First 3 Generation-Compatible HD DVD Drive

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First 3 Generation-Compatible HD DVD Drive

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday December 20, 2004 @01:47AM from the also-makes-julian-fries dept.

fenimor writes "NEC has developed world's first half height size optical drive capable of playing back HD DVDs, DVDs, and CDs with a single optical head. Although the lasers required to read each type of disk vary, NEC said it had successfully created a miniature drive with a single lens that could read all three. The drive was designed for laptop computers and will be released commercially later next year."

21 of 70 comments (clear)

Manufacturers may not dump CDs. by suso · 2004-12-20 01:49 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's reassuring to see that manufacturers are not trying to ditch CD formats in any way with the newer formats that come out. I always figured that if any medium uses a simular technique for reading/writing as another medium, then the two mediums should support each other. I was afraid that as time goes on, manufacturers would try to ditch CD mediums to try to get people to upgrade. Maybe that will still happen. Hopefully it won't.
1. Re:Manufacturers may not dump CDs. by Laurentiu · 2004-12-20 01:52 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  If you want to have a prayer of success on the "home user" market, you must be able to read CDs. Even for the simple fact that most of the music on the planet is (still) sold on a CD support. So I don't think you need to worry. Yet ;)
  
  --
  Just /. IT
2. Re:Manufacturers may not dump CDs. by suso · 2004-12-20 01:55 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Yes, but the record player was still in heavy use when they decided to heavily push CDs. I'm sure there were a lot of people back in the 80s who were thinking the same way that you are (ie. if a record company wants to make money, they need to release everything on LP).
3. Re:Manufacturers may not dump CDs. by Jeff+DeMaagd · 2004-12-20 02:10 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I think it is a different case because the size of media and media type wasn't remotely compatible back then.
  
  While existing CD players probably won't die quickly, DVD and CD compatibility for a next generation format was known to be a must by pretty much all manufacturers. I think previous system prototypes used multiple optical assemblies to achieve the desired compatibility.
  
  The market is highly steeped toward backward compatibility now, systems that aren't backward compatible don't have a chance.
4. Re:Manufacturers may not dump CDs. by Stephen+R+Hall · 2004-12-20 02:23 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  There was previous backward compatibility in the record market - the original 78rpm 10 inch record was replaced by the 45rpm 7 inch and the 33rpm 12 inch, but newer players would still play the old 78s. It was only when there was a huge leap in technology that backwards compatibility was broken.
Wow... by andawyr · 2004-12-20 01:50 · Score: 2, Funny

...three adverts in a row.

Record?
1. Re:Wow... by suso · 2004-12-20 01:53 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I doubt it. Most of what slashdot carries are stories to let the tech-savy population know what is going on in the industry. It has always been that way. And when carrying stories about new technologies, the articles that are more marketing hype tend to slip in there more often than not. So I doubt its a record. There has probably been whole days where /. has been nothing but marketing hype.
  No offense to slashdot, thats just the way it goes.
2. Re:Wow... by Prowl · 2004-12-20 02:13 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  heh. the leading ">" gave away the cut-and-paste.
  
  on the plus side my grandmother's now getting a cd burner for xmas, whilst my grandad will receive a water kooling kit.
  
  shame they haven't a computer. I'm just too susceptible to subliminable advertising.
  
  (apolergies in advanse for speling)
  
  --
  That man tried to kill mah Daddy
Looks like a desktop drive by maharg · 2004-12-20 01:51 · Score: 2, Insightful

.. smells like a desktop drive..

laptop ??

--

$ strings FTP.EXE | grep Copyright
@(#) Copyright (c) 1983 The Regents of the University of California.
1. Re:Looks like a desktop drive by schovanec · 2004-12-20 02:44 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Exactly. Whoever wrote the summary has no clue what they are talking about. Even the article does not agree with them:
  Half height size capable of installation in desktop PCs.
  In the dark ages, a "half height" drive referred to the size that essentially all 5.25" devices are today. Back then, a "full height" device was the size of 2 common 5.25" drives stacked on top of each other. Does anybody even make any full-height drives anymore?
Press releases by Anonymous Coward · 2004-12-20 01:52 · Score: 2, Insightful

Last 3 items are just press releases. Can we get some news?
Blu-ray by Jugalator · 2004-12-20 01:54 · Score: 3, Interesting

I wonder if Blu-ray will be killed before the battle can even begin? I suspect that might be the case at least for HD movies since the bandwagon will start as HD DVD players are out for consumers, which will probably be a while before Blu-ray enters the market.

