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[Alcibiades]

Does anyone know if Million dollar baby is still due out this week? That was my most anticipated title.. what an amazing movie.

some dealer mentioned it was delayed a week, but amazon.com has it listed for April 20th, so I would guess that it was just a few days delay...

 

[TwIsTeD]

the 360 drive is gonna be at least $250usd, and with all the heat its already putting off there is no way in hell now i wanna even venture plugging in something extra to increase the total ammount of heat the unit and addon puts off......toshiba for me next week FTW

 

[Smokey]

hacked,

just to let you know there was a guy over at the IGN boards who were using your pics and claiming to be you until I showed him that question I asked you about what TV you were using. He uses a Qualia and you said it was a GWIII RP LCD and at that point he was owned.

 

[Alcibiades]

They are a little late, but Paramount has announced "Tomb Raider," "U2: Rattle & Hum" and "Four Brothers" for release May 30th...

I've never owned Tomb Raider and liked the movie, so I may get that one if amazon.com sells it for $20. I won't pay more than that as I didn't think it was auper-good or anything, but a good popcorn flick.

 

[.hacked]

hacked,

just to let you know there was a guy over at the IGN boards who were using your pics and claiming to be you until I showed him that question I asked you about what TV you were using. He uses a Qualia and you said it was a GWIII RP LCD and at that point he was owned.

link me to the thread

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

the 360 drive is gonna be at least $250usd, and with all the heat its already putting off there is no way in hell now i wanna even venture plugging in something extra to increase the total ammount of heat the unit and addon puts off......toshiba for me next week FTW

How do you know what the price of the 360 drive will be? Just curious what you're basing that numbr on. Considering that MS has said very little about the add-on yet, but did mention that it would be very affordable, I find your number to be a little dubious.

 

[Smokey]

link me to the thread

http://boards.ign.com/xbox_360_general_board/b8266/115484804/p1/?83

That's the whole thread. I first I thought it was you but somethin didn't seem right.

 

[.hacked]

http://boards.ign.com/xbox_360_general_board/b8266/115484804/p1/?83

That's the whole thread. I first I thought it was you but somethin didn't seem right.

eh I am glad they liked the pics

 

[Smokey]

eh I am glad they liked the pics

Yeah the pics weren't the issue. Everyone is basically drooling over HD-DVD. If he would've said he got the pics from here then it would've been fine. Nobody would've said anything. It was just the fact that he claimed he was you that irked some people.

 

[open_mouth_]

How do you know what the price of the 360 drive will be? Just curious what you're basing that numbr on. Considering that MS has said very little about the add-on yet, but did mention that it would be very affordable, I find your number to be a little dubious.

I'd guess that it would clock in at around $199 to $249 to start off with. It'll probably sit underneath the 360 and come with a bunch of fans to cool both units simultaneously (attach through the expansion port). It'll probably come with a hdmi adapter to be used in place of the component adapter the 360 currently uses.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

I'd guess that it would clock in at around $199 to $249 to start off with. It'll probably sit underneath the 360 and come with a bunch of fans to cool both units simultaneously (attach through the expansion port). It'll probably come with a hdmi adapter to be used in place of the component adapter the 360 currently uses.

The only expansion port that it can plug into is the USB ports as far as I can tell, and yeah, I'm sure it will have it's own HDMI port for sure. I'd lean more towards the $200 price point, as it won't require many of the components of the stand alone units as the 360 and it's processors will do much of the work. Guess we'll have to wait to see.

 

[borghe]

The only expansion port that it can plug into is the USB ports as far as I can tell, and yeah, I'm sure it will have it's own HDMI port for sure. I'd lean more towards the $200 price point, as it won't require many of the components of the stand alone units as the 360 and it's processors will do much of the work. Guess we'll have to wait to see.

here's what I don't get about that whole theory... say the add-on has an HDMI port. the (effectively) transport would have to send the data over USB2 to be decoded by the 360, then send the decoded data back out to the add-on, then out HDMI. It makes no sense. the only hardware you would be saving from an actual player is the decoder chipset.

My guess more than likely is the "add-on" will just be a transport. The 360 will output the audio and video. No HDMI (for now?) and the component outputs still have to obey what the disc says. Obviously the 360 solution will be less capable than a full player (I am guessing). Upside? You aren't paying $500 for an HD-DVD-only player.

 

[pestul]

Less talk, more pics please.

 

[Escape Goat]

*points and laughs at the early adopters*

 

[racerx77]

*points and laughs at the early adopters*

smiles when sees far superior to standard DVD format hooked up to tv.

 

[Escape Goat]

smiles when sees far superior to standard DVD format hooked up to tv.

