News - Microsoft reiterates: Blu-ray not coming to Xbox 360

[HEXUS]

Microsoft's Larry Hryb and Aaron Greenberg have once again dispelled rumours of a Blu-ray add-on coming to the Xbox 360.

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[j.o.s.h.1408]

i agree. electronic downloading of media files is the future. stores like HMV and Zavvi will be none existant in the future i reckon.

[s_kinton]

stores like HMV and Zavvi will be none existant in the future i reckon.

Thats alot further away than most people would like to think though...

[Parm]

I wouldn't go that far Josh. Digital distribution definitely has its place, but retail stores won't go the way of the dodo.

The two will live side by side, I reckon. Similar to the way the music industry works today, services like iTunes and Amazon MP3 are hugely successful, but there will always be CDs in stores for those who prefer a hard copy.

Personally, I'd prefer to use digital distribution. But I know lots of people who prefer to have the physical item.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

Thats alot further away than most people would like to think though...

maybe so but digital content is coming mate and as soon as your beloved hd tv has a built in wireless and hdd in it, you will be able to download movies with your remote control. That would ineffectively begin the downfall of retails shops like HMV as if your grandparents can operate a remote control, they will be able to download whatever they want

Sky tv is thinking of streaming all there content on the internet and getting rid of satalite dish. fibre optic is coming people, and the amount of speed in which could be used in internet connection is impressive

[neonplanet40]

how can anyone think digital is the way forward when isp's cap you for 5GB of data usage.....



I mean really come on lol. A full BluRay movie in digital format is well over 20GB each. If your going to get files like that over the internet then you will need to get a hell of a lot faster line and a far bigger usage tarrif that doesnt cost the earth.

[finlay666]

I mean really come on lol. A full BluRay movie in digital format is well over 20GB each. If your going to get files like that over the internet then you will need to get a hell of a lot faster line and a far bigger usage tarrif that doesnt cost the earth.

You can encrypt a full HD movie under 5gb actually, it's entirely dependent on codec and compression ratio really, better compression ratio requires a more powerful cpu to decompress the data on the fly

Also the attached audio streams can make a few hundred mb/couple of gb difference depending on codec etc again

[Funkstar]

Encode, not encrypt

True there are more efficient ways to encode the audio and video, but you are always compromising on the quality. This is perfectly acceptable for the majority of consumers, but it is still a compromise.

Taking this into account, CDs, DVDs and BruRay disks will continue to be available through retail channels for a considerable amount of time after direct digital delivery systems become the norm. After all, there will always be people that will prefer it this way. Eventually it may disappear, but it will take a very long time, much longer that some people figure.

[neonplanet40]

really? i didnt know that. but again i wouldnt like to compromise on quality. its the same with music.

Should i buy a song from itunes at 128kbps which will sound terrible on my av kit or should i buy the original cd and get the true quality of what it was meant to sound like when produced

Plus if you download enough of them 5gb files most isps would cap you. So i think for everything to go digital alot has to change. god to know though.

[Lee H]

The issue with digital formats as you all know is that you do not have a physical copy of the media and this scares quite a few people off.

What happens for example if you hard-drive or storage solution fails containing all your media files?

[finlay666]

Should i buy a song from itunes at 128kbps which will sound terrible on my av kit or should i buy the original cd and get the true quality of what it was meant to sound like when produced

Again it depends on the encoding of the track, the algorithms used etc.

Mind for most people 128kbps is fine (generally those also use the stock headphones and believe that louder = better quality aka volume wars), I personally try to not go below 192 with my digital downloads, as I can't hear any main difference above that without buying thousands of pounds worth of kit

Funkstar, that was what I meant, I was really tired and they both started with en

[itdoesntmatter]

It is interesting, blu-ray is awesome but HD media streaming is taking huge steps and I didn't foresee it moving so quickly.

For me with the addition of a external HDD and streaming HD blu-ray is looking less and less exciting even though a PS3 is on the cards.

