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Can cheap make HD DVD beat Sony Blu-ray? $80 Xbox 360 player with 6 free HD DVDs

By: Daniel Chubb | February 6, 2008 | 16 Comments

80 Xbox 360 player

Many of us believe that the Hi-def war is nearly over with Sony Blu-ray the winner as it’s smashing HD DVD in many countries.

The question is: Can cheap make HD DVD beat Sony Blu-ray?

I ask this because we found a deal on Amazon priced at $80 for the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player with 6 free HD DVDs.

Now that is a fantastic deal, but can it help HD DVD like the Sony PS3 helped Blu-ray.

Source: Read | Check the deal on Amazon

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  • Gazbin

    Im in. I dont care which one wins – $80 is cheap and 6 movies makes me think …buy.

  • raw

    Well if you want a jet engine roaring in your lounge room then yes, buy a 360 and buy the add on. Like all MS products, you can just throw it out in 3 years and buy the next model.

  • Southray

    I am with “raw” here. $80 is not all that cheap, you still need an X-Box360 to make it work. Plus Blu Ray is entrenched in the market as each and every PS3 ships with a Blu Ray Player.

    Its a unfortunate for Sony not to have finalised the Blu Ray format prior to selling the PS3.

    I owned a 360 so did 4 of my direct friends they were all plagued with the Red Ring of death, and had to swap their console out for new ones. Who’s to say these $80 HD DVD drives will not have similar problems?

    Thank you very much but I’ll stick with PS3 and Blu Ray./

  • Mattstorm

    This will not work, yet another act of desperation from Microsoft and Toshiba. The fact that one format has won and yet people are still selling the other is a disgace, retailers are adding to the number of people who are going to have obsolete hardware and no discs. Whatever format you follow and whatever console you own if there is one thing we should agree on its once a format is dead, stop selling it, its not fair on the public who dont know whats going on and walk into comet and buy something not realising its useless.

  • Marcus

    @Raw: What are you talking about?

    When watching HD-DVDs with the Add-on, the Xbox 360 is quiet.

    It is only loud, when you actually use its DVD-Drive – which you don’t use when watching HD-DVDs ;)

  • Roger

    Another act of desperation. They are just trying to unload stock to stupid individuals who may not know that Bluray has won. Sony recently announced that they are stopping their free blurays with their players, so I think that they are pretty confident that the format will win out no matter what HDDVD does. BLURAY RULES

  • Jason

    Very good deal. who cares if hd dvd doesnt win?
    i have the 360 hd dvd add on and i watc hd dvd on it all the time. it is awesome. eventhough it may not even win but that is very cheep 6 movies. Id get it

  • Mattstorm

    I Agree Roger, Blu Ray does rule, PS3 rules. I cant wait for the release of games that the XBOX cant run or you have to swallow all your hardrive up in install data and HD DVD is dead in the gutter, then all the Fanboys of Microsoft who have slated Sony and the PS3 despite most of them having owned a PS1 or PS2 will suddenly realise that they are worse off, no doubt Microsoft will release yet another console to trry and compete, where we up to now
    XBOX CORE
    XBOX Arcade
    XBOX 20GB
    XBOX Elite (old version of HDMI and built in wifi and more expensive than a PS3 with HDMI version 1.3)
    XBOX Ultimate (rumoured)

    And now microsoft are contemplating a blu ray add on, the Toshiba loyalty didnt last long.

  • http://wreckingboy.livejournal.com/318545.html McCaw Entertainment

    Give me superior technology even if it’s a little more pricey at the start for the early adopters (isn’t that ALWAYS the way?). That’s Blu-ray talking.

  • jk

    UNNN HD-DVD IS THE BEST YOU SONY FANS KNOW THAT IS ONLY THAT YOU LIKE BLUE COLOR JIJIJIJIJI STUP
    OO000 KEEP WAITING FOR YOUR GAMES OK USE YOU PS3 TO PLAY MOVIES >>>>>>WE ALLREADY WAITING FOR THE NEXT XBOX CUZ YOU KNOW THAT SONY HAVE EVERYTHING LATE HOME GAMES AND SALES JIJIJIJIJIJIJI

  • therat

    GOD I AM SO SICK OF THE WHOLE BLU RAY WINS CUZ OF PS3 BULLSHIT!~ DOESN’T ANYBODY KNOW YOU CAN DOWNLOAD BLU RAY MOVIES AND BURN THEM ONTO HD DVDS!!!??!?!?! HD DVD IS GOING TO WIN ONCE PEOPLE LEARN HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS TO BURN THE DAMN BRD. ALL THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS FOR TOSHIBA TO START GETTING THOSE BURNERS OUT THERE.

