backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 56 comment(s) - last by BruceLeet.. on Mar 21 at 6:03 AM
Microsoft flip-flops once again on Blu-ray Disc on Xbox 360

When Toshiba officially threw in the towel in the high-definition format war, eyes turned to Microsoft to see what the software giant would do about the Xbox 360’s support of HD DVD. Some expected Microsoft to quickly change gears and back Blu-ray Disc, but no such plans are in place.

“Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience,” Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, told Reuters.

The quote from Greenberg’s runs slightly contrary to comments made by other executives. Sony Electronics president Stan Glasgow said that Sony and Microsoft are currently in discussions over adopting the Blu-ray Disc format.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer also confirmed Blu-ray Disc support, though it was no directed at the Xbox 360. Ballmer said at a developer event, “We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on. Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense.”

With Toshiba no longer producing HD DVD hardware, and by extension no more HD DVD add-on drives for the Xbox 360, gamers with Microsoft’s console are left with one fewer option for new high-definition movies. That won’t change Microsoft’s strategy, however, of focussing on supply high-definition content for rental over Xbox Live Video Marketplace.

“We're the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content,” Greenberg said.

During the events leading up to the fall of HD DVD, Microsoft expressed little worry as it had an arguably more lucrative digital download business to fall back on.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Not surprising
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 3/14/2008 6:11:34 PM , Rating: 2
Sony and Microsoft probably couldn't come to any sort of satisfactory agreement and Microsoft told them to pound sand. It's not like the X360 cares much about HD movie playback, otherwise they would have included a player internally. Xbox Live downloads is their model and they have proven it works, very well.




RE: Not surprising
By SandmanWN on 3/14/2008 6:16:28 PM , Rating: 2
Think this all comes down to two things...

1. Microsoft's general backing of down loadable movie content.(a given to support their own financial backings)

2. And the most important, they have to use an open source platform to back BluRay. No way around it they have to use Java and platform independent software which will only vindicate open source as a viable platform. To MS this would be like intentionally poking yourself in the eye, you just can't bring yourself to do it.

My 2 cents.


RE: Not surprising
By BZDTemp on 3/15/2008 10:09:58 AM , Rating: 2
I think you're #1 is the real reason since not many consumers how about the technical stuff.

As I see it Microsoft will do anything to confuse consumers regarding HD physical media and that includeds them making the HD-DVD add-on. Basicly anything making people wait to go HD means the world is one step closer to wide scale adoption of on-line content only. And Microsoft has a good chance of being the big dog in on-line content = they will basicly get a cut of anything with moving pictures just as they pretty much get a cut every time a computer is sold!


RE: Not surprising
By P4blo on 3/18/2008 1:48:54 PM , Rating: 2
I dont think MS has quite nailed it with this online movie download angle. It's possible they're using it as bravado in the face of the HD-DVD failure.

1). Each HD film (if you want to compete with Blu-Ray or HD-DVD for quality) must be around 25+ GB. That's HUGE people. It would take a couple of days on an 8MB broadband line going full tilt to get one film down. Hardly on-demand! I'll go down to B-Busters thanks.

2). Where are you going to store all the films? If they DRM you into oblivion and you cant a). get them off the XBox in decent quality or b). store the films long term then I forward that it's a complete turkey!

3). If you were into movies and wanted to get the HD experience surely you're either going to buy a PS3 (for best of both worlds) or a dedicated BD player so you can build a big movie collection and play it whenever you like.

I'm sorry but I think MS is way off, it's much too early to be spouting about HD movie downloads. With BD winning I think the X360 is going to take such a pounding in the future. I dont think they quite realised the importance of the format war.


RE: Not surprising
By Inkjammer on 3/14/2008 6:20:12 PM , Rating: 3
As an HD DVD add-on owner, I think Microsoft made the right choice. Besides, anybody who would probably get the Blu-Ray add-on would more than likely would have a PS3 (or is planning to get one). I have the HD DVD drive and a 60GB PS3. There isn't a huge target market for it.

Plus, given the price of the 40GB model, it wouldn't make sense to retail a new Blu-Ray drive at $200. That'd be like charging people $400 for a version of Windows just so you could have animated desktop backgrounds. Stupid and useless.


RE: Not surprising
By JSK on 3/14/2008 6:22:05 PM , Rating: 5
I see what you did there.


RE: Not surprising
By Orbs on 3/14/2008 7:34:12 PM , Rating: 5
There are other features unique to Vista Ultimate, such as the ability to run both Media Center and join to a domain. MCE 2003 and 2005 didn't allow joining to domains and Vista Home Premium can't join to domaons. The Business SKU's don't include Media Center.

Other Ultimate Extras include enhanced bit-locker capabilities and some games (note, again some features focused on the enterprise, some for the consumer).

I'm not arguing that Vista Ultimate is the right choice for everyone. It's clearly a premium SKU aimed at users that want the absolute best of both enterprise-class features and home/consumer scenearios. There are people that want the features it offers and are happy to pay for those features. If you are one of those people, you're glad Ultimate exists with those capabilities. If you're not, you likely won't buy Ultimate. There's no good in complaining that it happens to exist.

