Q:> I want to buy a 360, Whats the deal with all these different versions?
A:> There are currently 4 different versions of the Xbox 360 console,
Core – This comes bare bones, standard scart cable, USB controller and no storage device
Premium – This has a switchable Scart/HD Component lead with optical out, 20 HDD, Silver bezel on the dvd drive and a wireless controller.
Elite – This has a black case, HDMI port and cable, black wireless controllers and a 120gb hard drive.
Arcade – This will be the replacement for the core console. This will have a HDMI port, no cable.
Wireless controller and 256mb memory card. This will also come with 5 Live arcade games on DVD.
Q:> Whats the deal with Xbox live?
A:> There are two models for XBL. Silver and Gold. The silver membership is free, and allows you to chat with your friends, get access to the arcade, downloads and uploads to leaderboards etc. The gold is a subscription based service allowing you to play against each other.
You can get XBL Gold month by month, Quarterly or every 12months.
If you buy the subscription to xbox live, not using a pre-paid card they will continue to take money from your account, until you cancel. you cannot cancel on the website, you need to ring this number: 0800 587 1102
Q:> Is it true you its kids screaming in your ears and geeks being gay?
A:> Depends on the games you play, Games like Gears of War have occasionally got small children screaming at you and each other and whinging when they get shot, many driving games have Asians jabbering at each other, and GTA style games have wannabe gangsters "BRAP"
Q:> Is there any way of filtering it? I dont want gayness and screaming kids in my living room really. Can you turn it off so you only get the game sounds when you play online?
A:> Yes you can, you can also block individuals so you can't hear them.
Q:>Is it the DVD thats noisy or the fans? Can you swap stuff out?
A:> The DVD drive tends to make the most noise, especially at full tilt. Some drives are noisy, some aren't. Benq drives are currently the quietest.
Q:> Will it just plug straight into my tft or will I need a cable?
A:>Microsoft sell a VGA cable for the 360, which comes with a gender changer and an adapter to convert the RCA leads to a standard 3.5mm jack.
Q:> Does the Xbox 360 Upscale DVD's?
A:> Yes, but only through the VGA/HDMI cable.
VGA:
* HD DVD - 1080p resolution and all others
* DVD - Upscaled as high as 1080p resolution and all others
* Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p, also supports native-1080p games in the future
Component:
* HD DVD - 1080i resolution maximum, limited by AACS
* DVD - Upscaled to 480p maximum, limited by CSS
* Games - 720p games upscaled to 1080p, also supports native-1080p games in the future
thats interesting about up scaling dvds.. never knew that.. but then i dont watch dvds though it anyway
you might want to add:
if you buy the subscription to xbox live, they will continue to take money from your account, until you cancel. you cannot cancel on the website, you need to ring this number: 0800 587 1102
I ended up over my overdraft limit because I didnt realise theyd take money off me :(
I didnt know that,
I got my live 12month sub by a pre-paid card so hopefully that doesnt apply.
& you have to give them 28days notice. So you cant cancel today if your bill is due tomorrow.
Just on the upscaling
I have the elite, hdmi to lcd tv and I also have the hdplayer
The xbox does not realluy upscale, things look a bit richer in colour but it does nothing more then that when you look at them
Whack it in the hddvd drive though and while some movies do hardly anything (lord of the rings didnt) others looked soo much better, band of brothers for example looked brilliant
I sat there with my mum switching the band of brothers from hddvd to xbox and you could definalty see it looking better on hd drive without question
Quote from: neXusJust on the upscaling
I have the elite, hdmi to lcd tv and I also have the hdplayer
The xbox does not realluy upscale, things look a bit richer in colour but it does nothing more then that when you look at them
Whack it in the hddvd drive though and while some movies do hardly anything (lord of the rings didnt) others looked soo much better, band of brothers for example looked brilliant
I sat there with my mum switching the band of brothers from hddvd to xbox and you could definalty see it looking better on hd drive without question
Id imagine the XBOX is more software upscalling. You can get software upscalers for the puter. I think WMP codecs may have them included, but its no subsitute for a dedicated chip