Zephyr's HDMI port and new HANA scaler: up close and personal

Alright, so you've had due time to squabble over Microsoft's reasoning for apparently readying an Xbox 360 v2 -- supposedly prepared with a 65-nanometer CPU, 120GB hard drive, and an 1080p-pumpin' HDMI port -- and now XboxScene has dug up photos of what appears to be a prototype board sporting the coveted new HDMI port as well as a new "HANA" scaler. The materials on the PCB certainly seem to match up with what we saw yesterday, and moreover, the direct comparison shot between the current model's (presumably analog only) "ANA" scaler and the forthcoming version's "HANA" model adds a bit more consistency to the whole story. Indeed, if the current machine's scaler can't even output digital 1080p signals, it certainly helps to explain the missing HDMI cable that one would've thought went hand-in-hand with all this HD DVD hoopla Microsoft has got itself into. So be sure and hit the read link for a few more high-res shots, and click on through for the YouTube proof -- oh yes, there's a video.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Febry @ Jan 6th 2007 12:09PM]

But i want my launch 360 to have HDMI......

[Vincent @ Jan 6th 2007 12:34PM]

Yea microsoft basicly screws everyone who bought a 360 from launch till the point they release this "V2".

I think its just a bad rumor and the guy in the video is just some crazy modder who was smart enough to make a HDMI port of his own.

They need to either sell a hdmi port "addon" to their current ones, or the support may go away.

[Totalfixation @ Jan 6th 2007 12:19PM]

Give me a built in HD DVD and im all over it.

[PreGHz @ Jan 6th 2007 12:26PM]

That was an interesting mix of music.

[Coil @ Jan 6th 2007 12:27PM]

You should know better then to trust Microsoft...

[Andrew @ Jan 6th 2007 12:27PM]

so whens the zephyr's release date?

[Lee Stretch @ Jan 6th 2007 12:29PM]

I'll be kikin myself if they release V2 with this and a 120GB hdd for the original launch price! They so should have just done it in the first place, oh well, makes PS3 looks EVEN worse though, which is nice. luvin the penguin bystander!

[Harper @ Jan 6th 2007 12:31PM]

Itis REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O

[Andy @ Jan 6th 2007 12:34PM]

I agree. HDMI is cute. The processor upgrade is definitely a plus... the fan on that thing is too loud.

Slap HD-DVD in there and then you're really talking, though. But hey, if this is a "free" (as in won't-make-the-price-go-up-from-where-it-currently-is) upgrade, then great.

[ex @ Jan 6th 2007 12:45PM]

looks like the box i just bought in Nov will now go in my office and this new one will get hooked up to my living room tv (with 1080p)

[BSW @ Jan 6th 2007 1:08PM]

They get hammered for waiting 5 years between releases, they get hammered for coming out with an improved current-gen so soon (2 years???) after release.

I wonder why they even bother trying to please you children sometimes. Then I remember it's because they want your parents money...

[Arno @ Jan 6th 2007 12:40PM]

Why are they screwing over customers? Hardware revisions are nothing new. Hell, the PS2 went through many that actually took features out.

I've had a 360 since launch, I don't feel screwed over.


Also why does everyone keep calling this v2? It's more like 2.1. Xbox was 1.0 and went through revisions through 1.6, then the 360 was 2.0 and has gone through a few revisions already I'm sure, but this would be either 2.1 or beyond.

[Juxt @ Jan 6th 2007 1:01PM]

@Arno:

What is wrong with you people? Hardware revisions are nothing new? Yeah they've been done, late in a few console's life cycles, but it's certainly not common, and definitely not 1 year in.

Those 1.0 - 1.6 revisions you mentioned for the original Xbox, remind me, what were the major hardware changes they made in those?

The fact is that HDMI and a scaler is a whole new ballgame. For a "next-gen" console that talks about how cutting-edge it is, in a time when HDTV purchases are on the rise, to tell the people that initially bought it that it wasn't necessary and then turn around and add it a year later is a slap in the face.

I will never understand you people who defend these companies when they screw over customers. Unless you work for them or own a significant amount of stock, what do you get out of defending them? What have they done to earn you loyalty against other consumers?

And I bought my XBox360 2 weeks ago, so yeah, I feel screwed over. Guess we'll see what Best Buy's return policy is like.

