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Xbox 2 to Adopt HD-DVD?

Posted by Zonk on from the blue-vs.-hd dept.

News for nerds writes "While Sony already announced its adoption of Blu-ray in PS3, IGN Xbox section reports that Xbox 2 may make use of the HD-DVD format if Japanese electronics giants and proponents for HD-DVD, Toshiba and NEC can make their way. Interestingly enough, Toshiba is actually working with Sony on the Cell processor, a key component of the PS3."

30 comments

  1. Very strange indeed... by Zangief · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because Microsoft just pushed the VC-1 compression system for its use in Blu-Ray.

    I think they want to play a double game, not giving enough support to Blu-ray (while being a crucial player) and pushing a competitor.

    People must also keep in mind that Blu-Ray will not be cheap around the expected release date of the Xbox2, so it may be not an evil move.

  2. 8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by JVert · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Microsoft has its own WMV-HD format that doesn't need any disk format.

    But really do we need more space? I'm pretty sure most xbox games use mpeg2 for their cutscenes, which implies there no shortage of space. I can't think of any games that actually need more then one DVD. My bet is that this is just rumor pulp to keep xbox2 from apearing stale compared to ps3.

    1. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by Have+Blue · · Score: 1

      More and more games (on all platforms) are simply rendering cutscenes in the engine itself, which generally takes less disk space.

    2. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by bigman2003 · · Score: 1

      First-

      Yes, of course we need more space. Currently, some Gamecube games are 2 disks- which I can imagine would be a royal pain in the ass. (Mini-DVDs are starting to fill up)

      Of course the next generation will have more art, more textures, more sounds, BIGGER, FASTER, MORE, MORE, MORE! And I'm looking forward to it.

      Also- I don't understand why they would need to keep the (details un-announced) Xbox 2 from appearing stale compared to the (details un-announced) PS3.

      --
      No reason to lie.
    3. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by JFMulder · · Score: 1

      You have to realize that those FMVs are not going to be in 480, but probably in 1080p (if we're lucky, 1080i... well it's still awesome). Anyway. The point is, 48 seconds of HD is 50 megs (considering the Halo 2 trailer). So 20 minutes is roughly a gig. Hum... so basically, an hour takes 3 gig. Let's say 3.5 because I rounded a few times. That leaves 5.9 gigs for the actual game.

      I think one hour of FMVs is pretty decent. That must be what Sqeenix does.

      You might have a point here.

    4. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by JVert · · Score: 1

      I assume you are wishing for 1080p over 1080i?

      If not please respond! I've always wondered if interlaced could have some benefits over prog when the animation is at really high speed. Seems like interlace will apropriately blur the effect making a poor quality 60 fps where progressive will make a high quality choppy scene.

      I worry about progressive becomming mainstream and we sacrifice qualtiy because we are still stuck at 30 fps. Suddenly there are scalers who split the 1080p to 1080pi(2) where they double the frames to 60 and the duplicate frame is the interlace version of the immediate two frames.

    5. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by Corngood · · Score: 1

      HD-DVD _has_ more space, it's more than three times the capacity per-layer as current dvd (15GB). Blu-Ray is bigger again, but not by such a margin (25GB).

    6. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " most xbox games use mpeg2 for their cutscenes"

      So does that mean that its a pretty simple process to extract and play the movies off an xbox game?

    7. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by JFMulder · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that wasn't too clear, was it ? :)

      Yeah, 1080p is definitely better than 1080i. I'd rather watch football 720p (on ABC) than 1080i (on NBC).

    8. Re:8 gigs out to be enough for anybody. by |/|/||| · · Score: 1
      Not only does it take up less space, but it looks more consistent. Pre-rendered CG cutscenes may look a little nicer, but it just makes it jarring to go back to the real time stuff. Plus, engine rendered cutscenes allow for variability, as in the character can still be holding the same weapon/missing the same limb as he was before the cutscene.

      --
      [javac] 100 errors
  3. hope not by superstick58 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The proposed inclusion of HD-DVD on Xbox isn't exactly unexpected. In a comparison between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, it's difficult to determine which is better than the other. Blu-Ray has more storage than HD-DVD, but the latter will have an easier time creating backwards compatibility and will also probably be cheaper.

    Hopefully the MPEG-2 codec will hang around for a while on either although I admit some alternatives may be better.

    Difficult choice for me on which I like better, but I'm sure the market will decide for me.

    1. Re:hope not by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well if the Xbox2 gets HD-DVD and the PS3 gets BluRay, I'm set. I'll end up owning both.

  4. So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    Interestingly enough, Toshiba is actually working with Sony on the Cell processor, a key component of the PS3.
    Not interesting at all. In fact Toshiba was actually a partner with Sony in the building of a fab plant for the PS2 processors.
    1. Re:So what? by M.C.+Hampster · · Score: 1

      Not interesting at all. In fact Toshiba was actually a partner with Sony in the building of a fab plant for the PS2 processors.

