Even though it’s only a $20 price decrease, Microsoft’s recent reduction to $179 for the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Add-On was enough to push me into finally buying a HD media format in the next generation video disc wars.
I chose the add-on over a standalone unit based on price alone, really. We’re still too early in the format wars for a clear winner to be proclaimed, despite the ever-growing edge that Sony’s Blu-ray has. All the same, I figured I’d go for the cheapest entry and bide my time until the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray combo units from companies such as LG come down to reasonable price levels sometime in the next year or two.
Overall, I’m happy with the unit, having watched the HD-DVD versions of Batman Begins and 300 on my reasonably cheap 32″ LCD HDTV. The video quality is good, running across a VGA connection, though I’d prefer HDMI. However, that will have to wait for an eventual purchase of an Elite 360 should this one perish to the dreaded “red-ring of death”.