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Microsoft announces external HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360

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Jonnyram said:
Why is HDMI a requirement for HD-DVD playback?
I know it's desirable, but that's not what I'm asking... you said it's "required". How so?

The movie studios ARE NOT going to let Hi Definition video be output through the "analog hole" and let folks pirate master quality films. They are currently requiring that HDMI be the only way that a high definition signal is sent because it offers HDCP protection.

Otherwise, you'll likely just get 480p output.
 
Kasra said:
I fail to see how this has any impact on anything at all.
Oh, that speaks real well then of Microsoft's business acumen that they'd release a new product that would have absolutely no impact on anything at all :P
 
DCharlie said:
yeah. i was wrong - the D cables aren't digital at all! lol.


DCharlie, the jap Gamecube had D-Terminal cables and that hardware doesn't output digital video either....

X360 ATI chip outputs analog video only.....
 
AirBrian said:
Before we start making these claims, we should find out the price of this thing first. After all, MS's current accessory pricing is a little out there.
im not saying it will be cheap...hence the "if" in front :lol but i am saying that if its cheaper than standalones, ill definatly pick it up
 
Let me get this straight, some of you are thinking there won't be any games released on HD-DVD because MS said so?

Have you been paying attention to the last 6 months?! It seems to me MS is going out of it's way lately to break every word it can. In all honesty though, I don't think any games will come out exclusively on HD-DVD (dual releases on both are a pretty safe bet however IMO), but at the rate MS is going, if they announce some I won't be surprised in the least.

As of right now all this does is lower the percepted value of the 360 in relation to the PS3 (unless the add-on is released for <$99, which we all know won't happen), and make MS look dumb shit stupid for releasing their console 6-12 months before they should've.
 
Jonnyram said:
Why is HDMI a requirement for HD-DVD playback?
I know it's desirable, but that's not what I'm asking... you said it's "required". How so?


HDCP encryption....its part of the HDMI and HD-DVD spec.....
 
Heian-kyo said:
Let me get this straight, some of you are thinking there won't be any games released on HD-DVD because MS said so?

Have you been paying attention to the last 6 months?! It seems to me MS is going out of it's way lately to break every word it can. In all honesty though, I don't think any games will come out exclusively on HD-DVD (dual releases on both are a pretty safe bet however IMO), but at the rate MS is going, if they announce some I won't be surprised in the least.

As of right now all this does is lower the percepted value of the 360 in relation to the PS3 (unless the add-on is released for <$99, which we all know won't happen), and make MS look dumb shit stupid for releasing their console 6-12 months before they should've.


Your panties...I mean bias is showing again. :lol
 
Speevy said:
I agree that releasing an HD-DVD player would be stupid. Why? Because it would piss me off, since I already have the system.

But I'm wondering something. I'm not trying to make a point, just curious. Do consumers actually get angry when companies make them buy multiple editions of the same product? I mean, Nintendo has released how many handhelds since 2000? Has it really hurt them? Sure, it pisses us off, but what is the evidence that such decisions can destroy a product's chances? (especially a product from a company such as MS)

Handhelds are cheap. Consoles are expensive. More money = More angry.
 
Let me get this straight, some of you are thinking there won't be any games released on HD-DVD because MS said so?

Its just a different form of media. It doesnt make the console any more powerfull. You actually think anyone would release a 360 game on HD-DVD only? It makes absolutely no sense.
 
Heian-kyo said:
As of right now all this does is lower the percepted value of the 360 in relation to the PS3 (unless the add-on is released for <$99, which we all know won't happen), and make MS look dumb shit stupid for releasing their console 6-12 months before they should've.

It does all that huh? :lol
 
How much would it cost to just give every existing 360 owner a games-based HD-DVD add-on free? That's what Nintendo did with the Nintendo 64, basically.
 
TheDuce22 said:
Its just a different form of media. It doesnt make the console any more powerfull. You actually think anyone would release a 360 game on HD-DVD only? It makes absolutely no sense.

Shhhhhhhhh, let him continue, comic relief FTW
 
typo said:
That would make the X360's role in play HD-DVDs rather... weird. What exactly would it do?

Justify the fucking X360 power break currently putting a dent in the wood of my windowsill? ;p
 
Speevy said:
How much would it cost to just give every existing 360 owner a games-based HD-DVD add-on free? That's what Nintendo did with the Nintendo 64, basically.


I was thinking that too only regarding the Hard Drive. They could just kill the tard pack, and send the tard pack minority a freebie for mucho suck up points.
 
Blu-Ray will not fail. Sony has their movie studios to back it and they're holding the keys to enough content to drive their player for years to come. They've signed on plenty of studios to support it and it's really up to Microsoft and Toshiba to find the support on their end. Support that will have to be incomplete because their competitor owns movie studios.

It's an uphill battle for HD-DVD right from the word go and I think it's a foolish decision to even attempt to fight it IMO.

THe head of Warner was right though. Sony and Microsoft tricked Hollywood into being on the front lines of the videogame machine format wars.

I'll bet the folks at Nintendo are getting a good laugh at this whole debacle. They're probably very glad to just sit on the sidelines and worry only about games.
 
This debate isn't really going much of anywhere is it? ;)

Anyway, I agree with the folks that say the product itself won't have much impact. The question is, as it was with the Dreamcast DVD, what does it mean that Microsoft felt they HAD to announce it? Surely that's the real question, isn't it?
 
The last thing a console needs is an add-on. The last thing an add-on needs is to be is a losing product.
 
sonycowboy said:
This debate isn't really going much of anywhere is it? ;)

Anyway, I agree with the folks that say the product itself won't have much impact. The question is, as it was with the Dreamcast DVD, what does it mean that Microsoft felt they HAD to announce it? Surely that's the real question, isn't it?