Maybe the cost for Blu-ray drives due to higher complexity, combined with the later availability will make it so we don't even see much of a trace of commercial Blu-ray drives at all.

--
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
1. Re:Blu-ray by ergo98 · 2004-12-20 02:01 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Firstly, this is just a press release and the announced arrival is very similar to the announced arrival of blu ray devices in the North American market.
  
  Furthermore, blu ray devices are available right now in Japan, and have been for a bit.
2. Re:Blu-ray by MoonBuggy · 2004-12-20 02:15 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The PS3 is going to use Blu-ray for its games, so I'd strongly assume that it'll also play Blu-ray movies but not HD-DVDs. Bear in mind the fact that ~70%* of households with 13-25 year olds have a PS2 and will probably upgrade to a PS3 within a year of release (hell, if it's anything like the PSP it'll bring in more sales than that with 'wow' factor alone - I hate to say it about a DRM encrusted and hideously expensive console, but the PSP is a damn good piece of kit).
  
  You're going to have a huge number of people with a Blu-ray device in their house almost by default wheras HD-DVD, even with the best marketing in the world, requires the person to actually go out and buy a HD-DVD device on its own merits. I honestly don't know which way this will swing - it seems to me that HD-DVD has better marketing potential and more powerful backing, but Blu-ray might just worm its way in unnoticed on the back of the PS3.
  
  *Statistic from the consortium for inventing plausible statistics
3. Re:Blu-ray by nutshell42 · 2004-12-20 04:08 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I wouldn't be so sure. Microsoft's trying to cap the per-unit costs. Unless there is real demand for HD-DVD players by mid 2005 I assume the HD-DVD drive will have to go. With wmv it isn't really needed for cutscenes so its only raison-d'etre would be selling more consoles
  
  --
  Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
4. Re:Blu-ray by badmammajamma · 2004-12-20 04:34 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Blue ray has broader industry support than HD DVD (including media giant Sony). If anything is going to die, it's HD DVD.
  
  --
  Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood. -- H. L. Mencken
Half-height? by adolf · 2004-12-20 02:00 · Score: 3, Insightful

Half-height? Bah. I think that's more properly dubbed a "laptop drive."

Half-height drives, rather, are of course about half the height of a full-height drive. See here.

HTH.

--
Kid-proof tablet..
1. Re:Half-height? by KozmoStevnNaut · 2004-12-20 02:23 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  The submitter got it wrong and needs to actually RTFA.
  
  It is a half-height drive, ie. the same size as most current CD or DVD drives.
  
  --
  Eat the rich.
Good... by Faust7 · 2004-12-20 02:08 · Score: 2, Interesting

So when it turns out that most consumers couldn't care less about either of the new formats, having everything they need with regular DVD, that new player won't suddenly become useless.

--
The coolest voice ever.
See-n-say by Anonymous Coward · 2004-12-20 02:29 · Score: 4, Funny

(pulling string sound)
The article says "This drive, though called half-height, is for desktop machines."

(pulling string sound)
The article says "I'm not saying whether or not it is for laptops, or explain what half-height means. That would be too helpful."

(pulling string sound)
The article says "I am saying that HD, which it supports. is one of the blue laser optical-disc technologies."

(pulling string sound)
The article says "A B C D E F G. CD DVD HD DVD. LSI, ETM. PRML system. Ah, I'm too bored to finish the parody."

(pulling string sound)
The article says "This drive has three lasers: blue, red, and infrared. Don't tell any supervillains!"

(pulling string sound)
The article says "The HD DVD format has been only proposed, but the HD DVD-ROM and Rewritable formats have been approved."

(pulling string sound)
SNAP!
you know it's Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · 2004-12-20 03:55 · Score: 2, Insightful

when the editor doesn't RTFA.