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Microsoft drops price of Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on

6 February 2008 17:45 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 36 comments

Microsoft has announced that it has cut the price of its Xbox 360 HD DVD addon by $50 USD. The price cut follows recent decisions by Toshiba to drop prices on their HD DVD players.

The new price cut brings the price of the add-on in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to $129.99 USD. A few months ago Microsoft dropped the price of its add-on and promptly saw a surge in sales.

Earlier today, the huge e-tailer Amazon began selling the add-on for $79.99 USD and sold out within hours.

It is also important to note that every purchase of the add-on includes a free copy of "King Kong" on HD DVD in the box as well as an offer to get five free discs in the mail.

Toshiba HD DVD players

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View HD DVD players in our Hardware section

Permalink to this article | Topics: Blu-ray Gadgets HD DVD

Amazon offers credit to HD DVD player owners (9 April 2008)

Microsoft talks about Xbox 360 sales and Blu-ray drive (22 February 2008)

Xbox 360 sees price drop in Canada (21 February 2008)

HD DVD talks out about Netflix and Best Buy (13 February 2008)

Best Buy publicly snuffs HD-DVD (12 February 2008)

Toshiba updates Gigabeat line (7 February 2008)

LG's Viewty handset gets certified for DivX (6 February 2008)

Sony jumps to top of LCD sales (6 February 2008)

EFF worried patent reform will halt watchdog project (6 February 2008)