[Coil @ Jan 6th 2007 12:42PM]

More like the original 360 launch model was the Xbox 1.5 and the new 'revision' is what should be the Xbox 360.

[Eric @ Jan 6th 2007 12:47PM]

Tux seemed to enjoy the demo...

[bradders @ Jan 6th 2007 12:51PM]

I dont care about the HDMI yet. Theres no hdcp on my HDVDs and my component cables will do nicely. I dont care about a bigger HDD as the PS7 will be out before we ever get movie/tv stores here in the UK.
What I do want is for the friggin thing to be much quieter.
That alone would cause me to upgrade.

[Peter @ Jan 6th 2007 12:57PM]

V3 will almost certainly include an HD-DVD drive as well... That is the one I would wait for.

[GunForHire @ Jan 6th 2007 12:58PM]

I'm still calling BS on this, for 2 reasons.

First off, do we really believe that MS would just let this guy (from XboxScene no less) take pictures and video of this if it were real?

And secondly, in that video - yes, the signal appears to be coming out of an HDMI socket. Thing is, he sticks a DVI adapter in there. So unless I've understanding this wrong, he could just be routing the plane old 360 output through the HDMI port, then into the TV through DVI. If that's the case, the port does nothing other than act as a different-shaped connector.

If I'm wrong I'll eat my words.

[sMaCK A h03 @ Jan 6th 2007 2:05PM]

aaaah.. you are right.. i never thought about that thats a good thing though and another thing showing that he might be a hacker is that he has a linux penguin sitting there

[Dave @ Jan 6th 2007 2:20PM]

How would he "route" a proprietary analog signal into a digital HDMI port? Is he some kind of genius with nothing better to do? Why would anyone bother converting an analog signal into a digital signal?

[CaptCaveman @ Jan 6th 2007 3:27PM]

If the person in the video hacked this up. He would get much more notoriety by showing how he did it then to try and push a story that this is going to be the new Xbox model.

Also if he hacked this up he did a hell of a job and went above and beyond with changing the chips, creating shielding for the connectors, the solder job is top notch, and so on.

Nah, what this guy has is the real deal. If or when we will see it is another story.

[Ricardo Chavarria @ Jan 6th 2007 9:24PM]

HDMI is based on DVI. All he is doing is converting from HDMI to DVI, which is backwards compatible. Could be because he doesn't have an HDMI compatible screen/hdtv, but his LCD is DVI.

[Dave @ Jan 6th 2007 1:04PM]

I want an "upgrade" price.

[humpty @ Jan 6th 2007 1:09PM]

Its going to be like this:

Core: no HDD, no HDMI, etc.. $275-299
Premium: 20gb HDD, no HDMI, etc.. $375-399
Zephyr: 120gb HDD, HDMI, etc.. $500+ (prob 550)

Zephyr is the media-centric 360 that they've been discussing. There's no HD-DVD drive because they can make more money off their download service and it would add costs to it.

[Aroon Saini @ Jan 6th 2007 1:13PM]

lol the funny thing is, it's running on a Sony Display :P

[zmanforever @ Jan 6th 2007 1:28PM]

I think anyone who posts prices and is just pulling them out of the air is as dumb as those who really think they need the nasty hddvd. Ewwwwww hollywood drm security is gay.

[micropizzle @ Jan 6th 2007 1:29PM]

All this is great, but I want to know the launch date!

[gaurav @ Jan 6th 2007 1:36PM]

If there already going to release a new version (zephyr), then they really should have built in hd dvd drive, its expected to be the same price as the premium so if it is 400, then i would pay the extra for the hddvd built in, but that would level the system with the ps3 and considering the new additions i think they would be fairly equal now as well, with native hdmi for 1080p, not that i much care my tv doesnt support 1080p, only 720p but i dont want a stupid box sitting next to my 360 looks terrible i think

[Ross @ Jan 6th 2007 1:39PM]

As far as the video goes I say its a mod. Like someone said, there is no way microsoft would let this get into the hands of someone who would show if off to the world.