  • http://wreckingboy.livejournal.com/318545.html Dominic Scott Kay (NOCIRC)

    okay, “therat”, exactly what are you going to do w/ your piddly betamax-like discs once you burn them? blu-ray has mega storage space, you dink. lol @ u!

    (p.s. click on my link.)

  • dale

    with over 9 million xbox360′s already sold you better believe it could make a difference. it would make a good way for xbox owners to get hi-def movies almost given to them. sign me up.

  • Mattstorm

    Here is a list of top companies supporting Toshiba
    1) Microsoft (doesn’t make hardware except SH*TBOX)
    2) Universal (they have to wake up soon)
    3) Paramount (not for long)

    Here is a list of companies supporting BLu Ray

    Board of Directors
    Apple, Inc.
    Dell
    HP
    Hitachi
    LG
    Mitsubishi Electric
    Panasonic
    Pioneer
    Philips
    Samsung
    Sharp
    Sony
    Sun Microsystems
    TDK
    Thomson
    Twentieth Century Fox
    Walt Disney
    Warner Bros.

    Contributors

    Acer Incorporated

    Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

    Almedio Inc.
    Alticast
    Aplix Corporation
    ArcSoft, Inc.
    AudioDev AB
    Broadcom Corporation
    Canon Inc.

    China Hualu Group Co., Ltd.
    CMC Magnetics Corporation
    Corel Corporation
    Cryptography Research Inc.
    CyberLink Corp.
    DATARIUS Technologies GmbH
    Daxon Technology Inc.
    D-Box Technologies Inc.
    DCA Inc.
    Deluxe Media Services Inc.
    Dolby Laboratories Inc.

    Dreamer Co., Ltd.
    DTS, Inc.

    Eclipse Data Technologies
    Esmertec

    FUJIFILM Corporation
    Fujitsu Ltd.

    Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Gibson Guitar Corp.
    Kenwood Corporation

    Lenovo
    Lionsgate Entertainment
    LITE-ON IT Corporation

    Macrovision Corp.

    Magnum Semiconductor, Inc.
    MediaTek Inc.
    Meridian Audio Ltd.
    Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co.Ltd.
    Mitsui Chemicals Inc.

    Monster Cable Products
    Moser Baer India Limited
    NEC Electronics Corporation
    Nero

    Osmosys SA
    Pixela Corporation
    Prodisc Technology Inc.
    Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Ritek Corporation
    ShibaSoku Co. Ltd.
    Sigma Designs Inc.

    Silicon Integrated Systems Corporation
    Sonic Solutions
    Sony BMG Music Entertainment
    ST Microelectronics
    Sunext
    Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.,
    Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
    Visionare Corporation
    Zentek Technology Japan, Inc.
    ZOOtech Ltd.
    Zoran Corporation

    General Members

    Adobe Systems

    Allion Test Labs, Inc.

    Alpine Electronics Inc.
    Arima Devices Corporation
    ashampoo GmbH & Co. KG

    ASV Corp.

    Avid Development GmbH
    BASF AG
    B.H.A. Corporation

    BluFocus Inc.
    Bose Corporation

    Brickbox Digital Media
    B&W Group
    The Cannery
    Cheertek Inc.
    Cinram Manufacturing Inc.
    CustomFlix Labs, Inc.

    Custom Technology Inc.
    D&M holdings, Inc.
    Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Elpida Memory, Inc.
    Expert Magnetics Corp.

    Falcon Technologies International
    Fujitsu Ten Ltd.
    GalleryPlayer Media Networks
    Gear Software

    Global Machinery Co., Ltd.

    Gowell Electronic Limited
    Hie Electronics, Inc.
    Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd

    Horizon Semiconductor.
    IMAGICA Corp.

    Imation Corp.
    INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd.
    Infomedia Inc.

    Info Source Multi Media Ltd.
    Intersil Corporation
    Iwatsu Test Instruments

    Kobe Steel Co. Ltd.
    Konica Minolta Opto Inc.
    Lauda Co. Ltd.
    Lead Data Inc.
    LEADER ELECTRONICS CORP
    LINTEC Corporation
    MainConcept AG
    Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.

