That or release the camera cheaper for those that already bought Uno and have a Gold membership.

Just got an email update on the PDZ maps. They said the email went out early. They are still working on getting the maps done and released. They said release date "near future"

So, they aren't out there yet.

probably becuase Uno is a camera enabled game

Right and i would assume it would be just as easy to say "Free code to download Uno" and have the code simply give you 400 points and let you get Uno yourself. It seems particularly silly to lock people into a game that will have been out for 8-9 months and call it a perk. Those early adopters drive the buzz for games and new ghardware.

quick question.

Since i received my new/refurb/fixed 360 it doesn't seem to want to log me into Live automatically anymore. I've poked around the settings but can't seem to find any particular setting for it. Am I missing something?

Click on your gamer tag on the dashboard it should bring up a list of options the last one is enable auto sign in.

I'll check that tomorrow. Thanks Mok.

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2...-schedule.aspx
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/...ingrelease.htm
Xbox 360 releases over 125 new features to enhance next-generation gameplay and entertainment



Gamers ask and Xbox 360 delivers with revolutionary free upgrade for all Xbox 360 connected owners



Starting tomorrow, Xbox 360 gamers will be able to access a vigorous system-wide update creating a new pinnacle for next-generation gaming and entertainment. The Xbox 360 spring update introduces more than 125 revolutionary features and enhancements adding to Xbox 360’s sheer power, stunning high-defintion graphics, rich online capabilities and innovative media offerings delivering a digital gaming and entertainment experience that simply can’t be matched.

Since the launch of Xbox 360 in November 2005, Microsoft has continuously focused on gamer and community feedback to determine further improvements and enhancements for the evolving next-generation experience, resulting in this inaugural mass update. With more than half of all Xbox 360 gamers connected online, Xbox is further catering to its fans by delivering the spring update in the way they want it. This free update will be digitally distributed over Xbox Live to all members (Xbox Live Silver and Gold) with no disc or hard drive required to take advantage of the plethora of new features. Gamers without an Xbox Live account can easily sign up for the free network by connecting their console to a broadband internet connection. Once online, downloading the update takes less than a minute and provides instant access to features including:

Xbox Live Marketplace Enhancements

* New background download manager gives gamers the ability to queue up and download six high definition items at a time including playable game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, music videos and movie trailers while actively playing games or browsing the dashboard. As an added benefit, if gamers engage in multiplayer gameplay while downloads are in process, the new background download manager will automatically pause the download queue until the multiplayer session is complete ensuring a continuously optimal gameplay experience.
* Updated Xbox Live Marketplace menus makes it easier for players to find and store all of their gaming and entertainment content. This includes the addition of new menus for media and entertainment content as well as enhanced menus making it easier for gamers to find what’s new in each section as well as a quick view at all downloads by category.
* Full remote control features for Xbox Live Marketplace videos allow gamers to fast forward and rewind at various speeds (2X-16X) during all videos downloaded from Marketplace.

Music Player Improvements

* Custom background music now continues to play without interruption during game loads and when transitioning from game to game or disc content.
* During music play, the music playback screen now showcase the artist, song title and time remaining on the song along with a visualizer showing which song on the playlist or album is currently playing.
* DVD Movie Playback Upgrades
* DVD movie bookmarking now allows gamers to pause a movie at any point, put in a game for gameplay and return to the movie at the exact point it left off.
* Improved DVD movie playback for a smoother, higher quality viewing experience, including additional VGA support.

Thanks for the update and links Mok, I have been looking forward to this update since last week.

I downloaded the new dashboard very quickly at 430 am Chicago time. It helps when you're an insomniac.

I just downloaded the new dashboard as well. Too bad I have to go into work now.

The only reason I got up so early this morning was to download the update. I'd go back to bed but I'm having fun messing around with everything. The marketplace content sure seems to be downloading much much faster which alone kicks all kinds of ass. It was well worth the agonizing wait.

