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The Xbox 360 with its HD DVD drive could soon be joined by a Blu-ray Disc add-on
Xbox 360 could soon support Blu-ray Disc movies

The issue surrounding Xbox 360 and Blu-ray Disc is one that still does not yet have a clear answer. Ever since the fall of HD DVD, some have expected Microsoft to quickly switch gears and offer a Blu-ray Disc attachment for the Xbox 360, despite continual denials from the software giant.

If third-party reports are to be believed, an Xbox 360 add-on Blu-ray Disc drive may not be far off. According to DigiTimes, Lite-On is in the process of making such a disc drive for Microsoft’s console. Shipments of the supposed Blu-ray Disc accessory are to commence in the second half of 2008.

In late February, Lite-On unveiled the market’s first external Blu-ray Disc drive. Given Lite-On’s external PC drive utilizing the USB interface, it’s conceivable that such a device could be easily tooled to work on the Xbox 360 via a software update. The PC external drive is expected to hit sometime in the second quarter.

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

Throughout the market life of HD DVD, however, Microsoft representatives said on multiple occasions that it would support Blu-ray Disc should the consumer demand it from the Xbox 360. Microsoft Europe’s Senior Regional Director Neil Thompson said last year, “Whatever format wins it is highly likely we will offer a solution. The only debate is if you want to watch Blu-ray movies and pay the extra money for that feature. We prefer to offer the consumer choice.”

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April Fools!
By daftrok on 4/1/08, Rating: 0
RE: April Fools!
By griffynz on 4/1/2008 10:39:16 PM , Rating: 3
Nah HD-DVD Spec 2.1 just to get one on Blu-ray.
Plus everyone knows consumers will buy the bigger number...


RE: April Fools!
By Gio6518 on 4/1/2008 11:27:16 PM , Rating: 5
this is going to help HD-DVD make a comeback

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/betamaxhd.html?c...


RE: April Fools!
By Cygni on 4/2/2008 1:48:20 AM , Rating: 2
You do realize that a descendant of Betamax is what most prerecorded HD TV programing youve watched in your life was recorded with?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCAM


RE: April Fools!
By Gio6518 on 4/2/2008 2:53:53 AM , Rating: 2
hmmmmmmmm it was an april fools joke, but i do like new insights


RE: April Fools!
By Mitch101 on 4/2/2008 10:17:43 AM , Rating: 2
We have an unconfirmed rumor that Microsoft is prepping an external hard drive enclosure for down loadable movie content. It will utilize a 3.5" SATA hard drive.

Not sure how consumer friendly a drive replacement may be but to be successful the price will be fair to drive costs of today because the money to be made is in the downloads not the hardware. If the add on is too pricey like the 2.5" drives today are then it will fail to sell.


RE: April Fools!
By ImSpartacus on 4/2/2008 5:52:27 PM , Rating: 2
I wish you could upgrade the HDD like on the PS3 (probably the only thing they got right...).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

I could pay a little over $50 and get all the space I need to never have to worry about how much room I have left. I don't need 120GB (although that's only 15ish$ more) or one of those huge 320GB drives.


RE: April Fools!
By daftrok on 4/2/2008 6:35:42 PM , Rating: 2
Oh so the included internal wireless, HDMI out, Blu ray drive, free online, rechargeable controller with recharging wire standard and NOT BREAKING don't count as things they got right?


So what?
By cmdrdredd on 4/1/08, Rating: 0
RE: So what?
By crazyblackman on 4/1/08, Rating: -1
RE: So what?
By Hiawa23 on 4/2/2008 10:39:13 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah, so what...From my experience with a certain defective, mass market "LITEOFF" dvd burner, and their poor customer support for said crappy product, it seems to me that the 360 and Liteoff would be a perfect marriage. I will never EVER buy another Liteoff drive and I wonder why anybody in their right mind would invest anymore cash into the 360, outside of game purchases. Just doesn't seem to make sense at all considering the choices available today. Talk about "TRUEHD" sound...who the hell wants to watch movies on a bluray drive addon for a leaf blower anyway? But of course Microsoft will deny it's coming out, because they want you to buy their slow selling console NOW, instead of you waiting for any future revisions. Their are better choices available for bluray movie viewing. Of course, there is no need for me to mention the most popular choice. You've heard it all before. Nuff said. Hope my statements of truths doesn't offend anyone, but I know thats unavoidable.

Go ahead...vote me down.

You have every right to your opinion & why would anyone get offended? I did not make the 360. My 11/3/05 unit continues to work fine & the drive is not loud at all for Xbox1, or the HD DVD drive. I don't have issue with it for 360 game either as I have just gotten used to it & it is as normal to me as my central air or ceiling fan running, plus with the surround sound going, I don't hear it, even when watching movies. You are right there are other options if you want blu ray viewing, but it's nice for 360 owners to have an option, which is all I am saying. I do agree, MS ought to be shot for all the faulty consoles, but many of us continue to have fine working consoles with no issues, infact my 360 has outlasted my Xbox1 & PS2 in the same period last gen, I have also had to replace my Ps3, so the 360 is fine for me. If it breaks I have a warranty, & have no issues buying another console as it is easily my favorite console this gen, & the most important component to me is LIVE which is unmatched & the software.


