Toshiba says no to new Xbox 360 HD DVD rumour

[WilliaM]

As with every ‘Microsoft to add HD DVD to 360’ rumour – currently at about one a month – Microsoft is dismissing the claims. But so is Toshiba.

A spokesperson for Tosh told Stuff.tv: ‘It’s got nothing to do with us. But we know Microsoft doesn’t want to include the HD DVD drive so as not to limit the user’s experience.’

Microsoft pulled a fast one on Sony by launching its Xbox 360 without a built-in HD DVD player and keeping costs down. Since then, the PS3’s Blu-ray support has seen the format take a slim lead in the HD disc showdown.

http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/News-76466.aspx

[lch]

when both say 'no', it mean 'yes'.

[Josh]

It will happen, but it will probably be exactly like the ill-fated PSX. To niche to catch on.

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by lch

when both say 'no', it mean 'yes'.

it make's you wonder if Microsoft is such a strong supporter of the HD DVD format why not put the HD DVD drive into a xbox360. can the HD DVD format read DVD's....?, would the HD DVD drive be fast enough to read the DVD 9 xbox360 games....?. what this all boils down to is.

Microsoft does not care at all about HD DVD OR Blu-Ray for that matter..its all about forceing IHD onto Blu-Ray and HD DVD which Microsoft has already done,thats all Microsoft realy wants,they can care less about the HD FORMATS its just their control software that MICROSOFT wants on Blu-Ray. there would be no HD FORMAT WAR IF IT WAS NOT FOR MICROSOFT.


Microsoft and Toshiba form Advanced Interactivity Consortium next to HDi PDF Print E-mail
Sunday, 07 October 2007


StumbleUpon!

HDi
Toshiba & Microsoft are taking their HD DVD partnership outside HD DVD players & discs (with HDi ), by announcing the Advanced Interactivity Consortium.

HDi
This an open forum aimed at the promotion of superior interactivity for a wide range of next-generation consumer devices, digital content & distribution scenarios.
The newly formed organization’s mission is to maximize consumer satisfaction worldwide by accelerating industrywide adoption of advanced interactivity & interoperability across a broad array of HD DVD products, according to the press release of Microsoft .

The new organization will also focus attention on ways to bring these advanced scenarios to other services and platforms, including digital downloads to DVD players, PCs, TVs, cell phones, portable media players and game consoles.

“Creating attractive consumer experiences with advanced interactivity is critical to bringing digital home entertainment to the next level,” said Hisatsugu Nonaka, corporate executive vice president at Toshiba. “In order to create these ecosystems, we wanted to bring together a group of companies committed to extending these scenarios across a wide variety of platforms. The Advanced Interactivity Consortium will advocate for these platforms as well as help ensure interoperability of HD DVD players and services.”

“The Advanced Interactivity Consortium has its roots in the work we’ve done with HDi™ and HD DVD, but is open to all companies interested in bringing a broader set of experiences to consumers on different platforms,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD’s interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market. The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services.”

Based on easy-to-program Web standards, HDi technology naturally lends itself to cross-platform implementations and integration in online content services. For content owners, HDi provides a simple development environment, resulting in a seamless and visually consistent experience from device menus to Web-based applications.

The Advanced Interactivity Consortium will also include major Hollywood studios DreamWorks Animation SKG, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., which have given their commitment to these advanced scenarios and experience bringing new features to consumers. Each studio currently distributes or will distribute HD DVD titles with HDi-enabled features, from advanced in-movie navigation, bookmarking and picture-in-picture, to Web-enabled communities, content downloads and e-commerce stores.

“We are pleased to support the formation of the Advanced Interactivity Consortium and look forward to further developing interactive scenarios on HD DVD that will extend the consumer experience to new platforms,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. “By following a standards-based approach, this collaboration will uniformly benefit consumers as well as the industry.”

