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Microsoft bites the bullet: HD DVD no more
12:46 PM on 02.24.2008, Gameboi 70 comments

Microsoft bites the bullet: HD DVD no more photo
     HD
Ever since the (not so?) great mass defection of 2007-2008, it has been expected that Microsoft would at some point, abandon their own support of the HD DVD format. If you've taken a peek at Gamerscore since Saturday, you probably saw them announce just that:

"As a result of recent decisions made by Toshiba, Hollywood studios, and retailers, Microsoft plans to withdraw from HD DVD.  Xbox will no longer manufacture new HD DVD players for the Xbox 360, but we will continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market.  As we stated earlier, we do not believe this decision will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. HD-DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own."

Not the best of news for those that hoped that the struggling format would finally take off and fly on its own, but there is one silver lining in this situation -- it has zero effect on the Xbox 360 and its games. The announcement should also put those bothersome rumors of yet another SKU with an internal HD DVD drive to rest. If only we could now get rid of the current scuttlebutt calling for the notably green console to transform into something a little more Blu-ray. When are people going to lose those silly notions that add-ons just don't cut it?

I always thought of it as prudent on MS's part not to shove HD DVD down our throats from the start. It was just too risky. As history now shows, it would appear that they made the right choice, and it looks like good old fashioned DVD may be here to stay for a while longer -- at least until Blu-ray players and the disks themselves start matching the price-point that the mainstream finds comfort in.

[Via Kotaku]


Next page: More Xbox 360 stories




phamtq's Avatar
phamtq at 02/24/2008 12:41
Part of me wonders what would happen if they switched their games to HD-DVD disc to combat piracy. The other companies wouldn't sell a recorder to a dead format and the ones out now cost a pretty penny.

... Just some random thoughts. :D
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 02/24/2008 12:45
Finally. Good on 'em. At least they aren't stupid enough to try to drag out its death.
Narishma's Avatar
Narishma at 02/24/2008 12:48
I always thought of it as prudent on MS's part not to shove HD-DVD down our throats from the start. It was just too risky. As history now shows, it would appear that they made the right choice

I'm not sure about that. Maybe if they did shove it down our throats HD-DVD would have won in the end.
casualweaponry's Avatar
casualweaponry at 02/24/2008 12:50
Do people even care about owning movies anymore?

I only care about owning Planet Earth on Blu-Ray, and that's about it. I've sold off my entire DVD collection (500+), and I don't miss them one bit.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 02/24/2008 12:52
Aww, those turtles are sad...
Gameboi's Avatar
Gameboi at 02/24/2008 12:54
@ Narishma

At first glance, you may be tempted to say yes. However, it would've jacked up the price of the 360 -- and nullified the competetive advantage it had over the PS3 at the onset.

The 360 has gone on to sell very well, I'd say.
SubOrbital's Avatar
SubOrbital at 02/24/2008 12:58
I don't know wahat the big deal is. DVD is obliterating Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray has no chance in hell of beating it before DLC takes over. The war was two years too long, and the average joe just doesn't want it.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 02/24/2008 13:01
I agree with the quote Narishma posted. I for one would not have been able to afford my 360 had an HD DVD player been included. I know a lot of other people (most Standard Def TV owners such as my self) who feel the same way.

However, now that HD DVD is dead I'll be keeping my eye out for a the 360 attachment for cheap. I'm talking like $2o cheap. Thats not a bad price for DVD upscaling.
Magesx's Avatar
Magesx at 02/24/2008 13:06
Blu-ray still somehow sucks still, right?
Gameboi's Avatar
Gameboi at 02/24/2008 13:11
@DaedHead8

Wait... Narishma was quoting me ;-)
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 02/24/2008 13:17
I know Gameboi, I was just too lazy to requote it. =)
Vyruz's Avatar
Vyruz at 02/24/2008 13:19
I had a feeling HD-DVD wouldn't make it.
I mean look at it, Blu-ray has 10 more gigs PER LAYER compared to HD-DVD
drMario1337's Avatar
drMario1337 at 02/24/2008 13:22
Finally they give up.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 02/24/2008 13:25
Too bad that's a moot point, Vyruz, until they start UTILIZING that space. How many discs does Blu-ray Planet Earth come on? 4. How about the HD-DVD version? 4. Hmm... looks like that space means diddly squat as of right now. Plus, look at the HD-DVD version of 300. Waaaay better than the Blu-ray version. Odd.

Anywho, scuttlebutt aside, I think it would have been interesting if the 360 had HD-DVD in one of the SKUs (maybe not the first one), such as the Elite. Maybe shoving HD-DVD down our throat was exactly the strategy needed to help keep the format afloat? We may never know for sure.

