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Razor05 · 03-02-2006, 06:12 PM

As per TeamXbox:

Why Microsoft Chose HD DVD over Blu-ray for Xbox 360
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Mar. 2nd, 2006 1:16 pm

César Menendez, a member of the Xbox Global Marketing team, was curious about Microsoft’s decision to develop an external drive that employs the HD DVD format instead of Blu-ray Disc. That’s why he took the time to contact the team at the Xbox Advanced Hardware Group to find out about Microsoft’s preference for HD DVD over Blu-ray Disc.

He posted his finding at the team’s Gamerscore blog:

Why HD DVD? Why not Blu-Ray? (for the purpose of this post, I’ll lovingly call it ‘Beta-ray’)

I found out a few interesting things on why we’re so confident of HD DVD:

Price: One company out there has a $1,800 Beta-ray player (no release date) – one that doesn’t even play CDs! For 1,800, you could get a $500 Toshiba player, and about 40 HD movies.

Industry support: Looks like the pendulum is swinging back in HD-DVD’s favor. As an analyst quoted in the article says: “It's only a matter of time before people start backing out of the Blu-ray camp." If that’s the case, it might be because of. . .

Beta-ray’s own difficulties: Microsoft had serious doubts around the technical feasibility and pricing of Beta-ray for some time and our fears now seem well founded. Sony is hinting PS3 will be delayed because of Beta-ray, and that’s with Sony driving the Beta-ray standards. If even Sony can’t get it to work right, it raises lots of questions. A little reported fact (and one that the New York Times was confused about) is that the first Beta-ray discs will actually hold less: only 25GB compared to HD DVD’s 30GB. That means less room for high definition extras and interactive features, which HD DVD says they fully intend to support.

If you are interesting in know more about HD DVD, check our recent editorial The Blue Laser Wars: Episode I HD DVD.

03-02-2006, 06:12 PM	#1
Razor05 HD = 65 beautiful inches Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 3,296	Why Microsoft Chose HD DVD over Blu-ray for Xbox 360 As per TeamXbox: Why Microsoft Chose HD DVD over Blu-ray for Xbox 360 By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar" Mar. 2nd, 2006 1:16 pm César Menendez, a member of the Xbox Global Marketing team, was curious about Microsoft’s decision to develop an external drive that employs the HD DVD format instead of Blu-ray Disc. That’s why he took the time to contact the team at the Xbox Advanced Hardware Group to find out about Microsoft’s preference for HD DVD over Blu-ray Disc. He posted his finding at the team’s Gamerscore blog: Why HD DVD? Why not Blu-Ray? (for the purpose of this post, I’ll lovingly call it ‘Beta-ray’) I found out a few interesting things on why we’re so confident of HD DVD: Price: One company out there has a $1,800 Beta-ray player (no release date) – one that doesn’t even play CDs! For 1,800, you could get a $500 Toshiba player, and about 40 HD movies. Industry support: Looks like the pendulum is swinging back in HD-DVD’s favor. As an analyst quoted in the article says: “It's only a matter of time before people start backing out of the Blu-ray camp." If that’s the case, it might be because of. . . Beta-ray’s own difficulties: Microsoft had serious doubts around the technical feasibility and pricing of Beta-ray for some time and our fears now seem well founded. Sony is hinting PS3 will be delayed because of Beta-ray, and that’s with Sony driving the Beta-ray standards. If even Sony can’t get it to work right, it raises lots of questions. A little reported fact (and one that the New York Times was confused about) is that the first Beta-ray discs will actually hold less: only 25GB compared to HD DVD’s 30GB. That means less room for high definition extras and interactive features, which HD DVD says they fully intend to support. If you are interesting in know more about HD DVD, check our recent editorial The Blue Laser Wars: Episode I HD DVD. __________________ Panasonic TH-65PZ850U Sony KDL37XBR6 Panasonic TH-37PX50U Cambridge Audio Azur 640R & 740C Paradigm Studio 60's, 20's, CC-590 & Seismic 12 Panasonic DMP-BD35 Toshiba HD-XA2 & A35 Motorola VIP1200 Monster HTFS1000, PB2100 AA 1154a MW2 LE Xbox 360 & Halo3 LE + HD-DVD GT: Razor59 Sony PS3 slim GT:Razor_59 Sony PSP