Just a question for those with the knowledge, with blu-ray being a specific definition on a disc and player if development was improved could you see a better quality picture coming out of a stream/downloaded HD film if codecs were improved?

[Spud1]

Am I the only one who doesn't read that statement to mean "theres no blu-ray support ever coming to the xbox360"?

To me, he clearly states that it is never going to be integrated into the "experience" - so it is never going to be the default drive, and support for decoding the discs will not be included in the Xbox Dash, but it still leaves open the possibility for a 3rd party drive, possibly with a standard DVD disc included which provides the correct software and licencing to use the drive. He also talks about not making people pay for what they don't want - well using the model above that would still hold true, as Microsoft would not incur any additional costs in the form of hardware or licencing with the actual console.

I don't have the previous statements to hand to compare, but this last one does not remove all hope imo Maybe Microsoft themselves will not release an addon drive, but potentially a 3rd party company like datel could produce one for us.

[greenalien]

When Sony made Betamax Video recorders, they kept pushing the format long after it was dead, and kept saying they would never make a VHS machine; eventually, despite the corporate 'loss of face' involved, they realised that domestic Betamax was a lost cause, and that it was costing them money not making a VHS device - so they changed their minds and started making VHS recorders.
I think Microsoft are running the risk of making the same mistake, having originally backed the losing HD-DVD format - nobody likes to publicly admit they've made a bad decision, but now, if they want to position the Xbox 360 as the centre of electronic home entertainment, adding a Blu-Ray drive seems like a no brainer. Downloading large video files is just too bandwidth-hungry at present - and how long before someone devises a video game that is just too big for several DVDs - not impossible if there's a lot of video footage included. There's probably a few years life left in Blu-Ray before it gets overtaken by solid-state storage, perhaps Microsoft shareholders might want to ask why this opportunity is being missed?

[fred1979]

i can see where MS is going with not wanting to bring BLUE RAY to the 360.

i for one am very happy with dvds and it was way to soon to start upgrading. A new high def tv fine but way too soon for bluray to replace all media.

[steve threlfall]

When Sony made Betamax Video recorders, they kept pushing the format long after it was dead, and kept saying they would never make a VHS machine; eventually, despite the corporate 'loss of face' involved, they realised that domestic Betamax was a lost cause, and that it was costing them money not making a VHS device - so they changed their minds and started making VHS recorders.
I think Microsoft are running the risk of making the same mistake, having originally backed the losing HD-DVD format - nobody likes to publicly admit they've made a bad decision, but now, if they want to position the Xbox 360 as the centre of electronic home entertainment, adding a Blu-Ray drive seems like a no brainer. Downloading large video files is just too bandwidth-hungry at present - and how long before someone devises a video game that is just too big for several DVDs - not impossible if there's a lot of video footage included. There's probably a few years life left in Blu-Ray before it gets overtaken by solid-state storage, perhaps Microsoft shareholders might want to ask why this opportunity is being missed?

I think the mistake would be for MS to release a br drive now. I cant see how it is commercially viable. Assuming that they released an add-on for £130 ishh, superior stand-alone playershe incentive for the consumer? If MS goes for a very low price point, woulisntey be able to make enoughbrrofit to justify producing a br drive?

Microsoft is also keen to push digital distribution. Personally, i favour my games/music/films on physicalbredia but that could be another possible reason for shunning br at present. Support from MS could provide a serious boost to the br format but wouldnt this be treading on the toebrof their digital distribution plans.

Perhaps MS dont want to losebrace but surewouldnthe potential was there to make money from a br drive add-on at the moment, i thdontthey would go for it.

Is there enough mainstream demand for a br add on for bre 360? Would it sell in a high enough volume to turn a profit? Not that many people have the HDTV they would need for blu ray and by the time it actually becomes mainstream, assuming that br will succeed dvd, i would expect the new xbox to be available.