Moore: Xbox 360 HD-DVD for movies only and there will be no internal drive.

[cthellis42]

It would have to be 4x to do that, and IIRC, the drive they would be using is a 2x drive with a 12x DVD mechanism. 4x drives would be too expensive at the time of the PS3 launch to go with them.

It's not just as simple as that, though, is it? They still can take advantage of packing the data on the outer layers where the disk is read faster and would need less seek time.

 

[BTOA]

Again, if they had anything more than a guess, they would have said so. Anand is still a bunch of guys writing articles, not even whitepapers. They arent some race of aliens reverse-engineering consoles and ICs.

Unfortunately in the first version of the Xbox 360, that AV cable port appears to be strictly analog. Microsoft has indicated that they may support HDMI at a later point in time, but that may require a new revision of the motherboard - assuming there is no digital video signal carried over the AV port. On the flip side, ATI has had a history of placing TMDS transmitters on their GPUs, so it may be possible that a digital video signal is present at this connector today, although if it were we don't understand why Microsoft wouldn't offer a DVI/HDMI cable option now.

Anandtech pretty much gets to the point and offers some info, while other sites don't even look into the digital output side of XBox 360. We're all just a bunch of aliens with different minds.

BTW, even with the blue prints of the Xbox 360, people should still come to the conclusion of how will MS offer a digital output.

 

[Bigus Dickus]

USB2 is 480 mb/s, the max any of these optical HD formats are is about 35mb/s, USB2 is more than 10x adequate.

Figured it was... thanks for confirming. I was too lazy to just google it.

 

[Bigus Dickus]

Yes they have the bandwidth. HDDVD won't be using mpeg2, as I understand it, they will be using vc1 or h.264.

Erm, I knew that... brain fart!

 

[Cyander]

It's not just as simple as that, though, is it? They still can take advantage of packing the data on the outer layers where the disk is read faster and would need less seek time.

This is true, but then you would be paying more for a small gain on a small amount of data. The issue isn't really seek time, but that a 1x BluRay drive is around 36Mbps. While 12x DVD is around 132 Mbps at the outer edge. Even at 2x, BluRay only hits 72Mbps, and at those rates, it is going to get very, very close... if it exceeds DVD at all until 4x drives are available.

 

[g35er]

It would be great if they have HD-DVD versions of games that require multiple DVD's like the way PC publishers release CD and DVD version of games. That way it is nice to have but not required. And it won't split the user base.

 

[iscott1982]

...

Why doesnt Microsoft just use HD-DVD for "Special Edition" games and Normal DVD for standard Games?

Ok,lets use half-life 2 for example. Let's say Microsoft release half-life 2 for the xbox 360. The standard package could include Half-life 2 and Half-life 2 deathmatch and the making of half-life 2, where the "Special HD-DVD Edition" would include Half-life 2 , Half-life 2 Deathmatch, The making of Half-life 2, Counterstrike Source and Day of Defeat and whatever else Microsoft want to shove in there. This would be an excellent way to promote the advantages of HD-DVD, while not totally screwing the guy who doesnt have the addon drive.

They could also be priced competitively with the normal version being $35 and the Special Edition being $60, that way gamers get to choose if they want the extra content or not.

In my opinnion Microsoft could and should use the extra space to create "enhanced" versions of games instead of being restricted to DVD9. Yes i know it's cheaper to make DVD9 discs, but in the long run when games start taking 2 or 3 dvd's HD-DVD is going to look mighty tempting...

Just my two cents.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Hopefully they'll just have 2 versions of every game. Multi-Disc and Single Disc.

It depends on the read speeds though. If HD-DVD takes a signifigantly longer time to load, then I might prefer to have faster load times from DVD, and do a disc swap once or twice.

 

[WILWONG]

Hello, morning all!

Just a thought but if it is a silly idea then I'll blame it on my Insomnia.

Yes a lot of people are concerned about this HD-DVD vs DVD storage issues; GTA style games; disk swopping etc. There might be a small selling point for someone going for one of these attachments other than playing HD-DVD.

If a game does span to 2 x DVDs then maybe we could use the XBOX 360 HD-DVD drive to load the second disk;granted this could be slower through a usb2 connection (if this is the interface chosen for the design)....just like those multiple CD Hifis I used to have.

This will avoid yet another sku; pacify disk swoppers somewhat and make the most use out of probably quite pricey add on.

Then again; for the romoured 4 DVD games just get diasy chain a few more HD-DVD drives! (just kidding)
Wil

 

[inefficient]

USB2 is 480 mb/s, the max any of these optical HD formats are is about 35mb/s, USB2 is more than 10x adequate.

Your 35mb/s number is for compressed video streams - the format that it is stored on the disc.

Your player reads the data, some cpu has to decode it, then the uncompressed video gets put out on the HDMI cable.

This is why HDMI supports up to 5Gbps of data:
1920*1080*32bpp*30fps = ~2Gbps
1280*720*32bpp*30fps = ~0.9Gbps

If their stratagy is to use USB. I don't see how the player itself can have an HDMI output port on it itself unless it has its own decoder in the device (expensive). There is just no way they can send the uncompressed video back via the USB2 cable.

