The XBOX LIVE Marketplace was nearly perfect. It had game demos, movie trailers, gamerpics, themes for your dashboard, music videos and more. But “something” was missing… That something was “Movies and TV Shows”. Then earlier this month, the Video Marketplace was announced and I thought, “Microsoft is beating Sony to the punch on offering movies”? “AWESOME”! Sony should have had movies available at launch for the PS3 since they own a ton of movies through their own studios (Sony Pictures and Columbia House). But as Sony always does, they failure to deliver or exhibit any kind of forward thinking (as Microsoft so brilliantly does). On the 22nd of November the Video Marketplace was launched (last week) and the Console Digital Landscape changed forever.

The Video Marketplace features TV Shows and Movies that are available for download to your XBOX 360 Hard Drive. The Movies are actually rentals. Once you purchase (rent) a movie you have 10 days to watch and once you start watching you have 24 hours to finish. TV Shows are yours to own. Once you purchase a TV Show you own the show for life. You can delete the show and re-download at a later time. Pricing for the Video Marketplace is as follows:

480 points (6.00) for New High Definition Movies in 720p
320 points (4.00) for New Standard Definition Movies in 480p

360 points (4.50) for Classic High Definition Movies in 720p
240 points (3.00) for Standard Definition Movies in 480p

240 points (3.00) for High Definition TV Shows in 720p
160 points (2.00) for Standard Definition TV Shows in 480p


When it comes to High Definition Material, everyone’s first thought is “how does it compare to HD-DVD”? To answer this question, I compared V for Vendetta HD-DVD vs. V for Vendetta Video Marketplace in 720p. The Video Marketplace version of V for Vendetta weighs in at 6.07GB. At 6.07GB vs. 15GB to 25GB used on HD-DVD, can the quality be any good?

V for Vendetta HD-DVD was a better than your average HD-DVD. It features good color (a bit softer than I like) and great audio via TrueHD. See my V for Vendetta HD-DVD review here. The HD-DVD version is worth every penny of 29.99. The Video Marketplace version of V for Vendetta is very IMPRESSIVE to say the least. Facial features (pores, hair, blemishes, etc) are not quite as sharp as the HD-DVD version but the difference is nominal and can only be noticed if you have seen the HD-DVD version. Facial skin color is good and leaves me satisfied. Color overall in the movie is VERY good. The red of the parliament curtains, splattering blood and V’s roses are VERY bright and vivid. The color green in the movie is good as well. Flowers and plants stand out the same as the red roses or the pink in the school girl outfit Evey wears half way through the movie. All colors in the movie seem to be a bit brighter than they should be. In fact the colors are brighter than the HD-DVD version of the movie. I believe Microsoft and WB did this on purpose to make up for encoding at a lower bitrate and add value. This is perfectly ok with me as it adds a “larger than life” look to the movie. Water is another HD favorite of mine. The wet bricks look great in the opening scene when Evey is harassed by the secret police and the pools of water in the closing scenes when V and Creddy kill the Chancellor in the tunnels look absolutely sweet.

On the down side, the movie has a little bit of grain and a slight bluish/purple tint at times (very slight). The grain is apparent in blacks and some textures that are not bright Blue, Green or Red. This should NOT discourage anyone from watching this version of the movie. Overall, the Video portion exceeds my expectations on all levels.

The Audio in the HD-DVD version of the movie is “OUTSTANDING”. TrueHD audio support in the HD-DVD version of the movie is “PHENOENAL”. The Audio in the Video Marketplace version is no slouch. The movie sounds excellent in Dolby Digital 5.1. The explosion at the Old Bailey Building, the sound of V’s blades as he whips them around and my favorite, the falling of the dominos sound “Clear and Crisp”. The bass is also full and clean especially during explosions and fight scenes. The audio portion as with the video portion exceeds my expectations in every way.

In my opinion the Video Marketplace HD content is right on the money for a first of its kind service. Kudos to Microsoft and WB for delivering ONCE AGAIN.

And as always, “Remember, remember the 5th of November”. FREEDOM FOREVER!

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Editor - www.hidef.com

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