Microsoft Corp., the world’s leading maker of software, has showcased the Xbox 360 external HD DVD player at Entertainment Media Expo event. According to witnesses, the playback quality was similar to other HD DVD showcased during the day, meanwhile Microsoft promised that the add-on will be “the cheapest” HD DVD player for Xbox 360 owners.

Microsoft Corp., the world’s leading maker of software, has showcased the Xbox 360 external HD DVD player at Entertainment Media Expo event. According to witnesses, the playback quality was similar to other HD DVD showcased during the day, meanwhile Microsoft promised that the add-on will be among “the least expensive” HD DVD player for Xbox 360 owners.

“Research has shown that a majority of Xbox owners already own high-definition displays. An Xbox [360] [HD DVD] drive provides them with all the other equipment they need to watch HD DVD movies, he said. This gives consumers choice and keeps their cost down,” Kevin Collins, senior program manager at Microsoft, is reported to have said.

According to Cnet News.com, Mr. Collins also noted that the external drive will be among the least expensive options for Xbox 360 owners to get an HD DVD playback capable device. However, no information about the pricing was officially revealed. Also, no photos of the product have been published so far.

Collins played the first several minutes of Warner Home Video’s The Phantom of the Opera, and the picture and sound quality were similar to other HD DVD demonstrations performed on computers earlier in the day, Video Business Online web-site notes.

Microsoft is going to release the external HD DVD player for the Xbox 360 game console by the Christmas holiday season. The drive will feature H.264 video decoder from ATI Technologies, who developed visual processing unit for the gaming machine. It is projected that the add-on drive will allow Xbox 360 to compete head-to-head with Sony’s PlayStation 3 which offers rival format Blu-ray playback.