However, it's just a matter of time timm a revision does appear, just not this early

[Twist @ Jan 6th 2007 1:43PM]

And here I was just about to buy a 360 but now I guess I will wait a while longer just to see if this is really real or not. Don't really care about the HDMI but the smaller, cooler running CPU would be nice. Hopefully it will be quieter and the PSU isn't almost as big as the console itself. I hope it is at the same price point. If they do upgrade the HD then they should start sticking 20 gig HDs in with the Core models.

[overcast @ Jan 6th 2007 1:45PM]

Oh really Ross, that's a pretty impressive mod. Considering they added HDMI AND A NEW SCALER to the hardware. A new scaler and HDMI would require new firmware to take advantage of it as well - even if they were able to somehow pull off adding new chips to the integrated board. Use your brain will you.

[Ross @ Jan 6th 2007 2:45PM]

Who is to say what the hell is coming out of that xbox. its bollocks and of course is modable. yank overweight brain dead tosser who probably has never seen a female in real life.

no way microsoft would let this get out

[Nomi @ Jan 6th 2007 1:47PM]

For those who are forgetting, ps2 went through 14 revision in 6 years. The major one adding the Ethernet port (broadband became big..hmm, HDMI becomes big...) and an infrared port for the ps2 remote. So you could say people who bought launch ps2s got screwed cuz they werent provided functionality that wasnt required at that time...

My point, HDMI wasnt big when x360 came out, being taht 2006 was the year of high def...things changed.

[Jeramy @ Jan 7th 2007 2:37AM]

@nomi

no, dude, not at all. the ps2 revisions were pretty much for convenience's sake. the ps2 could use ir and rj-45 with respective adapters. according to this shit, the current 360's cannot output digitally, making them obsolete, in a way, though not entirely.

personally, i think yeah a lot of people will be pissed off. yeah, i feel sorta smacked, but really i prolly won't be using hdmi until the xbox 420 (college for the next four years = no $). the only blow is the large hdd, which i'll just have to save up for i guess.

i can see this as being the oft-rumored "media-centric 360" from the pre-launch days. which they'll be able to sell for a higher asking price, of course.

now all we need is a hdd in the cores (eventually) with the low asking price to move units, the standard having a bigger hdd (thinking 60 at least. still leaving the zephyr an edge), and, at a different time, a price drop. whichever's first, i don't care. i won't be pissed b/c i know it'll help move units and i got mine a while ago.

[Lonnie McClure @ Jan 6th 2007 1:47PM]

It amazes me that people claim they are getting "screwed over" by Microsoft if a upgraded version of the Xbox 360 is introduced and they don't get something for buying the original version.

If Microsoft dropped the price by $100, would you expect a refund for the 360 you purchased 6 months ago?

I suppose one solution that would satisfy such folks would be for Microsoft to NEVER make any significant upgrades to the machine.

When the manufacturer of your HDTV introduced a new model with better specs and/or more features at the same or similar price, did you expect a free upgrade or discount for buying the older model?

[Thomas @ Jan 6th 2007 1:55PM]

I agree with humpty. It makes more since that this 'Zephyr' is going to be the 'Super-Premium' top-of-the-line, most expensive XBOX 360 version. I'd guess NO built-in HD-DVD for a variety of reasons, and a price around $450-500. The Premium and Core will stand strong (well, maybe not Core) therefore settling all of the anger over this rumored 'free upgrade'.

[byaah @ Jan 6th 2007 1:58PM]

I'm with everyone who thinks its just a mod. Theres no proof that he's actually getting 1080p or that it even has a 120GB HD, and Microsoft would never let this happen.

[Brian @ Jan 6th 2007 2:04PM]

I think the bigger question here is if using HDMI or DVI how would you hook up your surround sound system to this? Are they going to use the old socket and make an adapter to send out fiber optic signals and RCA for those of us using DVI and out to our TV speakers.

[Trukerclaw @ Jan 6th 2007 2:10PM]

Hey! I have a great idea, if you don't like what Microsoft is doing...then don't buy the product. Things change, technology improves and money is to be made. I am sorry you feel like ya got "screwed", so either go invent something bigger and better or deal with change that has been happening since the beginning of the gaming industry.