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Discuss this article!	There are more user comments available, read them here
elfman12 (Newbie) 6 February 2008 23:01
*Originally posted by hm577:* Poor quality and lowered resolution (slightly but noticeably) What exactly are you referring to? Lower resolution? [ + quote]
ZimHosein (Newbie) 6 February 2008 23:01
*Originally posted by elfman12:* You can even remove it from it's housing and mount it in a 5.25" bay in your pc. That is some interesting info elfman12! Am I wrong in guessing that once installed in my rig, all I have to do is download the Win driver? Thanks in advance. [ + quote]
elfman12 (Newbie) 7 February 2008 3:02
*Quote:* That is some interesting info elfman12! Am I wrong in guessing that once installed in my rig, all I have to do is download the Win driver? Thanks in advance. Yeah, basically it will install a driver automatically. Now if you want to play HD movies, you WILL need PowerDVD or another playback program, but it'll access as a ROM drive just fine. Combine that with AnyDVD and you can rip to any format you'd like to view it in, like x264 and watch it from Media Center or something. Anyway, very versatile drive... love it. I just got a BluRay internal drive (LiteOne, about $200) and it's be giving me fits trying to do the same thing... it's a sloooowww drive. I'll keep tweaking and get it running better, hopefully. [ + quote]
Gradical (Junior Member) 7 February 2008 10:43
Firesale hahaha, thats hilarious, i mean, if sony has been able to holf some dead formats in the past like the MD or the UMD, why couldnt microsoft hold HD-DVD, i think a lot of people is going to be pissed with what they paid when microsoft releases the console with the hd-dvd integrated [ + quote]
psplvanub (Member) 7 February 2008 12:10
i dont see the point to be honest. hd-dvd is going obselete and will be completely by the end of 08. blu-ray is owning and will probably win the format war seen as sony is behind it. Like c1c said *Quote:* But I have a feeling all these price drops are a way to deplete their stock and get rid of an obsolete media. This in turn would leave a lot of people stranded with a player that is done for. I hope not, I like the competition. [ + quote]
engage16 (Member) 7 February 2008 12:55
and this is why i WILL NOT buy xbox... why should i have to pay $80 nevermind $130 to play a movie on my console when it has that type of drive built in. why do you have to buy a seperate addon... let's see it microsoft... the most money hungry corporation on earth, and they do it cause they know they can get away with it... LONG LIVE PLAYSTATION!!! [ + quote]
Bigperm88 (Inactive) 7 February 2008 14:41
*Originally posted by engage16:* and this is why i WILL NOT buy xbox... why should i have to pay $80 nevermind $130 to play a movie on my console when it has that type of drive built in. why do you have to buy a seperate addon... let's see it microsoft... the most money hungry corporation on earth, and they do it cause they know they can get away with it... LONG LIVE PLAYSTATION!!! I take it you have not loaded a game on your PS3. The load times are outrageous, even with a lot of the content dumped onto the HD (To increase loading speeds). HD DVD is the consumer friendly choice. Dont let gamers decide your HDM. HD DVD is here to stay. PS3, The Blu-ray Trogen Horse that forgot to include the horse. [ + quote]
engage16 (Member) 7 February 2008 15:39
actually i don't own a PS3 i would if i had the hdtv but right now that's not happening... but going back on topic, have you forgotten about all the isssues with the xbox 360 so far? power supply catching on fire, red ring of death, general overheating, their premiere game "Halo 3" cause numorous console failures... xbox is another faulty microsoft product... Custom built AMD XP 2200+, 80gb HDD, 200gb HDD, 764mb RAM, SONY CD-RW 52x CRX230E, SONY DVD-RW 16x DL DRU-800A, ATI Raedon 9600 128mb Laptop- 1.46 Dualcore Pentium, 2gb ddr2 533 mhz, 80 gb hd, intel x3100 graphics, 8x DVD-DL Burner, 15.4 widescreen HD V9 PS2 with clear blue fliptop& swapmagic 3.6 At&t V9 Razr2 30gb Black Video iPod [ + quote]
sharks06 (Newbie) 7 February 2008 15:53
*Originally posted by hm577:* I've read that this thing, although works, is a P.O.S.!!! Poor quality and lowered resolution (slightly but noticeably) as well as kinda loud and shaky. For Under 2 bills, whadyaexpect............especially seeing that this has been out a long time now, well before the significant price drops on standalone players. I guess you get what you pay for generally speaking. Whatever PS3 Fanboy! I have had this for over a year and the quality is solid. I also have a PS3 and both are very comparable! [ + quote]
vinny13 (Inactive) 7 February 2008 16:13
It's a great price, but I wouldn't buy one... M$ doesn't have sales without reason behind them... There's always a catch. Next week or so they'll probably anounce that they're stopping production... They always do somethin' to screw the customer over... Multiple times for some. [ + quote]
emugamer (Junior Member) 8 February 2008 12:15
I'm buying one ASAP, probably with my PS3. Taxes are coming in and I have some $$$ for toys. Can't beat the price and there are a number of good HD movies that I want to own. Plus I just bought a 22" LCD monitor with HDMI in, and can change the source input with the push of a button. The quality woud look great on my new monitor. pwnage! [ + quote]
Viperz_7 (Newbie) 8 February 2008 22:48
*Originally posted by engage16:* and this is why i WILL NOT buy xbox... why should i have to pay $80 nevermind $130 to play a movie on my console when it has that type of drive built in. why do you have to buy a seperate addon... let's see it microsoft... the most money hungry corporation on earth, and they do it cause they know they can get away with it... LONG LIVE PLAYSTATION!!! YEA.. so instead of paying $350 for the system and $130 to add MOVIE watching, you'd much rather pay $600 out the door to watch movies ~ all the time wearing your $600 paperweight out faster becasue we all KNOW that PSUX3's will NEVER use the added space to enhance the games, by the time the developers figure out how to use that much space the PSUX5's will be out, so go ahead and waste your money, Japan needs all the help they can get. Personaly I would much rather have the OPTION of purchasing an additional movie viewing device later in time when and if I have the desire and funds to back it up. Which, I have alreay done and this player works perfectly, and at this price I'll probably grab a second to have on my PC for viewing on my 22" LCD. How would you do that on your P'machine??.. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8 February 2008 22:50
ZimHosein (Newbie) 8 February 2008 23:51
