2 hours, 1 minute ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) -
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) will stop
making video players based on the HD DVD standard for its Xbox
360 game system, a move that comes days after Toshiba Corp
(6502.T) pulled the plug on the high definition movie
technology.
The move, announced on Saturday, follows recent decisions
by Hollywood studios such as Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N) Warner
Bros and retailer Wal-Mart (WMT.N) to exclusively back Sony
Corp's (6758.T) Blu-ray, a high-definition video technology
rival to HD DVD.
Microsoft had been one of the biggest backers of HD DVD
along with Intel Corp (INTC.O), but the tide turned against HD
DVD after Warner Bros, which had supported both, defected to
Blu-ray last month.
Microsoft said it does not see the decision having any
material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or its position in the
market. It pledged to continue product and warranty support for
all Xbox 360 HD DVD players that it has already sold.
Microsoft, in a statement on its GamerScoreBlog, posted by
marketing executive John Porcaro, said it did not "believe this
decision will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform
or our position in the marketplace."
The bundling of movie players is a key added feature in the
battle for dominance in the next-generation video game console
market, where players like Microsoft and Sony see their devices
as hubs for delivering games, movies and Web content to living
room television.
Sony's PlayStation 3 has a Blu-ray player built in.
"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high
definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give
consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high
definition movies and TV shows directly to their living
room...," Microsoft's statement said.
Microsoft, which previously said it would consider
supporting Blu-ray technology should consumers want it, did not
say if it would make Blu-Ray players.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew and Franklin Paul, editing by
Dave Zimmerman)
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