[Matt W. @ Jan 6th 2007 2:12PM]

I have to agree with Nomi, the PS2 went through dozens of revisions. While some were simply intended to thwart modders, others did add new integrated features that older models lacked. I had an original PS2 and not once did I feel slighted that IR and Ethernet were added to later models. Of course I didn't find those changes to add significant extra value to the console. I feel the same way about HDMI on the 360. While I do have a 1080p set, my 360 is connected to a 1080i TV instead and is unlikely to ever connect to the 1080p set so long as my wife has a say in the matter. Consequently, I have no need for HDMI. Plus, I feel that the 20 GB HD is sufficient for my needs because my 360 is exclusively for gaming and not TV watching. Who really uses the media service anyway when you have to wait hours for a HD download? I'd rather rent or buy a DVD and watch it on my upscaling player. So 360 owners who feel slighted need to step back and determine if it really does matter or not other than some lame bragging rights.

[dev @ Jan 6th 2007 2:13PM]

comeon, the 360 out at the moment is an 05 model,
the hddvd drive gave an 06 update
the 65nm was always gonna happen 07, they said so at launch
an in 07 hdmi is gonna b big, can anyone really say that in 05 hdmi was a concern
if u buy a laptop now you wont complain because it dont support next gen directx, or super high def display, or a terabyte hd, its technology
2 years is a huge amount of time for tech to improve, and i say good work ms, they r responding to what the customer wants, in a way that makes economic sense
if they had delayed xb360 for 2 years to include hdmi, u wuda had their heads on a platter, now they are releaseing a new version you are still complaining
and what is the deal with hdmi, you still are gonna have to route audio separately if you have a discrete sound system, and picture quality will be no different for 99% of users
chill out, and congratulate them for what they have done
dev

[Dave @ Jan 6th 2007 2:57PM]

Why not? It doesn't break compatibility. It doesn't add any improvements to game performance. It will consume less power, provide an ADDITIONAL method to output at 1080p, and MAYBE come bundled with a larger hard drive--a hard drive any current owner could buy anyway.

Anybody who doesn't expect technology to improve with time, let me tell you now that it will. So why don't you keep waiting...and waiting...and waiting... That way, you won't ever be disappointed.

[Spike @ Jan 6th 2007 2:49PM]

To all you idiots saying that this is a mod, get a clue. Look at the closeup PCB pictures. Oh yeah, you have no clue what devices on a fabricated PCB looks like, or a whole new piece of Microsoft silicon represents. Pretty clever mod I must say. Seriously, I don't believe this serious lack of clue here. Wow, modders now magically have the ability to fabricate a WHOLE NEW PCB REVISION, and a new piece of silicon that does the scaling and analog/HDMI|HDCP|TMDS video output.

Very disturbing.......

[steve @ Jan 6th 2007 2:49PM]

now if only they made a 360 with a built in power brick...

[jay @ Jan 6th 2007 2:50PM]

i think some of you need the new add-on the V2 Microsoft tissue box

[Spike @ Jan 6th 2007 2:53PM]

@Ross

I'd like you to name one big thing that Microsoft has been able to keep secret. I bet you cannot do that.

[nivz @ Jan 6th 2007 2:54PM]

To be honest i'm not to bothered with the 360 with HDMI, cuz it looks fine for me on my tv via component. I don't have a £10k TV which will show every possible colour available, so Component, HDMI, all looks more or less the same. Now I would definetely be interested in this one if it had a built in HDDVD drive. Even if the price was higher or equal to a Premium box + External HDDVD drive.. Cuz £400 or somewhere around that amount is worth it, considering it's a descent console, a Media hub and if the HDDVD comes built in, an HDDVD player (obviously)..

HDMI won't be much of a selling point if you already own a console. (unless your dad's name ends with gates or sheik or suttin) But for ppl in between ps3 and 360, i think this would be a big selling point.. Specially with the brilliant online service "Live" ppl r downloading more content than they can hold in a 20gig HDD. If you ask me, I dont give a crap about the HDMI, give me a 120gig HDD? now we are talking...

[Ross @ Jan 6th 2007 2:55PM]

Whats so funny about this is that every twat thinks they are right. It's just opinions. Who gives a shit what anyone else thinks anyway?

[dave @ Jan 6th 2007 3:29PM]

So how do you get the optical audio if you use HDMI?

[Alex @ Jan 6th 2007 3:12PM]

This guy had a tight mix of music. I hate to say it but I'm now and ps3 to 360 convert. This guy is cool