A Blu-ray addon for Xbox 360?

Though Microsoft has been maintaining an Xbox 360 addon approach for the benefits of user choice, this may well be part of its foresight for a quick exit in the event that the format war goes either way. Take the S$299 external HD-DVD drive. The Redmond company could easily strike it off its inventory overnight without the burden of a costly console write-off. To further thicken the plot, it has never official denied the possibility of a Blu-ray equivalent, which is probably in the pipeline anyway with the current hostility against its partners' HD-DVD format.

Could it have been a drastically different picture if Microsoft had implemented full HD audio and video support for the addon drive? Think onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding for example. We reckon not only will the console have won the hearts of both gamers and home theater enthusiasts, this might even have given HD-DVD a much-needed boost similar to the advantage that PlayStation 3 has contributed for Blu-ray.

Have a different opinion? Air your sentiments via our talkback function.

R.I.P. HD-DVD: Toshiba reportedly ends the war

Well, that's it. Toshiba appears to be pulling the plug on HD-DVD. Toshiba has not commented publicly, but a report on Japan's NHK says Toshiba has made the decision to withdraw from next-generation high-definition DVD production.

This news certainly doesn't come as surprise to anyone remotely following HD-DVD's format war with rival Blu-ray. HD-DVD had suffered a string of defections, with Warner, Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart all recently pledging their alliance to Blu-ray.

The NHK report says existing HD-DVD products will remain in the market for a while, but Toshiba will stop further development of HD-DVD. The report also estimates that Toshiba will take a hit to the tune of "hundreds of millions of US dollars" and will close factories in northern Japan.

Elsewhere this weekend, Sony and its Blu-ray buddies are going to make like VHS and party like it's 1989.

Source | Via

HD-DVD may be going down for good

Rumors of an impending HD-DVD death note have been rampant since the Warner Bros. defect. And according to a recent article from Home Media Magazine, there are fresh updates that Toshiba is about to throw in the towel after endless waves of setbacks. This is despite the Japanese company's last-ditch efforts to revive the ailing HD format such as a US$2.7 million Super Bowl ad and aggressive US HD-DVD player price cuts.

If the Sony-led Blu-ray camp has its way with a landslide victory, early HD-DVD adapters will have no choice but to relinquish their expensive players as an HD-upscaling DVD kit. Not exactly a paperweight, in our humble opinion, though they will have to fork out even more good money to switch over to the competing format. If you're a red camp supporter and hope to chip in your 2 cents' worth about saving HD-DVD from biting the dust, here's an online petition to sound out the Hollywood movie studios and content providers.

We're just wondering what's stopping Microsoft from throwing in more monetary carrots to win back the hearts of the defectors. Come on, you guys should have a lot more reserve than those mere millions.

Via Engadget

Value-oriented Viewsonic projectors get BrilliantColor treatment

While getting a free meal is harder than striking lottery in the city state of Singapore (read: Forget Western-style welfare), it's always comforting to know there are affordable yet capable products out there that stretch the dollars. ViewSonic's latest multimedia projector trio is just one of the fine examples. At as low as S$1,299 (US$955.15), you will get a Texas Instrument BrilliantColor-enhanced PJ513D coupled with a respectable 2,200 ANSI lumens brightness. The former was developed to work around a traditional projector bottleneck for delivering richer hues without compromising light output.

To further minimize cost of ownership, its higher-end S$1,699 (US$1,249.26) PJ551D and PJ560D also offer 15 percent improved lamp efficiency which extends bulb life to 3,500 hours. Lastly, the PJ560 has added picture modes ranging from black to white, to green backgrounds, tailored for each specific surface to facilitate presentation without a dedicated projection screen. With the exception of the PJ560D, the remaining two models are now on sale in Singapore. Launch details for the rest of Asia were not available at press time.

Flat-panel TV in a cute teddy skin

Here's a cool Valentine gift that will work not only for your significant half, but also double as fail-safe gizmo for the little tots. Picture this, a sweet Hannsteddy.red LCD TV. First, it's cast in tried-and-proven red which is perfect for the occasion. Then there's the crystal-like material which adds bling to up the romance.

For the guys, we are sure the inbuilt TV tuner is a much welcome addition. Imagine watching the Premier League, NBA and the upcoming Beijing Olympics on the 9.6-inch screen in the comfort of your bed. There is even a pair of stereo speakers to complete the overall entertainment experience, lest you're concerned about its sonic credentials.

If it doesn't work out as expected at the end of the day, fret not. It will undoubtedly come in handy for playing back Barney and Hi-5 for your kids, nephews and nieces.

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