Xbox 360, HD-DVD, & Blu-Ray?

[Ginko]

The big news, however, is the support for mandatory managed copy. To recap shenanigans so far, managed copy is part of the AACS specification shared by both HD DVD and Blu-ray. In theory, managed copy will allow you to make digital copies of your BD-ROMs or HD DVDs for viewing on a home media center, streaming throughout your house, or even transferring to a portable player. The idea makes some studios nervous, however. They worry that the next-generation of content protection being rolled into the optical formats will have an Achilles' heel in the form of managed copy.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051117-5592.html

Well, we all know that the 360 can be used as a media extender for Media Center and [soon to be] Vista PCs. Doesn't this also mean that I could access my Blu-Ray movies (and/or HD-DVD) on my PC using my 360?

 

[bouy]

I sure you can without that do hickey, cause isn't sony going to release a BR Drive for PC's?

Actually there might be a problem cause I don't know if the MEdia Center in Windows XP MCE will play BR movies. MS annouced support for HD-DVD so that will work. But I'm not sure in the case for BR on the PC.

 

[Ginko]

I sure you can without that do hickey, cause isn't sony going to release a BR Drive for PC's?

Actually there might be a problem cause I don't know if the MEdia Center in Windows XP MCE will play BR movies. MS annouced support for HD-DVD so that will work. But I'm not sure in the case for BR on the PC.

Yes, there will be a BR Drive for PC. There must be a way for Windows MCE and Vista to support it, there just has to be.

What I'm wondering is if I have a BR and/or HDDVD-Drive (or perhaps some type of hybrid) then theoretically could I access it all with a 360 to play on a HDTV?

If so, then I really don't see the need to get a standalone player...ever. I'd get the drive(s), copy the content, then stream it through the house using a media extender device(s).

I just don't know all the details and if it's actually possible.

 

[scooby_dooby]

of course you will be able to, i don't think MS would want to goto court over that one, and they having nothing really vested in hd-dvd.

the reason to get a standalone is convenience, it depends how far away your PC is from tv/movie collection.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

of course you will be able to.

Are you sure of that? If BRD's HD content needs HDCP, and XB360 hasn't got an HDCP output, it'd not going to be able to show HD movies in HD.

 

[Titanio]

Yes, there will be a BR Drive for PC. There must be a way for Windows MCE and Vista to support it, there just has to be.

The irony is, there's more than one drive coming out before the end of March, but I've yet to see any HD-DVD drive announcements.

Windows, of whatever variety, will support Blu-ray via drivers from the manufacturer - I believe in the exact same way it supports DVD (apparently windows does not include built-in support for DVD).

 

[Guden Oden]

Windows DOES support DVDs - the filing system. It doesn't support playback of (encrypted) MPEG2 however since no codec for that is included, but that's not the same thing.