"NO WE ARE NOT" reiterates Microsoft, in an angry voice, about Blu-ray Xbox 360s

As predictably as clockwork, Microsoft has stepped up to deny the existence of a Blu-ray-powered Xbox 360. As it has been doing with some regularity this year. News arrives on Friday, Microsoft's denial pops up on Monday. Same every time.

Speaking to US site Gamepro, Microsoft came out with the usual corporate line regarding the issue. It is, in fact, pretty much the same quote it sent out when the last batch of Blu-ray Xbox 360 rumours came out last month.

"As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360. Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

That's the quote right there. Bookmark this page, because if we're expected to 'upgrade' (sidegrade?) to Blu-ray-enabled Xbox 360s this Christmas there's going to be egg on faces like never before and we will NEVER believe anything MS says again.

(Via (Gamepro)

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Blu-ray Xbox 360 BACK ON for 2008, says bizarre Korean news source

Apparently, so they say, according to the brother of a little bird, Microsoft has placed an order for a whole batch of Blu-ray-equipped Xbox 360s. We'll believe it when we see them on the shelves of Currys.

The website - which is entirely Korean but has been bravely and hopefully correctly translated by Kotaku - states that MS has contracted Korean firm Pegatron Technology to build a Blu-ray Xbox 360. You can't get more direct than that. They say it like it's a FACT and 100% true.

So there you go. Should it be true, it seems that Microsoft just had to wait a year before embracing Blu-ray, so it doesn't seem like such a shameful and embarrassing turnaround.

Can you imagine the impact a Blu-ray Xbox 360 would have were it to arrive this Christmas? It would certainly help fend off PS3 and would extend 360's lifespan by a good few more years. Plus it'll do until the internet's good enough to support Microsoft's online dream, at least.

(Via Kotaku)

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Microsoft's Shane Kim clings to last shred of HD DVD hope

Some people are just born optimists. They say 'when life gives you lemons.. make lemonade!'

Ok, sure, those people are destined to be ground into dust by the endless daisy chain of disappointment and broken dreams that make up the average human life - but you kind of have to admire their naive, happy-go-lucky worldview.

So it is with a wistful smile that we greet head of Microsoft's Game Studios Shane Kim and his touchingly hopeful ideas about how to make a silk purse from the gnarled scrotum of the Xbox HD DVD player.

"There is still enjoyment to be had from your Xbox 360 HD DVD Player," says Kim, "You can take this as an opportunity to build out your movie collection! There are around 500 HD DVD movies to choose from and many at great deals."

Hmm. Yes, ok, maybe so - but we have already downloaded Transformers and it was rubbish. Any other bright ideas?

"It also is a terrific DVD player and it allows you to have game discs and movie discs, whether HD DVD or DVD, within the console at one time."

Riiiight. I can see how that would be useful..

"The HD DVD player also adds two additional USB ports to your console."

Yes Kim - and you can also use it as a foot rest or drinks coaster. Place one in your garden and if you are lucky an elf might use it as a coffee table.

Readers - what endearingly optimistic reason would YOU invent to justify buying a HD DVD player off of eBay? Answers in the comments please...

GameDaily via Kotaku

Microsoft to release final (?) HD DVD patch

360 owners who backed the HD DVD horse have been thrown a lifeline by Microsoft which could help put off the date when it must be driven off to the glue factory.

Later this week, MS will release an update to the Xbox's HD DVD software thst will patch a few bugs and adds some welcome features to the doomed device. New stuff includes Dolby Digital 5.1, WMA Pro support and "Additional support for network features."

If you are signed in to Xbox Live, the next time you play a HD DVD disc you will be prompted to download and install the update. If you don't have a Live account, the update can be grabbed here and burned to CD.

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Microsoft man says they "backed the right horse" in going with online movie distribution

By "backed the right horse" what MS really means is "backed the wrong horse, then back-pedalled and said downloadable content is the future rather than HD DVD."

Speaking to The Guardian, Microsoft man Neil Thompson distanced MS from the HD DVD debacle, instead underlining how its growing online video store is the new The Future.

"The horse that we're fundamentally backing is the one that says the future of entertainment content is online digital distribution. I would argue that we backed the right horse" Neil said, adding that he thinks in 18 months time we'll wonder what all the fuss was about regarding the Blu-ray and HD DVD battle o' tedium.

Another reason NOT to believe all those Blu-ray rumours, too.

