Toshiba showcases Xbox 360 HD DVD drive

[Bob Crabtree]

The Xbox 360 HD DVD external drive is roughly the same size as four stacked DVD boxes or one Nintendo Wii console. The outer casing is styled by Microsoft to match the Xbox 360 - what Toshiba does is supply the HD DVD drive inside.

More in this HEXUS.lifestyle IFA headline.

[chuckskull]

*cough*MegaCD*cough*

[5lab]

i recon the thing has a usb hub in - you connect the mini to the xbox and then 2 spare ports. i've not seen anyone use a male-male usb cable..

[Nick F]

Are there any rumours on pricing?

[daggre]

What I've been struggling with is whether to replace my aging PS2 with a PS3 and just go BluRay, but more and more I'm realizing that I probably won't be getting a PS3 after all, at least not for a few years. I also really like the way they're releasing the HD-DVD and DVD disks that can be played in either type player. We prefer to watch movies on the big screen in the living room but sometimes it's nice to be able to watch the same movies in bed late at night (no HD in there just yet). With BluRay that's not an option, but with HD-DVD it is. I'm REALLY happy with the 360 DVD player and interface, and it looks like this will just plug in and use that same interface, so that's great.

When they do put this inside the 360 box, I'll be moving my current one to the bedroom and buying the new one with the integrated drive. I'd even be willing to pay $499 for it (you listening MS?)

[Agent]

MS have made it clear that they have no plans to put a HD-DVD drive in the console itself, but time will tell !

[Jonny M]

Yeah the 360 will connect to that via a USB-A > Mini USB cable. Leaving 2 USB-A ports for controllers / other crap.

Edit: I guess this means the 360 will be playing back HD content over unprotected analogue connectors then.

[Bluecube]

Originally Posted by Jonny M

Yeah the 360 will connect to that via a USB-A > Mini USB cable. Leaving 2 USB-A ports for controllers / other crap.

Edit: I guess this means the 360 will be playing back HD content over unprotected analogue connectors then.

Not quite. It means that the 360 will be unable to playback protected HD content at full resolution if at all. Protected HD content can only be played back over an HDCP enabled interface.

[RoboJ1M]

Maybe, remember that the Hollywood overlords have decreed that they might not enforce the Image Constraint Token until 20 something something.

That would allow HD output of movies over a non-HDCP connection.

Fingers crossed, by the time the ICT is in use, the XBOX 720 and the PS4 will be out and your kids have the ol' 360 in the play room. Oh, and we all own 8 foot 3D screens, holodecks or spikes-in-the-back-of-the-neck.

J1M.

[CAL3H]

Originally Posted by Bluecube

Not quite. It means that the 360 will be unable to playback protected HD content at full resolution if at all. Protected HD content can only be played back over an HDCP enabled interface.

Component is not protected though, neither is VGA: neither of these are HDCP capable. Its only DVI and HDMI that are able to support HDMI. Perhaps this will mean the Xbox 360 is the saviour for those people that bought screens with 1366 * 720 res. but with no HDCP capable DVI or HDMI inputs. I wonder how Microsoft have managed to get away with this? I'm not complaining, just wondering. Also, does anyone else reckon that Tosh's very own E1 and XE1 players will have component outputs that will actually work with HD content?

Interesting.

In the mean time, I'll be waiting for the HD-DVD prices to drop. American Region ones from playusa cost £15 with post to uk, UK region HD DVDs from play.com cost £18 with post to uk. Only the latter will play on this device in the uk though. This thing is gunna be a steal though if it hits the shops around the predicted £100 mark.

[Bluecube]

Just read on The Register that the price is to be closer to £168 rather than £130. Not a good thing...

[Parm]

The price was confirmed at X06 two days ago, £129 for us in the UK.

[5lab]

still, that puts a 360+ this drive firmly into ps3 terratory.. i still think you'd be daft to buy it until *someone* has won the format wars..

[Parm]

I'm not in a hurry to get one myself, the only thing that tempts me right now is Superman Returns on HD-DVD.

That said, as I already own a 360 the HD-DVD drive seems cheap as chips. It's £129 and includes the remote and a HD-DVD copy of King Kong. For that price, if I did decide to get a HD-DVD player I'd be highly inclined to pick up this one. Even if it turns out to be not so good, it's still so cheap.

The big difference between the HD-DVD addon and the PS3's internal Blu Ray drive for me is the usage of each. The HD-DVD addon will be bought by largely AV enthusiasts who want to watch HD-DVD movies. Over at AV Forums, HD-DVD is showing to be clearly the preferred format.
The PS3 on the other hand will have a Blu Ray drive which I believe will be mainly used for games.

Movie sales will go a long way to determine the next gen format war and HD-DVD is leading the way in terms of disc sales.

However, I'm personally happy with upscaled DVD's so I wouldn't mind if neither formats took off.

[MD]

there is only one reason this would interest me - does it play games and can it be used to boot from instead of the console drive and more importantly is it QUIET

[jimborae]

Originally Posted by Matt D

there is only one reason this would interest me - does it play games and can it be used to boot from instead of the console drive and more importantly is it QUIET

Seconded.