Let's Rally Microsoft to think (HD DVD + Blu-Ray)

Advocatus

Advocatus

CAGiversary!
Now that HD DVD is officially dead, I have begun to wonder what Microsoft is planning for the Blu-ray add on. Specifically something which seems like a minor issue NOW, but will become a pain in the butt in the future for us few people who own the HD DVD add on, and eventually want to buy the Blu-Ray add on. I wonder if the Xbox360 is going to support having both add ons plugged into the system.

I know it sounds whiny now, but it would seem a good tactic on our part to suggest to Microsoft NOW before they get any further in development of the Blu-Ray add on, that we'd like support for the previous add on, most notably perhaps the ability to plug the HD DVD player into the Blu-ray, then the Blu-ray player into the 360. I REALLY don't want to need to unplug and plug the different add ons anytime I want to watch a movie. If is an easy thing they can program in now, they might just do... in the future it won't matter as Blu-ray is the only disc format that will be produced. Currently however they ought to support us consumers who bought the HD DVD player, by offering us support on their former product. I would also prefer to not ruin the aesthetics of my setup by having USB cords sticking out of the front of the unit for one of the two add ons.

What do you think?
Should we draft an email to Microsoft?
 
I have a similar problem now. The wireless adapter for the 360 plugs into the back USB port. SO does the HD DVD add on. There's only one USB port back there. So unless I want the HD DVD add ons ugly cord running to the front of my 360, I have to either unplug the internet adapter, or use a USB hub to be able to plug in both items into the single USB port in the back of the unit.

A minor quibble, but really poor design. There should be at least 2 USB ports in the back, especially if they are going to have two devices on the market meant to use the back port.
 
[quote name='scsg75']I have a similar problem now. The wireless adapter for the 360 plugs into the back USB port. SO does the HD DVD add on. There's only one USB port back there. So unless I want the HD DVD add ons ugly cord running to the front of my 360, I have to either unplug the internet adapter, or use a USB hub to be able to plug in both items into the single USB port in the back of the unit.

A minor quibble, but really poor design. There should be at least 2 USB ports in the back, especially if they are going to have two devices on the market meant to use the back port.[/QUOTE]

Isn't there a USB port or two on the back of the HD-DVD drive to make up for that? Specifically, isn't there a spot that fits the wireless adapter?

EDIT: Yes, there are, unless this changed later on.
 
[quote name='scsg75']I have a similar problem now. The wireless adapter for the 360 plugs into the back USB port. SO does the HD DVD add on. There's only one USB port back there. So unless I want the HD DVD add ons ugly cord running to the front of my 360, I have to either unplug the internet adapter, or use a USB hub to be able to plug in both items into the single USB port in the back of the unit.

A minor quibble, but really poor design. There should be at least 2 USB ports in the back, especially if they are going to have two devices on the market meant to use the back port.[/quote]

Did you know that the addon's back was designed for the wiresless adapter. It fits perfectly on the addon. Thats what i used to do.

edit- beat to it.
 
[quote name='Callandor']Isn't there a USB port or two on the back of the HD-DVD drive to make up for that? Specifically, isn't there a spot that fits the wireless adapter ?[/quote]

holy crap, you're right. I never even noticed those grooves for the wireless adapter on the HD DVD drive. I was using my rock band USB hub in a sad Macgyver like configuration.


Dear Microsoft,

I apologize for saying you had poor design tastes. You see, I am unobservant and ignorant. I bought the HD DVD add on months prior to the wireless adapter, hence the instructions that probably indicate I can plug in the wireless adapter into the HD DVD add on are long packed away. And since you had nothing in the wireless adapters instruction manual about hooking up the wireless adapter to the HD DVD add on, I never thought to try that.

Sincerely,
me
 
The HD DVD add on was very well designed. I appreciate the additional USB ports. I use a USB wireless keyboard attached to my HD DVD add on. This is very handy when people come over and would like to recover their gamertags on my system. It is also convenient for my wife who likes to name all of her pinata on viva pinata.

I hope they design the Blu-Ray player as well as they designed the HD DVD player
 
It'll be fine. They'll come up with a way to be able to use both at once.

Disregarding lossless audio limitations, I do kind of look foward to the 360 possibly being the ultimate "all-in-one" machine with HD DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming from the PC. Won't even take up that much space if you're stacking the two add-ons on the base console...as long as the Blu-Ray add-on is approximately the same size, anyway.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']It'll be fine. They'll come up with a way to be able to use both at once.[/QUOTE]

You are far more trusting in M$ then I am. I have a feeling if it would take initiative or an extra 1/2 day of coding on their part, it won't be done. I'm gonna send an email, and I would suggest anyone else interested in the issue to do the same. I'll attempt to find an M$ email address that will be useful... which is going to take a miracle.
 
I doubt they are going to care. I think they sold like 300k of the HD-DVD drives - if it costs more to create a work around I doubt they will do it for such a small userbase. What I really want to see is a $400 360 with a 100GB HD and a Blu-Ray player all in one box.
 
[quote name='Richlough']I would like it if I could use my add-on universally , like with the PS3 for instance .