(Via The Guardian)

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Why Blu-Ray on the 360 doesn't make sense

Net rumours suggesting that Lite-on is to make Blu-ray drives for the 360 are untrue, according to a Microsoft statement. "Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray drives for Xbox 360," the statement said. "As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster game available." The statement added that ""For our customers who want a premium movie experience we offer the largest library of on-demand HD content available and the ability to play back DVDs in high definition."

I can't see Microsoft supporting a Blu-ray drive. It just doesn't make sense for them. Microsoft no doubt want to push their online HD content, with indications that services like Netflix could soon be bringing their streaming services to the 360. Why would Microsoft undercut their own HD content by bringing out a drive manufactured by their rivals? I think it's far more likely that Microsoft will drop the prices on their hard drives and allow people to store more video content.

Source:
TechRadar.co.uk via MCV

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Now Microsoft claims it isn't interested in Blu-ray for Xbox 360

Microsoft is definitely upping its support for the Blu-ray format following the unfortunate HD DVD affair. Steve Ballmer even says as much. Now you're probably thinking, much like the rest of the planet, that the next logical step is to make a Blu-ray add on player for the 360. Y'know, something to replace the obsolete HD DVD one.

Not so. Xbox group product manager Aaron Greenberg has spelled out loud and clear that there is no such plan in progress. "Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," Greenberg told Reuters.

Well that's it settled then. Kindly shut up about the whole thing. There'll be no Blu-ray add ons, no Blu-ray attachments, no Blu-ray accessories and certainly no integrated Blu-ray playing Elite.

Assuming this is true this time, that must mean that all of Xbox's HD movie hopes are pinned on the Video Marketplace downloads. In that case, wouldn't this be a swell time to lop some of the price off those ridiculously expensive hard drives?

Source
PSPSPS.tv

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Microsoft definitely going Blu-ray - about time too

Well, we all knew that it was coming really didn't we. Microsoft have finally confirmed that they're looking into introducing Blu-ray functionality to the various Microsoft products that would benefit from it. Including the Xbox 360.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, "We have 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 have moved on, and we will support Blu-ray in ways that make sense."

It was bound to happen eventually really. With HD-DVD essentially now dead and buried, and with the price of both the Xbox 360 player and stand alone players dropping considerably, it was just a case of definitive confirmation.

In good news, you can bag a cracking HD-DVD player along with 7 films for around £79.99. So the format might be dead, but such a player will still upscale your standard DVD's, and you'll no doubt find HD-DVDs themselves in all the bargain bins for a few quid each soon enough.

Source: TechTree
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How to convert HD-DVD to Blu-Ray

Face it, HD-DVD lost and Sony finally have something to celebrate. It's only fair - they spent all that money on Champagne before the PS3 launch, only to realise that they should have invested in something stronger (and perhaps some antidepressants).

So, assuming you are one of the lucky few who bought a load of HD-DVD content, you might be wondering what to do with it now that Microsoft have decided to let the format shrivel and die.

Worry not. Wired have a simple how-to that shows you how to convert your HD-DVD discs to the now victorious Blu-Ray format.

The technique requires a Windows PC running special software, A HD-DVD drive (you should be able to get one of these off of eBay for £cheap), a Blu-Ray burner and more free time than most people would sensibly want to devote to a project as pointless as this.

Once you've converted your copy of Transformers to Blu-Ray, you'll be needing something to play it on. Contrary to popular belief, the PlayStation 3 makes an excellent Blu-Ray player.

Not so much with the games, obviously, but if it's Blu-Ray playback you are after - go Sony!

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Price of HD-DVD addon drops to 50 bucks

Not entirely unexpectedly, the price of the HD-DVD addon has dropped. A lot. Starting from tomorrow, you'll be able to pick up a unit for $49.99. Don't expect an awful lot more to come out for it, especially given that HD-DVD's lost the format war and Microsoft's stopping production of the things. Still, if you really, really need to see Serenity in HD and don't think that any good films are going to come out after Spring 2008, you might want to give it a shot.

Although its inclusion might have swung the format war, it's still a good thing that Microsoft decided against sticking one into the 360. Although these are early days, we've yet to see any concrete evidence that games really need the extra capacity at the moment. Mass Effect- which managed to stick in tons of content- still weighed in at one DVD. Not to be left behind, Microsoft's already started a serious effort with its Video Marketplace. Which would be a lot more tempting if Xbox 360 hard drives were just a bit cheaper.

