12. Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player

As relative deals on HD-DVD players go right now, the Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD Player is the current king of the hill. Like the HP unit, it uses a USB 2.0 port to connect to another device. By its product name, Microsoft obviously assumes that buyers will hook it up to an Xbox 360, but our own experience shows us that both Windows XP and Vista recognize this device and are happy to allow it to pipe HD-DVD content into a Windows PC as well (as you'd expect from a Microsoft product). And as long as your PC has the ability to hook up to an HDTV at high resolutions (1080i or 1080p) even if that means using analog component video, you won't miss a single high-definition detail (at least, not as long as the movie studios don't enable the ICT flag: for an explanation see our sidebar near the end of this story).

Figure 8: The Xbox 260 HD-DVD player is simple and straightforward, but is missing an HDMI output.

Just how cheap is the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player? Right now, it's available at all major retail outlets for under $200, and you also get a bundled copy of King Kong in HD-DVD format, as well as the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote (which looks and acts a lot like the Philips-made Microsoft Media Center Remote).

Though you'll find other media mavens who think the lack of HDMI support means you should shy away from this affordable little device, we think it's a best buy for those with Media Center PCs and HDTV hook-ups seeking an affordable way to play back HD-DVD media (it should also work well on standalone PCs equipped with displays with enough pixels to display 1080 formats at full resolution; we tried it with a Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP and a GeForce 7600 GT and got stellar output in return). In fact, its low price and easy installation make it the low-risk option for trying out high-definition DVD media while waiting for a clear winner to the Blu-ray versus HD-DVD contest to emerge, or for hybrid players to make the whole matter moot.

As an added bonus, this player also acts as a two-port USB hub. Thus, though you must give up a USB port on the parent device to which the player is attached, you can hook two more USB devices to the player in turn.