 

[tema]

Why doesnt Microsoft just use HD-DVD for "Special Edition" games and Normal DVD for standard Games?

Ok,lets use half-life 2 for example. Let's say Microsoft release half-life 2 for the xbox 360. The standard package could include Half-life 2 and Half-life 2 deathmatch and the making of half-life 2, where the "Special HD-DVD Edition" would include Half-life 2 , Half-life 2 Deathmatch, The making of Half-life 2, Counterstrike Source and Day of Defeat and whatever else Microsoft want to shove in there. This would be an excellent way to promote the advantages of HD-DVD, while not totally screwing the guy who doesnt have the addon drive.

They could also be priced competitively with the normal version being $35 and the Special Edition being $60, that way gamers get to choose if they want the extra content or not.

In my opinnion Microsoft could and should use the extra space to create "enhanced" versions of games instead of being restricted to DVD9. Yes i know it's cheaper to make DVD9 discs, but in the long run when games start taking 2 or 3 dvd's HD-DVD is going to look mighty tempting...

Just my two cents.

December 14, 2005 - One day after Japanese reports sprung up about the future of HD-DVD and Xbox 360, Microsoft has issued an official response.

Microsoft lists two points in response to the reports claiming that it has, as of the 14th, entered into final development phases with Toshiba and other HD-DVD backers to release an HD-DVD version of the Xbox 360 some time next year after Spring. The first point: "Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360." And the second point: "There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

"Right now it's focused purely on movie playback."

3 weeks from no HD-DVD to for "movie playback". MS will make games on HD-DVD, upgrading Xbox1.5 to Xbox2. PC FTW!

 

[bleon]

In this GI interview, Peter Moore is obviously leaving his options open for HD-DVD games.

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200601/N06.0106.1235.53927.htm

From that interview, it sounds like there is a strong possibility of an internal HD-DVD 360 by the end of 2006. Although the HD-DVD peripheral is announced as optional, it will be the only way for early adopters to upgrade from the current 360 - a kind of forced upgrade.
They seem to be preparing to migrate most of their small userbase over HD-DVD.
Expect all major 360 games to be on HD-DVD, starting with Halo 3.

 

[Bigus Dickus]

In this GI interview, Peter Moore is obviously leaving his options open for HD-DVD games.

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200601/N06.0106.1235.53927.htm

From that interview, it sounds like there is a strong possibility of an internal HD-DVD 360 by the end of 2006. Although the HD-DVD peripheral is announced as optional, it will be the only way for early adopters to upgrade from the current 360 - a kind of forced upgrade.
They seem to be preparing to migrate most of their small userbase over HD-DVD.
Expect all major 360 games to be on HD-DVD, starting with Halo 3.

You got that out of the interview linked? Wow.

 

[Hardknock]

In this GI interview, Peter Moore is obviously leaving his options open for HD-DVD games.

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200601/N06.0106.1235.53927.htm

From that interview, it sounds like there is a strong possibility of an internal HD-DVD 360 by the end of 2006. Although the HD-DVD peripheral is announced as optional, it will be the only way for early adopters to upgrade from the current 360 - a kind of forced upgrade.
They seem to be preparing to migrate most of their small userbase over HD-DVD.
Expect all major 360 games to be on HD-DVD, starting with Halo 3.

Thanks, that was a great interview. To me it sounded doubtful that there would be an internal drive unfortunately. Seems they are still feeling things out though:

GI: So why not announce at E3 that you’re coming out with a new version of the 360 with an HD-DVD drive?

Moore: How would you feel about that?

GI: I’d be pretty pissed off because I’ve already spent $400. (laughs) So it’s not to say you guys won’t have something next holiday?

Moore: I never say never. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The key is you built a house. We’ve spent a lot of money building a house. And because you want a third garage you don’t go and buy a new house. You add on the third garage to the two you’ve already got. You just take advantage that you’ve got the basic infrastructure. You’ve invested in it. It does a lot for you. You add on the third garage. And that’s what we’re talking about here.

 

[Lysander]

Moore: How would you feel about that?

GI: I’d be pretty pissed off because I’ve already spent $400. (laughs) So it’s not to say you guys won’t have something next holiday?

Moore: I never say never.

Future is wide open, Moore is just playing consumer diplomacy.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Future is wide open, Moore is just playing consumer diplomacy.

True, but it's a weighted answer

But it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

If they release an HDDVD version later, they're being nonsensical by their own admission. It might happen, but there's probably no plans afoot at the moment.

 

[Titanio]

Yes they have the bandwidth. HDDVD won't be using mpeg2, as I understand it, they will be using vc1 or h.264.

HD-DVD supports MPEG-2. Which is used is up to the studios, there isn't a single mandated codec that everyone has to use.

 

[expletive]

If they release an HDDVD version later, they're being nonsensical by their own admission. It might happen, but there's probably no plans afoot at the moment.

How is that nonsensical?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

How is that nonsensical?

So it’s not to say you guys won’t have something next holiday?
Moore: I never say never. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Nonsensical is probably not the correct antonym though.

 

[expletive]

So it’s not to say you guys won’t have something next holiday?
Moore: I never say never. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Nonsensical is probably not the correct antonym though.

Maybe non-commital?