Ok, I'm getting a new computer this Christmas, which I picked out. Here it is: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8540867&type=product&id=1188559784848 And here is the monitor I got with it: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...D2200&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1188560797509 Now when I bought it, I asked if I could watch HD movies on it even though it didn't have a HD-DVD drive. I was told that the DVD drive would access the HD-DVD, and the playback quality would depend on my monitor and my video/sound card. Is this true? I've never seen or heard of HD-DVD drives for computers, but I have no idea if what the Best Buy guy told me was true. So, assuming that my DVD drive can access and play the movie, I would be able to rip it with something like AnyDVD (a later version that supports HD), right? I'm not sure if I would back up HD movies, but its something I would like to experiment with.
This is incorrect. You will still need an HD DVD drive to read HD DVD discs. A relatively cheap alternative is to connect the XBox 360 HD DVD add on to your PC.
Ok, so no matter what, I'll need a HD-DVD drive? How would I hook up a 360 drive to a PC? Is it connected by a USB or something? I have a 360 all ready, so this seems like a good alternative. The PC its self has an extra expansion bay I could put a drive in also.
Yes you will need an HD DVD drive if you want to play HD DVD discs. You use a USB cable. HD DVD readers burners are still hard to find and are more expensive than the 360 add on. Toshiba makes a few laptop models with HD DVD readers/burners built in. There's an LG HD DVD reader/BluRay reader and DVD writer that costs $300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133 We should see more HD DVD drives for desktops next year.