* "Download manager" - Marketplace items now download in the background, queue up to six pieces of content
* DVD bookmark support will remember the film's timing and location when resuming viewing
* Fast-forward and rewind now offered at 2x -16x for any videos saved to hard drive
* "Boot to Dashboard" setting will bypass the loading of any disc in the drive and open directly to Dashboard during power-on
* Begin slideshows from any photo
* Music player saves "shuffle" setting
* Much player save "repeat" setting
* Music player now displays which file is currently playing in the playlist
* Music volume level persists between game / reboots
* 8 new locales added (, , , , , , Czech Republic and )
* Separate settings now offered for Game and User volume controls
* Themes can now be set from the "System" blade on the Dashboard
* User-selected music continues play when switching from Dashboard to game or game to Dashboard
* "All Arcade Games" added as a selection in the Xbox Live Arcade area
* Personal gamer pictures allowed as Gamertiles - displayed only to those on your Friends List
* Added support to disable sound effects when navigating Dashboard
* Instantaneous "Change Theme" option added upon downloading new Dashboard themes
* Preserve folder structure of source when viewing photos
* A / B labels now provided to identify memory units in Dashboard
* Online status set to "Away" when screensaver becomes active





SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS.



DVD Player



* Improved audio/video sync after extended pauses
* Improved visual quality
* DVD player outputs at native resolution over VGA connection
* Improved playback smoothness
* Improved fast-forward and rewind smoothness
* DVD play continues to attempt to read a disc after "disc read" error
* DVD play à Pause à Play jitter / out of synch issues improved
* DVD play à Slow Play à Play jitter / out of synch issues improved
* Repaired issues with missing menu selection icon from DVD disc menu for certain films
* Improved Xbox 360 Guide efficiency during certain films
* Repaired playback stutter during certain films



Music Player



* Player now populates music data (Title, Artist, etc.) when no track information is available
* User music is now pauses, instead of stopping, when games override user-selected background music
* Selecting an artist's <UNTITLED> album no longer displays <UNTITLED> albums for all artists
* Improved performance when retrieving playlists from a Windows Media connection
* List music tracks in track-order when viewing albums by specific artist
* Unified music controls for music player in Dashboard and pop-up Guide
* Improved playback for Mono AAC-encoded files
* Improved connection timing between console and CD database over Internet
* Player no longer allows hard-drive selection when no hard-drive is connected
* Removed handling of MTP/USB devices when playing music from them more robust
* Improved error codes / messaging associated with unplayable content



Localization Improvements



* Fixed partially truncated strings in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian
* Korean clock / date format corrected after initial set-up
* Fixed system hang when changing the language of the console immediately after signing out
* Korean virtual keyboard "down" navigation now works for lower-right button
* Korean virtual keyboard caps disabled for input mode
* Fixed overlapping characters for pre-paid Gold membership card (Japanese localization)
* Removed extra spaces in several translated words (French localization)
* PC name displayed properly when containing Japanese characters
* Support single apostrophe character for Japanese virtual keyboard



Memory Area Improvements



* Streamlined selection - no profile selection required
* Improved overall performance, allowing quicker access to content
* Improved content views including name, file type, size, profile o

AWESOME!!!

Anyone confirm upconverting playing DVDs through component cables? I heard people reporting of upconverting of DVDs through VGA...

Installed, it went super freakin fast. Its a lot cleaner, but i wish they put up a single player demo of sf2 or something just to tie people over, DAMN!!

So what is the difference now between VGA and Component output for DVD playback? I'm currently using my 20" LCD monitor with the VGA cable but in a few weeks I will be hooking it back up to my 65" RPTV via component cables. My tv is only 1080i not 720p.

AFAIK, the 360 doesn't upconvert. That was a rumor prior to release.

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread...448394&page=10

Look at post #139.... I think it's VGA only :/

My DVD playback was not upconverted.

I'm using a VGA cable with my 360 and dvd playback is definitely upconverting now after the update. This is badass.

That blows. My TV has only one VGA port and I use that with my HTPC

DVI??

Wow, the colors seem much more vivid than before with my VGA connection. Much of the graphics previously looked washed out with VGA opposed to component, but now it's identical.

Hell, I think I like this better than the new downloading features.

I could but I have 1:1 pixel mapping on my TV and HTPC and I couldn't achieve that with DVI.

I don't need the dvd player to upconvert via component, but I do like that they upgraded some of the dvd features as my standalone player died recently. I don't want to buy another dvd player until the hd dvd vs blue ray war comes out with a winner.