HdDvdPlayer
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Microsoft holding off on HD DVD reaction, thinks "games" sell consoles
Microsoft hit us up with a statement today regarding its Xbox 360 HD DVD player in light of the format's current woes. The company seems to think the news won't have "any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace." Microsoft goes on to reiterate its line about the largest next-gen games library and its belief that "it is games that sell consoles." For those of you hoping for some sort of Blu-ray attachment for the 360 -- or a sense of purpose for that increasingly obsolete HD DVD player currently hooked up to your 360 -- Microsoft does say that "we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player," which seems to imply there's something to announce once HD DVD finally kicks the bucket, but at this point the prospect of a Blu-ray add-on still seems rather optimistic.
Hands-on with Integra's DHS-8.8 HD DVD player
While Toshiba was off boasting about its third-generation HD DVD player lineup, Integra was quietly showcasing its very first player to handle the high-definition format. Interestingly, we had no issues getting a number of closeups, and while the player seemed to sneak under the noses of most folks there, we were able to get a little insight into the firm's future HD plans. 'Course, you'll have to visit our next door neighbor to find out more, and give those snapshots a look while you're over, will ya?
Hands-on with Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD player lineup
As you're well aware by now, Toshiba came out today and got (really) official about its third-generation HD DVD lineup, which includes the HD-A3, HD-A30 and the HD-A35. The company was most certainly pushin' HD DVD at its booth today, so it made sense that these three units were the first most people saw when entering through. Each device looked fairly similar to its siblings, but we went ahead and grabbed photos of 'em one by one just to be safe.%Gallery-7031%
Integra unveils first HD DVD player: the $1099 DHS-8.8
Just before the wheels of CEDIA really get rolling here in Denver, it looks as though we'll have one more contestant in the standalone HD DVD player market: Integra. The firm has announced its first HD DVD player, dubbed the DHS-8.8, and judging by the specs, it's no slacker. This unit touts HDMI 1.3a compatibility, obligatory support for all the lossless audio formats, 1080p24 playback, onboard Reon VX HQV video processing, DVD upscaling to 720p / 1080i / 1080p, and component outputs to boot. Furthermore, you'll find "Wolfson and Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit audio DACs for conversion of audio sources for analog output," and the built-in Ethernet port allows buyers to take advantage of any web-based extras that they may encounter. Notably, this bad boy rings up a full Benjamin higher than the couple of hybrid players we heard about yesterday, and is slated to hit the market in Q4 for $1,099.[Thanks, Ryan]
Europe gets in on HD DVD player price cutting
Attendees of the IFA (one big German electronics show) are reporting that Microsoft has unofficially announced that the 360 HD DVD player add-on will be receiving a price cut in Europe. The rumored price cut will drop the HD DVD player add-on by 20 euros from 200 to 180 euro. And even though the price drop hasn't officially surfaced in press release form or no date for when the new price will go into effect was announced, we advise future HD DVD player purchasers in Europe to hold off for a bit. Let's see what comes of this 20 euro price cut.[Via NEXT Generation]
HD DVD player, 8 movies, free ship and no tax [update 1]
Adding to our list of ever expanding Xbox 360 HD DVD player deals we've got one nice offer coming straight out of Amazon.com. Right now, you can pick up the Xbox 360 HD DVD player with the included King Kong HD DVD (1), five more HD DVDs with The Perfect Offer (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and Amazon.com will throw in two extra HD DVDs of your choice (7, 8)! That's a total of eight movies for free with a $179 HD DVD player purchase! Not only is that all fine and dandy, but you'll also receive free shipping and a tax-less order. It just might be time to buckle and give in, eight movies and a HD DVD player for $179 is nice ... really nice.Update 1: We've heard from a few people that Amazon.com offers a buy two, get one free on HD DVD movie purchases. So, try adding a third HD DVD into your cart and see if you get it free thus making this a nine free movie offer. Anyone try this successfully?[Via Xbox 360 Rally]
Get BioShock and All-Pro Football for the cheap [update 1]
This morning, while flipping through the Sunday newspaper ads, we discovered a few pretty good gaming deals we thought we'd share with you. The first deal that caught our is eye was All-Pro Football 2K8 over at Best Buy which has been discounted to a very affordable $39.99, probably due to a little game called Madden 08 being released as of late. Also available at Best Buy this week is an offer where if you purchase the Xbox 360 HD DVD player you'll get the movie 300 for free on top of King Kong and the five other free movie offer. Finally, we know hordes of people will be purchasing BioShock this week and if you get it at Circuit City you'll save $10. That's right, BioShock will be available this Tuesday at Circuit City for $49.99. As always, spend wisely, be safe, and feel free to share the deals you've stumbled upon this week.Update 1: Swapped out the image, because images can be confusing sometimes.
