Microsoft recently released their Xbox 360 HD DVD player. And as the name implies, this compact, book sized and book shaped player requires the Xbox 360 console to function. It is not a standalone HD DVD player. So you either must own or purchase the Xbox 360 console (up to $400 depending on the configuration) and also buy the HD DVD player ($200).

We needed a console in our testing facility to run our HDTV review units through the gaming gauntlet – we know a lot of our readers are buying these high def wonders primarily to play games. And considering the Toshiba HA-1 standalone HD DVD player costs almost $500, our $600 gaming + player purchase was a no brainer.

Xbox 360 Console

Even though Microsoft announced this HD DVD player at CES last January, it's no surprise that it was released to coincide with the premiere of Sony's Playstation 3, which just happens to include a Blu-ray DVD player, (Sony's competing version of the high def DVD format).

In this article, I don't wish to jump in the middle of an Xbox vs. PS3 polemic. I know that emotions run high on both sides. Nor do I want to rehash the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray discussion, which was already handled well in two previous articles posted on our site by Evan Powell and George Graves. This, as it says in the heading, is simply a review of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.

Perhaps the most pressing question about this high def player is how high def is it? Especially for those of you who own or are thinking of buying a 1080p capable TV, you want to know if the Xbox 360 HD DVD player outputs a 1080p source. The short answer is a very confused and frustrated maybe. (The long answer I will tender a little later.) The other half of that answer is that it does produce a perfectly sharp and luscious looking 1080i signal. And the third half is that I'm pretty sure that most of us would not be able to perceive a difference between a 1080i source being played on a 1080p TV and a 1080p signal being shown on the same TV.

Out of the Box
The box contains the HD DVD player, its power supply and a USB 2.0 cable to connect it to the Xbox 360 console. Also included is a handy universal remote, which controls the DVD player, the console and your TV. The separate Xbox 360 system that we purchased came with their Component HD AV cable, which connects the console with your HDTV through its Component Y, Pb, Pr connections.

This HD cable also includes a composite video and stereo audio connectors. In addition, the end of the cable that plugs into the Xbox console contains a port where you can hook a Toslink optical digital audio cable (not included).

Component HD AV Cable

Even though the HD DVD player looks like a book, I stifled my inner librarian to stack it vertically. Maybe I'm old fashioned but the idea of a CD or DVD spinning upright seems to snub the laws of nature. I prefer my rotating discs horizontal and not defying gravity, so I placed the player flat on top of the Xbox.

The player sends the data to the Xbox through the USB cable. Interestingly, if you are overpopulated with USB devices that you want to connect to the Xbox 360, the player acts as a USB hub with two additional traditional USB ports, which pass through the signals to the Xbox.

Xbox 360 HD DVD Back

Setup
I need to reiterate that this HD DVD player is not a standalone unit like the Toshiba HD-A1. From what I can tell, basically all the Microsoft player does is spin the disc and send the data to the Xbox 360 for video processing.

So the basic initial setup was to attach the player to the console with the USB cable and connect the Xbox 360 with Component HD AV cable to the Olevia 747i 47" 1080p LCD that we're reviewing. We used Peter Jackson's King Kong HD DVD, (included in the box with the player), to test if this player was a beast or a bust.

With one of the recent Xbox 360 updates, you can now go to the System menu and select 1080p as the output resolution. When we played the game, Gears of War (notable for its high def 3D artistry) in the Xbox 360 console's DVD player – not the separate HD DVD player – the Olevia indicated that indeed the source was 1080p 60 Hz.

But, without changing any settings, if we switched to playing the King Kong HD DVD, the TV screen would flash momentarily and then begin showing the movie. Now, when we queried the Olevia, it indicated that the source was 1080i 30 Hz.

Go figure. And that is exactly what I did, with four calls and three emails to Xbox customer service and an expedition onto the forums. I'll spare you the details about my harrowing exploits that I have dubbed, "In Search of 1080p, My Safari on Numbskull Island.")

To cut to the chase, I discovered that the key to pumping 1080p through the Xbox 360 system was using their VGA HD AV cable, (sold separately wherever Xboxes are found). So I dutifully went out and purchased the VGA cable and replaced the Component cable. (Here's a cost saving tip. Thankfully, non-Microsoft cables are available for about half the $39.95 price for the Microsoft branded one.)

VGA HD AV Cable

Remember, there is no reason to run these 1080p hurdles unless you have a 1080p TV and beyond that, your TV must have a VGA connector. Even though our Olevia meets those specifications, initially, it would not play back the 1080p Xbox signal with any acceptable quality.

