Microsoft Releases Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator to Help Speed Content Production and Lower Development Costs — Community

#1 Dec 13, 2007 at 2:40 pm

Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator, enabling film studios and disc authoring companies to model the behavior of HD DVD disc content, including encoded video and HDi interactivity, in a virtual environment before committing to burning a single HD DVD disc. This comprehensive tool is among the first commercially available, software-based solutions of its kind, eliminating the need for expensive hardware or time-consuming and costly trial-and-error processes for testing HD DVD titles, helping to ensure that titles ship error-free.

The enhanced content and rich interactive capabilities of HD DVD increase the need for an efficient way to troubleshoot coding to maintain the highest-quality consumer experiences. The emulator uses...

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#2 Dec 16, 2007 at 12:14 am

It looks like good news for HD DVD developers. This will make it easier and less expensive to make HD DVD. It should be a benefit for HD DVD buyers too. It is interesting that they chose the Xbox 360 instead of a PC.

#3 Dec 16, 2007 at 4:15 am

It is actually designed specifically for the purpose of making sure HD DVDs play on the Xbox 360 Add-on, not HD DVD authoring in general, although it will help with that as well. From the article:

While the tool enables the testing of content playback on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player specifically, it effectively eliminates layers in the testing process for other HD DVD players as well.

Cheers,

- Shane

#4 Dec 16, 2007 at 1:00 pm

I was thinking it might be something like that. Now it sounds like a niche product. I own 360 and I don't see HD DVD add-on becoming a must have for 360 owners. It's too expensive, and most people buy 360 just for games.

#5 Dec 16, 2007 at 1:52 pm

http://www.hddvd.com/go.php/expect-more-better-hd-dvds-microsoft-releases-an-xbox-360-hd-dvd-emulator/#more-143

Though it