Making use of an obsolete HD DVD player
Posted on 28/02/08 01:14 by Seán Byrne                             
Making use of an obsolete HD DVD player

Now that HD DVD is officially dead, some of the early adaptors are starting to wonder what to do with their players.  At the moment, regardless of which HD DVD player one got, the player will still have some use by being able to play one's existing HD DVD collection, since the HD DVD functionality is not suddenly going to stop working just because the format has been killed off.  It will also be possible to buy HD DVD titles for another short while as shops are selling out their existing stock, many at a discount also. 

Those with set-top HD DVD players can still use these to play DVDs and upscale them to high definition.  Unfortunately, those who got the HD-A1 or Xbox 360 will not be so well off, as some HD-A1 owners may want to replace their bulky 80's VCR style player with a slim HD upscaling DVD player, especially if they want to play XviD and DivX content on it or make space for a Blu-ray player.  The Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on does not really offer any benefit other than playing HD DVD titles, since the Xbox 360 itself can play DVDs.  It remains to be seen whether Toshiba faces any class action suits from unhappy early adapters.  The same goes with Microsoft since they heavily pushed their weight behind the HD DVD format and refused to develop a Blu-ray add-on drive for its Xbox 360 until now. 

While those who forked out on the LG HD DVD / Blu-ray multi player may now feel out of pocket knowing that a Blu-ray player would have been much cheaper after all, they did have the advantage of being able to play all HD titles from the very start unlike those with just a Blu-ray player up until now.  Even though the HD DVD capability will no longer be of any use for upcoming titles, at least it's still there to play existing HD DVD titles, so it saves cost in replacing these with Blu-ray versions.  These owners may even be able to recoup some additional cost by buying HD DVD titles (where available) now that stores are selling them out and some HD DVD owners are selling off their collection to replace their player.  Those with Blu-ray only players still need to wait for these titles to be later released on Blu-ray, not to mention them likely being sold at full price again.

Reactions
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By RTV71, Thursday 28 February 2008 04:17
Optical drive motors can be used to drive electric model aircraft. They're easier to use and maintain. See this Wikipedia article for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brushless_DC_electric_motor#Model_aircraft_scene
By Rich86, Thursday 28 February 2008 16:29
Rich86I'm happy to report that my hd-dvd players and collection of movies apparently do not know they are dead, as they continue to work perfectly. What to do with my hd-dvd players - keep using them. Blu-ray movies offer absolutely no quality or convenience advantage over hd-dvd releases so there is no need to ever replace a hd-dvd release with a blu-ray version. HD-DVD players are superb upconverting players, breathing new life into a person's standard definition dvd collection. Blu-ray is incomplete as they continue to play around with profiles, etc. and the prices remain unreasonably high. There is no reason to rush away from your hd-dvd player and movies. Nor is there any reason to embrace blu-ray at this stage. Wait for a reasonably priced profile 2 standalone player. cool
By greensabath (guest), Friday 29 February 2008 20:56
I agree with Rich86. Although it is funny, because I bought the xbox 360 player yesterday for $50. I mean come on, 6 free movies and the player for $50. Not a bad deal. Plus hd-dvd movies can be found for under $20 on half.com, Blu-ray movies though, still cost upwards of $25, and more in the $30 range.
By Hypnosis4U2NV, Saturday 01 March 2008 02:03
Hypnosis4U2NVWe should all pack them up and ship them to Tim Stork.. loveit
By u_n_s97, Saturday 01 March 2008 17:58
@Hypnosis4U2NV yeah, that is an option aswell... he probably will forward them to $ony for some analysis how to make properly working drives/media.. cool
By Circlestrafe, Monday 03 March 2008 21:26
CirclestrafeIf you 'don't know what to do' with your HD DVD player, just send it to me. It's not like you can't still use it.
By jimbo jones (guest), Monday 12 May 2008 15:32
What's your adress, I have one I dont need....
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