on most discs (e.g. Transformers), watching films is just awesome.Also, majority of HD films are now in 1080p (except special features) and trust me when I say this, I think there's a noticeable difference between 1080i (no better than 720p really!)and 1080p. Even standard DVD's which are upscaled via HDMI, although look good, are no match at all for full HD DVD's! I will be buying a Samsung Blu Ray player soon (online for as little as £280.00!), so I'll have both formats, covering all the film companies out there.For anyone out there in two minds about HD/Blu Ray's, if it's at all possible, make the change and you won't regret it!
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3.9.2007

As previously mentioned this is available from £99 from certain high street games outlets.Having recently bought a 37inch LCD I was a little disappointed with the quality of terrestial television. Anyone who has a HD tv will know what I mean - get too close and you can see the blockiness of the SD picture.Like many people I was reluctant to "buy into" either bluray or HD-DVD at this early stage. However as I already have an XBOX 360 spending £100 to find out what the HD hype is really about wasn't too agonising a decision.So far I have watched King Kong and Serenity on this player.I know there have been mixed reviews on picture quality but let me assure you - if you output this player to a decent HD ready TV you will not be dissapointed.Colours look vivid and beuautifuuly saturated whilst the level of detail is breathtaking. You can pick out the individual beads of sweat and pores on an actors face and huge amounts of extra background detail.It really is impressive.FOr £100 - a real bargain.Even if BluRay wins the day you haven't lost a great deal have you??
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