Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced a DVD player, based on the new HD-DVD standard, for the Xbox 360 games console, as well as new portable media players that will be able to display a widening range of movies and TV shows.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Gates declared that high-definition TV was close to being widespread, and video games topped the list of applications that demanded the technology. Independent research had shown that nine out of 10 buyers of Xbox 360 either already own a high-definition TV or plan to buy one in the next six months.
A supporter of the HD-DVD standard, Microsoft is to sell an HD-DVD player, based on the technology, as a peripheral for the Xbox, though it will not announce a built-in player.
Gates also unveiled a partnership with Advanced Micro Devices, which will make a version of the Media Center PC for use as an entertainment device. Microsoft also announced partnerships, including one with Philips, to sell cordless telephones that will carry internet voice calls for users of its MSN instant messenger service, as well as regular telephone calls, a new departure in the competition between
so-called VoIP services.
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