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HDTV Almanac - No Blu-ray for XBox
by Alfred Poor on October 27, 2009 Category: General Interest

According to a Digital Trends report, a Microsoft spokesperson has stated that there are no plans to build an XBox version with a Blu-ray player in place of the current standard definition DVD drive. Microsoft was a backer of the ill-fated HD DVD technology, but now that even Toshiba has started shipping a Blu-ray player, you’d think that Microsoft might soften its position. Instead, the company is focusing on network-delivered content through its XBox Live subscription service, which offers access to a variety of content including the Netflix streaming on-demand catalog.

I have stated more than once that the whole concept of a high-definition disc player may have missed its window, and that Blu-ray’s victory over HD DVD may be hollow in the end. Broadband service is growing so rapidly that it could well overtake Blu-ray as the distribution method of choice for HD movies and television programming. those little carbonate plastic discs are so 20th Century, after all.

Posted by Alfred Poor, October 27, 2009 6:00 AM

Reader Commentary

Reply
hharris4earthlink • Nov 18, 9:03pm
I watch hi-def content on on blu-ray discs, DirectTv and Netflix's new online hi-def PS3 service. They all have their advantages and there is no format that seems to me will eliminate the other. It's really a choice between content I want to see multiple times and keep at home, versus content that is disposable. I see no reason that would convince me that the blu-ray disc format is going away any time soon.

Microsoft made a bad decision in my opinion, but it's their great games that are keeping them afloat. However, with the PS3 price cut, I suspect the future may not be as rosy....

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About Alfred Poor

Alfred Poor is a well-known display industry expert, who writes the daily HDTV Almanac. He wrote for PC Magazine for more than 20 years, and now is focusing on the home entertainment and home networking markets.