So, will these new hybrid discs play in today's DVD players? It'd be kind of pointless if they didn't, because there's no reason you couldn't store SD content on "HD media" (which is an absurd term, of course, but people are using it). It seems unlikely that such a beast could work in standard DVD players, though. Am I wrong?

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Mikuro wrote:
Am I wrong?

Yeah. All these new formats use blue lasers while current DVD players use red lasers. So they wouldn't work in today's machines.

The GOOD news is that the new machines are being designed to play TODAY's DVD discs. So although you will have to buy new players in the future, at least you won't have to replace all your DVDs. I can live with that.

"The tri-layer structure provides 25GB in HD, and 8.5 GB of SD information using both blue and red ray lasers."

Mikuro it sounds like you are right. The existing red laser players could theoretically access the SD version while blue laser players could access the HD version. In theory.

"blu ray" The only one Blu Ray Disc (BRD/BR ROM)
hd dvd/AOD - a blue ray disc Format.
"blue ray" could mean HD-DVD or Blu Ray.
blu ray disc is a HD Format, but it has nothing to to with "HD DVD"

a hddvd/DVD combo could only handle 1 DVD-Layer ! mention it!
greetings from germany

From Steve's MW Keynote comment it looks like Apple is betting on Blue-ray.

Guest next time you are going to make such a statement, please be sure you have some idea of what you are talking about:

Blu Ray is the Sony developed disc format. It has nothing to do with HD or any specific video format. It is a low level technology that simply deals with how digital data is stored on and read from an optical disc. That data could be anything from computer files to movies. It uses a blue laser.

HD-DVD is a video disc format. It is based on the standard DVD discs that we have today only instead of MPEG2, the video is formatted in one of a handful of approved codecs. By using newer and more advanced compression technology, HD-DVD squeezes HD video into the same space that SD takes up with MPEG2.

Because HD-DVD uses existing DVD discs, it has limited storage capacity. It's advantage is that it does not require new types of discs or lasers meaning existing equipment can be inexpensively converted to the new standard.

Blu-Ray on the other hand is a completely new technology so it boasts significantly higher storage capabilities. The downside here is the cost associated with replacing existing manfacturing and playback equipment with completely new systems.

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Anonymous wrote:
From Steve's MW Keynote comment it looks like Apple is betting on Blue-ray.

I think "betting" is too strong a word. "Hoping," maybe, but it looks like Apple is going to wait and see who wins this war before they actually commit to anything.

That's a good plan, it will probably be the Hollywood studios who make up their minds on this one, not computer makers. Whatever they go with, the computers will follow.

Right now it's kind of split both ways. They've all commited to one or the other, but I'm sure that will change. I'm guessing that one studio will put a lot of discs out first and then someone else from the other side will switch or something...who knows. The point is that Apple's just playing the waiting-game on this one...just like the rest of us.

Guest next time you are going to make such a statement, please be sure you have some idea of what you are talking about:


Biff, nothing that Guest said was actually wrong, Guest was just pointing out potential confusion between "blue ray" technology and "Blu Ray" brand name.

HD-DVD squeezes HD video into the same space that SD takes up with MPEG2. Because HD-DVD uses existing DVD discs, it has limited storage capacity.

This however is all wrong. HD-DVD does use blue lasers and holds 15 - 30 Gig of uncompressed data. Not as much data as Blu-Ray, but apparently both discs and players are expected to be cheaper to manufacture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD-DVD

Well I'll be!

I don't understand. Is that German?

If being able to get almost 60 out of their next disc version and still be able to use both formatts would be very interesting.

The possible software and hardware possibilities this could present would be twice as interesting in itself.

Hopefully HD-DVD stays in alittle longer and Blue-Ray as well.