I know it will never happen .[/QUOTE]

You can already use the HD DVD drive on a PC with the right drivers (look around a little and you'll find them, I'm too lazy right now) but it requires a powerful PC to play HD DVD movies well. In order for it to work on a PS3, Sony would have to release drivers which they aren't going to do.


I'm still hoping for a Blu-ray player (or 360 add-on) with native 1080p VGA support. Right now HD DVD has that clear advantage for me that it got mainly just because the 360 was lacking HDMI when the add-on was released.
 
[quote name='MetalGator']MS, if you make a Blu-internal HDMI 1.3 360 I'll be the biggest fanboy ever[/QUOTE]
Internal is a horrible idea that alienates the 17 Million non blu xbox 360 owners.

Microsoft really has two options

1. Make a blu-ray add-on to compete with sony having HD capabilities.

2. Say that discs aren't the future and put more into their HD download service, I think this is more likely especially with the HDD getting bigger and the deals they are making with the different studios.
 
Yes, they will not incorporate an internal drive....unless there is a specification where it can ONLY play movies, not games.

I see them making an add-on eventually. XBOX 720 will be the best ;)
 
[quote name='M1C13']Internal is a horrible idea that alienates the 17 Million non blu xbox 360 owners.

Microsoft really has two options

1. Make a blu-ray add-on to compete with sony having HD capabilities.

2. Say that discs aren't the future and put more into their HD download service, I think this is more likely especially with the HDD getting bigger and the deals they are making with the different studios.[/QUOTE]

PS3 plays DVDs, 360 games could still be DVDs. It could just be billed as a new "Elite" hasn't Gates said they aim to make the Xbox a multi-purpose "media center" of sorts?

Toshiba can thank MS for giving Blu the win by making HD-DVD an add-on
 
[quote name='MetalGator']PS3 plays DVDs, 360 games could still be DVDs. It could just be billed as a new "Elite" hasn't Gates said they aim to make the Xbox a multi-purpose "media center" of sorts?

Toshiba can thank MS for giving Blu the win by making HD-DVD an add-on[/QUOTE]
thats not the point. Plus with one dying off whats to say the other will really do so well, with DVDs still staying strong, and the growth of dowloadable media I see blu-ray being gone by 2010 and also in less then 2 years we will see the next microsoft game console.

Also they already have made the xbox a multi-purpose media center. It's a media center extender, plays networked media, upscales dvds, and allows for downloading media from xbox live.
 
[quote name='M1C13']thats not the point. Plus with one dying off whats to say the other will really do so well, with DVDs still staying strong, and the growth of dowloadable media I see blu-ray being gone by 2010 and also in less then 2 years we will see the next microsoft game console.

Also they already have made the xbox a multi-purpose media center. It's a media center extender, plays networked media, upscales dvds, and allows for downloading media from xbox live.[/QUOTE]


yeah but it's still Missing blu ray... if the entire market is pushing blu ray its going to sell. A blu ray add on would be good for the 360. But in the future, maybe they could use blu ray instead of dvd - of course depending on if blu ray has a strong market prescence in 2010.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']yeah but it's still Missing blu ray... if the entire market is pushing blu ray its going to sell. A blu ray add on would be good for the 360. But in the future, maybe they could use blu ray instead of dvd - of course depending on if blu ray has a strong market prescence in 2010.[/QUOTE]
But again, having already made a mistake backing HD-DVD why should the go with something else that could also fail in the next 5 years or less, they can have every movie studio available for download and guess what they get way more money out of that then they would selling a blu-ray add-on for $199.99.

They can now go back to the fact that DVD is still king and the PS3 is going to look really bad in a couple years when blu-ray also fails.

downloadable/streamable media is the future.

EDIT: or if it really does catch on they can put it into the XBOX 1080 (TM).
 
[quote name='M1C13']But again, having already made a mistake backing HD-DVD why should the go with something else that could also fail in the next 5 years or less, they can have every movie studio available for download and guess what they get way more money out of that then they would selling a blu-ray add-on for $199.99.

They can now go back to the fact that DVD is still king and the PS3 is going to look really bad in a couple years when blu-ray also fails.

downloadable/streamable media is the future.

EDIT: or if it really does catch on they can put it into the XBOX 1080 (TM).[/QUOTE]


add ons don't really hurt anyone.. you either in or you're out. HD-DVD was just a ploy to get xbox fans to help out the HD DVD camp. MS was irresponsible in their handling of the HD format add on ... they should have waited until the format war was over then added the drive... As long as PS3 is selling they're always be a market for blu ray. But even if it was to fail in 5 years, at least 360 at least if MS would have waited to add a new drive after the format war, it wouldn't put 360 owners in a position where they have 2 add ons that could possibly be a waste of money. The thing is... its better to be with, than without. Whether blu ray fails, or wins, in the future it'll always be a good thing that the PS3 has it in its system. Only thing is that the PS3 is blu ray and that if blu ray fails then it means that the PS3 itself has to fail. Evertime a PS3 sales.. that's another blu ray player on the market.
 
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