DVD on Wii

[vagrant]

yes i believe that a driver would make it read DVD movies. 10 bucks on wiishop anyone?

Considering it was confirmed that nintendo will be selling a higher priced wii with dvd movie support sometime in the future.

meaning there is no chance in hell they will just have an update that will magically allow you to watch dvd movies on it.

 

[Supernova]

It would be a nice addition, but the Wii really doesn't need a DVD player due to it's currents abilities. Anyway, I already have 2.

 

[sracer]

Considering it was confirmed that nintendo will be selling a higher priced wii with dvd movie support sometime in the future.

meaning there is no chance in hell they will just have an update that will magically allow you to watch dvd movies on it.

Not necessarily true. Support for DVD movie playback requires paying a licensing fee to the DVD consortium for each console capable of DVD playback. So part of the reason for the higher priced Wii w/DVD movie support is related to the per-unit fees that Nintendo will need to pay. And Nintendo is simply passing that cost along.

It is in the technical realm of possibility to offer a firmware update to provide DVD movie playback support via the shopping channel. Nintendo would be able to recoup the cost of the licensing via Wii Points.

The issue may be one of security. The DVD Consortium may not be comfortable with the security of Nintendo's online shopping channel. (they may fear that the firmware could be downloaded, ripped, and pirated) But as the shopping channel proves itself, that view will change.

If an internal hardware modification is required for DVD movie playback, then that changes the story entirely.

 

[vagrant]

Not necessarily true. Support for DVD movie playback requires paying a licensing fee to the DVD consortium for each console capable of DVD playback. So part of the reason for the higher priced Wii w/DVD movie support is related to the per-unit fees that Nintendo will need to pay. And Nintendo is simply passing that cost along.

It is in the technical realm of possibility to offer a firmware update to provide DVD movie playback support via the shopping channel. Nintendo would be able to recoup the cost of the licensing via Wii Points.

The issue may be one of security. The DVD Consortium may not be comfortable with the security of Nintendo's online shopping channel. (they may fear that the firmware could be downloaded, ripped, and pirated) But as the shopping channel proves itself, that view will change.

If an internal hardware modification is required for DVD movie playback, then that changes the story entirely.

How do they plan to sell a DVD wii for more if you can just buy a normal wii and update it ;/

 

[sracer]

How do they plan to sell a DVD wii for more if you can just buy a normal wii and update it ;/

I don't know how Nintendo will market it, but I imagine that they will allow inventory of the non-DVD Wii to dwindle down sometime in mid-07, and release a WiiDVD (or some other name to differentiate it) at a higher pricepoint. I suspect that whatever they did with the DS/DS-Lite and GBA/GBSP, they'll do with the Wii.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a WiiVD selling for $275. $25 more than the current MSRP for the non-DVD Wii. At the same time, they make the DVD Player available for $25/2500 pts. (perhaps less) on the shopping channel.

The net result is that it'll cost us $x more to get DVD playback... either by charging $x on the shopping channel (for existing Wii owners) or by an $x increase on the new WiiVD console.

That is of course if it is available outside of Japan. Initial rumors were Japan-only, then an updated rumor of worldwide, then a correction to Japan-only.

Something makes me think that it is a hardware issue that needs to be addressed to allow DVD-movie playback. (I'd bet that the MPEG-2 decoder chip is not present) Otherwise, Nintendo could simply keep making the Wii as it now is and offer playback for everybody via a for-pay download.

 

[Spirit]

Nintendo has said the Wii cannot be used to play DVDs. It would need more than a software upgrade, The hardware that is out can't do it.

 

[cake]

i dont have many dvd players... i have 3 tvs and 2 dvd players... so one on the wii (for me at least) would be preatty cool.

 

[sracer]

Nintendo has said the Wii cannot be used to play DVDs. It would need more than a software upgrade, The hardware that is out can't do it.

Do you have a link to a Nintendo announcement or press release for that? I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious as to how they phrased it. Thx

 

[Spirit]

Here is a link to an article on game informer. I might have been wrong about the launch wii never being able to play DVDs but it still seems unlikely

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200611/N06.1120.1725.47900.htm

 

[Flunk You2]

Nintendo Wii will have a HD DVD drive in japan only but maybe uk, usa might just get the dvd.

 

[Flunk You2]

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35919

a link i found with HD DVD info

 

[psychono2]

i heard the wii is already dvd capable but not ours,were basically one update away from havin a dvd playin wii!

 

[BlenderWizard]

Considering it was confirmed that nintendo will be selling a higher priced wii with dvd movie support sometime in the future.

meaning there is no chance in hell they will just have an update that will magically allow you to watch dvd movies on it.

It might have a chance if nintendo were to charge you accordingly for the update...