Memory-Tech, Toshiba Develop DVD/HD-DVD Discs

Kralizec writes "PC World reports that Memory-Tech has developed a dual DVD, HD-DVD disc, which stores DVD content on the upper layer and HD-DVD content on the lower. The DVD data can be read by standard DVD players, giving customers the incentive to buy now, and reap future benefits by buying an HD-DVD player at a later time. Blu-ray suffered a heavy blow when HD-DVD gained the support of four major movie studios; could this be the knockout punch?" (The format was developed jointly with Toshiba.)

Comments

I was going to submit this....

[kf6auf]

So I have some more links for y'all.

Technology News' Report and PCWorld's Article on the new disc that will contain a backwards-compatible (4.6 GB) DVD layer and a higher definition (15 GB) HD-DVD layer of which production is planned to begin in October or November of next year.

This seems like this could be a major factor in the format war between HD-DVD and the higher capacity Blu-ray.

Re:Is it any wonder?

[andymar]

Why is Blu-Ray superior ?
1. More capacity, up to 200Gb according to Sony
2. TDK has developed a scratch-free surface for Blu-ray DVD's. I would say that's a killer, no more hard to read DVD's when you come home from Blockbuster.

Re:ONLY 1/3 THE STORAGE

[Elwood P Dowd]

The few movies released in HD on DVD compressed and using VC9 are not full HD resolution. You think and extra 6 GB is going to get you there all the way???

Yes. Haven't you been paying attention to your Apple PR?

H.264 to the rescue:

As shown in a preview at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in April, video encoded at full high definition resolution (1920x1080 24p) was played back between 6.8 and 8 Mbps on a dual-processor Power Mac® G5 delivering full HD quality at up to half the data rate of MPEG-2.

They say it's good enough that "at today's SD DVD data rates, H.264/AVC can deliver full HD." So yes, I think they can do it in 15GB.