Xbox DVD player

By William Barker

There is a lot of choice when it comes to picking out a DVD player. Do you get a top of the line or a budget-priced player?

But now you can add another alternative to the list: games console makers are getting in on the act with video-game systems-cum-DVD players, and the latest offering is quite the package.

As you may already know, the Playstation 2 gives fairly good DVD playback quality out of the box, and while the Nintendo GameCube doesn't offer any DVD compatibility in its regular guise, the new kid of the block, Microsoft, offers what is aguably the best DVD playback quality of any of the current consoles.

While you will have to fork out a little extra for the remote control to initiate the DVD aspect of the Xbox, we reckon it's more than worth it, such is the quality and features on offer.

For starters, it would be fair to say that the Xbox contains one heck of a nifty DVD laser. The image quality is up there with even some of the more expensive standalone DVD players. We used the S-Video connections (which look a bit like a PS/2 port on a PC), which slightly improve quality over the standard red, white and yellow A/V cables.

The picture quality is sharp, with good definition, and the Xbox offers some very fine navigation tools to boot. The fast-forward and reverse aspects work well, offering speeds of 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x and 32x, meaning navigation is a relatively hassle-free experience. Moreover, the fast-forward and reverse aspects offer smooth cycling, even at higher speeds, so you won't witness the jumpy staccato motion that accompanies cheaper DVD machines.

Other features include an effective zoom function which, when zoomed in to higher levels, also allows movie buffs to use the arrow buttons on the remote to move around the picture. A nice touch.

The zoom function and others, such as languages, viewing angles, audio tracks, video/audio options and looping playback, are accessed not from the remote control, but via a graphical overlay, or GUI for the acronymically inclined.

When watching the Ally McBeal series, the visual acuity was most impressive and, yes, better than the Playstation 2. At first glance the DVD player seems above average, but we were quite surprised at how clear the finer details were when watching familiar DVDs we've seen on other players.

The Xbox DVD-player supports PAL and NTSC Zone 4 DVDs, DTS output, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, but won't playback CD-Rs and the like. On the other hand, it will play a host of groovy Xbox games, which you can check out on GameBlitz.com, Web Wombat's video-gaming alter-ego.

For those who take their audio-visual experiences seriously, S-Video and RGB cables can be purchased separately for even better picture and sound quality.

So, there you have it - impressed we were. The Xbox DVD player is a no-fuss, easy to set up, easy to operate entertainment package that will suit newcomers to the DVD scene. Advanced users may crave more, but the image quality alone is worth the price of admission.

The Xbox was, first and foremost, created to take on the Sony Playstation juggernaut, and it's already proven itself here, with innovative and trend-setting games. But as far the DVD capabilities go, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this $350 machine is just a very-well priced DVD player. As far as bang-for-your-buck goes, you won't find better than this.

Microsoft Australia