Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive

Find the cheapest Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive on

• Tesco*- In Stock (£131.64)
• HMV*- In Stock (£119.99)
• PC World*- In Stock (£134.95)
• Kelkoo*

Also check: Amazon.co.uk*, Comet*- In Stock, Woolworths*- In Stock, Play.com*- In Stock (£129.99), Ebay.co.uk*, Dixons*- In stock, Game*- In Stock

Overview

The Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive is not meant to play games, as we already got this from its console cousin the Xbox 360. Instead this pearly coloured box will be used to play HD-DVD movies in the usual hi-def resolution: 720p, 1080i, and for those able to use it, 1080p.

Bolt it on to your Xbox 360 games console (or your PC) and this HD-DVD drive is a welcome addition to the Xbox 360 family costing only £130 or approximately £350 with an Xbox 360. That’s a bargain considering the standalone HD-DVD players cost around £500 and £800 for a Blu-ray player.

Review

I love simplicity and this crafty number ticked all the boxes. All I had to do was stick the supplied software update disc in the 360’s drive and install it (taking only a few seconds), plugged the drive into the USB port and hey presto…I was ready to use my HD-DVD! I put in a HD-DVD and ‘in a shot’ (pardon the pun) I was gazing at the disc menu screen. Using the Media remote, navigating the menu’s was a breeze and the backlight and the chunky buttons provided added extra usefulness.

Our drive was bundled with King Kong which looked stunning and when compared directly to the DVD version I was embarrassed that I had watched such a format! Sound quality was also good, although the lack of support for 7.1 channel lossless audio is a shame.

Microsoft have kindly provided two additional USB ports on the drive so you don’t have to remove your camera or wireless card. A major set back is the lack of HDMI so you’ll need a component-video or VGA cable to use it although this shouldn’t be a problem for most people. Unlike its console cousin it was a lot quieter and that’s what we like to hear!

The design might not be the height of cool but it is a clean looking device similar to the Xbox and with the only button on the front to open and close the drawer and the rest hidden at the back.

The drive cannot officially be used with your PC but follow this link to learn more. There does not seem to be any region coding on the drive so you can import the drive as the encoding will come from the xbox itself if they do decide to change their minds it will set to your xbox region. If you have any questions then drop me a comment.

The drives are in short supply and I did manage to see them at PC World* and Dixons but there also some great bargains on ebay.co.uk*.

Specification

Product type: Removable media drive
Body material: Plastic
Available colours: White
Mains adaptor: Yes
Included cables: USB 2.0
Included accessories: Xbox 360 Media remote
Suitable for use with: Microsoft Xbox 360

The Gaj-it Verdict

• Design: 8/10
• Usability: 8/10
• Features: 8/10
• Value for Money: 10/10

• Love: PRICE and its simple to setup, easy to use and excellent picture quality
• Loathe: Lack of HDMI.

We say: The positives certainly outweigh the negatives on this affordable number. With it excellent picture quality and ease of use and set up, I am willing to sacrifice my principles on the uninspiring design to be a proud owner of this HD-DVD player.

Links
Using an Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive on a PC