Is Microsoft taking a firmer stance in the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray format war? Or is it simply doing the bloody obvious and serving its developers the tools they need? Well, it has just announced a developer-aimed Xbox 360 HD DVD emulator, and those developers are working in movies and TV. So, it certainly looks as if the 360 isn't being touted as a cross-format platform.
Bear in mind that the company's £129.99 HD-DVD add-on is already available for the 360 and has been for just over a year now - complete with the HD-DVD version of Peter Jackson's King Kong. So, while this new piece of developer kit doesn't suggest a new piece of consumer kit, it certainly does place Microsoft and the 360 very firmly outside Sony's Blu-ray camp.
According to Microsoft, the emulator will enable:
The specifications say that Microsoft is serious about getting Hi-Def content developed for its platform as soon as possible:
Setting up the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator requires a connection to Xbox LIVE, navigating to the Download Games menu, and adding the Emulator software to the hard drive of the Xbox 360 console. The one-time licensing fee is $2,999 (£1,500). So, if you've got a grand and a half lying around the place, head over to this download site, and get yourself some dev kit for your debug 360. If not, then hang around and wait for the fruit of this HD-DVD emulator to drop.
Bear in mind that the company's £129.99 HD-DVD add-on is already available for the 360 and has been for just over a year now - complete with the HD-DVD version of Peter Jackson's King Kong. So, while this new piece of developer kit doesn't suggest a new piece of consumer kit, it certainly does place Microsoft and the 360 very firmly outside Sony's Blu-ray camp.
According to Microsoft, the emulator will enable:
"...film studios and disc authoring companies to model the behavior of HD DVD disc content, including encoded video and HDi interactivity, in a virtual environment before committing to burning a single HD DVD disc.
"This comprehensive tool is among the first commercially available, software-based solutions of its kind, eliminating the need for expensive hardware or time-consuming and costly trial-and-error processes for testing HD DVD titles, helping to ensure that titles ship error-free."
"This comprehensive tool is among the first commercially available, software-based solutions of its kind, eliminating the need for expensive hardware or time-consuming and costly trial-and-error processes for testing HD DVD titles, helping to ensure that titles ship error-free."
The specifications say that Microsoft is serious about getting Hi-Def content developed for its platform as soon as possible:
"The emulator uses a combination of available hardware (the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player) and specialized emulation software to ultimately enable playback of near-final assets from a network storage share, portable hard drive or optical disc.
"This allows focused testing of the layout, the menus, and the behavior of the interactivity functionality of a title. Detailed log reports from the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator deliver valuable tracing information to help quickly and easily pinpoint problems with advanced interactivity code that otherwise could take hours of manual debugging.
"Sessions using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator are designed to complement existing workflows so that tests can be run at various stages. The tool offers several choices for how to run a session: directly from a network storage share, from a USB drive connected directly to the Xbox 360 console, or from an optical disc in the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. While the tool enables the testing of content playback on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player specifically, it effectively eliminates layers in the testing process for other HD DVD players as well."
"This allows focused testing of the layout, the menus, and the behavior of the interactivity functionality of a title. Detailed log reports from the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator deliver valuable tracing information to help quickly and easily pinpoint problems with advanced interactivity code that otherwise could take hours of manual debugging.
"Sessions using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator are designed to complement existing workflows so that tests can be run at various stages. The tool offers several choices for how to run a session: directly from a network storage share, from a USB drive connected directly to the Xbox 360 console, or from an optical disc in the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. While the tool enables the testing of content playback on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player specifically, it effectively eliminates layers in the testing process for other HD DVD players as well."
Setting up the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator requires a connection to Xbox LIVE, navigating to the Download Games menu, and adding the Emulator software to the hard drive of the Xbox 360 console. The one-time licensing fee is $2,999 (£1,500). So, if you've got a grand and a half lying around the place, head over to this download site, and get yourself some dev kit for your debug 360. If not, then hang around and wait for the fruit of this HD-DVD emulator to drop.
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Comments
king skins 13 Dec 2007 19:00
1/3
would it let you play ripped hd-dvd files from a usb drive? expensive was of doing it though...
Bentley 17 Dec 2007 11:47
2/3
Too little, too late. If the 360 had the drive built-in in the first place instead of being foolishly rushed out in an obvious bid to beat Sony to market, people might give a s**t about HD-DVD. But they don't fool me. £130 for an add-on that does pretty much crap all? Piffle. None of my friends with 360s have any desire to get that add-on. I don't blame them. They may be stupid but they're not that stupid.
PreciousRoi 17 Dec 2007 12:40
3/3
dunno, they deffo sound stupid to me...I mean they did pick you for a mate...