360 Elite, HD DVD player and 7 movies for $599
Over on Amazon.com they're offering the complete HD Xbox 360 media experience, bundling together an Xbox 360 Elite, HD DVD player and seven HD DVD movies for the discounted bundle price of $599. The offer's seven free movies are calculated by adding together the five HD DVDs from the "Perfect Offer", King Kong HD DVD that's included in the box and the 300 HD DVD. In the end, you'd be saving around $50 over purchasing everything separately. And we can't help but make a Xbox 360 versus PS3 comparison; buy an Xbox 360 Elite with 120GB HDD and HDMI cable, HD DVD player, and seven HD DVD movies for $599 or a PS3 with 80GB HDD with no cables included, Motorstorm, Blu-Ray player, and five Blu-Ray movies for $599. Decisions, decisions.[Via Fat Wallet]
Xbox 360 HD DVD player sales rise 1,000%
We just learned what happens when you discount the price on the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and throw in five free movies. Our conclusion, they sell more than they did before. Looking through Amazon.com's sales rank movers and shakers, the Xbox 360 HD DVD player's sales increased over 1,000% since the $20 price drop. Who needs economics 101 when you've got Amazon.com. And if you're looking to cash in on this super sweet deal, give your local Best Buy a try, some stores are offering it for $149.
Best Buy: Top Spin Bundle $399, HD DVD player $149
More Xbox 360 price drop, price change, price info leakage made its way onto the net today with Joystiq receiving a Best Buy inventory sheet detailing a Xbox 360 Top Spin bundle. According to the papers, the Top Spin bundle is going to retail for $399, be introduced on August 12th and include ... well, we aren't sure what it'll include, but we're thinking Top Spin would be a good guess. The arrival of a new bundle at the $399 price point further proves the overall Xbox 360 price cut, but if this bundle only includes Top Spin, then we'd stick with the (then) newly discounted $349 Premium.Best Buy also went discount crazy on the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive this morning, slashing the price to $149.99 and even including the five free HD DVDs (pdf). But sadly, the HD DVD player stock has sold out online. Though, we advise checking with your local Best Buy, because we confirmed with our store and they too have dropped the price to $149 and it includes the King Kong movie and the five free HD DVD offer. We've got some shopping to do![Thanks santini]Read - Xbox 360 Top Spin Bundle $399Read - Xbox 360 HD DVD player $149
UK not getting HD DVD player price cut (yet)
Yesterday, Microsoft announced an Xbox 360 HD DVD player price drop and the inclusion of five free HD DVDs, but also coyly mentioned such offer was only available in the US. And IGN decided to press Microsoft on the issue to see whether or not a price cut would make its way overseas and received a standard marketing response that goes something like ... "we currently have no announcements to make at this stage regarding a price cut of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive for the UK". So, there you have it no HD DVD player price cut for anyone else for the foreseeable future. Or maybe such an announcement will be coming during that special UK event. Hmm, maybe.
Circuit City offers up all kinds of deals
This week Circuit City is offering all kinds of deals, some we've seen before while others are new. But be sure to note that most (if not all) are in-store only deals, so let's get to it. This week they brought back two deals including the two free HD DVD offer with the purchase of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and the 4' tall Master Chief wall graphic with a Halo 3 preorder. For new deals we have a free tshirt with the purchase of Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia and an offer for our PC fanboys. This week you can get Halo 2 Vista for $39.99 and with the purchase you'll get Shadowrun Vista for free! Two PC games for $40, not too shabby at all. So, that's it and be sure to remember that most of these deals aren't available online. Happy spending!
360 HD-DVD player sold for $60
We've seen our share of great deals here at Xbox 360 Fanboy, but this one absolutely takes the cake. It seems a Wal-Mart in Metairie, Louisiana has discounted the $199 peripheral by a staggering $139, reducing the price to $60. A shopper has posted photos of both the price in question and a receipt as proof. Before you speed to the nearest location, endangering countless civilians, you should know that Wal-Mart.com still lists the device at $199.82 (a whole 17 cents off MSRP!). Still, if you live in Metairie (or know someone who does) you'd better act fast. There's no telling when someone at the corporate office will get word of this chicanery.
