jesterrace's Full Review: Microsoft DVD Movie Playback Kit for Xbox
Okay, I bought my XBOX back in January of 2003. I bought it from a local videogame exchange place. One of the provisions that they offer at this place is to give you $5 off the purchase of any game with the purchase of your console. I said I would rather have a DVD Playback kit for $5 less if they had one. They said that they did have a kit in stock and agreed to do so. So I ended up getting the kit that costs $30 brand new for $5 used but in perfect working condition (since they charge $10 for the DVD Playback kit prior to the discount).
The DVD Kit came in quite handy since I didn't have an actual DVD Player at the time and my PS2 was just too fragile to handle the task of playing DVDs on a regular basis. The remote is very basic and easy to navigate and the layout is very similar to most home DVD Player remotes. You can also navigate the menu in the MS dashboard with the DVD Remote. For DVD Playback you just plug the remote sensor into an empty controller port and then pop in a DVD disc. It will automatically load up and then you can navigate it just like a regular DVD. The one major drawback to the remote though is that there is no on or off button, so you have to turn the power on or off at the console. The remote comes with the following buttons:
Display
Play
Fast forward
Rewind
Stop
Pause
Skip Chapters (forward and backward)
Title
Info
Menu
Back
4 point navigational arrows with select button in the center
Standard number pad to enter in a desired chapter manually and just straight to it.
For those with a little "extra" done to their consoles, the remote has an added bonus as it is fully compatible with Xbox Media Center (XBMC) which comes in very handy when dealing with navigating though numerous audio, picture or video files. In addition XBMC has an option in its menu to turn off the console. So at least when you are using XBMC you CAN turn off your console with the remote. While it is true that you can use a wired or wireless XBOX controller with the XBMC Program, the remote is not restricted by wires or the temperamental wireless controllers.
The remote has a range of about 10-15 feet and does surprisingly well at sharp angles. Of course this doesn't mean that you can stand right over or right on the side of the sensor and expect it to work perfectly. As always, the functionality of the remote depends a lot on how fresh your batteries are. Speaking of batteries, this remote does take two AAA batteries. Since purchasing the remote in 2003, I have replaced the batteries once and I have used the remote quite a bit, so the remote doesn't seem to be a battery guzzler.
Bottom line is that this remote is well worth the purchase if you would like an additional DVD Player and especially worth it if you have an app such as XBMC to run. Great for watching TV in bed.
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