HD-DVD addon details inside!

[SpOoNmAn]

Confirmed, 199.99 in the U.S.

The drive will come packaged with Peter Jackson's King Kong(for a limited time at least) and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

[ZoomZoom71]

So, I get ANOTHER Universal Media Remote? I wonder if I can sell it on eBay, and trust it to work for the purchaser?

[SpOoNmAn]

Remotes go bad? Hold on to one for a couple weeks, I'll take it off your hands for a few bucks. My cousin didnt get one with his system and mentioned wanting one.

[ZoomZoom71]

I wasn't suggesting they go bad, but, rather, they're "coded" for the system with which they were shipped.

[SpOoNmAn]

Is that a fact? If so thats news to me

[ZoomZoom71]

I don't know if it's a fact. I'm unsure, which is the reason for my question. Pardon teh grammah!

[Rhino Chaser]

I am pumped! MORE TOYS! MORE TOYS!!!

[Rhino Chaser]

Xbox.com info:

Why HD DVD?

Microsoft's vision is to deliver high-definition (HD) entertainment experiences on every screen in the home, and Xbox 360™ is the killer app for HD televisions. Today Xbox 360 plays HD games, lets you download HD content from Xbox Live Marketplace, view live and prerecorded HDTV and HD movies from Windows Media Center Edition PCs, and view photos in HD by connecting a digital camera or Windows XP PC.

Now, the promise of HD DVD is rapidly approaching reality on Xbox 360 as the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player nears its fall release. However, the different next-gen DVD formats are raising a flurry of questions or, in some cases, confusion. Xbox® and Xbox 360 community guru Major Nelson recently posted a podcast with an expansive and very enlightening interview on all things HD-DVD. You can check out the podcast here, or read on for a summary of the most pertinent highlights.

Why Add an HD DVD Drive?
With Xbox 360, you have the ultimate freedom to create your own high-definition entertainment experiences. By offering the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, Microsoft is providing yet another option to enjoy HD content, with the understanding that next-gen DVD is not for everyone. Microsoft's primary emphasis remains creating incredible HD gaming experiences, but they also provide a host of options to take advantage of the powerful technology in the Xbox 360 to enjoy HD photos and movies, if that’s your choice.

What's the Difference?
To help illustrate the difference between the standard DVD we've been living with for years, Microsoft corporate vice president Amir Majidimehr explains, "The standard DVD is less than one megapixel resolution, so when you think of your camera as many megapixels, the standard DVD is very low resolution."

The problem is that there's simply vastly more resolution and detail to be found in the original films, and with standard DVD, we're just not seeing that. HD DVD will finally offer the visual quality needed to see the film as it was originally intended.

Why HD DVD?
It's no secret that there are two next-gen DVD formats hitting the market. The first to market was HD DVD and the second (indeed already out in Japan) is Blu-ray. After two years of deliberation, Microsoft made its choice and decided to back HD DVD. The question then becomes why? Here are a few reasons:

Manufacturing: Concerns developed regarding Blu-ray's ability to manufacturer the discs at the capacity originally intended. In fact, with the Blu-ray launch in Japan, the discs are being created at single-layer 25 Gigabyte capacity, which is half of the originally intended 50 gigabytes.
Easy to Damage: Because Blu-ray discs are encoded near the very top layer of the disc with limited protection, the data is literally at higher risk to damage. Conversely, HD DVD maintains physical protection similar to standard DVD.
Copy Protection: Blu-ray utilizes not one, but two different forms of copy protection, adding an extra layer of protection and complexity that just didn't appear necessary.
HD DVD Benefits
What is it that HD DVD is doing that helps differentiate itself from Blu-ray? Here are a few nuggets to chew on:

VC1 Compression: While both Blu ray and HD DVD players are required to be compatible with three different compression technologies (including VC1), an intriguing trend has already begun. Content providers (movie studios) for HD DVD are nearly unanimously using the brand new VC1 compression technology, whereas Blu-ray providers are sticking with the ten-year-old MPEG 2 compression that has been used on standard DVDs. With VC1, HD DVDs are able to compress much higher quality video into a significantly smaller package.
Capacity: Dual layer 30 GB HD DVDs are already available, whereas Blu-ray has only released its single layer, 25 GB disc.
Hybrid Disc: HD DVD offers the ability to encode both a regular DVD format and HD DVD format on the same disc. If you purchase a hybrid disc, you can flip to one side and play the movie on any standard DVD Player, and when you do get an HD DVD player you can flip to the other side and play it in true HD.
Interactivity
Quite apart from the previously mentioned features, one area where HD DVD is providing revolutionary functionality is its advanced interactive features. Check out these highlights:

Chapter Integration: Previously, on standard DVDs, you could only switch to another chapter by backing completely out of the movie (unless you scrolled through manually). Now, with HD DVD, you can bring up the chapter selection seamlessly while still watching the movie.
Bookmarks: Now standard on any HD DVD is a bookmarking ability. This allows you to "save" your favorite scenes from a movie and call them up whenever you're watching the disc. This is possible because of the persistent memory available in every HD DVD player.
In-Movie Experience: Mandatory for all HD DVD players is a secondary video decoder (not available for Blu-ray). This allows the disc to play separate video streams, which on its own completely changes the opportunities available for bonus features. That way, you can not only watch the movie, but also "watch" the behind the scenes features that apply to the scene you're watching simultaneously.
Online: All HD DVD players are required to be network capable. Of course, this is already the case for Xbox 360, but what this allows is for not only the player to be updated if needed, but new content to be distributed on the fly. The common example cited in Major Nelson's interview is that of a director recording more commentary. Now, instead of worrying about buying a new disc, that extra content is available to you as soon as you pop in the disc.

Link:http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360/whyhddvd.htm

[dmiller68]

That is very informitive... I was already planning on getting the add-on this just makes it even more of a no brainer. I just wished my xbox was quiter.

[WormholeXtreme]

If it's going to be bundled with KK I guess I need to hold off buying KK then. If it will also work with the PC I'll get two. I already have the two remotes that came with my 360's and never used them.

Also Bookmarks aren't standard on the HD DVDs. Warners discs take advantage of it but I haven't seen that capability on the Paramount or Universal discs.

I hope they add the 1650x1050P resolution since that is the native resolution of my PC/360 monitor

[Peench]

For $200, that's not bad at all! If I can sneak it past the wife, I'm all over it!

[WormholeXtreme]

Is it availabe for preorder anywhere?

[blars]

Yep, saw the price this morning. It was pretty much just a side note in a story about Peter Jackson teaming up with Microsoft for some original games.

[BrewCityUpstart]

I take it game stores will carry this along with CC and BB?

[SpOoNmAn]

Im sure at some point, any store that carries peripherals will carry this.

[KEEZY]

Oh yeah. I think CC and BB have been very good lately about 360 stuff.