Microsoft scraps HD-DVD for Xbox 360

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M

MAGNeT

Galvanizer
Looking to salvage technology

Microsoft has confirmed that it will stop making HD DVD players for the Xbox 360.

The news was expected after Toshiba gave up the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray. While Microsoft said that it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players it had no intention to make any more.

Over the weekend Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a written statement that Redmond had not given up entirely on the technology.

There were some components, such as Hdi, which added interactive features to DVDs, and its VC-1 video encoding technology, which can be applied to other platforms.
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Fudzilla - Microsoft scraps HD-DVD for Xbox 360
 
Elite owners must be pretty pissed now. I still side by earlier opinion that HD-DVD could be used as the format for MS's next console.
 
Why should they still side by an obsolete media with hardly any support when bluray is out there in the mainstream with twice the size HD DVD would offer? M$ isolating themselves with HD DVD for xbox the 3rd will be no different than Ninty's exclusive cartridge system they used with N64 or Dreamcast's exclusive GD-Rom. Both failed consoles.

Plus it would just make M$ desperate (or egoistic) if they go HD DVD with the next console.
 
Ck Nish said:
Elite owners must be pretty pissed now. I still side by earlier opinion that HD-DVD could be used as the format for MS's next console.
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Why would Elite owners be pissed? The XBOX 360 Elite comes with a standard DVD drive.
 
Plus it would just make M$ desperate (or egoistic) if they go HD DVD with the next console.
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I'm thinking in terms of security, sorta like the UMD. People might be less likely to crack something that doesn't have universal support. Ultimately though, they would still have to support blu-ray if they wanted their next console to offer the complete multi-media experience and I'm sure they'd want to.
 
HD DVD would be more hackable I think than bluray, since its very similar to DVD technology. Though I'm sure hacks will be out for bluray by 4-5 years too. Its going to be interesting to see if bluray and piracy actually mix.
 
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