Microsoft Bows Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-on

[zombie]

http://www.homemediaretailing.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2

Microsoft Bows Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-on
Author: ERIK GRUENWEDEL
Posted: May 8, 2006

As expected, Microsoft May 8 at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles announced it would offer an aftermarket HD DVD player drive for its Xbox 360 video game system.

The yet unpriced accessory, which had been widely speculated to be in the works for some time, would connect to the 360 game console via a standard USB cable. Microsoft didn’t announce delivery dates for the HD DVD drive.

"We decided to save that good news for another day, but we're clearly out to make this an affordable option for Xbox 360 owners," said Albert Penello, director of global marketing at Xbox, in a statement.

Penello said comparing HD DVD video quality with rival Blu-ray Disc is awash, and that the primary advantage for HD DVD for consumers is affordability.

"The major difference is going to be price, and all the leading indicators point to HD DVD winning,” Penello.

He said that despite declarations in the press about HD DVD “as DOA” in comparison to Blu-ray, Microsoft believed ongoing technical problems with Blu-ray were more serious than previously thought, as evidenced by Sony’s delay of its PlayStation 3 game console launch and the first Blu-ray player slated for late June.

“Now that both sides are laying their cards on the table, the word is getting out that HD DVD is the best value,” Penello said. “The momentum is with HD DVD. Eventually, we feel all the studios will support HD DVD, perhaps not exclusively. But the studios are too savvy to leave money on the table.”

[JTK]

I think Penello is churning that MS/HD-DVD propoganda all too well.

He hasn't seen what REAL momentum looks like yet...

[partridge]

The studios, MS refer to, won't make any firm decisions on which format to go with until PS3 has been launched.

If that goes well then the studios will all support blu-ray. MS are only supporting HD-DVD to niggle Sony. They know full well that their HD-DVD add on won't sell in huge numbers, and is hardly likely to do for HD-DVD what PS3 will do for blu-ray.

So eventually MS will drop the add on and stick to games. If it was 100% proven that blu-ray was the better technology, MS would still support HD-DVD.

But of course we've yet to see a movie playing on a PS3, I'm hoping E3 will show us what that is like and it better be good! PS3 has to be a quality player or it's a pointless exercise!

[partridge]

More on the add on drive:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05...0_hddvd_drive/

it will only display up to 720p and there is no guarantee it will display all content, but, as the article points out, the basic PS3 doesn't have HDMI either...

[thunderhawk]

Sick.. That's just sick man...

Won't have the success as BD with PS3. (the player I'm talking about)

[marzetta7]

Ghetto man, absolutely ghetto. It better be "affordable" when it is only capable of 720P. I think it summarizes HD DVD in a nutshell,...cheap (as in cutting corners and giving consumers sub standard hardware cheap).

[marzetta7]

Some info...

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...dd-On_Price/65

Microsoft Hints at Xbox 360 HD-DVD Add-On Price?
Wed May 10, 2006 at 02:11 PM ET
Tags: High-Def DVD Gaming, Xbox 360, Microsoft (all tags)
Has Microsoft inadvertently revealed the price for its just-announced HD-DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360?

Online game and technology sites are abuzz with news that the company posted the cost of the device on its official Xbox website for a brief time this morning, before the information was quickly pulled. According to reports from readers at various websites includingAVS Forum and The Digital Bits, a $199 price for the add-on device appeared as a part of this E3 report at Xbox.com, before disappearing.

Should the posted information turn out to be true, the combined cost of the $399 Xbox 360 and $199 HD-DVD add-on drive would place it in the same range as Sony's upcoming Blu-Ray-driven PlayStation 3, which Sony announced yesterday will arrive in two configurations, a $499 20 GB version and a more pricey $599 60 GB model.

Microsoft would only confirm that the pricing and availability details on the accessory will be announced at a later date, and would not confirm nor deny the $199 HD-DVD add-on cost rumor.

However, the company did release a picture of HD-DVD drive's design yesterday at E3 during a press conference. The add-on is about the size of a standard external 3.5'' drive, comes housed in a styled off-white case with perforated grey faceplate and appeared to be designed to stand vertically next to the Xbox 360 vertically.

At the conference, Microsoft spokesperson Peter Moore also promised that the add-on would be a "bargain" compared to other high-def options, and will be in stores by this holiday season.

[phloyd]

Yeah the lifetime of the console is possibly the key here.

We will be needing an 'XBox 720' well before PS4 it would seem.

And the huge prices on the PS3 will have a lot of room to move as the technology it has inside become commonplace... giving it quite a decent lifespan.

While it might seem risky to take such a large technology leap, I think in time it will be seen to have been the right decision for Sony...

[partridge]

Sony are definitely looking long term and I don't think they are worried about Xbox360 having the initial sales lead, MS are just looking to score points over Sony and want to have something positive to report to their shareholders about the Xbox project (what with it currently being a huge loss to the organisation).

No other piece of kit shifts numbers like a new console, so no standalone hd-dvd drive or add on for the xbox360 will sell in numbers that get anywhere near the PS3 sales.

Think about it, every PS3 sony make this year will sell, that means that literally millions of blu-ray players will be in homes by Christmas. Only half of their owners need to buy a movie or two to make blu-ray the clear winner for next gen movies!

MS are only supporting hd-dvd to niggle sony and try to disrupt their goal of making BD the next gen disc format.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by partridge

MS are only supporting hd-dvd to niggle sony and try to disrupt their goal of making BD the next gen disc format.

I couldn't agree more!

[JTK]

Originally Posted by partridge

MS are only supporting hd-dvd to niggle sony and try to disrupt their goal of making BD the next gen disc format.

Exactly right.

Again: The only reason HD-DVD is even here now is because of MS. They kind of have to see it through to the bitter end at this point.

I still think they missed an obvious oppurtunity when they rushed out the 360 by not having HD-DVD abilities built in, as it should have been.

[Tombreaper]

Originally Posted by JTK

Exactly right.

Again: The only reason HD-DVD is even here now is because of MS. They kind of have to see it through to the bitter end at this point.

I still think they missed an obvious oppurtunity when they rushed out the 360 by not having HD-DVD abilities built in, as it should have been.

That's correct, MS makes a difference of around 40% in support for HD-DVD.
Without this support, Toshiba is going to face a big problem.

[takezo]

Originally Posted by nyg

http://www.homemediaretailing.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2

This was a quote that came before Blu-Ray was released. Now that it's released, despite the nay sayers, Blu-Ray is doing quite well. In fact Blu-Ray has almost caught up to HD-DVD even when HD-DVD had been out 3 months before. Blu-Ray is more expensive, yet not buy that much, if you look at the media. As for the Blu-Ray players, they are twice the cost of HD-DVD player. But a person who is an enthusiast whao can aford the best TVs, the best sound system, whould like the best players. People who like the best bang for their buck, will stick to DVD, as DVD players are priced Uner the $40 range, with upsampling DVD players reaching the under $200 range. But it's the DVD media it's self that appeals to the non-enthusiasts, they are extreamly cheap, you can buy a DVD for under $15 if you know were to look.

HD-DVD developers do not seem to realize that people who are earily adopters are enthusiasts with deep pockets. Price don't matter to them.

They are divided to both HD-DVD and Blu-ray camps. However Blu-Ray's cams are growing as people prepare for PS3. The system that will hopefully win the format war to Blu-Ray.

In the end the better format will win. But DVD will still be the standard for quite a while longer.