JVC To Mass-Produce DVD-Blu-ray Hybrid Disc By '07 December 23, 2004 12:00am Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun America, Inc. Nikkei English News: TOKYO (Nikkei)--Victor Co.=20 of Japan, or JVC, has developed technology that=20 makes it possible to fit a two-hour movie in both=20 current DVD and Blu-ray Disc next-generation DVD=20 formats on a single optical disc. This puts Blu-ray on a par with the rival HD-DVD=20 standard, whose main backer Toshiba Corp. and=20 others have already developed a disc capable of=20 storing video in both conventional DVD and HD-DVD=20 formats. JVC aims to begin mass-producing the hybrid disc=20 in 2006 or 2007, when next-generation DVD=20 products are expected to start making sizable=20 inroads into ordinary homes. It plans to pitch=20 the disc to Hollywood movie studios, promoting=20 the fact that they can produce just one version=20 of a DVD title with content in two different=20 formats. JVC intends to officially recommend by next=20 spring for the Blu-ray Disc standard promotion=20 body to endorse its technology. Since the new disc is said to be 20-30% more=20 expensive to make than discs for the Blu-ray=20 standard, lowering the cost will be the biggest=20 immediate challenge. The new disc has three recording layers. The=20 first two layers are used to record video in the=20 current DVD format. The third stores=20 high-definition video in Blu-ray format. The first of the next-generation DVD software and=20 hardware are expected to hit stores in the latter=20 half of 2005. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Thursday edition) .end=20 (paragraph)<<Nikkei English News -- 12/22/04>> << Copyright =A92004 Nihon Keizai Shimbun America, Inc. >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.