Toshiba Creates a Hybrid Dual Layer Disk

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/Toshiba%2C+Memory-Tech+unveil+new+disc/2100-1041_3-5481664.html?tag=nefd.hed' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/Toshiba%2C+Memory-Tech+unveil+new+disc/2100-1041_3-5481664.html?tag=nefd.hed</a><br /><br /></div><i>"In an effort to ease the transition to higher-capacity disc technology, Toshiba and Memory-Tech have developed a dual-layer disc that supports DVD and HD DVD formats. A smooth shift from the old technology should make it as convenient as possible for consumers and device manufacturers to upgrade from DVDs to the next-generation DVD format without having to toss their old discs. The companies announced the joint development and detailed the new disc's capabilities Tuesday in Tokyo. The disc will be single-sided, with the upper layer storing up to 4.7GB of data in the DVD format and the lower layer holding 15GB of HD DVD data. Memory-Tech will produce the read-only discs. Manufacturing costs will be comparable to those of single-sided, dual-layer DVDs or HD DVDs. The discs are expected to reach stores in late 2005, as are HD DVD players."</i><br /><br />Finally we have a solution that supports both blue-laser and red-laser technologies. An easy transition to HD DVD will enable more people to get on board. Much like DVD video disks got people to upgrade their audio to 5.1, the HD DVD logo on the back should get them interested in buying HD DVD players.

[Felix Torres]

That's a serious one-two punch the HD-DVD crowd has delivered in the last week or so; first three studios adding up to 45% of the DVD business line-up for their format and now a transition format that, at no extra manufacturing cost, allows the studios to deliver a single sku for both existing players and future players.

This seriously raises the ante on the BD-ROM crowd.
Should be fun to see if they can match this...

[James Fee]

This seriously raises the ante on the BD-ROM crowd.
Should be fun to see if they can match this...When I heard about Singulus and Sony teaming up (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&amp;storyID=6956226&amp;section=news) last week, I had assumed they were going to announce this, but as usual it wasn't anything to get excited about.

[Felix Torres]

This seriously raises the ante on the BD-ROM crowd.
Should be fun to see if they can match this...When I heard about Singulus and Sony teaming up (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&amp;storyID=6956226&amp;section=news) last week, I had assumed they were going to announce this, but as usual it wasn't anything to get excited about.

I see what you mean.
If Sony just got around to signing up somebody willing to build the BD-ROM manufacturing gear, at some point in the future, they're actually further behind than I thought; HD-DVD stamping assembly lines are already in pilot testing in China...

[Philip Colmer]

The biggest drawback to this approach, though, is the limiting of the DVD layer to 4.7GB. There aren't many feature films that don't use both layers of a DVD these days. Are the film companies going to crank up the compression ratio in order to squeeze the film into the smaller space?

--Philip