*Quote:* *Quote:* That is some interesting info elfman12! Am I wrong in guessing that once installed in my rig, all I have to do is download the Win driver? Thanks in advance. Yeah, basically it will install a driver automatically. Now if you want to play HD movies, you WILL need PowerDVD or another playback program, but it'll access as a ROM drive just fine. Combine that with AnyDVD and you can rip to any format you'd like to view it in, like x264 and watch it from Media Center or something. *Quote:* Thank you for the detailed response elfman12, I appreciate it and look forward to adding am Xbox 360 HD drive to my rig! :) [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8 February 2008 23:53
tripplite (Senior Member) 8 February 2008 23:53
yes just got mine today, totally worth it!! (+[__]%)-u happy leadbaron? simple batch creation guide- http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/597652 [ + quote]
watermark (Newbie) 9 February 2008 0:36
Now I'm totally confused. I have been burning and backing up DVD's for several years with no complaints. So now what's all this format changes? Is there an HD or Blueray reader/burner that we can backup our movies with but will also be able to play on a stand alone player? I wish they would come out with one burner/writer and player that does it all. Do you guys think that's possible in the future? [ + quote]
ChiefBrdy (Junior Member) 9 February 2008 10:48
HD burners for the computer are $700 plus. The disks are not cheap either. I see no real benefit in buying the XBox DVD player. For around the same money, you can get a stand alone Toshiba that has more features and better quality. Although, $79 + 5 movies for the 360 is not a bad deal at all. I wouldn't pay any more though. [ + quote]
kubapolak (Junior Member) 11 February 2008 21:05
I love when the prices are going down. Too bad I didn't make in time for the amazon sale, but I hope other stores will give us a break from time to time, I'll be on the look-out. [ + quote]
ZimHosein (Newbie) 11 February 2008 22:57
*Originally posted by kubapolak:* I love when the prices are going down. Too bad I didn't make in time for the amazon sale, but I hope other stores will give us a break from time to time, I'll be on the look-out. As will I kubapolak! :) [ + quote]
psplvanub (Member) 14 February 2008 3:52
*Originally posted by Viperz_7:* *Originally posted by engage16:* and this is why i WILL NOT buy xbox... why should i have to pay $80 nevermind $130 to play a movie on my console when it has that type of drive built in. why do you have to buy a seperate addon... let's see it microsoft... the most money hungry corporation on earth, and they do it cause they know they can get away with it... LONG LIVE PLAYSTATION!!! YEA.. so instead of paying $350 for the system and $130 to add MOVIE watching, you'd much rather pay $600 out the door to watch movies ~ all the time wearing your $600 paperweight out faster becasue we all KNOW that PSUX3's will NEVER use the added space to enhance the games, by the time the developers figure out how to use that much space the PSUX5's will be out, so go ahead and waste your money, Japan needs all the help they can get. Personaly I would much rather have the OPTION of purchasing an additional movie viewing device later in time when and if I have the desire and funds to back it up. Which, I have alreay done and this player works perfectly, and at this price I'll probably grab a second to have on my PC for viewing on my 22" LCD. How would you do that on your P'machine??.. # yea thats ok, EXCEPT HD-DVD WILL BE DEAD BY THE END OF 08!!!! (+[_]%)> 1.50> 3.02> 3.51> 3.71 > 3.73> 3.71 m33> 3.71m33-2> 3.71m33-3 You're Not Exactly a Hippie... While you're not a hippie, you've got the spirit of one.Like most hippies, you have deep beliefs and unusual interests.You may not do hippie fashions, music, or heavy drug use.But at heart, you are a free spirit and wary of the status quo. [ + quote]
varnull (Senior Member) 14 February 2008 5:25
^^ so you keep bashing on.. It won't be dead at all, just running in it's niche market. As an open format I can see a lot more people adopting it when they realise sony's offering has many many drm drawbacks. now if M$ had any real bravery they would also throw hundreds of millions at the film studios just like sony have. Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work.... Commercial "pay for" software = made by software developers who want paying... see where I'm going with this? [ + quote]
vinny13 (Inactive) 14 February 2008 16:56
*Originally posted by varnull:* ^^ so you keep bashing on.. It won't be dead at all, just running in it's niche market. As an open format I can see a lot more people adopting it when they realise sony's offering has many many drm drawbacks. now if M$ had any real bravery they would also throw hundreds of millions at the film studios just like sony have. Most people have no clue what DRM is period :P (+[PSP]%) = 3.52M33-4 "I get no respect, I tell ya!" [ + quote]
Ress (Newbie) 15 February 2008 16:33
*Originally posted by engage16:* and this is why i WILL NOT buy xbox... why should i have to pay $80 nevermind $130 to play a movie on my console when it has that type of drive built in. why do you have to buy a seperate addon... let's see it microsoft... the most money hungry corporation on earth, and they do it cause they know they can get away with it... LONG LIVE PLAYSTATION!!! And ironically the nintendo Wii pwns both in sales and has neither HD-DVD OR Blu-ray or even HD at all for that matter........... could it be its the cheapest of all 3?? When are they gonna learn this country revolves around money.......it don't matter if the thing can cook you breakfast in the morning if console A is cheaper then B or C thats what people are gonna buy [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 2 March 2008 7:26
the loss of hd dvd is going to hurt microsofts xbox sales but however the only silver lining for microsoft is going to be the massive sales of halo. [ + quote]
tripplite (Senior Member) 2 March 2008 17:26
my hd-dvd player came in the mail 3 weeks ago.....i regret ever buying it!! now that the format war is over i feel like such and idiot..... [ + quote]
beeper1 (Newbie) 4 March 2008 13:37
noone has said that this thing is like $49.99 now. I still see movies comming out in HD. at 50 bucks it worth it for another years worth of viewing HD-DVD movies. and with the Netflix rentals why not. its just 50 bucks [ + quote]
goodswipe (Senior Member) 4 March 2008 13:49
*Originally posted by tripplite:* my hd-dvd player came in the mail 3 weeks ago.....i regret ever buying it!! now that the format war is over i feel like such and idiot..... Why? There's still well over 500 HD DVD's to choose from, not to mention all the imports you can buy. ;) Cheer up trippy, It will be ok! "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing." [ + quote]