The AIC founding member companies plan to formalize the organization shortly and to extend additional partner invitations.

http://www.hdtvinfo.eu/news/hd-video...xt-to-hdi.html

point 1:
The new organization will also focus attention on ways to bring these advanced scenarios to other services and platforms, including digital downloads to DVD players, PCs, TVs, cell phones, portable media players and game consoles.

point 2:
“The Advanced Interactivity Consortium has its roots in the work we’ve done with HDi™ and HD DVD, but is open to all companies interested in bringing a broader set of connected experiences to consumers on different platforms,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD’s interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market. The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services.”
point 3:
“We are pleased to support the formation of the Advanced Interactivity Consortium and look forward to further developing interactive scenarios on HD DVD that will extend the consumer experience to new platforms,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. “By following a standards-based approach, this collaboration will uniformly benefit consumers as well as the industry.”

The AIC founding member companies plan to formalize the organization shortly and to extend additional partner invitations.
Furl it

this my friends is all about Windows BD-JAVA does not require Windows nor does it REQUIRE Microsoft. ONE way or the Other Microsoft is trying to worm its way onto the INTERACTIVE software front of Blu-Ray. just think if the BDA chose HDI instead of BD-J would there be any format war at all right now...?
my OPINION no there would not be Microsoft just does not want a part of the INTERACTIVE features of the NEXT generation DVD interactive control scheme they want 100% of the control scheme of all top set HD MOVIE PLAYERS. SOMETHING of Which BD-J can do with out any NEEDED imput from Microsoft.

[Frode]

"slim lead"?

[Uxi]

"limit the user’s experience?" WTF? I would love for my 360 to have the HDDVD drive inside instead of the big ugly dongle that I can't eject from the remote. They can use hard drive caching if the speeds aren't up to snuff....

[bhampton]

Xbox and HD DUD seems made for one another if you ask me.

I don't see a use for either one.

-Brian

[w_tanoto]

remember sony denying slim PSP a year ago? what happened now?

[gand41f]

Originally Posted by w_tanoto

remember sony denying slim PSP a year ago? what happened now?

Yeah, but that doesn't mean that every crazy rumor denied by the manufacturer is going to come true.

If this ever happens, it will be a separate SKU, and will remain niche as Josh said. M$ cannot afford to take a loss on every unit sold and they also cannot afford to raise the price even higher (the 40GB PS3 is already considered the better deal than the Elite).

M$ doesn't want to get stuck with a drive that plays only movies for the losing format for the next few years. (It's a different story for Sony, since all the PS3 games are on Blu-ray. They can and have justified the inclusion of the BD drive by more room for game developers.)

enjoy
gandalf

[stringent]

Originally Posted by Frode

"slim lead"?

What I thought ...

Define slim. Posh Spice or Dawn French?

[RUR]

More speculation: http://www.cnbc.com/id/21423304

[DrinkMore]

At the same time, back at the Digital Life Expo, we detailed how HD-DVD was outselling Blu-Ray on laptops by better than 8-1. It stands to reason that laptop users who have onboard HD-DVD would also want that same format at home.

I love fud. Where the hell did they pull that number from? 8-1? HAHAH! NOT.

[Gantrithor]

Last night on Attack of the Show they talked about a rumored Xbox that featured an integrated HD drive. They said it was built in collaberation with Toshiba, and would be launching sometime in late 08 to early 09. They did specify that it was just a rumor, however they did show a picture and the system looked to be covered in blue. With a possible 09 release, does this stand a chance, or do you think MS is buckling to Blu (based on the blue colored system)?? If you were not able to see it, it will reair today on G4 sometime in the early afternoon during "The Feed."

[aphex]

I read an article saying toshiba scrapped that. I don't have a link tho, sorry

[devonthedude]

Of coarse, M$ part owns G4 and is trying to push hd-dvd BS. The war will either be over or just ending by the time it would come out.

[unreal1080p]

Originally Posted by lch

when both say 'no', it mean 'yes'.

Oh it's yes allright... It will be under the form of the XBOX720, in 2011 and it will be a Blu-Ray drive built in (+ a hot steamy plate of crow for Microsoft to choke on ).

Now we will have the Blue Ring of Death instead of the Red Ring of Death... that's all... and Microsoft will of course blame it on the Blu-Ray drive in their new gaming system