Microsoft says possible end of HD DVD won't impact Xbox 360
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No matter what Toshiba decides to do about HD DVD, Microsoft says the decision will have little bearing on the Xbox 360 game console, for which the Redmond company sells and HD DVD add-on.
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Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on   Wednesday it will launch its Xbox 360 HD DVD player in Japan on   November 22.
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Toshiba&#39;s announcement to end production of HD DVD players and recorders will not affect the Xbox 360, even though Microsoft offers an optional stand-alone HD DVD drive for the game console, Microsoft said in a statement Tuesday.&quot;We do not believe&#160;Toshiba&#39;s announcement about HD DVD&#160;will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace,&quot; Microsoft said. The gaming function of the console is its main attraction, the company added.The company&#160;did not say whether or not it will stop manufacturing the HD DVD drive&#160;for the Xbox 360.Earlier Tuesday, Toshiba formally announced an end to its support of HD DVD, a high-definition optical disc format meant to replace DVDs. Toshiba was the developer and main backer of HD DVD, and its capitulation handed victory to rival format Blu-ray Disc, which has been championed by Sony.Toshiba said its decision came after careful analysis of the long-term impact of continuing the format war, and said a swift decision was called for to help the high-definition market develop.For game consoles, high-definition discs are growing in importance. Sony put Blu-ray Disc drives in the PlayStation 3 as a way to spread popularity of the high-definition discs. PlayStation 3 owners can play HD movies on the drives as well as advanced games. Blu-ray discs can hold far more data than conventional DVDs, and give players high definition graphics on games.At a recent game show in Taipei, Sony showed off a display of over 100 game titles created using Blu-ray Disc. A nearby Xbox 360 booth displayed the HD DVD logo and showed movies and just a few games made for the format.Recent&#160;changes in the market prompted Toshiba&#39;s decision&#160;to phase out HD DVD. Early this year, Warner Bros. said it would stop issuing movies on HD DVD in the coming months and rely exclusively on Blu-ray Disc. The Hollywood studio was one of three major studios remaining in the HD DVD camp, and its defection created widespread belief that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc was now over.More recently, major U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart announced it would phase out the sale of HD DVD products, moving to exclusivity with Blu-ray Disc. Electronics retailer Best Buy also said it would back Blu-ray Disc, but it did not say it would stop offering HD DVD.&#160;
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A three-layer HD DVD disc is still under development and hasn't been submitted to the standard's governing body despite some reports, Toshiba said today.
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Amazon this week began offering Microsoft's HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 for only $79.99, but those wanting to take advantage of the deal may be too late, as the online retailer is currently sold out.
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Microsoft Corp  does not  expect sales of its Xbox 360 game console to suffer if Toshiba  Corp (6502.T) discontinues HD DVD technology, Microsoft said in  a statement on Monday.
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Microsoft Corp's  Xbox video  gaming unit still fully backs Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) HD-DVD  high-definition DVD format but could consider supporting Sony  Corp's (6758.T) rival Blu-ray technology should consumers want  it, an executive said on Tuesday.
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Microsoft told BetaNews that it will continue to push its HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, but did not rule out shipping a Blu-ray drive as well.
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Microsoft shrugged off HD DVD's demise on Tuesday, declining to say if or when it would support Blu-ray Disc for the Xbox.
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Toshiba Corp  is planning to give  up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding  defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp  , a company source said on Saturday.
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TOKYO -- Toshiba said Tuesday it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video.
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Despite reports to the contrary spreading like wildfire around blogs and mainstream news sources Monday, Toshiba said it has not made any decision to halt production of HD DVD players, while acknowledging it is evaluating its strategy moving forward.
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SANTA MONICA, California  - Microsoft Corp.   said on Tuesday it will hold firm on pricing for its  Xbox 360 game console, defying widespread expectations that it  would respond to a price cut by rival Sony Corp.  for  the PlayStation 3.
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With two free movies Microsoft could ship an HD-DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360 at Â£199 in time for Christmas, reports suggest.â¦
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HD DVD drive for Xbox 360 coming to U.S., Europe in November.
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Microsoft Corp. on Thursday extended the warranty on its Xbox 360 to three years after too many of the video game consoles have succumbed to "general hardware failure."
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Universal has officially dispelled the "unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources" that it will switch from HD DVD to Blu-ray.