The handful of people or so who actually went out and purchased the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will get a pleasant surprise update when they boot up their player today. Here are the goods for what Microsoft has done to improve the product:
Added option for user to select from the following audio output formats via TOSLINK or HDMI:
o Digital Stereo (2 channel PCM)
o Dolby Digital 5.1
o DTS 5.1
o WMA Pro
Added "Dynamic Range Control" toggle for digital audio output
Improved HD DVD networking support
Improved HD DVD title compatibility
Improved performance with MPEG-4 AVC / H.264
1080p via HDMI is supported on the Xbox 360 Elite with HDCP compliant displays
Improved parental controls
Is it too early to say HD DVD doesn't even matter anymore?
[Via Major Nelson]
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Contest:
1:06 PM on 05.15.2007
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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2121082,00.asp
Fact is is Blu-ray's only advantage is disc space, it really isn't an advantage. For example, you'd think that because these discs are full of space you could fit an entire season or even a short series on one disc...not so, because even though it'll hold more, the video data is alot bigger size due to increased resolution, uncompressed audio, etc.
HD-DVD players are much cheaper and generally produce better results. The only thing saving it at this point is the PS3 and retarded Americans.
Then again, I'm extremely biased and would love to see Sony burn...we haven't forgot Pearl Harbour and I refuse to buy your superiorly engineered Japanese hardware Sony.
WOOOO !!!
...Yes. Now I can finally watch DOOM with the audio up to par. Haven't seen it yet. Will I be disappointed?
Yeah for the update.
Yeah for the PS3.
Yeah for learning the meaning of a budget.
You would be wise to do so IMO. I don't think HD-DVD or BluRay will take off the way DVD did. Most people will wait to see what the next format is before repurchasing their movie collection. But for the people with the income to own an HDTV and who are willing to blow $30 on a movie, more power to you. While I believe there's always going to be a big market for physical discs, I think Summa's right that digital distribution is the next wave.
How do I know this? It's simple. Do a search on google for "walmart" and "hd dvd". Nuff said.
Certainly didn't to me.
All Blu-Ray did was put out the same stuff DVD's have been putting out all along, but in high def.
I do still think it's too early to consider Blu-Ray a winner. HD-DVD players are about to drop even further in price, especially at WalMarts and Sams Clubs, which is one of the biggest electronic retailers in the US. Also, currently HD-DVD standalone players are outselling Blu-Ray 4 to 1. I fully admit that Blu-Ray is in a good spot, and the PS3 is definitely helping it (along with studio exclusives), but it's those standalone sales that will eventually shape the outcome of this format war. The PS3 may end up hurting Blu-Ray, too. If the PS3 can't produce better sales into 2008, we will start to see the PS3 being considered a failure by the mainstream media, and if the PS3 sinks then Blu-Ray might sink with it, or vise versa.
In the end, I agree with Summa. Digital distribution is the future. However, if a format does win, I sure hope it's HD-DVD. At least then we'll get a better movie experience due to the accessibility of the extra features from the in-movie menu.
As an HDTV owner, I'm perfectly content with regular ol' DVDs. I have DISH Network with HD and, while it looks amazing and it's leaps and bounds better than the standard satellite/cable picture quality, it's only slightly (imo) better than DVD. For me, the upgrade from DVD to anything else just isn't worth it yet.
I love the 360 but the HD-DVD add on is a waste of money. The PS3 was my movie add-on for the 360. I have a 360 to play games and a PS3 to play HD movies :p There's nothing wrong with HD-DVD, from most accounts it is almost indistinguishable from Blu-ray but the format with the most titles is going to win and that format is not HD-DVD.
Want Spider Man in HD? Blu-ray exclusive. Pirates of the Caribbean? Yep.
The biggest selling titles are almost without fail going to be exclusive to Blu-ray or available for both formats. HD-DVD just can't compete with that.
Biased? As biased as the latest sales so far:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2121082,00.asp
No knock sgainst Summa per se, but if let sales dictate a things relative worth then the wii is the best next gen console. Clearly the geekest av reports show HD is superior-Have they sold as many? Like I really let popular vote dictate facts and what I like. Good job MS
The only advantage Blu Ray offers is capacity. End of story. HDDVD is far more feature rich.
