More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

DavidinCT — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:09:08 GMT

If they released one tomorrow for the same price range ($150-200) for the 360, I'd buy tomorrow.

Media Center does not support it, at least I could watch the other format on my 360...

It would be nice to do it in HDMI but, I do hope some way it will support True-Dolby Digital or DTS (uncompressed) but, I don't have my hopes up on that one...

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:08:35 GMT

Alfred: you might want to read what I have wrote, along with the article you just posted. As usual, articles on DailyTech and most other websites do nothing but re-state (or misconstrue) information posted on other websites.

I've already covered what Steve said, and I've already covered what was in the FT article. None of these say _anything_ from Microsoft about them supporting Blu-ray playback in any of their products.

Sorry, but it truly amazes me how people take random articles that are just restating other reports are take it for fact. I just don't understand. In fact, if you read the DailyTech article the only thing Microsoft says is "no plans to introduce Blu-ray."

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

Alfred — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:30:43 GMT

Well Chris, it seems that Microsoft disagrees with you:

www.dailytech.com/.../article11007.htm

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:59:24 GMT

pwned: I think you are right. Decoding is what is required, not output.

I'm trying to think through it now, if only decoding is required (and not output) then I just have one question. How does mixing occur at this stand point? Would it re-encode to DD or DTS and still be able to mix menu and other sounds? I assume so since that's what the Xbox 360 with HD DVD is doing.

Good point!

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:46:58 GMT

pwned: I believe it is mandatory that the player be able to decode and output LPCM. The Xbox 360 w/ HD DVD can output 2 channel PCM, that goes directly with the specs for HD DVD. I'll double check the specs to make sure, but I believe it actually has to be able to output LPCM.

A reason a PC can do it is because all PCs have analog outputs. The Xbox 360 on the other hand, doesn't. The PC also has audio paths large enough for the uncompressed audio to travel on.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

pwned — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:56:21 GMT

chrisl: Why should it output linear PCM audio? Only input is required, not output. The sound can be re-encoded on the fly (even a 800Mhz CPU can do that). It would take in LPCM and output, say DD 5.1.

If that's not "OK" with you, then let me ask it this way. Does your PC output true LPCM?

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:09:07 GMT

Ben: The audio path is simply not wide enough, so it would require circuitry redesign in order to make it work. I'm sure it could be done, but your talking about going back to the drawing board and redesigning the physical hardware to do it (on an aging console).

The Xbox 360 as a gaming console never needed to spit out 5.1 or 7.1 channel LPCM (5-13Mbps), so there wouldn't be much reason to design around it.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

Ben Drawbaugh — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:57:34 GMT

Chris,

What exactly is the 360 missing in regards to hardware that prevents it from outputing multi-channel PCM via HDMI?

It seems even the earliest pre-HDMI 1.3 Blu-ray players like the BD-P1000 could do this.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

EZRyder — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:20:13 GMT

I tend to agree that Blu-Ray is for the next iteration of XBox and not for this. It makes sense for Microsoft to make PC's play nicely with Blu-Ray, but why they wold want to muddy the water with a Blu Ray drive for the Xbox would be mad. As they have said before games have moved units, not films. With the best game attach rate across the next gen consoles, why chase the Blu. I don't agree with Patriarken, I think MCE isn't dead, in spite of Microsoft. They're entertainment section needs to really do some house keeping and get the connective home gig running sweetly (Zune, 360, MCE, WHS) before Apple or anyone else steals the glory

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:38:24 GMT

Hi Patriarken, this likely wasn't the best post for you to reply too, but Extenders do support H.264 (just not in MKV). More so, H.264 support within Media Center will be much greater after the next release where it will be possible to capture H.264 within Media Center.

I'm not sure about me being Canadian, I'm a Texan, born and raised (them fightin' words). ;) The closest I've ever been to Canada is looking at a map.

H.264 is more important outside the US (and Canada for that matter), and much more important in other parts of the world under DVB.

DIRECTV will be launching a tuner that uses DVB-S2 with H.264 for the next Media Center release.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

Patriarken — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:17:30 GMT

Been guiding people for years on how to set up Media Centers. MCE is a relic of the past. Buy hardware extenders for your betamax is what this discussion is about and it simply does not rise anything orher than MCE is absolete, poorly made etc...

I love your blog Chris and I also love your critical perspectives on Microsoft's progress, with regard to XPMCE and VistaMCE.

However...All this talk about Extenders etc is irellevant even you an Ian should be able to enterpret the writing on the wall. The future is not HD in 1080i mpeg2@50/60hz.... It will be Mpeg4 at HD full spec. The very fact that you'd even consider eg. the linksys is flat out stupid seen from my point of view.

Also i realize that you are a canadian(Good work....love Pierre Marc Bouchard, Sidney Crosby,team canada rukes)But the focus on the limitations of MCE does not reach beyond North America, I've had Digital Cable on my Media Center(Vista and MCE even HD specs mpeg2specs)for years....

With regards to the your articles about BD, Well it certainly underlines my points of view MCE is dead and så is Vista MCE.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

chrisl — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:55:34 GMT

Phil: If it didn't go through the Xbox 360 then you are talking about buying a standalone Blu-ray player. This isn't what I'm talking about, nor is it an issue relating Microsoft or the Xbox 360.

I'm talking about either an external USB Blu-ray Disc drive or replacing the internal DVD drive with a Blu-ray Disc drive. Audio and video is decoded and routed via the Xbox 360's hardware.

If you want a standalone player, none of the above applies. Standalone players have nothing to do with an Xbox 360 or Microsoft (minus VC-1, but that's not really "Microsoft", it's done by a licensing agency).

Normal (eg. standalone) players have the ability in the circuity to do PCM currently. When you take the specs into the design considerations of the hardware stuff like this is not an issue. The Xbox 360 however, was not designed with Blu-ray in mind.

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

Phil — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:47:07 GMT

I don't understand your reasoning. How do you think normal BluRay players support the PCM out? Why would it have to go through the Xbox?

re: More Ramblings About Blu-ray & Xbox 360

John in S.Florida — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:33:44 GMT

Sony should be the ones to expend time & money to build up the blu-ray install base. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I'm following what Microsoft is doing with the XBox 360's Movie/TV library, IPTV and Media Extender. I'm still thinking that Microsoft & NetFlix have something in the works for 360 and Media Center. To me, that would be more exciting.