Smarthouse.com.au

It' s inevitable that a 360 Blu-Ray peripheral drive is in the pipeline, but these folks believe they know when. Some of the more outstanding quotes from the article.

Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.

The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.

Michael Ephraim the Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment said: " We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable. In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very succesful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player" .

When asked whether Sony would grant Microsoft a Blu-ray licence he said: " That is up to Sony Corporate but I see no reason why they would not do it" .

Smugness radiates from that quote, even in print.

Uh...

But... it' s Smarthouse...

They got " insider" information about an internal HD-DVD drive for 360 and about Apples gaming console that was supposed to launch early last year.

It' s not so much a rumour as it is complete rubbish.

That' s not to say that Microsoft won' t launch an external Blu-Ray drive, ...but i do kinda doubt the likelyhood, especially given the lackluster sales of the HD-DVD drive.

didnt ms say they would release a bluray addon if hd-dvd failed?

Let' s pretend we work for MS and give smarthouse some " insder" information.

ORIGINAL: Nitro
That' s not to say that Microsoft won' t launch an external Blu-Ray drive, ...but i do kinda doubt the likelyhood, especially given the lackluster sales of the HD-DVD drive.

And Microsoft also seems like a bit of a stubborn company. I think that they would rather try out something else to win over Bluray than automatically follow something from the competition.

On the other hand, it' s maybe easier this time to just accept facts, make such an add-on and at the same time work on their downloadable content on the side.

But... it' s Smarthouse...

They got " insider" information about an internal HD-DVD drive for 360 and about Apples gaming console that was supposed to launch early last year.

It' s not so much a rumour as it is complete rubbish.

Sorry, " complete rubbish" didn' t fit well in the thread title.

Microsoft didn' t specifically say that they' d release an external drive, but they did say that since their drive was external, they would be able to meet the needs of the consumer whichever way the format war turned.

I expect a Blu-Ray external drive, but not in three months. So far as I know, Microsoft doesn' t even have liscencing to make Blu-Ray products. I' d think the beurocracy from that alone would take a month or two, combined with production time, and some time to get their PR in order, and explain to all the folks who bought HD-DVD why it is they jumped ship.

The HD-DVD drive didn' t sell. It has been a massive failure with only like 2.5% of the install base actully buying it. Why would they contemplate releasing a Blu-Ray drive now when they' ve just got their download service in order?

it made no sense for early 360 adopters to get the HDDVD add-on - no HDMI port diminished its usefulness

The HD-DVD drive didn' t sell. It has been a massive failure with only like 2.5% of the install base actully buying it. Why would they contemplate releasing a Blu-Ray drive now when they' ve just got their download service in order?

To jump on the profit bandwagon. With Blu-Ray player sales up over 600% they' re going to want to stay competitive in the HD market, and while it' s true that they' ve gotten their download service up and running, they' re going to want a physical media drive to supplement their digital distribution program, and directly compete with the Playstation 3.

As for the HD-DVD player' s lackluster sales, It' s an entirely different situation here than it was 2 months ago. Consumers now have one format, and aren' t scared of spending $200 on technology that may become obsolete at the drop of a hat.

So far as I can see, people bought a Playstation 3 and got a free Blu-Ray movie player as a bonus. People bought an Xbox 360, and if they were so inclined, could go the extra mile for HD-DVD playback, if they were wealthy/foolish enough to early adopt. The situation' s changed pretty significantly since HD-DVD threw in the towel, and while I can' t say when, I still stand by my theory that they' ll turn out a Blu-Ray peripheral.

When asked whether Sony would grant Microsoft a Blu-ray licence he said: " That is up to Sony Corporate but I see no reason why they would not do it" .

Doesnt MS have partial ownership, along with a bunch of other companies, to BR?

I can see MS bringing out a BD drive to make the PS3 less appealing. I hope they don' t. I want to see the PS3 pick up more momentum.

I think the only way that could work is if M$ offered it as a bundle with the 360 for the same price as a PS3.

ORIGINAL: Zoy

I think the only way that could work is if M$ offered it as a bundle with the 360 for the same price as a PS3.

The only way it would work is if the drive was internal.

maybe that' s why 360s are sparse in the shops - they' ve stopped production of normal ones, and started producing elites with a bluray inside

I am not understanding at all why MS would have even had an external HD-DVD drive in the first place, and I am more confused as to why they would now want an external blu-ray player.