After a lot of gnashing of teeth and accepting that it just wouldn't work, I began writing this review; and then, lo and behold, Microsoft updates the Xbox system. And the VGA signal plays back on the Olevia like a champ. I must warn you however; I will not vouch that this VGA solution will work on every 1080p TV. In fact, the 1080p JVC LT-40FN97 review unit here still refuses to play back the VGA signal, though it performs vibrantly with the 1080i source through the Component cable.

Here's the up-to-the-minute scorecard with the equipment that we have in our testing facility, and I confess that the results make me dizzy. So let me try to distill it, filtering out some of the variables. The most reliable way to see a 1080 signal from the HD DVD player is through the Component HD AV cable, but the signal is 1080i. If you want 1080p, then you must go with the VGA HD AV cable and hope that your 1080p TV can play it back.

Now, of course, we haven't dealt with the 2000 pound gorilla in the room – did you really believe that I could get through this review without using that term? – what about HDMI? Though there are rumors that Microsoft is working on an HDMI cable for the Xbox, currently it is not an option.

You can howl at the moon or at Bill Gates, but on this cold day in early December, we must warm our HDTVs with the two very respectable choices we have on hand. Therefore, the question becomes is there really a difference between the 1080i Component picture and the 1080p VGA image?

Performance
A big, fat, "perhaps." And I'm not trying to be flippant. My equivocating assessment is cautious but not at all casual. Remember, the 1080p VGA solution only started working for us on Friday; therefore, we haven't had a long time to run exhaustive, empirical double blind testing.

Also, we only have one Xbox system in house, which means that we can only see one signal at a time. To switch between them, we have to turn off the console, unplug one cable and plug in the other, turn back on the Xbox and start again.

So, here is our method at this time. Using test patterns, we calibrate our monitor twice, once for each signal, component "i" and VGA "p." And then, because we are big believers in real world results, we give it the King Kong treatment. We start by cueing to Scene 31, "Plays Dead," and watching through Scene 33, "Linda Disarms Kong." After burning those sequences into our visual memories, we did the cable shuffle and watched the scenes from the other signal. And then for good measure, we repeated that cycle until we could confirm our perceptions. After a couple of hours, we arrived at a consensus. (And we also memorized Linda's acrobatic Vaudeville skit with which she amused Kong.)

On our setup, the VGA 1080p image displayed greater Contrast range than the 1080i Component. The question in our minds was, "Is that more a byproduct of the VGA signal over the Component than it is a characteristic difference between progressive and interlaced sources?" Other than that, everything else was pretty damn close and you get down to personal perceptions and preferences that you and your friends can dissect and debate on your own.

From my armchair, with this Olevia HDTV, for picture quality, I would opt for the VGA, though I wouldn't feel deprived with the Component. And actually, since I can't run the VGA signal through the Pioneer Elite receiver, I find it more convenient to hook the Component cable up to the receiver. Then, with one push of a button, I can switch both audio and video between the Xbox and any other input hooked into the receiver.

The VGA setup does provide one more feature that you can't get through the Component connection. When playing standard 480p DVDs through the VGA cable, the Xbox 360 console will deliver a 1080p image. (An up-res feat that the console also performs when playing standard DVDs in its own DVD player.) And, in fact, the Xbox's algorithm produces one of the best, (with minor artifacts), up-resolution pictures that I've seen.

HD DVD Remote

Through the Component cable, the image remains 480p and is not up-ressed, leaving that task for your HDTV to perform. And if your TV has superior scaling circuitry, then that may be the exact pipeline that you want.

I wish I could be more definitive, but there are too many variables about your preferences and setups that I can't factor in without misleading people.

About the audio, some users are lamenting the fact that even when they have the optical digital audio cable connected to their sound system, the Xbox only delivers Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and not a more ear-drumming format. I will admit that perhaps the Kong vs. the T-Rex triplets Death Match scene could have been a bit more earth shaking. But I'm sure the next-door neighbors appreciated the slightly subdued blow-by-blow audio rendition.

And finally, a word about the green backlit multifunction remote – indispensable. Beyond the normal DVD controls, the remote holds all the buttons necessary for navigating the Xbox Dashboard. Since I wasn't teethed on a game controller, I find the remote more comfortable to use. And I only pick up the game controller when Gears of War beckons.

Conclusion
Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD player is a great addition for Xbox 360 owners who want to play HD DVDs. Since the player requires the Xbox 360, for those not interested in gaming, they should consider other standalone HD DVD players.