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[flashfreak]

Hey all.

Firstly, i'll explain my setup:

Samsung 40" LCD R7 series (supports up to 1080i)
Logitech Z5400 5.1 Sound System
Xbox 360 and HD-DVD addon connected via Component and Optical for sound
PC (specs dont matter) via VGA

I used to watch DVDs on my pc before i got the 360. They looked fine to my knowledge, but to be completely honest, i probably watch more xvid movies than dvds.

Now heres my question. Why do DVD's look crap on my 360? I dont remember them looking bad on the PC but then again i dont think ive looked that hard. I watch most things on the 360 now. I remember my sister and her bf were watching pirates of the carib 2, and i remember it looking horrible. I had some friends over and we watched the butterfly effect and it looked good. I bought the HD-DVD addon first day, with no real reason other than i wanted it. King Kong looked spectacular and thats all ive had.

Until transformers came out. I put in a hired copy of the standard in just to watch a bit and just from the start i could tell it was crap. I picked out these flaws because i knew i was getting it on HD-DVD. When i did, i loved it and still do. It is amazing though i still found some flaws in dark areas or just general noise.

Anyway, I bought spiderman 3 the other day on dvd cos it was real cheap and im not a blu ray person. I was watching it, and it looked poor. Seriously, i was annoyed at how bad it looked, which has made me finally get up and make this post.

How can i watch good dvds on my screen? The 360 seems to play them poorly, and from what i've heard, is because it only displays them in 480p with no upscaling, and the fact that the dvd player in it is just basic. I have also heard the HD-DVD addon isnt the best around, which im kinda hoping, which means if i had a proper player, i wouldnt notice noise and a bit of dodgyness and means the transformers movie on HD really is perfect and the 360 just aint showing it.

Anyway, my point. Im guessing i should give up on the 360 as a dvd player cos it just aint gonna look good. I've heard XBMC upscales DVDs, not sure what to, but im guessing this would look better than the 360 by far. Problem is, the highest connection i have on my original xbox is s-video, cos in australia, apparently they stopped selling the component output because it just wasnt selling. I've heard that u need an NTSC to use the component out but dont beleive its true cos the adapter used to be for sale here.

I dont really wanna play DVD's on the pc cos i dont have a remote, and various other reasons such as no digital audio out. What are my options here? When the format war is over (if ever), i will buy a standalone player to use for DVDs too. But what should i do in the meantime? Setup a component out from my xbox for XBMC and upscaling, or get over the 360s horribleness?

Sorry for the long post. Felt i had to explain my situation even though i probably didnt need to.

Thanks! Any help is appreciated!

[flashfreak]

Bump. I probably wrote too much.

Did some research and to my eyes, the original xbox looks better than the 360 for dvds, cos its outputting them in 720p. Im looking to get a component cable for the original xbox, but will it work for PAL? Ive heard mixed things.

[SphtKr76]

The 360 is average to below average for PQ on DVD's. The HD DVD add on is among the best for PQ for HD DVD's., so if you want the best of both worlds you will be better served by purchasing a stand alone HD DVD player, and of the Toshibas would serve very nicely, particularly the 2nd or 3rd gen models. Some can be had for under $200.

Your original Xbox should play PAL DVD's over component just fine, i am assuming you have a modded box yes?

This post has been edited by SphtKr76: Dec 18 2007, 06:19 AM

[twistedsymphony]

I agree with SphtKr76

The problem with Xbox 360's DVD playback has nothing to do with resolution and everything to do with the fact that the DVD player software it's using is total GARBAGE.

honestly the PS2's DVD playback has better quality and that's really f-ing sad.

If you want good DVD playback buy a stand alone unit, I personally recommend OPPO units. If you don't have HDMI as an option on your display and want 720p upscaling over component then an Xbox 1 running XBMC is your best option, and that has decent quality too (certainly better than the 360s)