Xbox makes up a third of HD DVD players
HD war won on consoles
LAST YEAR WE were writing that the war over HD optical formats would quite probably be decided by the console that wins the games war between Microsoft and Sony.
That certainly seems to be turning out to be true, as new figures out today show that fully a third of HD-DVD players sold in the US are the Xbox 360 HD add-on drive.
The drive, which goes for significantly less than a stand-alone player, plugs into the 360 over USB and uses the console for processing.
HD-DVD's promo group reckons it's sold 750,000 HD players in the States, and NPD reckons that Microsoft has sold 269,000 add-on drives, making up the numbers.
This contrasts with Blu-ray, which has seen a lower stand-alone adoption rate thanks to the increased cost of the playing hardware. Three quarters of all Blu-ray players sold are Sony's own PS3 console.
However, at this stage quite who is winning the battle overall is a matter of dispute, with both sides throwing their own stats around. µ
Comments
Only it's not a matter of dispute
HD DVD has not won a weeks worth of software sales this entire year via nielsen videoscan. There is not one country in the world where it holds a software lead, and only in America is it even putting up a feeble fight. On average, Bluray controls ~70% of sales per week. There is no battle here. You aren't reporting the news, you're covering up HD DVD's loss.Deeply poor
This is a deeply poor article, with a misleading sub-title and very bad confusing writing. You suggest in both that the HD format war is over because of some poorly explained statistics - and then end up by saying the war isn't over.At least you got the end part right.
PS3=Dreamcast
And there is no way the movie studios would base the next format on a third-place video game console. HD DVD standalone players sell MUCH better than Blu-ray's, and that will tell the tale. That and Blu's incomplete set of standards. Wake me when they have 2.0 profile players on the shelves (-yawn-)Both formats sell few movies, all put together both HD DVD and Blu-ray have sold less than a single blockbuster DVD title. The Blu-ray lead is inconsequential to the final outcome of this war.
Drives aren't the problem
The problem isn't the drives, its the availability of disks to rent. This is where marketing is really killing the market -- Blockbuster, for example, has a deal to only carry BluRay so half the titles you want to rent are not there and the rest are confined to a miserable little display in the corner of the store.Then you've got the whole HD thing. HD is pointless on a small screen and upconversion makes 480p quite acceptable on a big screen. A lot depends on the quality of the source -- its like high quality audio, if the recording or mastering is crap it doesn't matter how high the bit rate is. (Its one of the side effects of HD broadcasting -- the improvement in the production shows even with a SD feed -- they really need to degrade it a bit like they do in the in-store demos that show how much better a HD picture is!)
I must confess to be attracted to HD-DVD not because of the format's superiority but because it offers the promise of dual format disks. Most of us have more than one TV and a bunch of legacy DVD kit (DVD recorders, for a start) so we're not going to buy disks that can only be used in the one player.
Poor article ++
Mentioning that Xbox 360 addon HD-DVD player makes up a third of HD-DVD adoption and then comparing it to the PS3 while failing to mention that more PS3s was sold just last month than all the Xbox360 HD-DVD players ever sold. There are multiples more PS3s than there are HD-DVD palyers and this will only get worse for HD-DVD.It is amazing what $100 million can do at the right time.
HD DVD has the right Idea
HD DVD is now offering dual format media. You can buy now and play on ANY standard dvd player currently available (not all HD DVDs, just some of the specific newer ones).Then later on buy yourself an upgrade to an HD DVD player or combo drive. The pr0n industry has adopted HD DVD as it's format of choice (less demand for hardcopy anymore). So with those two factorsin mind, We will see the numbers change to HD DVDs favor in the next year (optomistic unprofessional guess)comments are retarded
the title is "xbox makes up one third of HD DVD players". that doesnt say anyone won the format war... it is simply stating a statistical fact.Actually, the two are at parity
At least according to this article:http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6509576.html?industryid=47211
It looks more like nobody is winning
If only 33% of all Blu Ray players are stand alone video devices instead of PS3s, and 33% of all HD DVD players are XBox add-ons, then both camps should be concerned.HD DVD players were being dumped on Black Friday for $99 with five free movies. It's pretty amazing that nobody seems to be buying these things unless they're attached to a game machine.
Is this a case where the average consumer just doesn't see the need for a better video format, or the manufacturers are just too far ahead of 1080i/1080p screen sales with their playback products?
Ferret?
Did he wrote any article worth reading?So Bluray is winning...
According to your article HD DVD players and Xbox360 HD add on drives together total just over a million players sold in the U.S. compared to 2.9 million PS3 consoles... so I guess the war is over.WOW, what a bunch of loosers.
I find it amazing that alot of these very specific topics are posted first by people with incredibly biased opinions. Naturally they are on someone's payroll, but hey, still loosers."INQ, your not reporting the news, blue ray is amazing yada yada"
who gives a damn! nobody in their right mind will buy into this tech until the two idiotic groups that started it decide on a standard format, or actually sell their kit for what its worth, hence the GLOBAL pathetic sales.
Is that the same 1/3rd
of Xbox360's that fail, or a different third???Seriously, why on earth would anyone who enjoyed HD movies, use an Xbox? It's noisy enough to start with, slap a disc in there, it's even noiser still. I won't even go into the heat it chucks out, and fact it's unlikely to last much more than it's 12 month warranty, if you are lucky...
It's a shame...
...for HD-DVD that the Nintendo Wii isn't kitted out with one - maybe it would be kicking more ass.Remember though folks - Blu-ray sux - it's a piece of DRM riddled garbage!
What is 70% of nothing again?
Every single Blu-ray fanboy I encounter is also a PS3 fanboy. Scary.The simple reality is that HD DVD is a wonderful format too, and arguably way ahead of Blu-ray in terms of features.
Sadly with the BD Profile mess, obsolete players, discs not playing on older models, you really have no choice other than the PS3 if you want to watch BD.
Good luck with that Sony.
Oh and by the way...that whole HD porn thing turned out to be true afterall.
By the first month of '08 there will be well over 30 XXX titles on HD DVD, compared to 3 on Blu-ray. Yes, 3.
Pr0n is for BD
@Trailmixxxif you even knew anything you would notice tat Vivid is going Blu
not to mention 2 more GGW films will be releasing on Blu on Feb 12th, so continue to make the Pr0n will decide the winner, even tho pr0n is going to be on blu. could you please suggest me some Pr0n thats on HDDuD?