Warner Answers Blu-ray, HD-DVD Question

post from Igniq.com Gaming News on 21 September 2006 11:51:00 PM. © Igniq.com Gaming News

The Lake House In the next-gen movie format battle who will win is anyone?s guess. Will it be the PlayStation 3?s Blu-ray? Or, perhaps Microsoft?s and the Xbox 360?s HD-DVD? Maybe, just maybe, regular old DVDs will survive the battle and come out victorious?
The answer doesn?t matter much to Warner Bros.

Rather than try to figure out who the victor will be, the movie studio has created a special hybrid disc that enables a single flick to be played in all three formats. A patent application is in place for the triple-standard disc. The means the battle can come and Warner can sit back and watch the fireworks without having to pick sides or worry about ending up a loser.

The stroke of brilliance is being reported by New Scientist Tech, which says the first movie in the new format will roll out later this month. ?The Lake House? will enable the playing of all three formats.

The new disc format will cost more to produce, but it is less expensive than creating all three versions. And, it would be better for consumers who fear the HD-DVD format or Blu-ray will go the way of Betamax or other failed formats.

This works out to be fantastic news for video gamers who want to bring a little next-gen movie watching to their experience. Sony?s PS3 will roll out with Blu-ray equipped and the Xbox 360?s add on HD-DVD player is expected in time for the holidays.

Even if a format is deemed a loser, hybrid movies will still be playable on the winning format. No harm, no foul for Warner and the same can be said for consumers, sans the player itself.

Related:
The Blu-ray Debacle
UMD Movies Might Be A Thing Of The Past
Xbox 360 HD-DVD Rumors Sound Unlikely
Xbox 360 Big Announcements
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Tags: hd-dvd sony microsoft blu-ray next-gen movies

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y-hd-dvd-question.html

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Xbox 360 Warranty Extension Coming

post from Igniq.com Gaming News on 21 September 2006 11:41:00 PM. © Igniq.com Gaming News

It?s no secret the Xbox 360 has had its share of post-launch troubles. From crashing consoles to freezing games, the next-gen machine has seen it all. The issues have even given rise to a lawsuit and a petition drive requesting that Microsoft extend its warranty on the 360.

The people have asked and Microsoft has responded - finally. SPOnG is reporting that Microsoft customer support is saying that 360s made in or before January 2006 will now get a one-year warranty extension. The extent of the warranty will depend on the manufacture and purchase dates. A full announcement from Microsoft is expected soon.

In addition to the warranty extension, the company is also planning to reimburse Xbox 360 owners who qualify for the extensions for any repairs they?ve had to pay for.

If this pans out as accurate, this is a very good move on Microsoft?s part. There?s no denying the consoles from the first runs had their share of problems. Facing up to them is a good PR move and one that could help Microsoft as the next-gen battle really heats up later this fall. The real shame here is that this move didn?t come sooner.

Related:
Faulty Xbox 360s Spur Petition Drive
MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's
Xbox 360 Freeze Issues Known
Xbox 360 On A PR Campaign
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Tags: xbox 360 xbox crashes video games microsoft xbox warranty

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RedOctane and Activision under a TAC

post from Gaming Nexus on 21 September 2006 11:21:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Randy Kalista
NEWS - The Ant Commandoes (TAC) filed a counter claim against RedOctane and Activision regarding the design of the Guitar Hero, um, guitar. TAC alleges that RedOctane copied the color, shape, and placement of the five fret buttons located on the controller. Further, TAC filed a preliminary injunction with the federal court to break up the RedOctane guitar and Guitar Hero game bundle (the game and guitar are currently packaged together), in order to give consumers a choice in which guitar product they'd prefer. Guitar Hero III might take up a lot more store shelf space in the future.
More On : Guitar Hero 2 | Red Octane

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PS3 to get price drop and HDMI

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - IGN and Kotaku are both reporting that the lower end configuration of the PLAYSTATION 3 will be getting a price drop (about $70) and an HDMI port. For now I would assume that if true that these changes only apply to the versions that are being released in Japan but you never know. Hopefully tomorrow brings word of something similar going on with the versions that will be hitting US store shelves on November 17th.

Update: It's official, the Japanese will get a 20% price cut on the lower version. More details as they arise.
More On : PLAYSTATION 3 | Sony

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