      But at that time, Toshiba was not pushing for an alternative disc format for DVD's. Helping Sony create the PS3 (which is using Blu-Ray) is going to be a big help in pushing Blu-Ray as the next generation standard over HD-DVD.

      --
      Forget the whales - save the babies.
  5. personally... by patrick.whitlock · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'd rather have a program to play my xbox games on my pc with the controller. seems that even though my system specs are way higher than the box, i still can't make halo play as well.

  6. bah, read that s HD-TV by DrSkwid · · Score: 1


    now that would be a ground breaking feature

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

      I thought the Xbox could do HDTV? (Assuming the game supports it, and you don't live in Europe).

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    2. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by Kingfox · · Score: 1

      Yes, it can do HD-TV in all games that support it, as well as Dolby 5.1 sound (unlike the PS2, which only does it for DVD playback, not games).

    3. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

      I think the PS2 could do Dolby encoding, but it has to do it in CPU time, so nobody does it (I think there may be one or two games that do). I think more games use DTS, again in software, so perhaps DTS offer a better library?

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    4. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by Deadguy2322 · · Score: 1

      The reason PS2 games can use DTS for digital surround sound but not Dolby AC-3 is due to a basic difference in the way the two systems work. a Dolby 5.1 decoder requires a lot of the processing to be done at the source (i.e. within the DVD player or PS2), while DTS processing is done strictly at the deoder, working from the PCM stream output. This is why, for a few years, DTS decoder-equipped home theater receivers cost 2x to 3x what the equivalent AC-3 only units did. In short, Dolby 5.1=more processor overhead in player/console, DTS=all sound processing in decoder.

      --
      Check out my foes list to see who is so retarded that they can't use the signature line!!!
    5. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by DrSkwid · · Score: 1

      and you don't live in Europe

      that's that sketch knackered then

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    6. Re:bah, read that s HD-TV by hollismb · · Score: 1

      If standard HD resolution support wasn't on the next Xbox, I'd be shocked as hell. It's pretty much a given. Especially considering there's a decent handful of games on this generation's Xbox that already support HD resolutions, Amped 2 and WSB2K3 being two of the best looking ones. While widescreen 480p on the Xbox does look great, I can't wait for all games to support 720p or 1080i. My guess is that all games will be required to support both.

  7. 10x, then 5x? by Thinkit4 · · Score: 1

    It's a smaller leap than from CDs to DVDs. Not impressed. They can do better.

    --
    -I am an elective eunuch.
  8. So... by CMiYC · · Score: 1

    "Interestingly enough, Toshiba is actually working with Sony on the Cell processor, a key component of the PS3."

    And IBM is part of that group too. STI: Sony, Toshiba, and IBM. Now THAT'S interesting because IBM is doing the PowerPC. The processor found in GameCube and Xbox2.... Who knows how to be in a win-win situation?

    1. Re:So... by Psiven · · Score: 0

      While those companies might be in bed with 2 comanies (IBM, ATI), it doesn't mean they're helping manufacture 2 consoles...

  9. VC-9 is in HD-DVD by Recoil_42 · · Score: 3, Informative

    They actuall already have VC-9 (Windows Media 9) accepted by the HD DVD forum as the standard for HD DVDs

    http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/6102/DVD-Forum-App ro ves-First-HDDVD-Format

    So basically, they've got their bases covered. No matter which way Sony goes, Microsoft gets royalties.

    --


    Newsie, Moderator, www.tauniverse.com
  10. My pirate software empire! by richy+freeway · · Score: 1

    What? You mean I'll have to have TWO different types of burner to keep my pirate game empire alive? That mean's I'll have to charge more for the games, which could damage sales.

    Damn you Microsoft! :P

  11. Irrelevant for format's success by koi88 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think the decision of the console makers about which format to use is irrelevant for the success of either Blu-ray or HD-DVD.
    Thanks to huge numbers, console makers will get good prices at the drives anyway and games are so expensive that I've never heard that the disk type matters.
    I mean, are Gamecube games more expensive because the disks are non-standard (at least I've heard they are)?

    --

    I don't need a signature.
    1. Re:Irrelevant for format's success by Naffer · · Score: 1

      Nope, gamecube games are the same $49.99 that everyone else charges. In fact, it seems like I run into more 39.99 games on the gamecube then the PS2.

  12. Why bother? by hollismb · · Score: 1

    I don't really see any need whatsoever for either next generation console to support the new high-definition formats. There's just not a technical need, unless you want to argue storage space, which hasn't been an issue this generation. Thats being said, I'd actually like them to go with Blue-Ray, in agreement with Sony. First, because it makes it a non-issue, and secondly, because it takes a decent sized step in making one format the standard, which is good for everyone in terms of deciding one for widespread acceptance. Having a few million Blue-Ray players and HD-DVD players in houses might help bring down prices, but having multiple millions of a single format in homes helps bring on things like large movie catalogs in high-definition as well.