Microsoft and Broadcom are pushing a semiconductor reference design designed around Microsoft's Windows CE and a Broadcom HD DVD playback chipset, saying today that the two are in a joint effort to support a hardware and software reference design aroudn HD-DVD. The design, based on Microsoft's Windows CE 6.0 and Broadcom's BCM7440 system-on-a-chip, is targeted at OEMs looking to design HD DVD players. The two said that several companies, including Lite-On IT Corp. and Zhenjiang Jiangkui Group Co. Ltd, will use the firm's reference design for HD DVD players. An add on to Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming device is one of the few currently available HD DVD players on the market, which is competing with rival format Blu Ray for position as the next generation high definition DVD format.