    MIT Technology Co., Ltd.

    MoSys Incorporated
    Must Technology Co., Ltd.
    MX Production Services

    NEC Personal Products Ltd.
    Netflix Inc.
    Newtech Infosystems Inc.
    NexWave Solutions

    NHK Technical Services, Inc.
    Nichia Corporation
    Nikkatsu Corporation
    NTT Electronics Corporation
    nVidia Corporation
    OC Oerlikon Balzer AG
    Omnibus Japan Inc.
    Onkyo Corporation
    Online Media Technologies Ltd.
    Ono Sokki Co., Ltd.
    OPT Corporation

    Optodisc Technology Corporation
    Origin Electric Co., Ltd.
    Pico House

    Plannet Associates
    PoINT Software & Systems GmbH
    Pony Canyon Enterprise
    Primera Technology, Inc.
    Q-TEC, Inc.

    Quantized Systems
    Quanta Storage Inc.

    Realtek Semiconductors
    Rimage Corporation
    Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Dr. Schwab Inspection Technology GmbH
    Singulus Technologies

    Targray Technology International Inc.
    TEAC Corporation
    Teijin Chemicals Ltd.

    Texas Instruments, Inc.
    THX Ltd.
    Toei Video Company Ltd.
    Toho Company, Ltd.
    Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
    TOPTICA Photonics AG
    Trailer Park
    UmeDisc Ltd.

    Universal Music Group, Inc.

    VideACE Inc.
    Yamaha Corporation
    Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    1K Studios, LLC

  • BitchBeater

    @ Mattstorm

    I see the chimp has figured out how to copy and paste.

    Convenient of you to leave off the support HD DVD has. Also convenient not to mention that if Microsoft wanted to it could own all those companies in time. (Probably several times over…but since Microsoft is actually in the business to MAKE money and not LOSING it then I doubt we’ll see that anytime soon.)

    Does your tiny little brain honestly think that Microsoft is going to allow Sony to have control of the future media? A Blu-ray add on….sure. However the Xbox 3 with a Blu-ray drive in it??? Microsoft isn’t going to just hand that control over to a leaching company like Sony.

    Rootkits (some people are still trying to recover from this one)
    Fake Film Critics (David Manning)

    Do a web search for Sony and their “dirty secrets”.

    What are you 12?

    Maybe if Sony would focus making some damn games instead of brainwashing gimp bitches like you then you would have something to do on your PS3 instead of coming here to post FUD.

    If Blu-ray wins the “Format War” I hope you enjoy not being able to play rented films or games on that PS3. If you don’t believe me to some research on Sony patents. Particularly from early 2000.

    When you follow the herd you’re just another cow. Try having an independent thought sometime you bitch ass drone.

  • Mattstorm

    @ BitchBeater

    Take the offensive remarks out of that post (your obviously 12), the usual anti-sony crap, and your left with…….. nothing!

    re: If Blu-ray wins the “Format War” I hope you enjoy not being able to play rented films or games on that PS3 – Eh, Blockbusters, the biggest rental company ONLY stocks Blu Ray for starters. And this crap that the PS3 has no decent games might have had some truth last March at UK release but that does not wash any more. Yes The XBOX has more, its been out over 12 months longer, is your maths not very good, the amount of Games available for the PS3 at this point is more than the XBOX had at the equivalent time.

    Plus we must always remember that the PS3 has more power and higher capabilities and exclusive gam,es for the PS3 are going t show a quality the XBOX cant compete with, ie KILZZONE 2 and MGS 4.

    My Last point (yes I make points not waffle like you) – Games are allready coming out that the XBOX has Issues with, eg Burnout paradise, if you have the Core or arcade version of the Machine you cant even play it onlinie HA HA HA.

    Finale!!!!!

    The XBOX Elite was an act of desperation as Micosoft have a problem, as the PS3 games are on Blu-Ray this gives the media or gaming having 50Gb on 1 disc, XBOX is still DVD (9GB) therefore bigger games are not going to fit, this gives two solutions, swap a disc over half way thrugh a game, not good on a free roam basis, or Install a load of data to your drive, hence the 120GB drive.

    To finish off they put an HDMI port on it version 1.2, oh dear not version 1.3 which you need for the higher colour definition and sound codecs soon tobe released like Dolby Digital HD, and DTS Pure. For those of us who like propper equipment the XBOX is F*cking Useless.