Xbox360 external HD DVD drive may receive Vista support

Now, this is interesting. So, it appears at least in Vista IF this is true and IF the current situation is not altered in future iterations of Vista, that all we need is some decoding software. Of course, Microsoft cannot provide this. Below, a visitor to the blog site gives what appears to me at least, to give a very nice explanation to the lament on the Robert McLaws site, about the decoder situation:

“kurtsh said:
re: some1’s comments

H.264 is certainly not too heavy for decoding.  H.264 is no more complex than VC-1 and has its roots in video conferencing products like ISDN-based Polycom VTCs, Microsoft NetMeeting, etc. 

The issue here is that H.264 in it’s HD/BluRay video playback form requires that a playback license be paid for as well as the playback software itself.  In the case of the Xbox360, Microsoft has chosen the ATI’s H.264 software/technology to playback HD-DVD content – which should be no surprise considering ATI manufactures the video chipset used in the XBox360 making them the obvious best choice for creating the most optimized playback software for H.264 for the XBox360 video chipset.

You are correct that today, most (if not all) HD-DVD discs are encoded using the VC-1 codec to playback HD-quality video.   This frankly has more to do with the fact that VC-1 is a visibly better codec in many common scenarios than H.264.  So one would think that it would be relatively easy to use HD-DVD on Windows Vista-enabled  workstations, given VC-1’s origins.  (VC-1 is a derivative of Windows Media 9.1 Video)

However, HD-DVD standards state that for any HD-DVD playback to occur, all codecs must be available and present on the player – one reason that a 3rd party player is needed.  Additionally, compliance with a littany of “safeguards” to prevent HD-content duplication must be enforced by the player by the decree of the HD-DVD standards steering committee. (DVDForum)  Hence, another reason 3rd party players come into play.  They’re the ones responsible for complying with these “enforced safeguard” rules.

So this has less to do with codec support and more to do with the standards and conditions by which HD content can be played back.”

Well, there you have it. It is getting closer to a reality, that this external device will be compatible for PC use, providing we can meet the requirements for playback, including having the proper operating system, codecs and also the proper hardware. When I say hardware, I mean the kind that is compatible with the very stringent DRM requirements for movie playback. I guess we just need to get this HD DVD player “out in the wild” and do some testing, before we can know all the details for sure. However, it is beginning to look better by the day, that the our PCs will be able to make use of this tantalizing hardware.

What are your thoughts? Are you tempted to pre-order one of these devices? The first 500,000 will get a free HD DVD movie and also the $199 bundle at present, includes a 40 dollar remote. So, in actuality, you are looking at $120 dollars, no tax - delivered to your door!