Amazon: $80 Xbox 360 HD DVD player with 6 free HD DVDs and shipping
By Thomas Ricker 
posted February 6th 2008 4:36AM
posted February 6th 2008 4:36AM
posted February 6th 2008 4:36AM
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The firesale continues. Doesn't the AACS crack require one of these players? I can see them being popular with people who want to rip HD DVD movies. I guess with the format doing so badly there would be a legitimate reason to want to do that as well.
It just wouldn't be an HD-DVD drive without the desperate 1000 free movies. Weee!
1000 movies? HD DVD is unlikely to ever have more than 500 movies the way its going.
There is something to be said for having more marketshare. Or are the blu-ray guys worried they spent 4-5 times this price on something with marginal improvement in quality. We will see what the average consumer will be looking for in the next few months. Is it the promise of some movies from Warner, Fox, Sony & Disney, or is it price and Universal and Paramount.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
HD-DVD, you will pay the price for Microsoft's lack of vision. If only you had come as a standard drive in the 360 - you surely would not be doomed now. I wouldn't buy you if you were $20 because your library pales in comparison to Blu Ray's and your theoretical capacity is pathetic.
FAIL !
Flashpoint, you still haven't been claimed by Darwin?
Every time you get a hard on for tehBLURAYZ, I have to remind you, this isn't a loss for Microsoft. They aren't investing in any "next generation" optical drive because they're fully behind digital downloads.
If they felt like tehBLUERAYZ was a great investment, I'm pretty sure they'd make an add-on player for the 'box.
@andrew,
hd-dvd/blu-ray combo player add-on for 360 out later this year.
FlashPoint, I think DVD's selection kicks Blu-Ray's ass. Big time.
@E71:
yeah.. because my PS3 didn't come with a 5 free movie offer... and the 360 HD-DVD drive didn't come with a 5 free movie offer to start... right?
jackass.
@Andrew: "Every time you get a hard on for tehBLURAYZ, I have to remind you, this isn't a loss for Microsoft."
Actually, it is. HD-DVD uses Microsoft's HDi exclusively, and primarily encoded with Microsoft's VC-1. HD-DVD's failure means Microsoft loses licensing revenue from these two technologies. (I realize VC-1 is also on Blu-Ray, but BD producers have tended toward AVC rather than VC-1, and Warner may join that trend as well once they reach exclusive.)
So yes, it IS Microsoft's loss. The licensing is the real money, not these add-on drives.
-Pie
I want to believe in you, HD-DVD. I really, really do. I always have. But it's clear by your price-slashing and your sales numbers that, unfortunately, the evil empire that is Sony is going to win this time.
Why, then, must you tempt me to buy you so vehemently? $79 and six free movies? If it weren't for your inevitable obsolescence...
I hate you, Sony. I hate you so, so much.
I second, nay, third your entire comment.
If HD DVD had sponsored some price cuts similar to this in the first place, perhaps the evil empire wouldn't be winning right now.
Isn't that the new business model? Take a loss on hardware by pricing it too low so you can make up for it later after you've established your presence in the market? It worked for XBox (finally)
T3h ditto-ness...
why is sony an evil empire and microsoft isnt?
@deadpool,
MS doesn't seem to come off so arrogantly as Sony when releasing their formats/products.
You can't be arrogant when you are completely stealing other companies ideas.
@ teej
And is Microsoft not the one who forces Vista down everybody's throats?
apple is making the same mistake sony did, as we speak. getting into bed with the entertainment industry leads inevitably to pain for the consumer. don't flame me: it's true. 2 examples: the ipod should be much more open, and apple tv should have a blu-ray drive, but neither is likely to happen. sony used to make kick-ass recorders, and now puts DRM even into their voice recorders. why would i want DRM on my own voice memos? it's like a crazy disease.
$79 player with 6 free movies? If they have done that since the beginning, blu-ray might have been long gone...
I think you should really take that (spam) ref part out of the amazon read link. The following works just fine:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JHO4L0
Why, you don't want to support engadget?
It doesn't hurt you...
First time microsoft doing somthing good :) and i believe you, wow microsoft.
LOL!
I don't care if people think that Blu-ray is going to win the format battle, this is too good of an offer to pass up. I just ordered mine, although I did have my doubts when it was still priced at $120. Maybe this offer could bring in some some serious buyers, making HD-DVD's market share ever so slightly bigger.
Or not
I don't know, it is part of Amazon's Deal of the Day program. They select one gaming related a day and sell it for a low price.
