Microsoft Calm About HD DVD Defeat

[Daniel ~]

Written by Daniel
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Microsoft comments on Xbox 360 HD DVD future, possibility of a Blu-ray Disc add-on
Marcus Yam (Blog) - February 19, 2008 4:51 AM
DailyTech

Amidst the recent barrage of stories regarding the future plans of HD DVD supporters Toshiba, Universal and Paramount, some may have overlooked Microsoft – another big power behind the ailing format... Front Page

[danrok]

Had the HD DVD drive been a standard feature, then the format moght still be alive now.

However, it would have just caused this format war to drag on for longer. So, probably a good thing they didn't.

Sadly, we're now left with 100's of thousands of near useless drives, which will all go to waste.

[Daniel ~]

I get a pit in my stomach when I think of the colossal waste this competion represents. Surely when a standard or format is involved in something that has this great of impact a better way could have been found than open gang warfare in our commercial streets...leaving, as Danrok points out, hundreds of thousands of casualties bleeding in our market place...and I'd not be surprised if HD customers are a bit angered when a present that was suppose to last the family years goes obsolete in months...These things are not cheap!

As with all wars, one can only rejoice that it is over...and count the casulties and wonder at the stars, human ingenuity and stupidity; all are here to amaze us! ":O}

[danrok]

I think something like 700,000 HD DVD players have been sold worldwide.

500,000 or so, of those can be used as DVD players, but I don't see much use for the 200,000 Xbox 360 add-on HD DVD drives.

Perhaps they could be turned in to some type of sculpture, to remind us about wastage?

[Redroar]

I bet 99% of those with HD-DVD players already had DVD players.

[Daniel ~]

And what about hook up? Our inputs are not infinite! How long are we going to want to leave an HD player hooked up for the sake of the movies we bought...and what of the all those movies in HD we bought!?

This should not have been decided in this way. We should not have been drafted into waring armies as if our interests were THEIR interests. A compromised should have been reached before entering the market place with their products.

Isn't that what standards, at the most basic level, are supposed to be? A way of making sure we all work together and not at odds in our creations?