Fact of the matter is MS should be working harder to add even more HD movie content on live, and stop worrying about an external drive. Full HD movie downloads is exactly what MS should be working on. Now I understand that if you do this there is the obvious storage issue, but to me it makes more sense for the MS to do this with the 360.

Furthermore, you can pick up a very nice up conversion DVD player which will give you pretty much the same picture quality as what you will get with today' s blu-ray technology which is constantly evolving. My older brother went out and bough a blu-ray player when they first launched, and because his is an older model, new releases will not play on the player because he has been told he needs a patch to update the blu-ray player.

All I am saying is that there is no need for the consumer to rush out and get caught up in the whole HD-DVD format wars at this time. We need to remember that this is still fairly new technology, so it may take a couple of more years or so for blu-ray to really be with the money.

maybe that' s why 360s are sparse in the shops - they' ve stopped production of normal ones, and started producing elites with a bluray inside

I' ll reiterate what I said a few days or so. It' s possible that they' re creating a new SKU, but it' s not possible that they' re in production, and news hasn' t leaked yet.

Furthermore, you can pick up a very nice up conversion DVD player which will give you pretty much the same picture quality as what you will get with today' s blu-ray technology which is constantly evolving.

I really disagree on that one. There is a huge difference between the two.

Ok the obvious reason to come out with one is to make PS3 less of a blu ray player with games. As we have seen MS has not been making any really huge strides in countering Sony, what MS has been doing all along is stopping Sony from completely taking control of the market. If Sony is too busy trying to stay afloat then they won' t be fishing around in MS' s stuff(like software and pc stuff in general). I personally think it would be funny if MS had made some secret agreement with Nintendo to bring Sony down, by covering the polar opposites of the gaming community.

ORIGINAL: Ornodeal

it made no sense for early 360 adopters to get the HDDVD add-on - no HDMI port diminished its usefulness

Trust me, HD through component looks just FINE! Honestly, it' s f.ucking HARD to tell the difference! And I' ve got both, and a 133" screen!

As far as MS getting Blu-ray, I don' t see it happening honestly. I mean, they' re trumpeting the " download HD" idea, and I don' t see them backing a format that would only serve to make them a few bucks, as it would water down their rhetoric. I believe they' re gonna go all out with their downloading service and try to put that on the map. Right now, they can say, " HD-DVD is dead? So what! We knew that downloading was the future anyway!" If they adopt Blu-ray this late in the game it will make their download service seem questionable. Does that make sense?

ORIGINAL: canadagamer

Furthermore, you can pick up a very nice up conversion DVD player which will give you pretty much the same picture quality as what you will get with today' s blu-ray technology which is constantly evolving. My older brother went out and bough a blu-ray player when they first launched, and because his is an older model, new releases will not play on the player because he has been told he needs a patch to update the blu-ray player.

Nope. Upscaling doesn' t even come CLOSE on a screen that' s over 40" ! As for older Blu-ray models, yeah. They released them waaay before they were ready. Easy fix, though! PS3!

All I am saying is that there is no need for the consumer to rush out and get caught up in the whole HD-DVD format wars at this time. We need to remember that this is still fairly new technology, so it may take a couple of more years or so for blu-ray to really be with the money.

I don' t agree. It' s not a " war" any longer. Blu-ray is king. PS3 is the way to go. I think High Def is worth every penny! It' s like PS2 vs. PS3 to me! I CAN' T play that sh.t anymore! I do watch the occasional movie in standard def, but my eyes bleed.

This whole " war" thing had me laughing from the outset. MS knew HDDVD was dead long before we did, hence the live marketplace allowing us to download HD movies(It' s not great business sense to crowd your platform with similar services).

For them practically using Toshiba as a sheild this whole HD vs BR " battle" was simply an excercise to hold Sony back, to delay them, because that' s what big corporations do.

They were well aware of the lessons learnt by Sony bringing DVD to the masses with the PS2, and if they had wanted to compete they would have integrated the drive from the word dot.

But seriously who could go back to SD now they have got used to HD? Not me. Althuogh I have just bought an old 32" Sony SD CRT to make all my old consoles look a dammn sight smoother.