Microsoft: still not so keen on Blu-ray

Alright folks, the merry-go-round on this one is apparently grinding to a halt, as recent reports are finally clarifying a statement made way back in January of last year by Peter Moore in regard to Blu-ray making nice with the Xbox 360. Mr. Moore's insinuation that Microsoft's latest console had "the flexibility to adapt to consumers' needs" was purportedly taken way out of context, as a post on the firm's Gamerscore Blog boldly proclaims that these reports were "completely incorrect," and further crushed any remaining hope by stating that Redmond is "fully committed to HD DVD and has absolutely no plans to support other optical formats." Hey, at least you can pull the trigger on that standalone BD player you've been eying now, eh?

[Via GamesIndustry]

[Joey Villarreal @ May 18th 2007 2:57PM]

yeah, no shit. Learn to know sarcasm. Both you and Aaron are the blazing Idiots. but you are the right one. You DO need a faster bus. Unless the 360 buffers HDDVD content.

[Daniel D @ May 18th 2007 8:15AM]

"Hey, at least you can pull the trigger on that standalone BD player you've been eying now, eh?"

Heh to me this was just going to be a PS3....as quite rightly so, it is the cheapest blu-ray player out there.

[Zeus the God @ May 18th 2007 12:38AM]

"Heh to me this was just going to be a PS3....as quite rightly so, it is the cheapest blu-ray player out there."

And also the slowest and lowest quality Blu-Ray player as well.

I don't know why Microsoft would support Blu-Ray... I mean, they are trying to push HD-DVD, so what's the point. I'm sure that if HD-DVD loses, then they will look into it, but for now, it wouldn't be smart.

[Chris Knight @ May 18th 2007 12:56AM]

This is an incorrect statement.

[myscrnnm @ May 18th 2007 1:16AM]

"And also the slowest and lowest quality Blu-Ray player as well."

That's total bs. The PlayStation 3 is actually faster than most of its contemporary standalone Blu-ray Disc players, because it loads the disc from a system that has already initiated. Both audio and video quality are on par with, if not better than most, standalone Blu-ray Disc players because it is the first commercial product to implemented HDMI 1.3, which adds support for several next-generation audio formats.

[Ang @ May 18th 2007 1:26AM]

Get Your Facts Right.

Actually, The PS3 is one of the Best Bluray Players out at the Moment, and considered a bargain.
It use HDMI Ver. 1.3, can play all the latest Java niceties on BD Movies Discs, very fast response and has the abilty to output Full 1080p without upscaling or compressing image or audio.

Review from AVGuide link - http://www.avguide.com/products/product-3766/ [Aside from the lack of DVD conversion and automatic disc-format detection, I could find little to fault in the PS3's performance as a Blu-ray player. Picture and sound quality were first-rate (with a few caveats on DVD playback), and the console was far more responsive than other high-def players in my experience. At nearly half the price of the next most expensive Blu-ray player (unless you fall prey to scalpers), this black beauty is one hell of a deal]

[chad @ May 18th 2007 9:25AM]

"lowest quality Blu-Ray player as well"

I guess you just never run out of non-qualitative things to say. ;)

[Paul @ May 18th 2007 1:05AM]

uh i think im more worried about getting banned from live for no reason

[sshah87 @ May 18th 2007 1:11AM]

"And also the slowest and lowest quality Blu-Ray player as well. "

Actually, the ps3 is one of the better blu-ray players out there, unlike the xb360 hd-dvd drive, which is ranked pretty low among hd-dvd players.

[cs32 @ May 18th 2007 3:26AM]

No, get your facts right

PS3 has 1.3 hardware, but 1.2 software. Even if you had a 1.3 compliant display (unlikely, as there are very few of them out there) you are not using HDMI 1.3 on your display.

Second, as was recently admitted to by the BD assoc, no devices currently support Java. If you want to claim that BD has all these Java "niceties", then name one title that uses it.

