HD-DVD drive for HTPC?

[d33pblue]

I was wondering if anyone here is using a HD-DVD (or even Blu-Ray) drive in their HTPC to output to a large flat screen TV?

I've got my my HTPC built, ready to handle HD (with an HDCP compatible 8500GT), and all I need now is a drive to put in it. I currently just have a standard DVD ROM.

I know Toshiba has a HD-DVD drive for the PC, but I'm having a hard time finding this drive anywhere and I'm not sure how well it performs. Do any of you have any recommendations for drives (and where to buy them)? I'm looking to pay $300 or less.

 

[venkman]

You can use the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive plugged into a USB port. Those retail for $200 but they are usually on sale for $180 or so. If you have XP you need to download a driver from Windows Update and it works natively in Vista.

 

[Chapbass]

im using the xbox 360 one as well...works great!



I'm actually working on putting together my HTPC as we speak (well, upgrading it). just got an OS install then im done. looks pretty similar to yours (at least, vid card and xbox drive).


c2d 4300, 2gb mem, gigabyte ds3, HDDVD xbox 360, 8500gt


ill let ya know how it looks when i get it up!

 

[d33pblue]

I was hoping for a more graceful solution. I've got this gorgeous Antec Fusion case and to be honest, i think an external drive would be a bit of an eyesore. An internal drive would be strongly preferred.

 

[venkman]

Originally posted by: d33pblue
I was hoping for a more graceful solution. I've got this gorgeous Antec Fusion case and to be honest, i think an external drive would be a bit of an eyesore. An internal drive would be strongly preferred.

This is all I could pull up but it looks like it should squeeze in under your budget.

Toshiba 1

Not exactly world renowned sellers, but they do meet the budget requirements. The other option is to check ebay for System pulls of the Drive that HP includes with some of their Higer End PCs.

 

[Shawn]

I got the xbox360 HD-DVD drive off ebay for $160. That's what I'm using.

 

[Wreckage]

You can get a Blu-ray burner for $489 at ZZF. Burns and plays Blu-ray discs along with DVDs and CDs.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=175509

Pioneer is supposed to have a Blu-ray player \ DVD burner for $300, but I could not find one in stock.

 

[jkresh]

LG/Hp have a drive thats either out or will be out soon that can read/write dvd and blue ray and read hd-dvd (though not with all the menu features). You can also find blue rays drives for around $500 now (as Wreckage pointed out) or get the xbox 360 hd-dvd drive, open it up and install the drive in you machine (I believe it is a pata drive in a case with a pata to usb 2.0 adapter, though I haven't tried opening mine to be sure).

 

[Shawn]

HP has an HD-DVD player for $200 AR that includes PowerDVD Ultra HD-DVD edition.

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