Digital Journal — Microsoft is finally showing its hand. The company gave its first official demonstration of their new Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on drive at a DVD forum in Los Angeles yesterday.
The external drive, about the size of a book, played Phantom of the Opera to attendees of the DVD forum.
“All the audio and video processing is done inside the Xbox,” Kevin Collins, senior program manager at Microsoft, told Cnet. Collins said Microsoft research shows that most Xbox 360 owners already own high-definition displays so the new drive will give gamers all the equipment they need to watch HD-DVD movies.
While Microsoft will not confirm pricing, Collins said the unit will be among the least expensive HD-DVD players on the market.
“This gives consumers choice and keeps their cost down,” Collins told Cnet.
Analysts and industry insiders suggest the video game market is the area where the high definition DVD battle will be settled, with both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats vying for supremacy.
Sony is expected to launch its PlayStation 3 console, equipped with a Blu-ray drive, in November. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has decided to build its DVD player into the console (thus explaining the $600 price tag which so many people have fiercely opposed).
The Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD player will be available in time for the holiday season.
