|
Just in case you were waiting for one more sign the next-gen movie format war was officially over, Microsoft has now announced that it will be severing ties with HD-DVD and will no longer sell its add-on high definition player for the Xbox 360. The drive, which plugs into the Xbox 360's USB port, originally retailed for $199, but was dropped to $149 and then $129 as demand for the peripheral waned. That's the result of Blu-ray's increasing dominance in the market, especially with HD-DVD's loss of notable studios, Best Buy's decision to favour Sony's competing format, and finally Toshiba's recent announcement that it would 'give up the ghost' on HD-DVD entirely.
Despite the announcement, about 300,000 Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-ons were sold last week alone. Consumers owning the device, myself included, may be hoping retailers unleash a one-time flood of cheap HD-DVD movie titles in order to clear stock and shelf space for Blu-ray. (Source: bbc.co.uk) At one time, Microsoft was one of the foremost backers of Toshiba's HD-DVD format. It released the add-on for its popular Xbox 360 console shortly before Christmas 2006, partly in opposition to Sony's choice to include expensive Blu-ray technology within its PlayStation 3 console. The decision to 'go HD' hasn't really panned out for either company; Sony's PS3 proved too expensive because of its internal high def hardware, and Microsoft now finds itself the proud owner of defunct technology. (Source: techtree.com) Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii -- which doesn't even boast regular DVD playback -- surges to the top of the console standings.
-- Related newsletter articles:
2008/01/11 Microsoft Mulls Future of HD (xbox 360)
2008/01/15 Microsoft Faces (Another) Euro-probe (microsoft)
2008/01/22 Sony to Microsoft: 'Crysis' Us a River (console)
2008/02/05 Microsoft Yoohoo for Yahoo! (microsoft)
2008/02/18 Wal-Mart Joins HD-DVD Exodus (format)
2008/02/20 Toshiba Concedes Defeat in Format War (format)
2007/12/19 Microsoft Updates Hinder More than Help (microsoft)
2008/02/15 Microsoft Gets New Sidekick (microsoft)
2008/01/17 Microsoft Taking Steady Steps with Zune (microsoft)
2008/02/22 Microsoft Gives Free Software to IT Students (microsoft)
2008/02/26 First Vista Update Not Going Well (microsoft)
2008/01/25 First Vista Update Already Imminent (microsoft)
2008/02/08 Microsoft Unveils Smarter Web Ads (microsoft)
2008/02/28 Microsoft Revives Hotmail After Catastropic Outage (microsoft)
2007/12/24 Google Calls Microsoft Outside (microsoft)
-- Recent articles (from all channels): 2008/05/12 Today in History: for Monday, May 12, 2008
2008/05/12 [ShellX 20080512]: 'Remote Manager', and 'Cyber Bandwidth ...
2008/05/12 Video Gaming Trade Group Struggling
2008/05/12 T-Mobile Finally Joins 3G Phone Race
2008/05/12 Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog
2008/05/09 [ShellX 20080509]: 'Advanced Run', and 'Diver Windows Manager'
2008/05/09 Texas Refuses Facebook Friend Request
2008/05/09 Photo-Enforcement Technology Replaces Officers On Patrol
2008/05/09 Cuban Government Says 'Ok Computer'
2008/05/09 Excel Can E-Mail Your Weekly Reports For You!
2008/05/08 [ShellX 20080508]: 'Shell Enhancer', and 'Lansweeper'
2008/05/08 Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox
2008/05/08 Music Companies Jump on GTA IV Bandwagon
2008/05/08 Fascinating: Memristor to replace Binary
2008/05/08 Adobe Hopes To Make Flash Master Of The (Mobile) Universe
2008/05/08 Spiffy Envelopes and Labels in MS Word
2008/05/07 [ShellX 20080507]: 'Winbin2iso', and 'Loop Typer'
2008/05/07 Yahoo Adds Security Warnings To Search Results
2008/05/07 Apple to Lose Money on iTunes Movie Releases
2008/05/07 Amazon.com takes New York Tax to Court
2008/05/07 Need Glasses for the Slide Sorter View in MS PowerPoint?
2008/05/07 After Winning The DVD Format War, Blu-Ray Sales Tank
2008/05/06 [ShellX 20080506]: 'Visual Basic 6.0 Portable', and 'Double-...
2008/05/06 Yahoo Outsources to Jajah
2008/05/06 New HP Circuit Could Change Technology Forever
2008/05/06 Movie Downloads To Match DVD Release Dates
2008/05/06 Microsoft Ends Yahoo Bid
2008/05/05 [ShellX 20080505]: 'Ie7 Pro', and 'Desktop Ok'
2008/05/05 The WB Network Hops Online
2008/05/05 Microsoft Slashes Price of Xbox 360 Overseas
2008/05/05 Google CEO Wants YouTube to Take More of Your Money
|