Source:
DBtechno via n4g

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'Goodbye Tosh!' HD-DVD officially dead

Toshiba have finally admitted defeat, and HD-DVD has slumped down dead like a sack of potatoes, or maybe a bag of Betamax and shards of laser disc. As of March this year Toshiba are to end the production and marketing of HD-DVD players and recorders, including HD-DVD drives for PCs and games machines. You'd almost think Microsoft knew this when they made today's announcement about them not feeling HD-DVD is important for the 360.

So Blu-ray wins, but while PS3 fanboys proclaim a victory over the 360, it's worth considering just how relevant all this is to gamers, who buy consoles to play games on. Meanwhile, Toshiba have made an amicable statement confirming their departure, as quoted by MCV; "We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Toshiba's CEO and president Atsutoshi Nishida.

Those of you who remember the 1985 reggae charts will no doubt be wondering how Pato Banton feels on the issue. No word yet.

Source:
MCV

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Xbox 360 HD-DVD addon drops- last shout for HD-DVD on the 360?

Given the recent events at CES , I don't think HD-DVD's going to be getting fashionable anytime soon, with Warner Brothers now firmly in the Blu-ray camp. Still, there might be another year or so left in it, so if you fancy getting some HD movies in on the cheap, you might be interested to hear that the price of the player's dropped from 179.99 US dollars to $129.99. Throw in the five movie deal, and it's really a pretty attractive bargain. Except for the fact that the format's probably going to be dead before long. Still no word on UK pricing, but I suspect we'll see a drop soon.

The HD-DVD's never been a big focus of the Xbox 360 campaign for Microsoft. It's a nice little add-on that helps the 360 to tick a couple of boxes in its competition with the PS3, but Microsoft always seemed a bit keener on its whole digital download scheme. Still, if Microsoft's hoping that downloads are going to replace discs, they better start working at getting some bigger 360 drives out and expanding the movie service beyond just rentals. Also, a couple of watchable films up on the European Video marketplace would be a welcome addition.

Source:
Major Nelson via Kotaku

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Would it matter to Xbox 360 gamers if HD-DVD died?

Although it's far from certain, it looks like HD-DVD is rapidly headed the way of the dodo. With the recent announcement that Warner bros. would now start exclusively releasing in Blu-Ray, many have already declared the death of the HD-DVD format. Blu-ray - the PS3's disc format- now looks to be the future of the media format. Microsoft predictably fought back by announcing a rather unimpressive sounding digital TV service. It's difficult to deny that it's bad news for Microsoft.

The PS3's non-gaming functions have been heavily marketed and with good reason. It's still one of the cheapest Blu-ray players on the market and it's an added feature that'll help to get that installed user base up a little higher. It's unlikely to be an advantage in the long run, as the price of Blu-ray players continues to drop - and drop they will when manufacturers start focusing on producing Blu-ray rather than HD-DVD players- but it'll most likely give PS3 sales a little extra boost over the next year.

Please don't let us be misunderstood - Microsoft still backing HD DVD TO THE VERY DEATH

There will be no Microsoft Blu-ray add-on. That's the message MS put out today, after everyone, including poor little old us, went a bit bananas when Microsoft tech man Albert Penello said MS could, possibly, maybe, start supporting Blu-ray if enough people adopted the half-finished, over-priced alternative to HD DVD.

Speaking to small local games blog Kotaku, probably via email, Microsoft said it "Currently has no plans at this time to consider Blu-ray as an option."

It, or the person who typed the email, added "We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best optical solution for consumers, since it's the only format today that delivers quality experiences at affordable prices."

In a final flourish, MS hammered home the point that Blu-ray is still very much the enemy - "There are no current plans to consider Blu-ray as an option. Microsoft continues to be dedicated to the HD DVD format and we don't want the Reuters article to mislead or suggest otherwise."

So, HD DVD it is! For at least another three months! Then back to normal DVDs or downloads.

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"If they come, we will build it" - Microsoft may make a Blu-ray add-on for Xbox 360 if lots of people sign an internet petition

That's the great thing about Microsoft - it knows when to throw dignity to the wind and just blatantly copy someone else's idea if it means stealing market share from a tech enemy.

And this shameless streak could lead to Xbox 360 getting a Blu-ray add-on, with Xbox hardware bosses not exactly writing off the outlandish suggestion...

