Microsoft Announces External HD-DVD Drive for 360

[gamevet]

So a next gen DVD format is going to win out because five people watch movies on their laptops, where the HD features are wasted anyway? Good call.

No, the next gen laptops will come with HD-DVD drives, instead of Blue-Blue ray, because that's what Vista will support. It doesn't matter if people will take advantage of it or not; the numbers will be there. The same with PC's.

[Yoshi]

No, the next gen laptops will come with HD-DVD drives, instead of Blue-Blue ray, because that's what Vista will support. It doesn't matter if people will take advantage of it or not; the numbers will be there. The same with PC's.

Vista will support wireless mice. Will every PC come with one?

I hope MS is blind enough to completely ignore Blu-Ray in Vista. I'd love to see Apple or someone else gain marketshare on those smug bastards. Maybe we could actually get a robust OS on our PCs.

[TobalRox]

Yeah, but they upscale the picture.

I guess what I don't get is, that they can do this with a videotape, yet they can't do it with a traditional DVD. I guess it needs the additional decoders and new laser to do such things.

Upscaling DVDs is not true HD, it doesn't look that good because the original source is still only 480p. To get a true HD source it needs a LOT more space, which is the main benefit of an HD DVD.

A friend of mine at school just got an HDTV. I've watched all of two DVD movies on it, and they both looked like shit and we both initially thought something was wrong. Nope.

These new formats definitely exist for a reason. HDTVs are becoming more and more widespread very quickly, and it's not like this problem is going to magically go away. We need at least one of them.

I've actually passed up buying some movies because I knew they'd just look better in HD.

[Advocate]

I don't know what the big deal is? I'm not so hardcore with my DVD's, but I am with movies. The thing is its all about price. I don't have HDTV yet, I plan on it within this year, but I would rather have a player that shows the movie the best possible way, for the lowest cost ... and right now it sounds like HD-DVD. That's what the mainstream will choose as well. Its not some 50yr old lady going "What player will show me the freckles of Lindsey Lohan's ass from Herbie?" That same lady is more inclined to just ask the Best Buy clerk "What will work with my HD TV and is cheap-o?"

So, again you have to look at the price ramifications. Most DVD players weren't in homes, till the 2003 christmas season when Wal-Mart and others priced them under $200 during Black Friday. THAT'S THE KEY. Price, when everyone has a HD TV.

[TobalRox]

If both new formats will play standard DVDs, whats the big deal here? Eventually, whichever format wins the publics favor, all DVD players will be the new format.

I know that I will NEVER replace a standard DVD for it's HD re-release, as long as it still works on the new player. I imagine that most casual consumers just won't care enough to switch either.

I will replace my favorite movies, and as I mentioned, there have been some movies I passed on buying so I could get an HD version.

[gamevet]

Upscaling DVDs is not true HD, it doesn't look that good because the original source is still only 480p. To get a true HD source it needs a LOT more space, which is the main benefit of an HD DVD.

I know. I just thought I had saw somewhere, a DVD recorder that did HD. I'm guessing it may have been a TIVO like device instead.

*edit* Just found it and it's $1,000!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1117178795519

[TobalRox]

I need that! My 120 gig drive the cable company gives me is nowhere near enough!

[mollipen]

If you think that, then you've missed the story link I posted on page 2. Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista, will support HD-DVD. That means most PC's will more than likely run with an HD-DVD, over a Blue-Ray.

A few things to keep in mind on this.

As others have already pointed out, a majority of DVDs are played on a machine hooked up to a TV, not a PC. Your PC playing HD-DVDs isn't going to tip the scales. And while sure, they're only like 4% of the market, Apple is supporting Blu-ray.

Vista's support of HD-DVD is also a bit misleading. It supports HD-DVD for free, basically. Nothing about Vista is going to lock out Blu-ray, and companies like Dell (I think) are planning on supporting Blu-ray in their machines, and basically just putting in their own support drivers. So, you're going to see Vista machines with Blu-ray instead of HD-DVD in them.

But even beyond that, how quick is the uptake of Vista going to be? First, there's still no guarentee that it'll even be out this year. Once it hits, are people going to rush out to buy it? From what I understand, that didn't happen with XP, and it's expected to be worse with Vista. You've still got a lot of PC users who are running pre-XP machines. Anybody who buys a new machine from that point on will get Vista pre-installed, but if the talk I've heard about system requirements ends up being true, a lot of people with current machines won't be able to just run out, pick up Vista, and slap it on their already configured PC. And even then, they'd also have to go out and get a new HD-DVD drive.

So, I think indeed MS is just using this as a stall tactic. They're pissed that Blu-ray doesn't use their software for the interactive elements of the format (and I say thank God, so that non-Windows PCs don't end up getting possibly screwed), so they're pushing HD-DVD even thought they know it probably won't win. I know they're also arguing for mandatory managed copy, but I'd bet dollars to donuts they honest care less about that and more about getting their grubby mits into more of the industry by slipping in iHD.

[Dyne]

I'd use it if they were supported. I'd love to have wow on a dvd, and I have ut2k4 on dvd too.

you can put those on a dvd you know. you don't have to be stuck with 6 install cd's the rest of your life.

But even beyond that, how quick is the uptake of Vista going to be? First, there's still no guarentee that it'll even be out this year.

they've been saying 2007 for like the past year now.

Anybody who buys a new machine from that point on will get Vista pre-installed, but if the talk I've heard about system requirements ends up being true, a lot of people with current machines won't be able to just run out, pick up Vista, and slap it on their already configured PC.

you know how xp has classic mode? vista will have that too. ms is also taking out a big chunk of the graphical aspect from Vista (itll be available later) so the already exaggerated system specs won't hold true.

but i wouldn't expect you to know all this since you don't really grasp pc's.

[Schlep]

IOnce full blown HD television programming has hit full swing. I'm pretty sure alot of people that were impressed with DVD at 480p, are going to be very disappointed when the television broadcasts look better than what they are seeing on DVD.

Most people won't notice the difference between 480p DVD and 1080i or 720p TV. Sad but true.