Xbox 360 Review: HD-DVD Player Accessory

This is a review of the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player Accessory. This add-on has been out for a few years but support for the device has fallen completely off the map, as has support for regular HD-DVD Players, especially ones for the PC.

Although it is possible to use the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player connected to a PC, all of the Video Player Software has dropped support for playing HD-DVD movies. I could not find any older versions that still supported it so I will only review this on the Xbox 360.

Click on the pictures for the High-Resolution Version of them.

Installation

Installing the HD-DVD Player was very easy. All I did was plug in the power cord and plug in the USB cable to the back of my Xbox 360. After that I put in the included Software Disc and loaded it up and let it install the drivers. I do not know if the Xbox actually NEEDS that disc, especially since it could just download an update, but nonetheless I used it.

It took just a few minutes and after that I never needed the disc again and could load the movies up right away.

General Information

I picked up this Boxed, Complete Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player for $25 at a local game store. The prices for these have gone up since they're no longer made (as far as I know) and although the MSRP is now $49.99 most places charge more and they're also pretty hard to find.

As you can see the unit isn't very big and it fits nicely on a desk next to your Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 Dashboard Location

The place where you activate the HD-DVD Player has changed with the new dashboard. It is now under "My Video Apps" instead of on the same screen as your Game Disc.

HD-DVD Player In-Action

Once you select "HD DVD" in the "My Video Apps" page, it will take a few seconds to half a minute sometimes for the movie to start loading. Once it loads it gets right into the movie after a brief introduction logo.

The Movie Menu seems to be the same for all HD-DVD Movies, at least all of the ones I have. The response time for it is pretty slow and lags behind a bit, so it can be frustrating trying to get to the right place in the menu.

Overall Quality & Thoughts

The movie quality is superb. Each movie looks really good in High-Def and I don't notice a difference between the HD-DVD Movies on the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player and Blu-Ray Movies on my PS3.

If you were looking to get into Next-Gen Movies, you should obviously stick to Blu-Ray and not bother with HD-DVD, as it's dead technology and no new movies are being released. The only value I can see for this HD-DVD Player for the Xbox 360 is Collection purposes, which is the reason I bought it.

Whether you pay $25, $50 or more, it's a neat little accessory to have to compliment your Xbox 360, though you'll probably find yourself never using it like me, but nonetheless it's a needed add-on for those wanting a complete collection.