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This Week in HD DVD: deadly catch edition [update]
Update: Well we'll be darned. Both Elizabeth and Naked Beneath the Water also release this week to HD DVD. Oops on our behalf and yay for those who wanted HD DVD choices.With Toshiba's Super Bowl commercial ending up being a not so entertaining waste of millions of dollars, we figured we had new HD DVDs to look forward to this week. Then we noticed that by saying new HD DVDs (plural) we are sort of bending the truth. You see, there are multiple HD DVDs releasing this week, it's just that they come packed together in one box. Deadliest Catch: Season 3 is the only new release this week, but it does come packed full of multiple HD DVD goodness and the show isn't all that bad either. It's actually mildly entertaining. So, Deadliest Catch is your only HD DVD choice this week, but you have other life choices to make anyway. Choices like, "what will you eat for supper tonight?" and "how much bleach is really necessary to make your whites white?" HD DVD Movie Releases: February 5th Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Elizabeth: The Golden Age Naked Beneath the Water
Xbox 360 HD DVD playback: Maximum 1080i via component, 1080p VGA-only
We still don't know the US price or launch date, but we've got a bit more specifics on how the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add-on will work when it hits store shelves later this year thanks to a post by Microsoft insider Amir M. on AVS Forum. When Microsoft revealed yesterday it will support 1080p HD DVD and 1080p DVD upconversion we were surprised because it's commonly accepted that the CSS (DVD) and AACS (HD DVD & Blu-ray) copyright provisions wouldn't allow that (although some manufacturers have looked the other way before) via unprotected analog connections. We were right, sort of. Even after the software upgrade this fall, via component cables, the Xbox 360 will still only upconvert DVDs to 480p, and will play HD DVD movies at a maximum resolution of 1080i. To get 1080p output for movies, you must use a VGA cable, which is not subject to the same copyright restrictions. This just means the Xbox 360 is just like every other HD DVD and Blu-ray player on the market, but you wouldn't know that by reading Microsoft's press releases yesterday. If you ran out and bought a 1080p HDTV yesterday don't return it just yet, you should be able to get equal picture quality to 1080p if your TV processes the incoming signal correctly, and if it supports 1080p via component you can still play upconverted and native-1080p games . We're still waiting to hear exactly how HD DVD's advanced audio capabilities will be handled by the 360 and oh yeah...a US price, please Microsoft?.Update: Added list of supported resolutions after the break.
