[free2speak]

Xbox 360 doesn't need BD for High-Def gaming. Xbox 360 always played HD games. HD DVD drive is for movies only.

[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Gartner: HD DVD Price Cuts Only Prolong Agony here

[Dishcandanty]

I don't think they ever should have started a war over formats. This just causes problems because people don't want to buy something they aren't sure is going to be around in a couple of years. Not to mention the cost of customers buying hd-dvd players only to find out it isn't going be around much longer.

[ragexeon]

"Microsoft will have to start using Blu-ray Disc on the Xbox 360 in order to allow users to play high definition video games"

I couldn't disagree more. There's actually no reason that Microsoft needs to switch formats for high definition games. What the author should've said is that Microsoft would need to change formats to allow users to play Blu Ray high definition MOVIES.

There is plenty of precedent for game consoles using "non-standard" formats for games.

Re: Dishcandanty, all format standards go through a "war". The difference is that this this often gets done before a product is released.

[AmyChaser]

The idea that the 360 will be need to switch to a BD drive to play games is just flat out incorrect. The add-on HD DVD drive is simply an accessory that allows HD DVD movie playback. The 360 has offered HD gaming since day one of release without the need for an HD drive let alone a switch to BD.
Was research done for this article or was it just speculation from an uninformed author?

[digriz]

More viral marketing for Sony. Sony will try to retrieve the money spent on it by selling the consumer half empty disc and laughing all the way to the bank. Until i was tipped of i assumed it was fanboys pushing this, now i realise its all new PR i'm just depressed that hegemonic conglomerate practice can force the consumer to take the product that the company with deeper pockets pushes on them. Advertising is one thing, but smear campaigns and timed attacks albeit clever is underhand and forces the consumer to lose out paying more for a product tht is more expensive but offers exactly the same quality sound and image. Search the internet and you can see the new PR firms sitting in front of their PCs absolutely directing our view on this. Very sad for the consumer, shame no one seems to make a stand and even savvy media seem to be eating it up. I won't bother with bluray, but i am looking forward to hearing about the rootkits...

[Yert]

The format war is stupid, but I was hopping for HD-DVD. Its the more consumer friendly format.

[DougB541]

This is one of the most poorly informed articles I've ever read on PC World. Please get the facts striaght about Microsoft's intentions with HD-DVD for gaming...as there has never been an intention. Also, there has been no mention of the xbox 360 needing a Blu-Ray drive for games.

[Richard233]

The only way they can save the format is to cut the prices, significantly on the media. One of the things that made VHS beat Beta was that it was less expensive. If you cut the price for the movies, that will encourage people to buy HD and if you get enough volume, the costs drop, etc. You need to hit a critical mass to make it work. Microsoft became big because you could get MS-Dos for $40 and CPM was a couple of hundred. CPM was
superior, but sometimes people can't see past the initial costs.

[mpheadley]

If Paramount reverses its decision a year ago to only support hd-dvd, it's all over. It would be pointless for Universal to continue hd-dvd only.

[butlerwm]

Gartner needs to stop trying to play the odds and just let the market do what it's going to do. Market research companies predicted Beta would win out over VHS because they were superior across multiple aspects. I also remember the +R vs -R DVD debate, and we still have both formats. Frankly, I'm not in the market for either blu-ray or hd-dvd. Upconverted (1080p) DVD on Hi-Def TV is more than adequate until such time as the monkeys running the show decide to stop fighting. Then, and only then, will I consider a Hi-Def playback device. Another benefit is that the price of players will be half or a quarter of what they are presently.

[RNR19952]

You nailed it, I have never seen so many media outlets ADVERTISING for any product!

I do not believe that HD DVD is dead, it is a superior format in many ways, and it is cheaper

Hopefully the porn industry will turn this around, and $ony can suffer another loss!

Just go with the Samsung 5000 it plays both

[ImaPhake]

You guys need to go to the horse races more often. If you did that, you would be inured to the effect of your horse losing before it even got out of the gate. The only "advantage" HD-DVD has over BD is the fact that they can be made on the same machinery as current DVDs. BD wins in every other remaining respect.

[winpro00]

At this time, saying Blu Ray is better than HD DVD is incorrect. On paper, Blu Ray has the potential of storing more data is true but at a steep cost. Currently an average movie is more than enough to be stored on a single HD DVD. Dolby TrueHD is not on all HD DVDs but it doesn't take much for studios to adopt that standard as Blu Ray did. And scratch resistent? if you have to worry about that, then you should take better care of your disks.
I would of liked the war to drag on for a lot longer since it promotes competition and in turn provides the consumer with a cheaper product.
For Warner Bros all of a sudden switching when they STILL have a contract with HD DVD, I can suspect some under the table money/deal has taken place.
Majority of consumer's love cheap stuff, if HD DVD had a bigger selection, they would definitely be putting Blu Ray out of business on the home movies market.

[RNR19952]

My biggest problem with BD is that it requires DRM
How is that going to affect home recordings?
I also do not want to support anything that requires DRM

[ragexeon]

"Majority of consumer's love cheap stuff"

That's sad. Look at walmart.. millions buying crappy tv's and dvd players. Same people who think widescreen is BAD for movies because "it doesn't fill my screen." Good enough? Perhaps, but there are plenty of us that want quality over quantity, and are willing and able to pay for it.

The better choice for a standard doesn't always win, but I personally don't think that's the case here. The difference margin, however, isn't as big as many would like you to believe. That said, and standard helps the consumer, in areas such as choice, where as a 'war' may help us as far as price. The consumer never gets the whole benefit, we just have to buy what we want. Vote with your wallets. Sales data, however (un)reliable, from many sources internationally show BR as leading by as much as 3:1 in movie sales. Sounds like a choice is being made.

[Gortguy]

"You guys need to go to the horse races more often. If you did that, you would be inured to the effect of your horse losing before it even got out of the gate. The only "advantage" HD-DVD has over BD is the fact that they can be made on the same machinery as current DVDs. BD wins in every other remaining respect."
Sorry, but I have both formats and couldn't disagree more. The BD player takes over twice as long to boot and load a disc, and the HD-DVD menu system is far superior to that of my BD's. Even menu navigation is faster; there's a subsecond lag in button presses in BD. It's minute, but it's noticeable. And in my current home theater environment, there's absolutely no noticeable difference in picture quality between the two, except in upconverted "standard" DVD's, which look better on the HD-DVD player.
The only way BD is superior than HD-DVD is in the way it was sold to the movie industry.

[free2speak]

BD has one advantage only, and it is repeated by every PS3 and BD fan. BD has more space.

HD DVD players outperform BD everytime. They have more standard features, and all players have the same feature set. All for less money.

[digriz]

Aye, and in a 5 disc dvd set a bluray will still be half empty for a higher premium. And a scratch can come off the HD with some space to grind with if needed. Would like to hear from a bluray owner witha scratched disc whether it's worth the cost.

[candive]

I don't appreceiate being told I have no freedom of choice.
Someone received a BIG kickback for this one!!
I don't trust Sony period.
And it Will Cost all of us consumers in the end.