Only for you.
 
Sounds good to me. Those who want HD-DVD playback through their 360 can do so and those folks who couldn't care-a-less, like myself, aren't forced to pay for something I didn't want in the first place. If I do get an HD-DVD drive it'll be for my PC anyways.
 
sonycowboy said:
The movie studios ARE NOT going to let Hi Definition video be output through the "analog hole" and let folks pirate master quality films. They are currently requiring that HDMI be the only way that a high definition signal is sent because it offers HDCP protection.
Ah, I see. I guess that's a pretty strong reason for studios, yeah.
There's one really major issue here. Less than half of the current crop of HDTVs on the Japanese market actually have HDMI inputs - only the high-end stuff has. D4 is the mass market standard for HD video right now, in Japan. If HDTVs took off this Christmas, as people were predicting, a massive number of people do not have the necessary tech to watch next gen movies.
 
MS may have said that games will only come on DVDs but that doesn&#8217;t mean that they can&#8217;t change their mind.

After all, what if the extra storage space allotted by Blue-ray proves to be absolutely necessary with the next generation of games? Microsoft may find that they have no choice but to make HD-DVD standard with all 360s thereafter.

This of course could lead to consumer confusion (if they aren&#8217;t already confused enough with core/premium pack that is out now).
 
truffleshuffle83, I agree (although there was no "if" in your original post I quoted :P). If priced correctly, it does give a 360 owner a viable alternative for playing HD-DVDs than buying another expensive set top.

m0dus said:
But jumping to conclusions and making overbroad generalizations is SO MUCH MORE FUN!!! :lol
Where the fuck did I jump to conclusions and make "overbroad" generalizations? READING COMPREHENSION IS SO MUCH FUN!!! :lol
 
I knew there was a reason over 900 people were on the gaming board.

Oddly enough, the addition of this external drive makes me less likely to purchase the 360. That image of the Genesis + Sega-CD + 32x on the first page gave me convulsions.
 
m0dus said:
Um, I wasn't even talking about you there, cheech. I was referring to this clusterfuck of a thread :lol

YOUR RIGHT READING COMPREHENSION FUN!!!!!
Then why the hell did you quote me?
 
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3146681

Microsoft has always expressed an interest in providing a next-generation disc format for Xbox 360, but there was no way they could incorporate the technology into their hardware if they were going to launch last November. They went with a standard drive.

Tonight at CES, Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore announced they'll be producing an external disc drive capable of reading Toshiba's HD-DVD discs. Moore's speech notes the drive is for users to enjoy high-definition films, though, and makes absolutely no mention of videogames taking advantage of the device.

Many viewed Microsoft's decision to skimp out on a next-generation disc drive as controversial in lieu of Sony's inclusion of Blu-ray into PlayStation 3. Tonight's announcement helps sidestep that problem, but unless Microsoft decides to splinter their userbase (after splitting them via the dual SKU), the HD-DVD drive will likely remain movies-only.

Much of the reason for developing the external HD-DVD drive seems to be fueled by Microsoft statistics researched by Penn, Schoen, Berland & Associates. Their research shows 90% of Xbox 360 owners own or intend to purchase an HDTV in the six months, nine out of 10 of the people purchasing an HDTV cite Xbox 360 as the primary catalyst, and 10% of those with an HDTV also purchased an Xbox 360 simultaneously.

There's little surprise the amount of users taking advantage of and picking up HDTV sets is accelerating due to more devices that take advantage of high-definition. "Xbox 360 is a high-definition growth engine for Microsoft and our entertainment, broadband provider, consumer electronic, and retail partners," said Moore.
 
can someone explain the big deal? I dont see whats so hilarious about this, so what if theirs an attachment, it wont be required to play certain games will it?




...i thought 360 was supposed to be able to play hd dvds already?
 
Dave Long said:
Blu-Ray will not fail. Sony has their movie studios to back it and they're holding the keys to enough content to drive their player for years to come. They've signed on plenty of studios to support it and it's really up to Microsoft and Toshiba to find the support on their end. Support that will have to be incomplete because their competitor owns movie studios.

It's an uphill battle for HD-DVD right from the word go and I think it's a foolish decision to even attempt to fight it IMO.

THe head of Warner was right though. Sony and Microsoft tricked Hollywood into being on the front lines of the videogame machine format wars.

I'll bet the folks at Nintendo are getting a good laugh at this whole debacle. They're probably very glad to just sit on the sidelines and worry only about games.


I'm mostly sure that Blu-Ray will prevail, however, Microsoft is a VERY STRONG partner and the inclusion, royalty free of HD-DVD, in the Vista OS, the likely release of a version of Vista on HD-DVD, the pull Microsoft has with the computer industry (see HP changing their minds, is DELL next??), along with Warner's predisposition with HD-DVD (IMO, they've easily got the strongest breadth of IP's out there LOTR, Batman, Superman, Matrix, Harry Potter, King Kong, etc), along with lower HD-DVD production costs make HD-DVD a tough out.

It's still not quite over yet.
 
Well, it's not too bad for me. I was hoping that there will be internal HD-DVD or even have swappable HD-DVD unit for the machine itself for the ones who bought the earlier version.

It looks like it's going to be just another gimmick drive which doesn't really play anything but HD-DVD movies. When this whole HD DVD or Blue Ray thing catches up woth movies that I want, then I'll invest into the actual players, not PS3 nor X360, as I don't intend to use them as movie players - so it really makes no difference to me.

However the ones who are willing to have everything in one box - I'm sorry for them. Perhaps for them, PS3 is the way to go if they want to use their game machine + movie player in one unit saving $$$ and space.
 
If they can keep it in the 100-150 range and make it attractive, as a future HDTV owner Ill be hard pressed NOT to purchase this
 
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