I have both a PS3 and a 360 add on. The PS3 is a nice player, so is the 360 add on. The only problem I have had with the 360 is that when FF and RW it takes a little longer than I would like to return to play. Even though all the claims of the BD fans about better studio support, there are very few BD exclusives that make me favor BD. I have 18 HD DVD, 2 Blu-Ray. When my GF saw Big Fish she wanted it (not knowing the diff between HD DVD and Blu-Ray), so I bought it for her birth day. I also picked up Casino Royale for myself. I am still deciding if I want to get POTC I/II. PQ is great on both. AQ is great on both. But HD DVD has movies that I want now, not promised (and delayed over, and over, and over) from studios like FOX or Disney. The capacity of BD has not made one bit of difference (OK, so you could have had Planet Earth on 3 discs rather than 4 using BD50 over HD30 - but it does not make a difference for a regular movie), and the higher bandwith of BD only makes a difference for MPEG2, which has proven () to be wonderful for titles such as The 5th Element. But HD has benefits such as HDi (remember, no Java for BD), network connectivity, required decoding of advanced audio codecs, required managed copy, persistent storage, and more importantly to the regular guy, price. But BD has the lead in DRM, not only does BD support AACS like HD, but they have another layer of DRM on top of it.

Personally, I think that there will not be a winner, we will end up with something similar to DVD+-RW that we have now. I doubt we will have a pure download mechanism like a lot of techno-philes think. People will still want a physical medium like a disk to burn and cary around with them for a permanent record (do you want to download 30GB because you are on a different device?).

In the end, quit being a fanboy and read the actual doccumentation. What you think you have, is not what you do have.

[Evan @ May 18th 2007 9:36AM]

"Actually, The PS3 is one of the Best Bluray Players out at the Moment, and considered a bargain."

A bargain is an understatement, it's nearly half the cost of Sony's BDPS1, and still cheaper than the cheapest stand-alone Blu-Ray player.

However HD-DVD is even cheaper! Last week, Futureshop (here in Canada) had the HD-A2 for $399CDN, and the HD-A20 for $569CDN, verses $699CDN for the PS3 + $39CDN for the remote control, or $1299CDN for the Sony BDPS1! The cheapest stand-alone Blu-Ray player is the Samsung BDP1200 for $999CDN.

A consumer would need a lot of faith in the Blu-Ray standard to pay $999 for a stand-alone Blu-Ray player when an HD-DVD player can be had for $399CDN. I'm still holding out until a winner, but that $399CDN price tag was mighty tempting!

[Ang @ May 28th 2007 3:07AM]

Firmware 1.80 has just come out - enough said about HDMI 1.3 and it will get better.

Like I said the PS3 is considered a bargain.

[michael @ May 18th 2007 1:28AM]

I really don't mind Microsoft's attitude of indifference to the 2 formats. I'd rather wait it out until one of them can sucessfully make it. I wouldn't want to buy a built-in HD-DVD player or BluRay player and discover that it lost and only a handful of titles will work with it. At least Microsoft is making the safe decision and is waiting it out. It's better for the customers so that they don't complain about this and that. They're still a supporter of HD-DVD not just in the Xbox 360, but also in Vista. Many of their media software (Photo Gallery, Media Player, Movie Maker) is designed to use some of the most full capabilites in HD-DVD. I bought an HD-DVD add-on for the 360, and I really like it. Tokyo Drift looks so cool with the interactive features and the quality is perfect. But whatever comes out in the end, at least I'm safe from having to buy something that could be useless in the future. Hopefully, a format will be chosen and MS could integrate it in their next version of the xbox.

[Zeus the God @ May 18th 2007 2:45AM]

Hey, myscrnnm, I wouldn't consider a 2x Blu-Ray drive fast.

"The home video game console system PlayStation 3 (Sony) is shipped with a 2x Blu-ray Disc drive. The drive is read-only as is the case with most game console optical drives. According to Sony's press releases, it supports DVD (8x), CD (24x), and SACD (2x) formats in addition to BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE."

-Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc

@Paul, you don't have to worry about getting banned; not unless you have modded your Xbox's firmware or any other part of the console that would break the EULA.

[hemmy @ May 18th 2007 9:42AM]

'Hey, myscrnnm, I wouldn't consider a 2x Blu-Ray drive fast.

"The home video game console system PlayStation 3 (Sony) is shipped with a 2x Blu-ray Disc drive. The drive is read-only as is the case with most game console optical drives. According to Sony's press releases, it supports DVD (8x), CD (24x), and SACD (2x) formats in addition to BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE."'


The 2x being "slow" is FUD. It means absolutely nothing if you can even differentiate a hint about CLV and CAV drives.

HD-DVD has a maximum data transfer rate of 36 Mbps (for both movies and data) while a 2x Blu-ray player yields 72 Mbps.