Anyway, now all I need is an Elite for the HDMI outlet... to bad it doesn't come in white. Black messes with my living room's color scheme.
Of course a miracle may happen in the HD-DVD camp but realistically it will probably linger on until Christmas and then Toshiba will quietly throw in the towel. Soon after they'll be releasing combo players to try and regain face.
There is so much more to this format war than a lead in the early months. This war will be waged over the next couple years. Get ready, you may be surprised.
Word to the wise: Don't support either, unless you have the money to blow.
there was a scene worth watching in Doom?
Must've missed it. And the blue-ray dominance is purely a PS3 phenomenon.
[Cost of home player] < [Cost of PS3] = format war.
..and, am I the only one convinced that the ONLY reason Blu-Ray is doing so well at the moment is because, well....people are desperately trying to justify their $600 dollar purchase because there really aren't any worthwhile GAMES on the system yet?
I think the Blu-Ray explosion at the moment is due to the game drought. I predict when the games start coming out, Blu-Ray sales will sink.
[i]Warner Home Video has announced it will bring the blockbuster '300' to Blu-ray and HD DVD this July in feature-laden special edition sets.
Warner will bow both a Blu-ray and HD DVD version of the spectacle on July 31, each boasting impressive tech specs and copious bonus features.
Both the BD-50 Blu-ray and HD DVD/DVD combo versions will feature identical 1080p/VC-1 transfers and, in a welcome move from Warner, matching Dolby TrueHD (48kHz/16-bit) 5.1 surround tracks.
Things become a bit more lopsided as we move into the high-def exclusive features, with only the HD DVD edition (not the Blu-ray) also boasting a picture-in-picture video commentary, plus the exclusive "Vengeance & Valor" interactive game.
Retail will be $39.95 for the HD DVD combo, and $34.95 for the Blu-ray.[/i]
content wins and blu-ray has more content.
@dv8withn8: "The only advantage Blu Ray offers is capacity. End of story. HDDVD is far more feature rich." Blu-ray supports something called BD-Java, which is far more powerful than anything HDDVD can do. The shame of it is, there are hardly any BD-Java capable players at the moment, The PS3 being one of them. If you were to add "Currently" to your statement, you would be more correct.
It's $39.99 [b]For the HD-DVD Combo[b/] and $34.99 for the Blu-ray.
In other words, it's TWO HD-DVDs...doesn't seem more expensive than the blu-ray...plus the HD-DVD has extra shit.
But to be truthful...is this format thing necessary? how about making a disc that doesn't deteriorate?
Personally, I believe DVD is winning the current format war...but that's just me.
The reason for that is because the HD-DVD version is a combo disc, so it has a DVD layer as well. Also, retail price has nothing to do with manufacturing costs. My understanding is that HD-DVD is actually cheaper to produce because HD-DVDs can be pressed in the same plants as DVDs (with some upgrades). Blu-ray discs require new plants. I could be wrong, but it's just what I remember reading.
That said, I don't understand the point of Combo discs, and I wish they didn't exist at all. For one, they haven't even worked in my 360 Add-on drive yet (hopefully, this update fixes that), and another... as you've pointed out, they're more expensive. I'm not even sure what the market is for these... people who eventually want HD-DVDs but can't afford to buy a player yet? Um, great... that probably means they also won't want to spend double or triple the money for a feature they can't use yet, and would rather just buy the damn standard DVD.
I also realize production cost means absolutely nothing to the consumer unless they pass the savings along. It doesn't look like HD-DVD is really making a push to do this yet, but hopefully they will eventually.
I also think the formats will eventually be irrelevant, like recordable DVDs. All the players in a few years will probably play both formats, so whatever format stuff comes out on will be irrelevant.
-Jeff
http://alinktothefuture.com
w/ an hdtv ) I have both HDDVD player and Blue Ray player.
And I love them both, each offers something the other doesn't.
I can't bring my self to watch a regular dvd now!
So who cares who wins this war?