Ohh

 

[TwIsTeD]

How do you know what the price of the 360 drive will be? Just curious what you're basing that numbr on. Considering that MS has said very little about the add-on yet, but did mention that it would be very affordable, I find your number to be a little dubious.

with all of the increases in costs of the next-gen and the fact they charge $99 for a hd it makes logical sense that the unit will fall between the $199 to $249 price range, the tech in HD-DVD is very new and it makes it an affordable alternative to people who already own a 360 and dont want to drop the additional $499 to enjoy HDDVD, anyless they would bleed money, anymore and people would respond with the whole wtf it costs as much as a core, but this damn thing is gonna be weird as hell and i hope it does come with an hdmi port, but i dont wanna hook up my 360 twice to my TV thats fuckin pointless

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

with all of the increases in costs of the next-gen and the fact they charge $99 for a hd it makes logical sense that the unit will fall between the $199 to $249 price range, the tech in HD-DVD is very new and it makes it an affordable alternative to people who already own a 360 and dont want to drop the additional $499 to enjoy HDDVD, anyless they would bleed money, anymore and people would respond with the whole wtf it costs as much as a core, but this damn thing is gonna be weird as hell and i hope it does come with an hdmi port, but i dont wanna hook up my 360 twice to my TV thats fuckin pointless

So now you're saying it's going to be between $199 and $249? Earlier you posted that it would be at least $250. Make up your mind!

And yeah, borghe, I agree. It's going to be odd to add an expansion when the 360 doesn't seem to have any expansion ports, aside from the USB ports. Not sure how it's going to work.

 

[VisionaryQuest0]

Something tells me it's gonna have an extension where it'll hook into where the hard drive goes.

 

[TwIsTeD]

So now you're saying it's going to be between $199 and $249? Earlier you posted that it would be at least $250. Make up your mind!

its funny you say that a debate between a few buddies of mine today on this subject makes me want to believe its $199 hence my sudden change of heart

 

[.hacked]

:lol :lol :lol

 

[DaCocoBrova]

The whole 360 add-on bullshit is so silly. I hope it never materializes.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

its funny you say that a debate between a few buddies of mine today on this subject makes me want to believe its $199 hence my sudden change of heart

:lol :lol :lol

Well, that's an explanation I can live with and respect!

 

[borghe]

The whole 360 add-on bullshit is so silly. I hope it never materializes.

ehh.. it is a nice bone from MS for those who won't want to spend $500 on another player. The way it is my current receiver is out of component inputs (3 inputs taken up by HDTivo, XBox 360, PS2/3)

 

[Kleegamefan]

The whole 360 add-on bullshit is so silly. I hope it never materializes.

Strap-on Pack FTW

 

[Beer Monkey]

The 360 add-on will definitely support HDMI. I'd bet money on this. ICT is part of the spec. I doubt you can even use the HD-DVD logo on a player that is totally incapable of playing ICT-constrained movies at high-def resolutions.

That said, I won't touch that add-on with a 10-foot-pole. I'll watch some Blu-Ray this xmas on PS3 and I'll buy a universal HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player in 2007 (LG is already working on one and others will follow).

 

[VPhys]

the 360 drive is gonna be at least $250usd, and with all the heat its already putting off there is no way in hell now i wanna even venture plugging in something extra to increase the total ammount of heat the unit and addon puts off......toshiba for me next week FTW

By the time the 360 drive is out, the XBox may have been through several revisions to make it cooler and more reliable.

Good thing Microsoft owns the hardware this time.

 

[.hacked]

Some TLS pics

Those looking for a HDMI switch this place has got a nice one for preorder

http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI switch 4port_toslink.htm

They have HDMI only for cheaper too (but I need the toslink). Not a bad price considering I have seen ones with the same configuration of ports selling for $1500.

 

[JPRaup]

damn nice morphix, and that switch looks nice, i might consider getting one

 

[bud]

@.hacked: can you do some comparisons?

I'm asking this since you've got both the normal and hi-def editions of the last samurai and serenity. It would be much appreciated.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Such a good movie, I can only imagine how sweet it looks in HD. The cinematography in The Last Samurai is just brilliant. Thanks again for all the pics man.

 

[JPRaup]

I would think pictures dont do justice to the quality, cause those pics are good but not breathtaking

 

[TwIsTeD]

after seeing this in person there is no way pictures do this justice, oh and if you do go to best buy to check this out dont base it on the westinghouse tv that its setup on, i wasnt impressed until i went over to a friends house and caught it on a 42' Pioneer, now that was impressive

 

[TwIsTeD]

Those looking for a HDMI switch this place has got a nice one for preorder

http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI switch 4port_toslink.htm

They have HDMI only for cheaper too (but I need the toslink). Not a bad price considering I have seen ones with the same configuration of ports selling for $1500.

great find..... thats what i`ve been looking for and its damn affordable

 

[DaCocoBrova]

What's the point of Toslink when HDMI carries the audio?

