$275 BD-ROM / $229 HDDVD-ROM

w1retap

w1retap

[H]F Junkie
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Just letting people in the market for HTPC stuff know about the lowering prices for high def disk drives for the PC. Note these are *internal* devices, but currently the external Xbox 360 HDDVD-ROM drive is the cheapest option. I went with the Toshiba 802A in my HTPC. Works awesome. I can confirm Vidabox is a trusted company to order from.

Pioneer BDC-2202 SATA Interface - $275 @ Performance PC's
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22219

NEC HD DVD-ROM DRIVE (HR-1100A/TOS - IDE Interface) - $229 @ Vidabox
http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_31&products_id=81

Toshiba SD-H802A HD DVD-ROM Drive (IDE Interface) - $249 @ Vidabox
http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_31&products_id=80
 
This is hot IMO. I am thinking of buying one of the blu-ray units to toss in my HTPC so I can use the burner on the server.


I'm glad to see prices are finally coming down :cool:
 
Worth noting and related: Amazon has the Xbox HD DVD w/ King Kong + pick 2 free movies + 5 free movies mail-in for $180 shipped. Their "pick 2 free" selection is actually pretty good too.
 
The cheapest player is probably the replacement drives for the 360's HD-DVD player. They use a laptop type connector so you need an adapter.
 
BladeVenom said:
The cheapest player is probably the replacement drives for the 360's HD-DVD player. They use a laptop type connector so you need an adapter.
Click to expand...
Some people have received dead ones.. so be cautious when going that route.
 
just buy the HD DVD for the xbox, rip the drive out, use a 2.5" to IDE adapter, install in a computer with an HDCP video card, and use the latest full version of PowerDVD, presto you have a HDDVD player for cheap $$.
 
i think you need to modify the 2.5 adapter... cause the pinout is not the same for the 360 drive...
 
I use an xbox360 drive, just left it as external usb, works great on my computer.

I hope hd-dvd wins... (only because it cost less).

Now I need a 1920 LCD, 1680 no longer cuts the mustard. :eek::mad::(:rolleyes:
 
vxspiritxv said:
I use an xbox360 drive, just left it as external usb, works great on my computer.

I hope hd-dvd wins... (only because it cost less).

Now I need a 1920 LCD, 1680 no longer cuts the mustard. :eek::mad::(:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Hehe slippery slope my friend. After you get to 1920, you'll need a bigger screen. Then bigger speakers. And what the hell, an even bigger screen :)
 
xX_Jack_Carver_Xx said:
just buy the HD DVD for the xbox, rip the drive out, use a 2.5" to IDE adapter, install in a computer with an HDCP video card, and use the latest full version of PowerDVD, presto you have a HDDVD player for cheap $$.
Click to expand...

Yeah but it looks like crap without the bezel and it's very ghetto-rigged.

Gravey said:
i think you need to modify the 2.5 adapter... cause the pinout is not the same for the 360 drive...
Click to expand...

Depends which adapters. It's a pretty standard drive. I really hate Microsoft for going that route, having a IDE or SATA device would have been much nicer.

vxspiritxv said:
I hope hd-dvd wins... (only because it cost less).
Click to expand...

The same can't be said about the media, I have found countless of times HD-DVD media costing more than bluray on new releases.

Anyways,lets not start something here (HD-DVD and Bluray fires are hard to put out here).
 
I'm waiting to score a combo drive at that price. My HTPC case only has one 5.25" drive bay, so I would either have to go external with one of the drives (i.e. the xbox drive) or get a combo drive.
 
I beleive there is suppose to be a BenQ internal BlyRay drive out this month. That will retail under 200 bux.

Well as always technology is moving faster then you can keep track ok. I just found this link for a duel format internal drive that is suppose to be in the mid 300 range. But right now only out in Japan.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23697
 
Arialis said:
I beleive there is suppose to be a BenQ internal BlyRay drive out this month. That will retail under 200 bux.

Well as always technology is moving faster then you can keep track ok. I just found this link for a duel format internal drive that is suppose to be in the mid 300 range. But right now only out in Japan.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23697
Click to expand...

Maybe it's just me, but I have absolutely no interest in a drive that can't burn disks (and i don't have much interest in that until media prices come way down). Though I might change my mind if I built a media server and decided if I was actually going to stay where I'm at (and thus buy a TV) or move back to Texas (and buy a TV ;) )

Ockie said:
The same can't be said about the media, I have found countless of times HD-DVD media costing more than bluray on new releases.

Anyways,lets not start something here (HD-DVD and Bluray fires are hard to put out here).
Click to expand...

Don't think it will matter (prices). By the time most people are ready to jump onto the bandwagon (which is still more than a year away) they'll both be fairly cheap.

I'd probably pull for BD, simply because they have higher capacity (though apparently there's now a 3 layer HD-DVD) and better picture (though I suspect most will never have good enough equipment to tell the difference).

Nevertheless, I'm sticking with my premise that this will be a battle of DVD+R vs DVD-R and dual format players will win the day.(*)

(*) I thought the same thing about DVD-A and SATA....SATA won in europe and they both lost in the U.S.
 
Anybody know the physical size of these? Trying to see if it will fit in my HTPC.
 
w1retap said:
NEC HD DVD-ROM DRIVE (HR-1100A/TOS - IDE Interface) - $229 @ Vidabox
http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_31&products_id=81

Toshiba SD-H802A HD DVD-ROM Drive (IDE Interface) - $249 @ Vidabox
http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_31&products_id=80
Click to expand...

What's the difference here? :confused: (Besides the price.)

Ockie said:
Yeah but it looks like crap without the bezel and it's very ghetto-rigged.
Click to expand...

This is why you buy cases with doors on the front. ;)

Ockie said:
The same can't be said about the media, I have found countless of times HD-DVD media costing more than bluray on new releases.
Click to expand...

Can you please not start that argument again? We've been over this countless times: the only new releases that cost more on HD DVD than Blu-Ray are the ones that have the SD DVD version thrown in there. And that is a dying breed.

nilepez said:
Maybe it's just me, but I have absolutely no interest in a drive that can't burn disks (and i don't have much interest in that until media prices come way down).
Click to expand...

To each his own I guess - I have absolutely no interest in a drive that can burn discs, as all that does is add to the cost. It's not like I've got a bunch of HD media waiting to be burned to disc, and hard drives are cheaper/more flexible than optical media for mass space.
 
Well if anyone is interested, I am selling my Toshiba HD-DVD Drive with an Antec NSK2400 case for cheap, actually $300. Or buy my entire HTPC for 500 :)
 
Phelptwan said:
Anybody know the physical size of these? Trying to see if it will fit in my HTPC.
Click to expand...

These are the same size as a standard Toshiba DVD drive. Physically, it looks identical.
 
qfour20 said:
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/488988302

$145. And it comes with a p4 2.5ghz chip that runs a custom linux distro, a power supply and case, etc.

In all seriousness, it's not that great as a standalone hd-dvd player, but it works well. But who cares. It's an IDE HD-DVD drive for $145.

-q
Click to expand...

Has anyone bought one of these and ripped it apart? I'm tempted to buy one, like you said just for the drive.
 
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