As far as I'm concerned, back to buying normal DVDs for me. No Blu-Rayz are in my future.
Velt's Avatar
Velt at 02/24/2008 13:25
Prices will begin to drop now pretty quickly...
Baron Calico's Avatar
Baron Calico at 02/24/2008 13:25
RIP HD-DVD.
Kaspar's Avatar
Kaspar at 02/24/2008 13:31
Seriously, is there any reason we should stop using regular DVDs?
DrXym's Avatar
DrXym at 02/24/2008 13:33
It should be obvious now why Microsoft nominally supported HD DVD but kept it at arms length. They didn't want it stinking up the 360 if it flopped.
NightDehumidifier's Avatar
NightDehumidifier at 02/24/2008 13:35
I'll say this one more time because I'm correct, digital distribution is the way of life. Where are the video stores? Why are video rental services closing down left and right? Why is it that Tivo sells like hotcakes? How come there are millions of downloads on iTunes on a daily basis? Who among us downloads XBLA, PSN and VC games? Why is DVR a major selling point with cable and sattelite providers? It's the digital age. One box, and all is ordered through a click, button press and some digits on a card. No stores, no retail, the future of entertainment will be at an instant. So enjoy plastic discs, you'll know they'll be junked.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 02/24/2008 13:35
THAT PICTURE IS WIN.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 02/24/2008 13:35
You're watching the commercials... for Leprechaun 2.

Kudo's to anyone who gets the reference.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 02/24/2008 13:42
@NightDehumidifier

You have a good point but the Disc-less future you speak of is still decades off. Digital Distribution is awesome and it will continue to grow, but it is still not for everyone.
phamtq's Avatar
phamtq at 02/24/2008 13:46
Speaking of distribution, does anyone know how well those "on demand" features from cable companies do? I'd suspect that people would be more inclined to use something familiar than something new.
Ingenuity's Avatar
Ingenuity at 02/24/2008 13:51
"Seriously, is there any reason we should stop using regular DVDs?"

Yes, have you seen movies in Blu-Ray with HDTV before? It makes a DVD movie look like it's VCR. If we follow your logic, then you mind as well throw away your DVD and watch movie in VHS.
foxhound009's Avatar
foxhound009 at 02/24/2008 14:04
I told you so.... :P long.. long tim ago :P
parrothead's Avatar
parrothead at 02/24/2008 14:18
Does this mean Talladega Nights on Blu-Ray for the XBOX 360 owners?
kielejocain's Avatar
kielejocain at 02/24/2008 14:23
@DaedHead8:

I agree with you that Digital Distribution is a ways off. Take CD's for example. Yes, you can download essentially any song you want for a reasonable price now. And many people do. Yet we still CD's for sale everywhere we go. In my opinion, this is true and will remain true for a number of reasons. First, there are people who like having the whole package (art, case, etc.). I'm one of them. Second, it's not yet easy enough to take digitally distributed material and switch it from player to player without paying a significant amount of money. I also don't think there is much of a clamoring for such an ability yet, either. Third, and this one wont change for quite a while, people are afraid of the internetz. It's relatively normal to walk into a Best Buy and grab a CD, then pop it into a player and hit play. We've been doing the same thing since 8-tracks, and records were even more complicated. Of course WE don't find the prospect of downloading content imposing at all, but a large portion of the population does. They don't see the benefit in such an arrangement.

Frankly, I'm not sure I disagree with them quite yet.
Capn Birdseye's Avatar
Capn Birdseye at 02/24/2008 14:33
I agree with those that say that if the 360 did shove HD DVD down our throats, it would have probably won the format war.

Price wouldn'tve been that much of an issue either imo
PrinceofCannedPeaches's Avatar
PrinceofCannedPeaches at 02/24/2008 14:42
I'm with birdseye here. There's more 360's out there than standalone Blu-Ray or HDDVD players combined, I'm sure.
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 02/24/2008 15:10
In retrospect, I wouldn't have minded HD-DVD being shoved down our throats in the 360 because I think it would have saved (in my opinion) the superior format. Oh well, the entire format war has really turned me off from disc-based movies in general. Give me low-cost digital distribution and a big ol' hard drive any day.
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 02/24/2008 15:13
Some of you keep bragging of DLC coming to take BRD out of the market. I'll make you a promise, DLC wont fully take over till (at least) the next gen consoles come out with an HDD of 1-Terra for minimun space at least, and Internet connection can DL 100mb per second. AND to top it all with cream pudding, consumers wont bite into that technology till it is affordable.

Until then, I hope you learn to adapt or just live under a rock till DLC actually comes. Prob 5 years or more from now.

HD movies and games take 25-50gigs of space, were having problems now with regular DLC on our current consoles because the max they offer are around 200'ish Gigs of space. Meaning if DLC comes anytime soon, you would have 4 movies of Talladega's Nights and your HDD is full.

