The Saga:
Xbox 360 comes back, RRoD's on fist start.
Perhaps, a friend suggests, it is the AV cable?
I test that, but if it's loose it actually works, and if it's out it has four red lights, not just three.
So, yes, it is true, Microsoft sent me a unit that RRoD'ed the very first time I fired it up.
Insane. (You'd think they would send me one that doesn't do that.)