Fire sale? I honestly don't think so.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=677189
LOL - you want to believe in HDDVD so bad...
Let me help you out...
ITS A FIRE SALE.
They are selling it at dirt low prices and giving you FREE SHIPPING !!! + 6 movies? Come on man... Amazon knows they aren't selling them shitz.
BlissX is right. It was an Amazon Goldbox Deal, similar to what Woot! does. As much as some of you want it to be a "fire sale," it's not. Plain and simple. If HD DVD were in as bad of shape as you are claiming, no one in their right mind would have purchased that unit. Lo and behold, though, the player sold out in no time.
Why not just let people enjoy the fact that they just got a great player for only 80 bucks. That's insane! (I had to pay freakin' $170 for mine one month ago (same day Warner went Blu).) It in absolutely no way affects you, so just shut up about it.
It's elitist, simple minded people who can't let others enjoy things that they don't personally enjoy.
We won't know for sure if it's a Fire Sale disguised as a Goldbox deal, or just a regular Goldbox deal, until we see how Amazon re-stocks the drive.
yeah, pretty sure this was a fire sale. Im sure youve all seen Toshiba's announcement by now...way to go morons who thought this was just a "good deal"...amazon knew. They knew.
Forget fire sales, we need more movie releases on both sides. Movies are going to win this battle. Give us some classics on Blu Ray. By the way I sold one of these things anyways and went blu so I just want all the movies released no one format.
All the movies I wanted are already on HD-DVD (Matrix, Planet Earth, Bourne trilogy, Battlestar Glactica). That is why I went with them. Plus the price was much better.
I don't think HD-DVD will survive, but even so, this is an excellent buy if you have an Xbox 360. Blu Ray players still have a lot to fall in price especially now that they've jacked the prices back up. I'll bet that prices will come down more than $89 within the next six months, and more mature players come out with newer profiles.
So you win by enjoying HD movies with this add-on while waiting for a good affordable Blu Ray player comes out.
Now if you bought one like me just 6 weeks ago at $179 (after that $129 deal ended), well, that's life.. :-(
So, I can build a blue laser pointer for cheap now? All it should need is a axiz module and a power supply.
I have to admit I'm quite tempted to take advantage of this deal, even though I fully believe HD-DVD's days are numbered.
Its still £100 ($200) over here in the UK with only 5 free HD DVDs.
Even if you're a Blu-Ray guy or gal, its about $150 worth of High Def movies, with a player all for $80? You'd be mad to pass it up!
Shame I'm 1) in the UK, 2) bought mine 4 weeks ago.
Coincidentaly got my 5 free HD DVDs yesterday morning through the post =].
I ordered a Toshiba HD-A3 from Amazon on Dec 29 - they had a deal where you could get 3 HD dvds for free (plus 2 in the box, plus 5 from Toshiba).
I installed it into my A/V cabinet and set up and watched 1 movie on it. The next day, Warner came out with their exclusivity announcement. And then two weeks later Toshiba dropped the price of the HD-A3 by $50, and Amazon dropped their price accordingly.
I sent Amazon customer service a note asking for a refund of the difference between what I paid and the current price. They refunded me the difference. I doubt they'll cover six weeks under their price protection, but I'd strongly suggest anyone who bought one of these a few weeks ago call and ask to see if Amazon will price-protect you. It never hurts to ask.
this is so tempting, but i think i am going to hold out and just get a blu-ray player later for my HD cravings. DVD is still ok for me. most of the time i just watch them on my Mac.
right when i clicked the refresh button to order the damn thing the priced jumped to 179! too late i guess.
No it's still $79, but now it says "only one in stock, hurry up" (so I think they only have about 15 more :-P)
I'd bet I can get a Beta player real cheap too.
too late is right :(
WTF? I just checked again and it's still $80 with only one in stock
And yes I clicked the refresh button, not the forward button
by my count.. with deals like that there's no way hd-dvd CANT be still in the game
Bring out your dead... bring out your dead
I'm a Mac user, and that really does WOW me.
$80 gets you 6 movies AND a HD-DVD player (provided you have a 360).
But, are the 6 movies from a restricted list, or just ANY?
You left out the one, in one seventy nine ($179)
Too little, too late. This may have made a difference 6-12 months ago; at this point, it's Microsoft clearing out stock. I've owned an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive since day one. It's great, but Blu-ray has this one in the bag.
sold out already! How come the same deal isnt on the .co.uk site?