X-Box One as a BD Player/Media Device Thread

[gadgtfreek]

It'll be hard for me not to buy a Xbone if they send me an email the day before launch like I got for the Amazon. I am trying to resist...

Its a win win. If I dont like the Xbone as my Blu player/Media Streamer I can send back or sell. If I do like it, I can sell my Oppo for what I spent on the Xbone.

 

[teachsac]

I would love for this to be my one stop entertainment system, especially once 3D support is enabled.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ill be looking forward to your comments. Do you have DVE or Spears and Munsil to perform some video and color space tests to make sure the player does things OK?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ha, got the email. Xbones will have another batch for preorder soon. I figured theyd be offering something just like the PS4 last week. Oh the dilemma...

 

[Ilya]

I've got that email too, but it's not clear whether it will be a Day One edition or a Standard edition some time later.

 

[gadgtfreek]

When I got to the link its on the day one edition. I still think it will be, its exactly what they just did with the PS4. I could have had it within a day if I had taken the Kindle deal. We will see tomorrow at 7am my time. Ill be taking a peak from work...

 

[gadgtfreek]

Man what a PITA, but I made it.

Items Ordered Price
1 of: Xbox One Console - Day One Edition [Video Game]
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC
$499.96
Amazon Prime: One-Day Shipping

Not Yet Shipped: 1 item - delivery estimate: November 22, 2013


Also got the 12 month Live Card.

 

[Ilya]

I tried a few times after 8 AM, but haven't been able to place the order.
When I click on the link in the email I get the page with the Order button, but then when I click Order I get an empty shopping cart.
Either I was too late, or perhaps because I already had a Standard Edition ordered it wouldn't let me place another order.
No big deal, I will wait till Tuesday when my Standard Edition is expected to show up.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Man, it went from out of stock, to in stock, to out. Then they were trying to force me to buy the card, then warranty. I finally got it in my cart and just one-clicked it a few times, and it finally went thru. They must be getting slammed. The PS3 one was nothing like that.

 

[teachsac]

LOL. I can't wait. Hopefully it won't be too long (on either platform) before 3D support is added. I really would love for this to be my one box for entertainment. I haven't had a gaming system in my home since the original Atari. Go Pong. Yes, there's an app for that

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

LOL. I doubt Ill do much gaming, but both systems proved they brought it with streaming services. M$ really puts emphasis on this which I like, seems more so than the PS4 this go around. Now adding Blu-ray it makes things interesting.

I also think having to buy the live membership for a lot of this stuff means they have more incentive to keep the service competitive. I just with they'd start letting you download full blu-ray size files with lossless audio to the HDD as a rental. Id be done with discs. Even allowing a download of Vudu files or Amazon 1080p/24 movie files would be nice. PS3 allowed download of vudu HDX files, but so far the PS4 does not. These boxes have tons of power, just remember that many of us dont have very fast connections.

 

[teachsac]

With your past, you probably wouldn't be able to connect with Amazon anyways

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ha! Thats only Panasonic for some reason. Roku, Roku stick, plug right along.

Ill be connecting the Xbone via ethernet.

 

[king3pj]

LOL. I doubt Ill do much gaming, but both systems proved they brought it with streaming services. M$ really puts emphasis on this which I like, seems more so than the PS4 this go around. Now adding Blu-ray it makes things interesting.

I also think having to buy the live membership for a lot of this stuff means they have more incentive to keep the service competitive. I just with they'd start letting you download full blu-ray size files with lossless audio to the HDD as a rental. Id be done with discs. Even allowing a download of Vudu files or Amazon 1080p/24 movie files would be nice. PS3 allowed download of vudu HDX files, but so far the PS4 does not. These boxes have tons of power, just remember that many of us dont have very fast connections.

To be fair, the PS4 isn't bad for streaming services either. It has all the major services like Netflix, Crackle, Hulu Plus, VUDU, Amazon Instant Video and Redbox Instant and more. I'm sure it will offer all the services the PS3 did which is quite a few. Services like MLB.tv will be added once the season starts.

Basically the edge Microsoft has in the video department comes from TV integration, DLNA which will hopefully be fixed on PS4 soon, HBO Go, and ESPN. Both consoles will handle the average home streaming user's Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Xbox One has the edge in streaming services but the PS4 is no slouch either.

Edit: my biggest complaint with both of these consoles is the lack of 3D bluray support. Neither one can replace the PS3 as my main Blu-ray player until that is patched in.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Understood, but over the course of the last few years, it seems M$ really wants into that, where as the PS4 seems to be more of a "game" system. All that could change though.

One thing the PS3 does that I do not like, I maybe the Xbone won't is treat certain apps like a game, and send them out as RGB. The Vudu app on the PS3 for example outputs 444 RGB, even when the PS3 is set to YCBCR 444. I'll know soon enough, I plan on hooking it up Friday evening and will run some spears and munsil tests on it. Ill also use the AVR to determine what kinda color space and bit depth its sending out on certain stuff.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if this has a decoding chip in it for DVD and BR? IIRC, the PS3 decoding was software based, just wondering if its been said what M$'s process is? I know I havent seen anything like a mediatek chip on board, but I guess if its like a HTPC, then the GPU/video card would do it.

 

[king3pj]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if this has a decoding chip in it for DVD and BR? IIRC, the PS3 decoding was software based, just wondering if its been said what M$'s process is? I know I havent seen anything like a mediatek chip on board, but I guess if its like a HTPC, then the GPU/video card would do it.

I haven't actually seen anything one way or the other but I assume that if the PS3 was powerful enough to do it in software the PS4/Xbox One will do it the same way. Why put in a piece of hardware just for Blu-ray if the GPU/CPU already there for games can do it. These companies try to save as much in manufacturing as possible. I don't see them throwing in a decoding chip if they don't have to.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Thats what Im figuring. I mean its basically a HTPC.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Shipped tonight, should have tomorrow.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Xbox One Adds New DTS Surround Decoder

Calabasas, Calif. — Microsoft’s Xbox One game console will incorporate DTS’s new DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 decoder when it goes on sale Friday.

With the technology, the console will be able to decode 7.1-channel soundtracks streamed over the Internet in the DTS-HD format.

The new DTS decoder not only supports streamed and downloaded video incorporating DTS-HD soundtracks, but it also decodes any DTS audio format on optical discs, including DTS-HD Master Audio, the company said.

http://www.twice.com/articletype/news/xbox-one-adds-new-dts-surround-decoder/109182