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Basically the author is suggesting that Microsoft are using the long drawn out battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray to ensure that consumers get so fed up that they switch to electronic distribution instead of blowing money on a physical format that might not be around very long. And Microsoft just happen to be geard up for electronic distribution (XBox Live Marketplace).
The only flaw in this argument is that I suspect Sony are pretty much geared up for electronic distribution as well, so even should consumers turn to electronic downloads Sony are still in business.
Even should Blu-ray win (which is looking more and more likely - it only really needs Universal, the only Hollywood studio still supporting HD-DVD to join them) Microsoft are quite capable of popping a Blu-ray player into the next generation of XBox so it's no skin off their nose.
But if electronic distribution of movies and games takes off as big as music has, where does that leave the likes of Virgin Megastores, Blockbuster and our local indies? It's surprising that CDs have lasted as long as they have, but thinking about it I don't think my 14 year old niece has ever bought a CD in her life and she's really into music (via her i-pod).
Interesting times.
> Hedfix wrote:
>
>
> Also, funnily enough, I think people are more used to not
> having
> a physical piece of media for a movie/show due to piracy.
>
> Yeah, but when I'm paying money I want an actual disc. I cant
> accidentally delete my DVD collection, but I could accidentally
> delete a file on my computer after paying £20 for it.
It's possible that having paid for it you would be allowed to download it more than once to the same computer.
This is what happens on Xbox Live Arcade when you buy a game, if you delete it you can get it again as many times as you like free of charge to the same console that your account is on.
>
> Kids today (how old does that make me feel?) who have never
> bought a cd and only download music, either legally or not, know
> no different, and as they get old they will be more happy to
> download entire games and films.
Especially if the storage media keeps increasing in size so they can store it off the comp. :D
That's why free downloads to the same comp after purchase are likely to defeat the 'but I need to copy it for a backup' argument people use.
> Its a bit of a fanboy article in my opinion. HD-DVD appears to
> have lost and somebody comes out with "oh Microsoft werent
> interested in it anyway". Microsoft helped create HD-DVD,
> the software side of it was developed by them and Toshiba. So
> to try to make out they are some disinterested third party who
> dont really care who wins is a bit far fetched to me. And 11.5
> million Xbox 360s split between 2 models, one that has no HD and
> the other a miserly 20 gig. Not the model choices of a company
> that was going to favour digital distribution in my opinion.
Hence the 120GB HD that's been out in America for a few months now.
It hasn't exactly been launched in secret.
> Hence the 120GB HD that's been out in America for a few months
> now.
>
> It hasn't exactly been launched in secret.
And? That they've reacted to the market and released an updated model changes nothing about what I said.
They've adapted and are pushing downloadable media but only 15% make use of it at the moment so launching with 120GB drives and pushing the price-up without any actual media sales or much concrete support to speak of would have been a rather stupid move... wouldn't it Sony*?
*Still atleast there's Spider-man 4,5 & 6...
But well its not important, I said what I did, agree with it or not as you like.
> And 11.5
> million Xbox 360s split between 2 models, one that has no HD
> and
> the other a miserly 20 gig. Not the model choices of a company
> that was going to favour digital distribution in my opinion.
Here you're implying they made a mistake with the HD size at launch. I've proven they haven't as launching with a bigger HD that 85% of your users don't need is a stupid thing to do.
What they are doing is catering for the 15% who do want it and building upon that. That's the smart thing to do and that's why HD's have been removable from the very beginning of the console's life.
A general 100 minute movie, is usually easily compressed to 700Mb on the internet at the moment. This means with a constant download rate of 200Kb/s, it would take just under an hour. Not bad.
> Here you're implying they made a mistake with the HD size at
> launch. I've proven they haven't as launching with a bigger HD
> that 85% of your users don't need is a stupid thing to do.
You're refuting a point I never made. And 85% of me thinks theres little point in a discussion where that happens.
> And 11.5
> million Xbox 360s split between 2 models, one that has no HD
> and the other a miserly 20 gig. Not the model choices of a company that was going to favour digital distribution in my opinion.
It's clearly implied here. Not exactly hard to notice.