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A Blu-ray Disc add-on may head to Xbox 360 should HD DVD fail

Along with Toshiba, Microsoft is a big backer of HD DVD. But with Warner’s siding exclusively with Blu-ray Disc, some Xbox faithful look to Microsoft to answers regarding the high-definition future of the console.

While Microsoft isn’t about to flip-flop to Blu-ray Disc any time soon, the company’s gaming group expressed that it will consider supporting the competing format with the Xbox 360 should its consumer base demand so.

"It should be consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider," Albert Penello, group marketing manager for Xbox hardware said to Reuters when asked whether Microsoft would support a Blu-ray DVD accessory in the event that HD-DVD failed.

High-definition movie wars aside, Microsoft does not believe that its choice in HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc will ultimately affect gamers’ attitudes towards its console.

"I fundamentally don't think ... this has a significant impact on Xbox 360 versus [Sony's] PlayStation 3," added Penello. "With the PlayStation 2, DVD was a big part in the beginning, but over time, people were not buying it as a DVD player after first year or two."

The PlayStation 3 is currently the top selling Blu-ray Disc player in the world, though many owners of the machine purchased it without the specific intention of playing high-definition movies. Warner’s decision, however, only strengthens the PS3’s future as a viable high-definition movie machine.

"You can't say it's not a bummer, not a setback, but I've seen this battle declared over so many times," Penello said, commenting on Warner's decision. "I want consumers to have a voice in this and I think there are a lot of consumers who bought HD-DVD who are going to have a say in how this shakes out."

Microsoft made similar comments in March 2007 when Microsoft Europe’s Senior Regional Director, Neil Thompson said, "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."

Months later, Microsoft changed it stance slightly by denying any sort of back-up plan to support Blu-ray Disc.

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A monster and a half...
By Aikouka on 1/9/2008 10:22:06 AM , Rating: 2
I currently have a 360 with the HD-DVD add-on and let me tell you, if I tried to put a BRD add-on on the machine too... that'd be quite an unsightly monster. Also I'm not too sure where it would go... two same-sized devices would cover the vent holes on the top of the 360 and stacking them would just be really awkward.

It kind of reminds me of one of the problems in programming. Usually the initial design is fine for the original plan. But when you start tacking new features onto the existing program at a whim, you can have quite an ugly mess at the end (if such things weren't taken into account for the design).




RE: A monster and a half...
By omnicronx on 1/9/2008 10:27:40 AM , Rating: 5
I think your missing the point, You will only ever see this drive if HD-DVD completely fails. As not having many movies being released for HD-DVD after 2008, this may no longer be a problem. Also chances are if they do have an addon, it would not surprise me if it would be swappable with the current HD-DVD drive.

Realistically, by the time HD-DVD is considered 'dead' if it ever does happen, prices will have dropped so low on BD standalones that there will be no point in buying a 360 addon. I mean if the BD costs 150-200, MS would have to price the addon at $100 or lower, or nobody will buy it.


RE: A monster and a half...
By Aikouka on 1/9/2008 10:59:24 AM , Rating: 3
If I already own the HD-DVD drive and needed the BR Drive, then I'd need room for both, wouldn't I? Not to mention the UI would need to be changed for it as they split the tray eject icon in half for the DVD and HD-DVD. I didn't even discuss the UI changes for 3 drives at once either :o!

The point was that I read this and thought of a huge peripheral monster that the 360 is becoming and how choice sometimes can be worse when you start getting such a beast.

Your point is valid though, but I'm considering the situation for current users (with the drive or that will buy it while HD-DVD is viable) where you're looking at it in the eyes of someone with just a 360 (or none at the moment and would buy one later).


RE: A monster and a half...
By 16nm on 1/9/2008 1:19:00 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
If I already own the HD-DVD drive and needed the BR Drive, then I'd need room for both, wouldn't I?


Well, let's hope that Microsoft has the sense to make it a combo drive then. Or, they simply integrate a combo drive into the XBOX 720.


RE: A monster and a half...
By daBKLYNdoorman on 1/9/2008 4:04:50 PM , Rating: 1
But you'll need a standalone BR drive, and thats one more piece of junk under your TV. We, the PS3 users will have no need for a standalone player. PS3 plays BR movies just fine.

(Oh, and you'll also be spending $100 on a BR standalone player... we won't. Why? Because PS3 is a better deal.)

(And yeah, xBox 360 fanboys, go ahead, give my post a negative rating... hide the reality...)


RE: A monster and a half...
By NT78stonewobble on 1/11/2008 5:11:20 AM , Rating: 2
Hmm aren't your piece of junk under the table called an ps3?


RE: A monster and a half...
By MooseMuffin on 1/9/2008 10:28:01 AM , Rating: 1
Well naturally you wouldn't need the HD-DVD drive if bluray wins outright.


RE: A monster and a half...
By FITCamaro on 1/9/2008 10:32:41 AM , Rating: 4
Uh yeah you will. You think people with HD-DVD discs are all just going to throw them away and rebuy things on Blu-ray?

To the original poster, I'd just get a combo player if they get cheap enough. Or just buy a dedicated Blu-ray player. Probably the better choice anyway.


RE: A monster and a half...
By Sulphademus on 1/9/2008 11:45:23 AM , Rating: 2
But if you have a 360 but haven't invested in HDDVD/BR and MSFT makes a cheaper than stand alone add-on for BR, assuming BR wins?

If you already have HDDVD, you won't just throw them away. You'll keep your 360-HD player or your stand alone player.


