World's first HD DVD drive for PCs out

[roma_turok]

Hard to believe, but this HDV-ROM2.4FB drive from Buffalo (OEMed by Toshiba) marks a world's first HD DVD drive for PCs. Sure, the Toshiba Qosmio and other media savvy boxes already ship with integrated HD DVD, but you're not going to find any ATAPI HD DVD drives sold independently for PCs. It ships with the third party, PowerDVD HD DVD Edition software required to watch your MPAA-friendly high-def titles in XP or Vista and reads DVD±R/RW and DVD±R/R DL, DVD-ROM and CD-R/RW/ROM formats as you'd expect. At ¥38,850 (about $338) it's a pretty good deal when these ship at the end of the month in Japan, right? Sure, but the $199 Tosh-built Xbox 360 HD DVD player is already out and perfectly capable of pumping HD DVD vids natively under Vista (and even XP after some found driver magic) after installing the appropriate media application. Decisions, decisions.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/06/buffalo-announces-worlds-first-hd-dvd-drive-for-pcs-xbox-hd/

[MozartMan]

This is the greatest news of all times!!!!

BUT what about burning capabilities? Can it burn HD-DVD disks?
If not, I'd better go with BD cause a bunch of BD burners and media available now.

[stackner]

can xbox 360 play HD DVD?

[Conquest10]

can xbox 360 play HD DVD?

Yup, with the HD-DVD drive add-on.

[edDV]

They don't exactly explain/warn that if/when HDCP is turned on you also need a new HDCP display card and new HDCP computer monitor to play copy protected HD DVD.

You can play your home made HD DVD though.

[FulciLives]

They don't exactly explain/warn that if/when HDCP is turned on you also need a new HDCP display card and new HDCP computer monitor to play copy protected HD DVD.

You can play your home made HD DVD though.

Yes but by the time that happens I have a funny feeling we will be able to RIP a HD-DVD to the HDD and at that point play it on any equipment.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[SingSing]

Look like HD-DVD is using "First to Market" approach.