Why do people seem to think choice is a bad thing? I'd rather have the option of Home Premium and Ultimate at two different price points than be forced to buy the only SKU available whose price is somewhere in the middle simply because it's the only option.


RE: Not surprising
By MrSmurf on 3/15/2008 1:46:47 AM , Rating: 1
There is no point of them going to Blu-Ray. no one is going to buy the expensive add-on. the only reason they did it with hd-dvd is to compete with sony.


RE: Not surprising
By Oregonian2 on 3/18/2008 4:23:22 PM , Rating: 2
Also one might consider that Microsoft has sold around 20 Million Xbox 360's so far. The sold about 0.3 million HD Drive accessories. That's all of 1.5%. Whether they add a Blu-Ray or not doesn't seem to be a big deal one way or the other considering the rate hi-def disc options are bought at.


RE: Not surprising
By prenox on 3/14/2008 7:00:25 PM , Rating: 3
I am sure if Microsoft released a Blu-Ray addon for the 360 that Sony would then make an advertisement adding the two prices together and comparing it to the 360 and trying to show a savings of the PS3 over the 360.


RE: Not surprising
By prenox on 3/14/2008 7:01:03 PM , Rating: 2
I mean comparing it to the PS3


RE: Not surprising
By daftrok on 3/14/2008 7:01:11 PM , Rating: 2
I agree to an extent, however I feel price is the main issue. My predictions are that by the end of the year the 360 will finally go towards a 199/299/399 price point, the PS3 will go towards a 299/399 price point, and if 360 considers a Blu ray add on they will aim for a $99 price point to bridge the gap between the consoles.

Also I highly doubt its a supply issue with the 360. They probably are tired of them crashing and are working on trying to fix the issues.


RE: Not surprising
By eye smite on 3/14/2008 7:53:14 PM , Rating: 2
If Sony keeps blu ray prices high like they did with betamax in the 70s, it's not going to go very far either. To say nothing of the fact that standard dvd is so cheap now and plays more than well enough for most americans. I don't see blu ray making much of a dent anywhere in America til it gets really cheap like standard dvds.


RE: Not surprising
By daftrok on 3/14/2008 9:18:15 PM , Rating: 3
Don't forget that DVD was pretty expensive when it came out too. The prices will drop for Blu ray soon enough.


RE: Not surprising
By probedb on 3/17/2008 12:39:34 PM , Rating: 1
Yep, people nowadays don't seem to understand that new technologies cost money when they first come out.


RE: Not surprising
By daftrok on 3/17/2008 4:23:53 PM , Rating: 1
I think its because people weren't as internet oriented back in the day. I didn't know anything about the PS1 and PS2 motherboard until I saw it on Wiki.


Misleading Title
By Aaron M on 3/14/2008 7:09:12 PM , Rating: 5
The article is just playing off of fanboyish interest. It attempts to create the illusion of contradicting statements from different executives. However, one must realize that "Microsoft adopting Blu-ray" and "Microsoft incorporating Blu-ray into the X360" are two separate things. With Blu-ray poised to become the next standard physical medium, it's in both the BDA's and Microsoft's interest to work together to make Microsoft technologies work with Blu-ray.

Also, while I don't think that Blu-ray is needed for the X360 at this point in its lifecycle, you can be sure that Blu-ray will be in the next-generation Xbox, barring an unforeseen collapse of Blu-ray support.




RE: Misleading Title
By overzealot on 3/14/2008 9:50:42 PM , Rating: 2
The quote was "integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience".
That doesn't mean "integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox console".
The Xbox experience probably includes peripherals.

Microsoft has a habit of double-talking like this, so that they can deny that they said yes/no at a later date.


RE: Misleading Title
By Aaron M on 3/14/2008 10:08:04 PM , Rating: 3
That doesn't change the point of my post. That is, the current denial of talks to "integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience" does not rule out Microsoft and the BDA/Sony working on incorporating Blu-ray with other Microsoft technologies. Microsoft and Sony are much more than Xbox and Playstation, you know?

Also:
" Companies have a habit of double-talking like this, so that they can deny that they said yes/no at a later date."

I fixed your last sentence, for you.


RE: Misleading Title
By overzealot on 3/15/2008 11:54:30 AM , Rating: 2
I managed to misread your post 3 times.
My apologies.


RE: Misleading Title
By Alexvrb on 3/15/2008 2:32:24 PM , Rating: 2
I'd give you a +1 but you're already at 5.

I also fail to see how they are flip-flopping, since I haven't previously read anything from MS saying they were adding Blu-ray to the 360 or even producing an add-on. I DID see talk of them adding support for Blu-ray to Windows, which is NOT what they're denying here.

So unless you count "random internet speculation and/or comments by Sony executives" as "comments by Microsoft executives", then no, they haven't yet committed to Blu-ray on the 360 .

That doesn't mean it will never happen, but so far they've said nothing to confirm it will happen.