[eh @ May 18th 2007 3:03AM]

MS gets paid if HDDVD succeeds since they are part of the group behind it, MS loses a lot of money if BD succeeds. Why would they ever support the enemy when the war is still going on? DVD video is not free, companies have to pay license fees to the DVD folks if they want to make something that plays a DVD movie. Some of that money makes its way to Microsoft which is why it would be foolish for them to support Bluray in the slightest (not to mention PAY for bluray licenses).

[bob @ May 18th 2007 8:06AM]

fair enough , picture quality wise they might be the same but what about the difference in noise between the xbox 360 and the ps3. I had an xbox 360 and to play a game on it is bad enough but to watch a movie ?? no thanx.

[c @ May 18th 2007 3:28AM]

Microsoft always makes bold claims about how they are all about giving choice to consumer. This is perfect example. You can have any High-Def video player add on fox X360 as long as its HD-DVD.

[Josef F @ May 18th 2007 7:58AM]

That's more choice than Sony gives.

[ShaleX @ May 18th 2007 5:44AM]

THey have no plans to release a Blu Ray add on to the 360... Oh like they had no plans to release a new version of the Xbox 360. Oh you Fanboys.... seriously, when the Xbox Elite was denied, noone would believe that... and when they deny a blu ray drive, all of you are jumping to gag MS with this stupid Format war.

Oh and remember, they pay BDA licenceing fees on the drive, not just the system. So.. no it won't cost them alot of money.

[Ryan @ May 18th 2007 5:54AM]

Ahhh, I love the way BD outsells HD-DVD 3:1, and still Microsoft "jus don giv a shiz"

[Manuel @ May 18th 2007 6:52PM]

technically, free BR bundled in the hardware do not count as a "sell"

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ May 18th 2007 6:03AM]

The real question now: can MSFT ship $300 Blu-ray add-on which would be profitable?

HD-DVD is cheaper. MSFT loses nothing if HD-DVD fails. And fact that Sony loses money on every Blu-ray player shipped is well advertised. (MSFT's Xbox is losing money - they cannot allow it sink even further - because of some totally optional component.)

Also, I hardly see MSFT playing nice against Sony. Choice of HD-DVD for MSFT was only natural. And no reasons had appeared to change that: HD disk sales are still marginal.

[reticulate @ May 18th 2007 7:33AM]

Lolz @ HDMI 1.3 fanboys.

Do any of you even have HDMI 1.3-capable sets?

[brutha-man @ May 18th 2007 7:30AM]

HD-DVD will win eventually. blu ray only had a headstart cause of PS3. but in reality blu ray is too expensive for most.

[I.P. Freely @ May 18th 2007 8:20AM]

Xbox 360 for sure.. The reason: It reminds me of my youth. It reminds me of all those times I couldn't hear the TV because mom was vacuuming the living room. Oh how I cherished those moments. I often wonder what makes the 360 so loud... is it the sucking or the blowing?

Sorry, couldn't help it..

[cs32 @ May 18th 2007 12:33PM]

That is the best you can do? No difference in loudness between my 360 and PS3 when watching a movie. But if you want to talk about problems, what about the horrible remote you ***must*** buy from Sony - because it is bluetooth, you have no other option (and I am not going to watch a movie with a game controller). The cables that are not included in the box - and you must use the Sony cables or they will void your warranty. I guess I am still bitter about not getting a free movie and coupons in the box, even though some of the Sony fans think you do and consider it a + over the 360.

[bob @ May 19th 2007 7:05AM]

its not the best i can do , but the problem is really bad . i sold my 360 in the end because of this problem. a slightly higher price is bearable but a console that sounds like a pc? that my friend is very poor engineering. but you say theres no difference ? how long have you been deaf ?

[Joey Villarreal @ May 18th 2007 10:04AM]

not only that but doesn't the HDDVD add on for 360 run on usb??? HAH!

[aaronlh @ May 18th 2007 12:18PM]

You are an idiot.

USB is definitely the best part about that drive. It can be connected to any XP/Vista computer and provide you with the cheapest HD playback for many months to come.

[chad @ May 18th 2007 4:25PM]

Can USB handle the ICT? I'm not being cynical, it's actually a question. If not, that may be something to consider should MPAA rule to implement it in months to come. Regardless, I'd rather hold off for a HD-DVD burner, preferably internal, or in the case of the 360, an internal HD-DVD/DVD player. Dongled add-ons just don't look right on an entertainment rack; too much unecessary clutter.