"It should be consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider," Albert Penello, marketing manager for Xbox hardware said when asked if Microsoft would ever consider doing a Blu-ray add-on for Xbox 360, now that Warner seems to have killed off HD DVD.

But would you, having shelled out on an HD DVD drive, actually bother investing in another HD movie playback option? A lot of angry HD DVD fans out there are refusing to switch over to Blu-ray, after feeling like they've been shafted and robbed by this mini tech war.

Besides, isn't downloading the future for Microsoft anyway?

(Via The Guardian)

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HD DVD Xbox 360 binned because Warner switched to Blu-ray?

The weekend saw devastating news arrive that's all but killed off HD DVD as a next-gen video format - Warner Bros. has dumped HD DVD and will release its films only on Blu-ray from May of 2008.

But insiders over at the AVS Forums - who are proper, actual insiders who work for companies like Microsoft, Universal and representatives of the Blu-ray consortium - reckon the decision could've gone either way.

Warner dumping HD DVD for Blu-ray went down to the wire - and it could've been persuaded, along with 20th Century Fox, to go exclusively with HD DVD instead.

In fact, they both nearly DID - an agreement was apparently in place between Warner, Fox and HD DVD backer Toshiba for the HD DVD WIN SCENARIO, only for Fox to pull out at the last minute and go crying off to Sony instead. Which gave Warner cold feet, so it went Blu-ray as well. It really was that close to being an HD DVD victory.

So if Warner and Fox had gone for HD DVD it'd be Blu-ray that'd look like the failed format today, and perhaps Bill Gates just might've pulled out an HD DVD-packing Xbox 360 from under his podium at CES last night, rather than blather on about a few new downloadable films instead.

In fact, I'd bet money that Microsoft's much-rumoured HD DVD-enabled Xbox 360 was one of the deals on offer to tempt Warner to support HD DVD exclusively in a "you support our format, we'll send out a few million more players over the next year" kind of deal.

But now Warner has dumped HD DVD, effectively killing the format, Microsoft has binned the prototype HD DVD 360 as well. Out of SPITE (and business sense).

No doubt we'll find out what really happened here in a few years, once the anger has subsided and the council has helped drain all the tears away. It's all been a terribly exciting weekend in the HD format war, in the geekiest and saddest way possible.

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Toshiba NOT doing an HD DVD enabled Xbox 360

Or so it said.

"It's got nothing to do with us" Toshiba said, when asked about the rumours doing the web about an HD DVD-enabled Xbox 360 "Ultimate" edition.

Trotting out Microsoft's well-used line about "user choice" being the reason for not whacking an HD DVD drive into Xbox 360, Toshiba pretty much put an end to the idea of an HD DVD-driven Xbox 360. Which is for the best - imagine the confused little children in Gamestation when they find themselves faced with ANOTHER Xbox 360 hardware version.

But then Toshiba would have to say that, wouldn't it? It wouldn't want to go and scupper Bill Gates' big speech/announcement at CES next week, would it? God, it's all so annoying. What is Bill planning to reveal?

Microsoft could just be sticking in an HD DVD drive anyway on its own, hence Toshiba's plausible continued denial. But who on Earth actually WANTS an Xbox 360 with an HD DVD drive built in?

What I'd like to see is an Xbox 360 without a DVD drive in at all - so it's nice and quiet. If I can download 5GB movies, I can sure as hell download 5GB games, too. I'll bet a digital distribution channel is being announced/launched for proper Xbox 360 games - hence the "bandwidth test" where everyone was allowed to download 300 pretty much for free over Christmas.

That's it. Case closed. Everyone can stop with the rumour-mongering now. Digital distribution it is. I've decided. Put that on your blogs and see if it sticks.

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Xbox 360 responsible for a third of HD DVD players out there (what's a third of nothing?)

Now if you're the sort of person who spend 18 hours a day talking about Blu-ray and HD DVD in various technical web forums, this is the update for you!

Occasionally useful tech blog The Enquirer reports that Xbox 360's HD DVD add-on makes up one third of the American HD DVD market - thanks to it being dead cheap and Microsoft giving away millions of films to anyone brave enough to plump for an HD film format this early in the game.

Of the estimated 750,000 HD players in America, hardware sales counter NPD reckons 269,000 of those are the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive. We have no idea what this means for the format, the success of the format, the chances of it beating Blu-ray or the sell-through rate of movies in the crucial Christmas period, but it is at least a useful fact to know.

