The HD DVD cull continues this week with American software giant Microsoft Corp. officially announcing that it is abandoning production of the standalone HD DVD player that accompanies the Xbox 360, its next-generation videogame console.
Microsoft Corp. announces the market removal of its Xbox 360 standalone HD DVD player. Credit: Microsoft.
Following hot on the heels of Toshiba’s withdrawal of HD DVD, and the subsequent placement of Sony’s Blu-ray platform as the HD industry standard, Microsoft’s decision dovetails with major electronics retailers who are presently slashing the prices of HD DVD-related hardware and movies.
“HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own,” outlined Blair Westlake, corporate VP of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, in a written statement.
With an estimated 300,000 owners of the $129.99 USD freestanding Xbox 360 HD DVD player, Microsoft has said that consumers will still be eligible for standard warranty support, reports the Associated Press.
The Redmond-based company has also said that it will now take its HDi and VC-1 technology, developed for HD DVD, and see how best to apply it to other platforms. HDi provides interactive features to HD DVD discs, while VC-1 is video encoding technology.
Current speculation suggests that Microsoft will now shift its HD focus by creating a new freestanding Blu-ray player for its Xbox 360. However, it is more likely that the company will remove the need for a separate or built-in high definition player, by expanding the scope of its Xbox Live service to more vigorously push the digital download of HD (and SD) movie and media content.
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