RE: A monster and a half...
By Aikouka on 1/9/2008 12:51:44 PM , Rating: 2
I already own a PS3, so I wouldn't buy the add-on anyway. But that wasn't the point of the comment, which seems to have been misunderstood by people in singular mindsets. The point is, if I didn't have a PS3 and Blu-Ray came out on top of HD-DVD, so if I wanted to continue buying Blu-Ray, I would need a BR player. If I already had a 360 and the HD-DVD drive (which you remarked that I wouldn't want to get rid of so I could continue to play my perfectly playable HD-DVD discs), what would I do with a similarly designed Blu-Ray add-on? It may make sense to just get that as it could be the cheapest way to go, but factors such as usability, aesthetically pleasing, etc may knock it out.

I guess I'm the only one that sees all these add-ons as becoming obnoxious, but I'm also the type of user that doesn't like things such as lots of external hard drives, etc.


RE: A monster and a half...
By aos007 on 1/9/2008 1:51:00 PM , Rating: 2
Addons ARE obnoxious. I see them as the early adopter stop-gap temporary solution during early stages of a technology. Once standalone prices drop enough, we are likely going to stop using the addon and just use standalone to play disks. Not only it will take less space, be easier to stack and look better on the shelf but it will be MUCH less noisy. Same goes for PS3 - can't wait for good quality $100-150 standalones to replace that noisy thing for movie playback (I brave through the noise even for DVDs because upsampling quality is simply amazing).


By daBKLYNdoorman on 1/9/2008 4:07:06 PM , Rating: 2
By the time BR drives become dead-cheap, there won't be any more HD DVD movies in production, and that means there won't be any use for your current HD DVD drive. (Unless you already have a bunch of HD DVD movies that you don't mind watching again and again.)


RE: A monster and a half...
By deeznuts on 1/9/2008 12:57:59 PM , Rating: 2
Just wait. I'm not knocking the HD DVD add-on (ok maybe I am), it's a decent add-on but sort of limited. At the time it was released, it was a good option because of price. By the time a BD add-on is released, if ever, I'm sure stand-alones will be as cheap or cheaper, perform better, and probably offer more options and features. The upscaler of standard DVDs hasn't gotten good reviews for the add-on - you may get better performance with a BD standalone (key word being "MAY"). Sound options on the HD DVD add-on are limited (no high def audio over HDMI available), this may carry forward to their BD add-on.


RE: A monster and a half...
By killerb255 on 1/9/2008 1:23:42 PM , Rating: 2
Microsoft would be better off releasing a combo-player (BD/HD-DVD) addon to save space. Of course they would be more expensive...


RE: A monster and a half...
By Locutus465 on 1/9/2008 1:42:56 PM , Rating: 2
Personally I think it's a good idea, this would give a fully configured x-box a big leg up on PS3 as far as a media player. The only format nutral console....

Perhaps they could go the build in BD route like they were considering with HD DVD... Or release a dual format add on.


RE: A monster and a half...
By Aikouka on 1/9/2008 2:32:42 PM , Rating: 2
Well, the only thing is that at that point the PS3 would be a gaming console/media player for the HD format. You'd only need HD-DVD support if you had "legacy discs" (sounds really awkward referring to a current high-end medium as legacy). So for people that have a 360 now with the HD-DVD add-on, this could be great if HD-DVD does go the way of the dodo. If people are waiting it out, then really the it'd just put them both on equal playing fields (both supporting Blu-Ray) rather than having a leg up.

Don't get me wrong... I do like that they're willing to support things. The only thing I worry about is the numerous accessories rather than being integrated in the first place. Yet again, I should reiterate that my post is generally geared toward people that currently just have a 360 with the HD-DVD and no means for playback of Blu-Ray discs. A dual-format add-on would probably be a bit much though... adding in support for a "dead format," which would drive costs up and probably make it uncompetitive with the PS3 when it comes to playing Blu-Ray itself.

Kind of off topic... in all reality, a 360 isn't a horribly cheap HD-DVD solution right now. I bought one for the family for Christmas and it easily cost more than a 80GB PS3 (around $525 excluding tax). I saw it as a better deal because of the MCE (especially with MPEG4 capability being added) and gaming capabilities though.


RE: A monster and a half...
By Locutus465 on 1/10/2008 9:32:10 AM , Rating: 2
Except while it is expected that universal and paramount will start offering bluray, they as of yet are not and have not announced that they are going to. So for all we know they may stubbornly decide to stick it out with HD DVD creating a situation where if you *really* want to see their movies in hd then...

Not saying this is likely, but it is possible... Particularly giving some debate (mainly on high def digest right now) whether HDM is really going to succeed at becoming mainstream like DVD did... With technologies like "Superconvert" and digital downloads up and coming, bluray has a real fight on it's hands.


Nothing new
By chdude3 on 1/9/2008 10:27:24 AM , Rating: 3
File this DT post under "no shit". They've already said this several times before. This is not new. Here's Peter Moore saying the same thing two years ago:
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/bluedragon/new...




RE: Nothing new
By michal1980 on 1/9/2008 10:35:06 AM , Rating: 1
I agree, the xbox team always said this.

though a blu-ray add on is more likely if hd-dvd is dead.

then if there was a stalemate


RE: Nothing new
By therealnickdanger on 1/9/2008 11:31:46 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
"It should be consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider," Albert Penello, group marketing manager for Xbox hardware said when asked whether Microsoft would support a Blu-ray DVD accessory in the event that HD-DVD failed.
- January 8, 2008


Stop saying that this "isn't news"! It is very newsworthy given the fact that Warners decision (and New Line Cinema as well) to exclusively back Blu-Ray is sending shockwaves across the industry. It's important for companies, like Microsoft, to weigh in on these events. As consumers, we want to know where they stand, even if it is merely an affirmation of something previous.


RE: Nothing new
By chdude3 on 1/9/2008 12:56:30 PM , Rating: 1
It's not news. Build a bridge and get over it.