Wow - round and round we go.

Now with the big LCD the Denon progressive scan DVD's picture was rather poor and I began to playback DVDs using the HTPC only. However, the XBOX's graphics were also not as impressive as on the "smaller" set. So I decided it was time to upgrade the XBOX to a 360. Since the HD-DVD option was not very expensive, I decided to add one of those as well. The HD drive is a dull grey so I decided that the XBOX should match and set out to find a grey faceplate. After much searching I finally gave up on finding a match and resigned myself to getting the customizeable kit. But when I took the clear cover off what did I find underneath? A grey faceplate!

Now all I needed was the custom rackshelves from Middle Atlantic and I'm good to go (well begin again, anyhow).

Since the original XBOX took up 3U and the XBOX360 + HD-DVD are going to take 5U, I decided it was time to pull some of the "legacy" components. So along with the XBOX out came the Denon DVD and the Sony CD changer. The VCR stays cause - hey - its the clock!

For this rebuild, I decided to put the heavy AVR on the bottom and then build up from there. The XBOX PSU needs air so it was strapped out in the open:

The XBOX is connected to the big LCD via the VGA port to display true 1080p:

And here is the new look for 2007:

The system was changed again in 2008 when I added a PS3 for BluRay playback but I haven't taken the time to get any new pictures yet.