Home Entertainment, ""three-layered, disc", dvd, hd dvd, toshiba

Toshiba Creates Three-Layered Disc

Toshiba has been tinkering with the HD DVD and DVD disc formats, putting together a hybrid format with three layers that contain both formats. The DVD section will be playable on conventional DVD players, and with a firmware update, standard HD DVD players can play both formats.

So it looks like we'll be seeing either a single-layer 4.7GB DVD along with a dual layer 30GB HD DVD, or conversely, a dual-layer 8.5GB DVD and a single-layer 15GB HD DVD, all together on one disc. One more layer, lots more content.

This idea could add more capacity to those already-existing single-layer hybrid discs, where a movie is offered on DVD for use today and also includes a high-def HD DVD copy on the same disc for those who think someday they may be suckered into buying an HD DVD player. However, this is at cross purposes with movie studios, who prefer the idea of selling the same content over and over. – Charlie White

Toshiba Hybrid DVD and HD DVD [Akihabara News]

9:20 AM on Mon Sep 11 2006
By Charlie White
267 views
9 comments

Comments

UpIrons at 08:49 AM on 09/11/06
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This makes sense. Especially for "extras" on HD-DVD discs that do not need to be in HD format. It would be great to have a single disc that not only contains the HD movie but also all of the deleted scenes, etc in SD.
seamonkey420 at 08:53 AM on 09/11/06
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hmm.... HD-DVD is starting to look a bit more enticing if they keep up with this idea.. :)
Fuzz at 08:59 AM on 09/11/06
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And with thi, Blu-Ray is dead. I'm sure they will figure out how to do a Dual layer DVD with HD-DVD, thus combining both in one disc. The studios will love it, because they can release both on one disc, avoiding extra shiping/stocking/manufacturing costs, and consumers will be happy enough to pay a little more, knowing that they get a version they can watch currently, and that in a year or 2, they can buy an HD-DVD player and not have to buy the same movie again. Bye Bye Blu Ray.
masteryoda at 09:03 AM on 09/11/06
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Cant wait for Sony to tweak the Blu-Ray.
MisterInvisible at 09:36 AM on 09/11/06
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I'm totally naming my band Space Layer.
pete at 10:14 AM on 09/11/06
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I was kinda meh about hybrid discs, but now i think they're a good idea.
Think of this - people still have lots of portable DVD players. You can play the standard DVD on those, then use the same one in your HD-DVD player.
Or...
You can rip the standard-def version for your PMPs, and still have the HD version for the big screen.
sweet
Grover at 12:39 PM on 09/11/06
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Great, now we'll have a new LOTR Super Deluxe Extra Special Addition with 10 more hours of useless crap... now in HD!
navstar at 01:11 PM on 09/11/06
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Grrreat--- more translucent layers glued together to screw up over time. Remember LaserDisc laser rot?
Worf at 03:02 PM on 09/11/06
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HD-DVD/DVD hybrids have long been out - it's just you have to flip them over to choose the side you want to play (akin to early double-sided DVDs when the dual-layer process wasn't quite worked out).

But this ought to be interesting... I do recall inserting an HD-DVD once and having the player ask "DVD or HD-DVD?" (early firmware, so I'm sure something got screwed up, never saw it again).