And what about PC you say? how many of you have a 8Core multi-tread chip on your PC with 2 Terra's of HDD space with the new external Nvidia Video cards that has it's own power cord and 200gigs of ram and 100mb DSL connection? aw you dont have it? well better get used to physical media sticking for a while longer.
Magesx's Avatar
Magesx at 02/24/2008 15:19
How is either Bluray or HDDVD superior to each other? They're the same goddamn thing, except different colored boxes. Anyone who says otherwise is retarded.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 02/24/2008 15:37
@kielejocain: Yeah, I agree. I’ve bought single tracks off of iTunes, but never an entire album, because I prefer having something tangible — including a disc, a case, and artwork. I still think that digital distribution, especially for HD-resolution movies, is a ways off — for example, I’ve heard that HD movies that are rented off of iTunes have macroblocking from compression issues — but I could totally see it being the focus of the next generation of consoles in, say, five years or less.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 02/24/2008 15:43
Green Ray is coming to the Xbox 360.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 02/24/2008 15:47
I'm glad it's dead so the blogs can finally stop talking about this ridiculous format war.
Twicky's Avatar
Twicky at 02/24/2008 15:47
I really don't get the struggle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Isn't Blu-Ray just a more expensive version of HD-DVD?
ttaylor's Avatar
ttaylor at 02/24/2008 15:59
Digital Distribution is great, but the video quality pales in comparison to Blu-Ray. Hopefully M$ works on a Blu-Ray player add-on..
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar
BlackSunEmpire at 02/24/2008 16:20
@SubOrbital and NightDehumidifier

DLC does seem like the next likely step, but its a long way off if you look at the restrictions placed on it by our actual internet connections. I'm unsure what you get in the US, but data caps seem to be a rule here, and with my current (more high end) plan, I would be able to download less than 1 HD movie a month. I also would prefer to watch a movie now, it's faster for me to physically go and buy it than download the 20+ gig file.

Are your connections in the US different to this?? How long would it take you to download 20 gig?? Are you uncapped on your downloads??

Blu-ray will be around for a long time if it's only going to be superceded by DLC.
Axion22's Avatar
Axion22 at 02/24/2008 16:59
If you think by DLC you mean you're going to be downloading 20-50GB of data before you can use it are severely underestimating the capabilities of streaming and compression.

Digital cable already allows for immediate viewing of movies, it's just one more step for ownership.

And even easier step if Apple puts HD content iTunes.
NyghtcrawleR's Avatar
NyghtcrawleR at 02/24/2008 17:11
People who think dlc will take over anytime soon have another things coming. As always it will be adopted by the few in the beginning but people dont have the computers or the internet speed for it.

And about streaming. Most people want to own their movies not just stream them, therefore its not happening mainstream for a long time.
Ritalin Twitch's Avatar
Ritalin Twitch at 02/24/2008 17:11
I've often wondered had Sony not put bluray in the Ps3, would gamers even care about what format movies were to come on?
WDot's Avatar
WDot at 02/24/2008 17:17
WDot's Avatar
WDot at 02/24/2008 17:22
Woops.

What I meant to say was this:

We just downgraded our 7Mbps pipe to 1.5Mbps because we can't afford the exorbitant price it costs. It took me about an hour or so to download the Crysis DEMO (2GB) on my 7Mbps connection. Can you imagine trying to download entire HD movies (20+ GB) over a 1.5Mbps pipe? I'd love DLC to take over, but until the US can get cheap fast Internet like the cool countries, I'll take my discs kthx.
Im OK's Avatar
Im OK at 02/24/2008 17:44
Nice. So now I can ignore the new Blu-ray add-on for the 360 whenever they get around to making it the same way that I ignored the HD-DVD add-on.
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar
BlackSunEmpire at 02/24/2008 18:11
@Axion22 (or anyone else who knows the answer)

Just a couple of questions,

How much compression can you put HD video through before you lose image quality??

Does Digital Cable allow for viewing of standard def or high def and how fast does it stream??
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 02/24/2008 19:14
For those calling HDDVD the superior format, or just the same as bluray, you need to learn a few things about video compression.

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

Just because the HD-DVD and the BluRay have the same running time on the same amount of disks (B-Radicate), doesn't mean they are the same quality of video.
Nerull's Avatar
Nerull at 02/24/2008 19:20
Its funny how many xbox360 fan boys were behind HD DVD, even though its was a shit format from the get go.

Maybe if MS would have used it as a game format as well as a movie and have it internal, then things may have been very diffrent. As it stands, though. They half-assed it like they have done with the 360. I used to think the only thing they got right was xbox live, now, I question that even..
Clockwork's Avatar
Clockwork at 02/24/2008 19:22
BLURAYPED!
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