And mentioning it on Blu-ray sites ought to kick off an argument that lasts for at least three weeks and ends up with 1.2 million posts and the police getting called in to handle all the death threats.

(Via The Enquirer)

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Next wave of Video Store titles annouced

A press release has just landed in my inbox detailing the second wave of films to be added to the new Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store. The service is undoubtedly a good idea, but as the review shows a post or two below it could do with being a little quicker. Still, the service is a great addition to the Xbox 360, and a new list of films on the morning the Video Store has launched with 23 films already available has to be a sign of Microsoft's commitment to making the film download system a success.

Again the films seem to come from the macho, 'adrenalin-fuelled' school of cinema, but with real classics like Unforgiven, at least they are a fairly well chosen selection. Expect the extra to be added by January 7th 2008, and look out for a Christmas gift on From 00.01a.m. on Friday 28th December, when for 24 hours there'll be a surprise movie available for 99p. Here's the list:

TMNT
WE ARE MARSHALL
BATMAN & ROBIN
BATMAN FOREVER
BATMAN RETURNS
WILD WILD WEST
US MARSHALS
DEEP BLUE SEA
SPHERE
UNFORGIVEN
MAVERICK
CONTACT
CONSPIRACY THEORY
OUTBREAK
LAST BOY SCOUT
MISS CONGENIALITY
ANALYZE THAT

OK, Miss Congeniality isn't that macho, but the rest more than make up fo it.

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More news from the launch of Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store

Tomorrow it's the official launch of the Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store, and alongside the pricing details a few posts below, there's a wealth of new information on the future of the service. The new online store lets you download brand new titles and recent classics onto your 360's hard drive for temporary storage. "Consumers are really going to enjoy it" enthused Stephen McGill (pictured), Microsoft UK Head of Gaming and Entertainment, speaking at today's launch event, before he talked the gathered press through a very simple download system and introduced Xbox colleagues and executives from Warner Bros., who are partnering with Microsoft for the launch.

Warner Bros.' Chris Meredith confirmed that there will be 27 movies available for launch, before revealing "we're certain there will be forty-plus titles by the end of the year". As if that weren't enough for the next three or four weeks, Microsoft's Robin Burrow's excitedly claimed "as it is we're planning to come back with new partners, new titles and all the rest". So, it looks like the new service is set to expand, and if it takes off commercially, it should quickly become a mainstay of the Xbox 360's online services. The dash makes downloading movies look very simple, though there was word that for now we're unlikely to see TV series' released on Video Store, and 'download to keep' movies are looking like they will never make it to the service, for the time being at least.

Xbox Marketplace Video Store priced

Having just enjoyed Microsoft’s presentation at a typically elaborate London Hotel, I’ve been inundated with information on the new Xbox Live Marketplace video download service, and it genuinely looks like a worthy addition to family of 360 online services. When you learn that upon purchasing a movie, it is only stored on your hard drive for two weeks, and that upon watching it for the first time you only have 24 hours before it is deleted for good, it sounds like something of a let down.

However, the pricing that has been announced suddenly makes the whole idea rather more interesting, and if you think of it as a rental service that you can use on a whim, without having to leave the house, or wait for a film to arrive in the post, it suddenly seems like a brilliant new direction for the Xbox. While newer movies will cost a little more than classics, with prices starting at 250 MS points (£2) for a standard definition flick 380 MS points (£3.20) for a high definition film it's hard to argue with the value. With titles ranging from 300 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to The Fugative and The Matrix, both the old and the new seem catered for, but there's certainly an emphasis for now on blockbusting action romps. However, there's plenty more movies on the way, so hopefully we'll see more variety as time passes. Keep an eye out here for more information in the next hour.

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Rumour: New Xbox 360 models to have built-in HD-DVD, media centre features. Does anyone care?

We can expect to see another Xbox 360 model with a built-in HD-DVD player, according to Australian site Smart House. Apparently, Toshiba insiders have let slip that a new model will be built in collaboration with Toshiba and boast a built-in HD-DVD, 1080p playback, bigger hard drive, wireless networking, a dual HDV tuner and EPG capability, as well as a docking port for MP3 players. The site quotes a senior Toshiba exec as saying "An Xbox with a built in HD DVD drive is critical. They and we are working on it. It also has to be more than a gaming machine. Microsoft recognise this. A version of the device may also be sold under the Toshiba brand name."

