At the Consumer Electronics Show two years ago, shortly after Microsoft announced the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360, the company's then-Xbox marketing executive Peter Moore admitted that a future add-on that would play Blu-ray discs was not out of the question, if the need for one arose.

With Warner Bros. last week committing to produce Blu-ray movies exclusively, many industry watchers predicted that Sony's high-definition disc format--a prominent feature of the PlayStation 3--had scored a knockout punch on Toshiba's HD-DVD. At this year's CES, Microsoft's Xbox group marketing manager Albert Penello told Reuters today that the Warner move wasn't the end of the format wars, but acknowledged that his company is still keeping its options open.

"It should be consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider," Penello told the news service.

While Penello downplayed the potential impact of the Warner deal on Xbox 360 sales, he acknowledged that it wasn't something the HD-DVD backing Microsoft had wanted to see.

"You can't say it's not a bummer, not a setback, but I've seen this battle declared over so many times," Penello said, adding, "I want consumers to have a voice in this and I think there are a lot of consumers who bought HD-DVD who are going to have a say in how this shakes out."

大意上，消费者如果都选蓝光，我们的多媒体游戏机干吗不作个外设支持下呢
万事皆有可能嘛

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0801/09/news033.html

微软：继续支持HD DVD 有可能会出货Xbox 360专用BD光驱


2008年01月09日 存储时代 黄永誉（编译）

关键字：光驱 微软 BD Xbox 360 HD DVD






存储时代1月9日报道： 微软Xbox 360全球营销总监Albert Penello向BetaNews透露，将会继续在这款游戏机中推行HD DVD光驱，他同时表示，如果索尼主导的格式成为了最终的高清标准，微软也将会出货专用的BD光驱。

Penello同时说到，尽管之前有些传闻，不过微软从来没有计划推出内置HD DVD光驱的Xbox 360，这一决定和格式之战的未确定性无关，因为无论哪种格式最终胜出，微软的选择仍然是DVD。

现在做出改变只会让消费者感到更加迷茫，Penello补充说，尤其是对于那些已经开始使用更大容量HD DVD光盘的开发者。他承认索尼在PlayStation 3中装载BD光驱直接帮助了这一格式，但是微软的外置HD DVD光驱的销量就超过了所有的BD影碟机。


此外，Penello指出，消费者购买Xbox 360专用HD DVD光驱的目的就是看电影，相比之下，只有少数的PS3用户购买BD格式的影碟。


华纳兄弟决定放弃HD DVD，同时派拉蒙也有可能随后更改立场，Penello说微软还会继续支持HD DVD，“东芝退出之前，斗争都不会结束。”

“消费者选择了HD DVD，但是好莱坞没有听到。当HD DVD已经开始向消费者销售该格式时，索尼已经在致力于推销BD品牌，”这一策略被证明是成功的，获得了电影制片商的支持，从而统治了市场。


如果HD DVD最终失败了呢？Penell说，那么微软将会推出外置BD光驱。