Free movies with 360 HD DVD player purchase
If you're in the market for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and want to jump start your movie library, then this week may be the time to make the purchase. At both Best Buy and Circuit City you'll get two HD DVDs for free with a 360 HD DVD player purchase. Which leaves you with a total of three free movies, because the King Kong HD DVD is included with the player. Now only if they offered a free 50" 1080p HD television as part of the deal, then we'd probably pick up two. Read - Best Buy offerRead - Circuit City offer
HD DVD player add-on gets an update
Over on the AVS forums, Microsoft's own HD DVD insider Amirm confirmed that an update will be released sometime today for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add-on. The auto update is rumored to fix various sound output problems, include a night mode fix, and patch up a few overall HD DVD compatibility issues. And to get the new update simply pop in any HD DVD into your fancy player and you'll be prompted to download the update. Simple, yet effective.[Via TeamXbox]
360 HD DVD doesn't play by AACS's rules
The DRM enforcing AACS has officially gone into a tizzy. The hacking communities of Xboxhacker and Doom9 came together and found a way to view Volume IDs for any HD DVD played in the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add on. This of course allows any disc to be played, bypassing any AACS authentication and even playing Volume IDs that the AACS previously revoked. Ultimately, the 360's HD DVD player is pretty much the easiest way to bypass DRM and is an integral part of "backing up" your HD DVDs. It'll be interesting to see how the AACS combats this new hack (which makes last week's effort a wash), will they revoke the entire lot of Xbox 360 HD DVD players or will they force a simple firmware update? Be afraid HD fans, this is when DRM enforcement gets scary.[Via Engadget]
Sam's Club selling HD DVD player for $130
TechBargains reports that select Sam's Club stores are selling the Xbox 360 HD DVD player for $130.99. Other Sam's Club locations are selling the players for $149.99. Either way, you could potentially save a hefty chunk of the usual price of $199.99. Keep in mind that these prices are before tax and that you must have a membership at Sam's Club in order to make use of this offer. Also, the offer is available in-store only.Anyone find any other good 360 deals lately?[Thanks, David Dobish]
Gimme a beer opener and a HD-DVD drive please
Look what we've got, another Amazon.com Better Together recommendation. If you remember, that silly Amazon.com recommended that a slow cooker and a copy of Gears of War would make a perfect match and it looks like they are at it again. Today, we have a Be Open beer and soda bottle opener, perfect for your bottle opening needs. But look a little closer at what Amazon.com recommends as a Perfect Pair purchase ... a Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive! Yes friends, what would go better with a HD-DVD player than a nifty little bottle opener gadget? If you are a tech genius you could easily rig the drive to open when it hears the sound of a brewsky being opened or maybe mount the bottle opener on the HD-DVD drive ... wait, that's it! The Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive, not only for watching HD movies, but will open your beer before you even get to the movie previews. You can thank us later.[Thanks, izzyb412]
Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player reviewed
It hasn't been on store shelves very long, but the folks at Home Theater Blog have put the few weeks since the HD-A2's launch to good use, taking the time to put the new entry-level HD DVD player on the block through its paces for a complete review. After going through the usual round of tests, they came out squarely in favor of the player, finding that it delivered the performance to match its new good looks, in particular showing a marked improved in load times over earlier players. Those not ready to ditch their massive DVD collections will also be pleased to hear that the HD-A2 will make 'em look about as good as they can, with up-scaling on par with the Toshiba's earlier HD-XA1 player. Of course, if you want to go 1080p this ain't the player for you (don't worry, Toshiba's still got a fix for ya), but if you're sticking with your 480p, 720p, or 1080i set for a while yet, it looks like the HD-A2 will deliver the goods without putting too much of a hurt on your bank account.
360 HD-DVD on PC? You bet
One of our colleagues here at Weblogs sent us this link about using the 360 HD-DVD player as a cheap HD-DVD drive for PC. It looks like all you need is the right set of drivers and a playback program and voila! Instant, cheap HD-DVD goodness. The boys who discovered this solution -- UNEASYsilence -- were not satisfied with such an easy outcome, so they took the damned thing apart anyway. Check out the article if you'd like to see the Toshiba-powered guts of the HD-DVD player. Also worth noting, a Mac recognized the drive immediately, no drivers needed. Unfortunately, as there is no HD-DVD program available for the Mac, it will only play DVDs.