I have to admit, I’m thoroughly unexcited: I’ve just never been that moved by this whole concept of using a console as a media centre. I’d far rather have a box that was dedicated and designed for playing games, with optional extras available should you want them. The media centre features might be a small bonus for some, but even for those to whom it appeals, I doubt it’s going to be a feature that shifts a lot of consoles. On the whole, I’d think that people buy consoles on the strength of the games library, rather than what synergistic multimedia possibilities it might offer. Perhaps I'm just jaded by high-def movies, I just don't see enough of a difference to justify rebuying a DVD collection.

Source:
smart house via spong

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Microsoft literally GIVING AWAY five HD DVD movies

If you buy an Xbox 360 HD DVD Player between today and January 31 2008, you'll be able to send in a form with the barcode from the box, then wait for a few days, then get five free films in the post.

You can't complain about that, even though it's little more than a bribe to get you to side with HD DVD in the tedious HD "format war" that only about 200 people in the world give a toss about.

AND NOW THE BAD NEWS:
The free films on offer are: Serenity, The Chronicles of Riddick, Hulk, Children of Men, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Troy, Full Metal Jacket, Corpse Bride, The Prestige, Swordfish, Black Rain, Dreamgirls, Word Trade Center.

Children of Men's quite good and the first hour of Full Metal Jacket is the best hour of entertainment in the entire history of cinema, but the rest we could do without. Although you could whack them on eBay and use the money to get a game, eh?

The Xbox 360 HD-DVD player has already seen a bit of a price cut recently, and can be picked up in most places for a little under £115. And you might get a tenner each for flogging the five films.

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Rumour: Microsoft to cut price of Xbox 360 HD DVD drive

Rumours are currently doing the rounds that Microsoft are close to officially announcing a price drop for the HD DVD Drive add-on for the Xbox 360.

Allegedly, Microsoft confirmed that the price for the add-on would drop by €20, down to €180, at the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Germany today. With the US price dropping by $20 just last month, it would certainly put the European price point in line with the cost our US friends are expected to pay.

With the recent news of Paramount going HD DVD exclusive, this could just kick start sales of the drive, and give the format another extra boost in terms of sales, and in turn publisher support.

Source: Next-Gen
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Comic-Con 2007: HD-DVD Player add-on price slashed, more goodies coming to Xbox Live Video Marketplace

Along with its other Comic-con activities, Microsoft has used the event to announce a new price cut for the HD-DVD Player accessory. The retail price has been shifted from $199 to $179 – not exactly a phenomenal cut, but you will be able to send off for five free HD-DVD titles to go along with it.

If you’re wondering what the five free titles are, they’re part of Toshiba’s ‘Perfect Choice’ promotion that allows you to choose five from a selection of fifteen movies. Unsurprisingly, it is only actually possible to spot about three watchable movies in there, but what the hell – it’s free. Check here for the full selection (launches Acrobat).

Sony say HD DVD will be dead in months!

Gamasutra.com are reporting that the new senior vice president of marketing for the Playstation, Peter Dille, has commented that the Xbox 360 can not sustain itself over a decade (unlike the PS3 - obviously!) and also expressed his opinion that the HD DVD format will be dead within a matter of months! Rather a bold statement for a Sony rep to make considering all the issues they had getting BD technology in their machine in the first place!

Dille also pointed fingers at the MS strategy for the original Xbox even going so far as to say that MS have never been successful! Incredible comments and you can see what else Dille had to say below!

HD-DVD going online

Online functionality is being added to HD-DVDs, with Microsoft showing off the new features in the upcoming Freedom, an anime movie due for release in the US. The online-enabled disc will allow you to download an HD trailer for another movie, as well as offer more menu styles and subtitles.

Also shown off was a new editing feature in the upcoming US release of 300, that’ll allow users to change the scene order of the film and upload the new edit onto the Warner Bros server. The edit will then be watchable by others.

Akira coming to Xbox Live

The ever affable Major Nelson has released a full list of this week's downloadable video content for Xbox Live, the big news being "Akira" in High Def format. There's also going to be some feature films and National Geographic documentaries, but... Akira! Wowza. We're having flashbacks to our days of big bikes and screaming neon.