RE: So what?
By FITCamaro on 4/2/2008 12:53:24 PM , Rating: 2
I actually love Lite-on drives. I've never had an issue with one. Samsung's drives however (while I love their TVs) I will never buy again. Talk about loud.

And even assuming your 360's DVD (I wish I could underline that here) was loud, how does that translate into a Blu-ray add-on drive being loud? Considering the drive would only be running at around a 2x speed, it would not be loud. And the 360 wouldn't exactly have to run full tilt to decode the movie either. It could all be done on the GPU.


RE: So what?
By Hiawa23 on 4/2/2008 8:29:21 AM , Rating: 2
Even if you could watch Blu-Ray via 360 it would be a wasted experience IMO. You wouldn't be getting any of the Uncompressed PCM , TrueHD, or DTS HD soundtracts. The sound is just such a step above DolbyDigital that I can't go back.

I don't think it would be a waste for most gamers. I have the HD DVD addon for the 360, & a PS3, & have a standard 5.1 DD DTS system so 5.1 sound is good enough for many of us. Funny how some of the techies just assumes all that TRUE HD, True sound stuff is needed for most, cause it aint. There is nothing to to go back to as far as I am concerned, as it's good enough. I don't need the drive since I have the PS3, but this is great news for MS & Lite on for those who need BR & don't want to buy a PS3.


RE: So what?
By therealnickdanger on 4/2/2008 9:03:07 AM , Rating: 2
Two points:

1. For the budget gamer with a budget HDTV and budget surround-sound system, the 360 owner will still benefit from the higher-quality audio tracks. In fact, he will likely notice a difference toward the positive. The 360 will decode all streams and output them at 1500kbps DTS - which surpasses the standard 640kbps Dolby Digital tracks found on the majority of DVDs. It should be noted that ANY HD/BD player will do this for audio if you don't have a THD/LPCM HDMI-compatible receiver. Ultimately, I don't believe that HDMI audio passthrough has been ruled out on the 360, so there's still hope for folks that want to use the 360 as their media hub and later purchase such a receiver.

2. For the gamer that also owns upper-mid to high-end home theater gear, then the 360 is not the ideal device to watch DVD/HD/BD anyway. The down-sampled high-rez audio will be a noticeable stain compared to its pure form. Microsoft will have to offer the ability to pass untouched audio streams to a receiver to make it a credible player for the snobbier crowd.


RE: So what?
By cmdrdredd on 4/2/2008 4:37:38 PM , Rating: 2
You're wrong. Most Blu-Ray movies have Uncompressed PCm OR Dolby Digital at 640Kbps. The 360 cannot decode PCM because the PCM cannot be sent via any other method other than HDMI or Analog.


RE: So what?
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 4:44:16 PM , Rating: 2
If its true that a future hardware revision will include a Blu-Ray drive, it would be fairly easy for Microsoft to include any necessary hardware upgrades to take full advantage of the Blu-Ray drive.


Internal Drive, Not Add-On
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 11:21:50 AM , Rating: 3
The cited Digitimes article clearly states that Lite-On is developing internal BD-ROM drives for the Xbox 360. There is absolutely no mention of an add-on drive anywhere in the article, so I'm not sure where this is coming from. The Digitimes article also states that the BD-ROM is going to be included in the next generation Xbox 360. Its not clear what is meant by "next generation." It could mean a refresh of the current 360, or the successor to the 360.




By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 11:29:52 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
It is reported that Microsoft plans to offer a new Xbox 360 hardware revision equipped with a BD-ROM drive to compete with Sony's PlayStation 3. Taiwan-based Lite-On IT is said to have been invited to participate in designing the drive.


I found this tidbit in another story from Digitimes (posted today) which appears to answer my question about whether the rumored Xbox 360 w/ internal BD-ROM is a hardware revision.

Also, the follow-up story today shows that it wasn't an April Fools story, although it could still prove to be an incorrect rumor.


RE: Internal Drive, Not Add-On
By FITCamaro on 4/2/2008 12:56:13 PM , Rating: 2
I would assume another refresh. Microsoft knows to have a Blu-ray equipped 360 would be extremely beneficial. Especially if they offered it at a cheaper price than the PS3.


Great.
By Inkjammer on 4/1/2008 10:08:34 PM , Rating: 3
First it was Red, now it's the Blu Ring of Death...

Spy's sappin' my 360!




Huh...?
By cscpianoman on 4/1/2008 11:07:57 PM , Rating: 3
Wait, what month is it again.... oh yeah...




Blue?
By