HD-DVD drive alternative?

[trung1977]

I'm looking for an alternative to the Xbox HD DVD drive. Will the following combination work? I was intending to buy a laptop HD-DVD drive and putting it into a slim drive enclosure. What do you guys think?

Enclosure:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-2-0-Sli...VWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Toshiba slim HD-DVD drive

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Toshiba-TS-...VWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[montypythizzle]

It should work for computers, I slightly doubt it will work with the 360.

 

[trung1977]

Yeah, I was planning on using it for the PC only.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

 

[trung1977]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

True true, but the xbox drive is big and bulky and is white which doesn't match my HTPC system. I may just hold out until the hybrid bluray/hd-dvd internal drives for the pc comes out. I'm just itching to watch Transformers in HD.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: trung1977

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

True true, but the xbox drive is big and bulky and is white which doesn't match my HTPC system. I may just hold out until the hybrid bluray/hd-dvd internal drives for the pc comes out. I'm just itching to watch Transformers in HD.

LG already has one out, but it's super expensive ($1,000 at most places). That plus AnyDVD HD should make for the ultimate HD player. If only we could get CableCards for PCs...

 

[Kaido]

Also HP started selling computers with combo drives in them for $250 extra. I wonder if it would be possible to order those separately

Edit: Talked to an online rep, the part is not available for purchase online but perhaps if we call...the part number is GM399AV (Bluray/HD-DVD reader plus DVD burner with LightScribe)

Also, I just spec'd out an entire media center computer from HP WITH the combo drive for the same price as the LG combo drive ($800+). Haha...

 

[montypythizzle]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: trung1977

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

True true, but the xbox drive is big and bulky and is white which doesn't match my HTPC system. I may just hold out until the hybrid bluray/hd-dvd internal drives for the pc comes out. I'm just itching to watch Transformers in HD.

LG already has one out, but it's super expensive ($1,000 at most places). That plus AnyDVD HD should make for the ultimate HD player. If only we could get CableCards for PCs...

They have been out for about a year, AMD/ATi sells them.
Hell, Anandtech did a review of it....

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: montypythizzle

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: trung1977

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

True true, but the xbox drive is big and bulky and is white which doesn't match my HTPC system. I may just hold out until the hybrid bluray/hd-dvd internal drives for the pc comes out. I'm just itching to watch Transformers in HD.

LG already has one out, but it's super expensive ($1,000 at most places). That plus AnyDVD HD should make for the ultimate HD player. If only we could get CableCards for PCs...

They have been out for about a year, AMD/ATi sells them.
Hell, Anandtech did a review of it....

afaik you cannot buy that separately from a computer (like Dell or Alienware). also, I want an internal option, not a big external box.

 

[Kaido]

Well I tried working my way through HP & Intec, but it boils down to them needed your serial number for the HP computer. They won't sell you the part without a serial number. The rest of the departments say that it's not available for order. At any rate, you can build a very nice Vista Media Center computer for the same price as the LG drive AND get a combo drive in it, so that's a pretty dang nice deal

 

[trung1977]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Well I tried working my way through HP & Intec, but it boils down to them needed your serial number for the HP computer. They won't sell you the part without a serial number. The rest of the departments say that it's not available for order. At any rate, you can build a very nice Vista Media Center computer for the same price as the LG drive AND get a combo drive in it, so that's a pretty dang nice deal

Sweet idea. i don't suppose you can stroll down to Best Buy and grab the serial number of the a display model with the drive and use that to order one, although that would be wrong. Well I'm gonna hold out. Reminds me when DVD-ROM came out and now they are only selling for $20.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: trung1977

Originally posted by: Kaido
Well I tried working my way through HP & Intec, but it boils down to them needed your serial number for the HP computer. They won't sell you the part without a serial number. The rest of the departments say that it's not available for order. At any rate, you can build a very nice Vista Media Center computer for the same price as the LG drive AND get a combo drive in it, so that's a pretty dang nice deal

Sweet idea. i don't suppose you can stroll down to Best Buy and grab the serial number of the a display model with the drive and use that to order one, although that would be wrong. Well I'm gonna hold out. Reminds me when DVD-ROM came out and now they are only selling for $20.

I've been poking around and it looks like LG is coming out with a cheaper combo drive that will retail for under $500, possibly out this month. Rumor is it that the reader model may be as low as $299.

 

[montypythizzle]

Ask someone for their HP serial number, not that hard.

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: montypythizzle

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: trung1977

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: DonVito
Why spend more than the cost of the 360 drive on this?

Yeah, you do realize that you can use the xbox360 HD-DVD drive on your PC right?

edit: it is also eligible for the 5 free movies.

True true, but the xbox drive is big and bulky and is white which doesn't match my HTPC system. I may just hold out until the hybrid bluray/hd-dvd internal drives for the pc comes out. I'm just itching to watch Transformers in HD.

LG already has one out, but it's super expensive ($1,000 at most places). That plus AnyDVD HD should make for the ultimate HD player. If only we could get CableCards for PCs...

They have been out for about a year, AMD/ATi sells them.
Hell, Anandtech did a review of it....

Does this actually exist? I haven't been able to configure a Dell with one of these. And I thought they recalled them/stopped producing them because of some bug in the Cablecard or something.

I don't mind buying a pre-built system -- not that I want to, mind you -- as long as it came in, like, an Ahanix case or something that works in a media rack.