Currently these video downloads are only available in the North American market, with no news yet as to the rest of the world, but that's likely because the Xbox 360 Elite (and its bigger hard drive for storage) won't be sold in Europe until November. In terms of content strategy, providing a library of anime is a very clever idea. Many gamers are already steeped in the culture of manga and anime, so this is a perfect match. Not so sure about the nature documentaries, though. Not unless they include savage lions feasting on the entrails of a freshly caught zebra.

Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, full list after the jump.

Microsoft has no plans for Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive

There have been persistent rumours on the internet that the Xbox 360 could see a Blu-Ray drive in the future, probably most commonly stemming from an oft-cited interview with Peter Moore from Japanese site ITmedia. However, according to Microsoft’s Gamerscore blog, these comments were taken out of context. There are no plans to release one. “We firmly stand behind the HD DVD format as the best choice for consumers. Current reports indicating that Microsoft has a back-up plan, which includes Blu-ray support are incorrect. We’re fully committed to HD DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats.”

It makes sense. The Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war is far from over and Microsoft are keen to promote and support their chosen format.Saying that they’ll support their rival’s format at this stage of release would be bizarre. I don't think that there's a lot between the two formats, at the moment

via gamesindustry.biz

HD-DVD addon gets update

The Dashboard’s not the only thing getting an update this Spring, with Microsoft releasing an HD-DVD upgrade (Major Nelson via Kotaku). Among other things, the upgrade allows the user to select a number of audio output formats via TOSLINK or HDMI, as well as adding a “Dynamic Range Control” toggle for the audio output. It’s pleasing to see that the HD-DVD is getting 1080p support via the HDMI cable as well, although this is only going to be available for Xbox 360 Elites, which haven’t been released in the UK yet. A full list of features from Major Nelson's blog is available on the turn.

I’ve been impressed with Microsoft’s updates to the Dashboard and HD-DVD. Although few people probably have televisions that are big enough for the 1080p update to make a noticeable difference, it’s a feature that might become increasingly useful in time as more people upgrade to HDTV sets.

Is the Xbox 360 Elite Microsoft's worst move yet?

Good thing Microsoft's Xbox 360 upgrade with bigger hard drive and HDMI won't be out until November. In fact, Microsoft can frankly delay the Xbox 360 Elite as long as they want to far as I'm concerned - it's the stupidest idea they've come up with in ages.

Firstly, in the US this is set to cost US $479. The HD-DVD drive costs US $200. So in order to rival the PS3 in terms of next-generation movie and game playback through HDMI, the Xbox 360 route involves two boxes and costs 80 bucks more.

In a way, the mere existence of the Elite begs that kind of comparison. Microsoft could have stuck to its guns and said component is just as good as HDMI. I recently spoke to a high-end audio-visual installer who looks at TV pictures for a living – he often can't tell which is "better" between a good quality component feed and an HDMI feed. But by adding HDMI to the "Elite", Microsoft is ceding defeat on that issue to Sony - who always said the best picture would come via HDMI.

The same is true of the hard drive - in playing one-up-manship with Sony, going from their 60GB model, to one double the size, Microsoft are admitting that the 13 free GB of space on their original drive was pitifully small.

And what of those of us left behind now? Microsoft are once again splitting Xbox 360 owners into tiers - those with and without HDMI, those with and without a big enough hard drive to cope with the new downloads coming. And you can't even upgrade your existing console to play through HDMI. In order to get HDMI, Microsoft are forcing existing early adopters into buying their 360 again.

Previous whinges about two-tier 360s and PS3s never really hit the mark - after all, if you wanted backwards compatibility on the 360 from the Core system, you only needed to buy the hard drive, and if you wanted a bigger hard drive on the PS3, you could get it etc. But now PS3 fanboys have a serious stick to beat Microsoft with.

Blu-ray winning the HD war already?

From Sony's perspective, Blu-ray is the single most important capability that sets the PS3 apart from its competition. The Xbox 360 does of course have its HD-DVD addon, but there lies the problem. As an optional hardware addon, less players are actually out there in the market. However, with every PS3 sold, Blu-ray takes a step ahead of the Microsoft backed HD-DVD format in Europe.

With the UK's largest DVD rental chain offering Blu-ray rentals, but deciding not to support HD-DVD, what seems like an early nail in the coffin of the format has been hammered in hard. But, just as games make a console, movies will ultimately decide the fate of the next-gen format war. A look at the available titles for both systems tells an early, yet telling tale.