My roomate just moved out with his DVD player, and considering that my PS2 is totally random regarding which DVD’s it plays (seems to be a fairly common problem), I need a new player. Is the Xbox’s DVD kit pretty reliable, as in it plays most DVD’s that you try with it? Considering my TV doesn’t have component inputs, picture quality isn’t a huge deal right now. Just has to hold me off for six months till I get a projector and use the PC as a DVD player. Thanks.
I’ve never had a problem with anything on mine.
I got the DVD kit precisely because my PS2 was getting wonky. So far, it works great. Plays all the DVDs my PS2 wouldn’t, and I’d swear I’ve got better picture quality than I used to. Plus, the remote is so much easier to use than the PS2 controller for navigating DVD menus.
What Miller said. My kid saved his money and got the whole setup, and its nicer than mine.
I rarely post but this has been a thorn in my side since getting my X-Box. My experience has been that the X-Box is not a quality DVD player. It is the first DVD player I’ve ever owned but I find it hard to believe that so many of my movies will stutter or stop, especially on their first plays carefully pulled from their packaging. But like I wrote, it’s my first player so I’m not sure if this is common to most DVD players.
-Lonelocust
I’ve never had a problem with my PS2 personally (a launch unit), but I understand the X-Box has superior DVD capabilities over the PS2.
It is not common with brand new DVDs. It is common with rentals. However, it is possible you are having a problem that we did with our X-Box. We routed the X-Box through the VCR. We got a lot of stuttering and even garbage on the screen. When we bought an X-Box RF adapter and used that to connect to the TV, it worked fine.
That applies to virtually all DVD players. Do not route it through a a VCR or other device (sound system should be ok, as that’s whatI’m doing.)
I’m kind of on the fence with this one. I own an XBOX, but not the DVD kit. My buddy has one with the DVD kit, and I’ve used his. I noticed slowdown during some sequences of my Metallica “Cunning Stunts” DVD, and a brand-new, fresh from the package copy of Transformers: The Movie stuttered like Porky Pig before finally crashing the XBOX during the credits sequence.
That said, it played Alice in Chains Unplugged and Chasing Amy flawlessly.
Good luck in making your decision. As always, YMMV.
Been using my Xbox for DVDs for several months, not a single problem. Works better than some of my friends DVD players. And brianjedi, don’t have “Cunning Stunts” but mine plays “Live Shit: Binge and Purge” perfectly…not that that relates at all, or anything
That isn’t a DVD player problem…it’s a disc copy protection system, I think. It’s called Macrovision, and what it does (iirc) is that the signal from the disc is modified in such a way as to make it unable to get through the filters on your VCR. I have friends who got around this by buying a “picture enhancer” that goes between the DVD player and the VCR, boosting the signal so that it can get through.