Redmond (WA) - In a surprising move, Microsoft has released a new firmware update for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player, which will automatically download the next time users watch an HD DVD movie.

The new update includes "compatibility improvements" for specific HD DVD titles as well as "additional support for network features," according to a post by Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb in his official blog.

The update is widely expected to be the last firmware update for any HD DVD player. In fact, it comes as quite a surprise that an update was released at all, as Microsoft officially disowned the fallen format last month.

It is also peculiar to see additional network support as one of the updates, because most movie studios have stopped supporting online features on their HD DVD discs.

The update is available now from the Xbox 360 console and will also be posted on Xbox.com "later this week," said Hryb.