Yes, and my wife can tell the difference. 'Nuff said.

Seriously, I have my Xbox360 w/HD-DVD drive connected to a 65" Sony CRT tv. I also have an upconverting DVD player connected with HDMI-DVI cable to the same tv, different input. I was (and am) able to directly compare both systems on the same tv with the push of a button. The difference is night and day. I consider myself somewhat of a video/audiophile, so I notice the difference between the littlest things. I used King Kong as my test disc. I started both discs at nearly the same time so I could switch back and forth and view nearly the same frames. My wife thought I was a dork, but she did admit that she could see the difference. Aside from the minor issues that have been posted here, I think this add on unit will hold me over until the format war is over and I can take advantage of a stand alone HD player.

Oh... I thought the original question was whether a regular DVD upconverted through the HD-DVD player looked worse than through a standalone upconverting DVD player (I'm still waiting to hear if the upconversion through the HD-DVD add-on is worse than the upconversion through the 360 itself). But of course the HD-DVDs will look better than upconverted regular DVDs, unless your TV is very small or is non-HD.

There is rumor that the next update will have better sound support in conversion of the HD tracks....I read it over at CheapAssGamer.com

I appreciate your response. I am in the same position as you, but I have no taken the plunge yet on the add-on because I have been satisfied so far with my upconvert via HDMI. That is what I needed to know. Thanks!

I'm about to take on that Amazon deal.

What do you guys think are your 3 must have HD-DVD's right now? ? ?

I own:

Training Day

Goodfellas

Lethal Weapon

12 Monkeys

King Kong (free)

and all those are really good.

I love the 360 add-on. It looks great over component on my 42" plasma.

Just rented Training Day from blockbuster.com

Video and audio is awesome. DD+ is way better than DD. DD on the xbox hd dvd player is not dynamic. In DD+ you can hear the cars on the overpass and characters mumble in the background. I wonder how good analog audio is if it's this good on optical. I'll probably return the HD DVD player just for this reason.

Oh yeah, $20 of $50 from buy.com is probably the best deal right now.

Don't return that player just yet. I believe there is a patch in the works to correct the audio issues.

WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GETTING THESE GOD DAMNED PLAYERS?
i work at best buy and we haven't gotten any in three weeks!

I got my player at Circuit City in Chicago (North Ave) a few days ago using the $40 off $199 coupon. They had a ton of them.

I do have to say it is well worth the money. Comparing it to the quality of my upconverting Panasonic DVD-S77 on my Panasonic 50" 500U plasma is like someone asking if I'd prefer prime rib or a McDonald's cheeseburger. And this is only based on watching scenes from King Kong (no way am I sitting through that crap-fest again).

I am once again blown away by the Xbox 360. It really has proven itself to be an entertainment hub for me. I just love being able to download demos and games, play games in HD, watch HD movies, steam MP3s from my network, etc all from one machine.

If you have a HD TV and don't have the HD-DVD drive you are nuts.
Jamie

I've seen them on Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Circuit City.

i went in today to pick up the dane cook dvd, and i went in the media warehouse to see if we had any HD DVD players.

sure enough.
one.
and it's sitting in my living room.
now, besides king kong, whats are best discs?

Batman Begins is the best, right now.

Just got my HD-DVD add on tonight, and bought V For Vendetta. Great movie, and it looked and sounded great. Next up are Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Just bought one tonight with the $40 coupon at Circuit City. They have five more, and Best Buy had plenty of them as of last night. I've never watched in HD before, so I'm about to load up King Kong.
I agree Jamieson22, the 360 has captivated me, and I've only had it since Black Friday. I just got back on Xbox Live last night, so I should be playing lots of Gears of War this weekend.

is that $40 coupon still good ?

and where do i get it?

Totally agree. Amazing film and excellent HD-DVD both in terms of PQ and extras.

The $40 coupon expired on the 30th.

There is a NEW legit one out there. I think they come from changing your address at the post office. Check out CheapAssGamer.com

is it just me, or is king kong a total barebones disc?

It's just you....

press MENU

Kong sucks. All the extras are in ucontrol.

Picked one up at BB using the 12% off Rewards Zone coupon, so it was $189 out the door. I don't think the coupon covers the HD-DVD drive, but you might luck out and get a manager with an "Eh, whatever" attitude (aka a "winning attitude").

Funny thing is: I don't even have an XBox 360 -- yet. Ordered the GoW bundle from Costco on 11/24. Was scheduled for UPS delivery today, but when I tracked the delivery last night, it got rescheduled for delivery on 12/4. Ugh.

I normally love Brown. But not today.

BTW, if you are looking for one in Canada, you can get the HD-DVD add on (with the Kong movie and the remote), plus a free King Kong 360 game for $199, and there is a $15 off $150 coupon as well. The coupon ends tomorrow, but they are having a F&F sale on the 3rd and 4th with 10% off of 360 accessories, so the net is the same. I am not sure if the King Kong game is still part of the deal, but it has been for the last two weeks.

Sorry, should have said that this was at Future Shop. Can't edit my posts from work.