[TadaO @ May 18th 2007 12:45PM]

Then maybe your deaf, if you can't hear the difference between the 2 consoles. The 360 is much louder than the PS3. And for the record the Sony remote isn't horrible, hell I like it alot better than the premium 360 remote. And you DON'T have to use Sony cables. I take it if something goes wrong your going to tell Sony you didn't use Sony brand cables? come on man. Oh, what about the 360 only using MS brand bluetooth hardware only? didn't think about that one did ya. Also, the cheap headset? the crappy D pad on the controller? I can go on for days.

[cs32 @ May 18th 2007 1:01PM]

I said nothing about the 360 remote - just that I didn't like the PS3 one. I have options with the 360 (Harmony), not my PS3. I stated that for movies the 360 and PS3 there is no difference in sound (remember, different drive for watching movies on the 360). If something goes wrong with the PS3, I have to lie about my cable preferences? Then you throw in personal attacks (I'm deaf?), and then throw in some more incorrect claims about the 360 - the 360 uses RF, an industry standard (all remotes except the PS3 remote is RF based) not some MS specific bluetooth. Then add in some diversion from the topic, what does a "cheap headset" or "D pad" have to do with watching movies? Everything I wrote about directly effects ***MOVIE*** experience.

[chad @ May 18th 2007 4:26PM]

No difference in sound? PS3 supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers ala HDMI 1.3. This may matter more in the months to come.

[FreeRange @ May 18th 2007 1:26PM]

Ultimately, I'm glad Microsoft is holding firm. As someone who bought their HD-DVD add-on, I'd feel betrayed if they didn't stand firm on their decision on a format.

Does this mean I want HD-DVD to win? Not necessarily. It just means I felt $200 was a good price for a player to watch Planet Earth on my 720p set. And if Blu-Ray does win, thankfully my slowly growing HD-DVD collection will continue to work and I'll just upgrade to a Blu-Ray unit when I have no other choice..and hopefully it'll be reasonably priced when that time comes. And, hopefully, my TV at that time will be 1080p to boot.

[Joey Villarreal @ May 18th 2007 2:26PM]

Let me clarify... 360's HDDVD Drive runs on USB. How stupid is that? VERY! USB 2.0 doesn't have the bandwidth. 360 has to buffer. Why do you think the rewind and fast forward is so SLOW?! Come on people, think with your heads use context and figure out what people really have to say.

[tit for tat @ May 18th 2007 2:43PM]

Please allow me to join the fray.

Ummm, the best thing about the HD-DVD drive is the USB connection to the PC. This enables ripping full spec HD movies to your hard drive without DRM and having a true media center jukebox. Try that with the PS3. Oh, that's right, you cannot.

I agree that playing the movies in the drive is bit noisy, but the true virtue of the device is its ability to render full spec HD to the computer via the USB. The $160 price tax (after $40 ebay coupon at circuit city) for XBox drive and the functionality of archiving non-DRM'd movies on the PC, makes the USB feature much better than anything on the PS3 with respect to blu-ray. Call me when there is a sub $200 option for blu-ray for the PC.

[Joey Villarreal @ May 18th 2007 2:58PM]

You can go down that road if you want, but you cannot say that USB is the way to go for external HD media. I'm talking about HD DVD over usb, not hacking or pirating. I'm talking about it's intended use. MS did wrong in not having a next-gen optical drive in it's next-gen system. If not wrong, it limited the xbox's potential from the beginning, not to mention the no HDD or 20gig HDD limitation. PS3 at least lets you put any drive you want, and not have to pay over $150 for a proprietary drive. If MS was so sure about the product thy put out, why are they putting out add-on upgrades for a system. They're going to nickel and dime their way to the lower end of the console race.

All in all, why bottleneck? Why limit? Same goes for Wii

[H-dog @ May 18th 2007 4:31PM]

well the Xbox drive DOES effectively play HD content via USB...it may not be the most elegant solution but it does at least work. i also agree with the comment above about bringing that functionality to the PC on the cheap. and it is hardly "hacking" or "pirating" when you simply plug it in to the pc and it works and you make a legitimate copy of your HD-DVDs that you already own on your PC. the bottom line is that the Xbox drive works and is a PC option for about $200. there is no PC option for blu-ray at 3 times that price point currently.