Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7944 in Video Games
• Platform: Xbox 360

Customer Reviews

Very good picture quality, very good price
I bought an Xbox 360 after Thanksgiving of 2006 and I was immediately impressed with the system. It was so good, in fact, that I went out after New Year's and upgraded my entire entertainment center with a new Samsung LN-S4051D, Samsung DVD-HD860, and Yamaha YSP-800. If you're going to do it, do it right. First off, the Samsung DVD-HD860 was a dismal player. The thing kept freezing up during playback and the image wasn't anything to write home about. I mean, my LCD is only 720p and I was seeing a lot of artifacts.

I returned the Samsung DVD player and decided to take a chance on the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox. The way I looked at it was it was only $100 more than what I already paid and then I could watch some movies in true High Definition. That was one of the best moves I made because not only do the HD movies look fantastic but it absolutely DESTROYS the Samsung in upconverting my standard-def DVDs. Regular DVDs look excellent.

One very big drawback is the amount of noise the Xbox makes while watching a movie. It's absurd. Not a big deal if you're watching The Matrix and you've got the volume cranked with Dolby TrueHD sound. But it's a constant nuisance when you're trying to get into a more dramatic and quiet movie like Unforgiven (which looks absolutely stunning on HD DVD).

Another concern I'm having is that my Xbox is on almost all of the time now. I'm either playing a game, watching a DVD or HD DVD, or I'm watching a movie from my iTunes library on my computer. The Xbox has truly become the center of attention in my living room. I just don't know if it can handle that kind of workload for long.

Seriously though, for $199 it's not that bad of a gamble. You can rent HD DVD movies from Netflix or Blockbuster so you don't even need to invest in the movies. I bought 4 and I now own the Matrix trilogy but I'm probably not buying more until I see what happens with HD DVD and Blu-ray. I have picked a side but if HD DVD loses I'm really not out that much. And I get to enjoy some great HD content while I'm waiting.

Great add on solution, impressive performance, run really hot
After seeing a HD DVD for the first time, and comparing with Blue ray, I decided to make the jump and buy a 360 elite and the HD DVD ad on. It is the perfect combination for me, as I enjoy playing on Xbox Live, and like the HD feature. The image is perfect, far deeper than on BR, and it does not lockup or freeze like movies on a blue ray disc.

Minor grip: this thing needs to be left outside, not enclosed in a cabinet. It will run really hot, and the fan will spoil the sondtrack.

Great for the Price
People are getting it all wrong about buying HD DVD players now that Blu-ray won. I can still get HD DVD movies, but now I can get them for under 10 bucks. I got this drive when it first came out, before I even bought a 360. It is picture perfect. Now that I have a console with HDMI output, it looks even better. It's a nice addition, and an affordable way to view HD movies, and yes, Blockbuster still rents HD DVDs through their on-line service. I'm buying all the tittles I can on HD DVD, and all new tittles on Blu-ray. Can't loose with low prices.