 

[teiresias]

What's the point of Toslink when HDMI carries the audio?

Maybe you don't have a receiver that supports HDMI and the more impressive audio codecs?

 

[Ninja Scooter]

:lol :lol :lol

:lol some of the reviews/impressions that i have read, interestingly enough, say Phantom of the Opera might be the best "show off" title of the HDDVD launch bunch.

 

[JPRaup]

:lol some of the reviews/impressions that i have read, interestingly enough, say Phantom of the Opera might be the best "show off" title of the HDDVD launch bunch.

but I would rather watch ANY movie instead of Phantom of the Opera

 

[Kleegamefan]

I would think pictures dont do justice to the quality, cause those pics are good but not breathtaking

You have no idea...


Mindblowing picture quality is a reality with HD-DVD....trust me

 

[robot]

is it true this player doesnt do 1080p? i'm assuming 1080p players will be coming out later in the year? and finally, is 1080i the highest a regular dvd can be upscaled?

 

[racerx77]

is it true this player doesnt do 1080p? i'm assuming 1080p players will be ccoming out later in the year? and finally, is 1080i the highest a regular dvd can be upscaled?

This player does 1080i.. Perhaps through a firmware update that could change..
1080p players are SUPPOSED to come out later this year from what I have read.
and yeah, 1080i is the highest it upscales.

 

[Kleegamefan]

Again, the newer Broadcom HD decoder chip(#BCM97438) necessary to output 1080p is not included in the Toshiba players....

Most Blu-ray players will have either this chip or one made by Sigma (or in the case of Panasonic, their own chip) as will future HD-DVD players....


To reiterate, THIS IS THE ONLY ISSUE WITH GETTING 1080p OUTPUT FROM LAUCH HD-DVD PLAYERS.....the next rev of HD-DVD player due in the fall will have 1080p capabilities no prob.....a firmware update will not "fix" this, AFAIK...


Also, there is no 1080i limit to upscaling DVDs on any of these players.....most of the upcoming Blu-ray player will upscale DVDs to 1080p.....its all about the chip folks

 

[bud]

Critics Unimpressed with HD DVD

Consumer electronics writers have begun to weigh in on the new HD DVD players distributed by Toshiba this week, and most are unimpressed. Several cite an intolerably long boot-up period, a confusing menu system, and incompatible sound. But nearly all express disappointment in the picture. On smaller sets, the writers agree, the difference between HD DVD and a conventional DVD is virtually undetectable. "Bottom line is that HD DVD is great, but will you notice?" asks Ben Drawbaugh on HDBeat.com. Writing in the Los Angeles Times David Colker remarked that on larger screens he could detect a subtle difference. He added: "I tested my perceptions by switching between the two formats. I asked a colleague to close his eyes while I chose a version, then had him open them and guess: DVD or HD DVD? He got it right only about 75% of the time. So, yes, it's better. But don't expect the dramatic leap in quality that came with the transition from VHS to DVDs in the 1990s."

http://imdb.com/news/sb/2006-04-20/#2

 

[hadareud]

http://imdb.com/news/sb/2006-04-20/#2

Not that I want to defend HDDVD, but the dramatic leap from VHS to DVD on small TV sets was not that dramatic either. I doubt many people could tell the difference between a new VHS tape and DVD's on a screen smaller than 26 inches.

 

[rastex]

http://imdb.com/news/sb/2006-04-20/#2

IMDB is overly harsh bigtime. I did my own write up of the reviews here: http://www.productwiki.com/electronics/post/gbl-state-0/730.html

 

[Lord Error]

Rastex's review sounds like a good compilation of impressions I've seen so far. I do think 45-60 seconds is an quite a long load time for many casual viewers though. That's a lot more than even games take to load on consoles, and at least for games you understand why it takes time. Why does it take that long to start a video stream? I really hope PS3/BR won't be plagued by insanely long load times like these...

 

[Willco]

Not that I want to defend HDDVD, but the dramatic leap from VHS to DVD on small TV sets was not that dramatic either. I doubt many people could tell the difference between a new VHS tape and DVD's on a screen smaller than 26 inches.

You're out of your goddamn mind. The difference between VHS and DVD is pretty much huge on any set. Fuck, a stable picture alone greatly increased picture quality.

 

[hadareud]

You're out of your goddamn mind. The difference between VHS and DVD is pretty much huge on any set. Fuck, a stable picture alone greatly increased picture quality.

I didn't "goddamm" say that the difference isn't huge. Just that I am quite sure that most people could not recognize the difference on a small TV.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

I just read on HD Beat that the first Blu-Ray drives for PC are due out in June at a price of $850!!! Holy crap, that's an expensive drive.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Double post! Damn!