HP offers up HD DVD / Blu-ray drives on select Pavilion desktops

Just last month, we heard rumblings that HP may begin offering up two-faced optical drives in its desktops, and sure enough, a variety of select Pavilions are now being served up with HD DVD and / or Blu-ray compatibility. The d4995t, m9000t and m9000z all give users the option of purchasing a vanilla dual-layer DVD burner, an HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player (that also burns DVDs), or a drive that burns Blu-ray / DVD and reads HD DVD. Additionally, a number of lesser-spec'd rigs also provide users the option of picking up an HD combo drive of some sort, and you can even snap up ATI's TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner on the d4995t and m9000t (among others).

[Thanks, Ryan]

[Chris @ Oct 5th 2007 2:45PM]

Someone more familiar with the economics of it please enlighten me... is there a chance nobody will win this format war if these dual format players/drives keep coming out?

[Ruben @ Oct 5th 2007 2:49PM]

Well this is just for PC, so what really matters is that the contenders get their set top units selling for cheap.

Set top units that are multi-format are still out of the range of the average consumer, so theres still the divide.

However, one of these PC's with the bare minimum and a combo player pretty much comes close to the price of a set top box combo player, with the expanded capability of it being a PVR once you get a TV tuner.

[Tone @ Oct 5th 2007 2:58PM]

Consumers will win - both formats will live in harmony and there will be no insentive to get one over the other. Along with this desktop I'm picking up a Samsung dual-format DVD player in December then I won't care who wins.

[Jkswiss @ Oct 5th 2007 3:15PM]

Damn, thats one sharp looking desktop. Wish they sold cases like that on newegg.

[Chris @ Oct 5th 2007 4:47PM]

My girlfriend bought one of these computers with the HD DVD ROM drive two weeks ago. The case is indeed great. It has a slot under one of the plastic covers that her external hard drive can slide into.

[theboss @ Oct 5th 2007 3:49PM]

Like the case, even though I have more fun building pc's i wouldnt mind getting this as a secondry pc anyways.

[kevjohn @ Oct 5th 2007 3:37PM]

If I ever get suckered into buying an HP Pavilion again, somebody plase slap the *%&# out of me!

[Peppie @ Oct 5th 2007 3:39PM]

This is old news. I was able to configure HD and Blu-ray readers on a desktop months ago.

[Anthony Huff @ Oct 5th 2007 3:58PM]

Y don't the two sides just merge already. Seems like HP has got the right idea. Why stick to one side when both are equally clueless?

[lafours @ Oct 5th 2007 4:17PM]

Hp make the best looking out of the box pc's I have ever seen...

even more stylish than the latest crop of apples.. ( runs and hides)

[MacGuru @ Oct 5th 2007 5:02PM]

You can run but you can't hide :)

[AlexP @ Oct 6th 2007 1:27PM]

If only they'd raise the DPI of their art, because up close you can see some pixelation.

There's no need to run, as an Apple user, I think HP's got the Vista game right (as opposed to Dell).

[Billy @ Oct 5th 2007 7:28PM]

Anyone have a clue when there will be a laptop w/ both HD DVD and Blu-Ray on it? I'm waiting to see once everyone releases there new ones for the holidays but it seems only HP or VOODOO (owned by HP) might have that option comming up. I was dissapointed w/ Dell's new XPS M1730 when it didn't have it (amongst alot of other things I expected to see on it).

[Dave @ Oct 6th 2007 6:33AM]

I would get the Blu-ray equipped one :) No need for hd dvd :)

[FRED RAPISARDA @ Oct 8th 2007 2:25AM]

Just got one. Ordered direct @ HP, with all the stuff I wanted. Works as good as it looks. Came right away, free ship.
Real easy to use. Did.nt get the Blue Ray, didn't think it was worth it to have in the computer. So much out there with HDD in a stand alone player. Just my opinion.

[Mark @ Oct 8th 2007 2:50PM]

You can still only get a single cable card tuner.

[Steve Rosa @ Oct 16th 2007 1:23PM]

I've been an HP user up until now... I order the new HP M9000t with ALL the bells and whistles, paid with my credit card that HP gladly took right a way on the 3rd of Oct., a whole $2523.00 worth, two hours later I noticed their own coupon for 25% OFF at www.hp-webbargain.com (You should watch this too and NEVER buy online without seeing their site here first, I'm warning you!!!) for the same model I just bought so I called and said, work with me, either cancel my order so I can reorder to use this coupon (Coupon DT7930) or put it on my order you have that I place at 1AM this morning. They promised me they would and guess what, when I called to see what was going on, no one knew what was going on, and to make a long story shot, today I got a dear John letter telling me they can't build my PC and canceled my order!!! Nice people at HP!!! DELL, after nearly 15 years, 3 children of HP's, here I come!!!

[Adran Sparks @ Dec 6th 2007 4:11PM]

Has anyone actually seen one of these drives playin an HD or Blu-Ray? I saw this discussion and went out and bought a Pavillion m9000t with a super multi drive including HD and Blu-ray playback.It has a 512MB GeForce 8500GT video card.It plyed an HD-DVD for a few minutes with bad picture but since then has refused to do so saying the content is protected. In the manual it says some kind of security codes have to be updated from time to time and easily done on the web. I searched for the codes and found no easy way for a consumer to download them.
To add insult to injury the computer wont play Windows Media HD Video(WMVHD)--at least not out of the box.In this case it indicates that videowritetest.exe has stoped working. Firthermore: it dosnet like to play DVDs with any extra content even though I did select this in the set defaults and auto play options. I get an an error message saying unknown error COOD1163. Windows solutions tell me that teh video card and driver are conflicting over some security issue and to upgrade my video card drivers. I tried but apperently I have the latest drivers.I have none of these problems with my new Pavillion laptop ( bit dosent have the blu-ray HD option but plays anything else you stick in ).
I havent called support yet as I am compiling a list but also on the list will be the fact the the multi-card reader dosnt even seem to alow the cards to insert all the way. Anyone else had similar experience or have any ideas for solutions. Thank You--BTW I have an HD comlpient Gatewy monitor hooked up through DVI.

[dan zhang @ Dec 28th 2007 5:02PM]

anyone knows if these combo drives plays at up to 1080p resolution? also if I get TV tuner w/ HDMI output, can it display on HD TVs? thanks