New lasers from Ricoh read both HD DVD and Blu-ray

We've been tempering our enthusiasm about the possibility of next-gen hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray player -- mostly because of Samsung and their fear of commitment -- but Ricoh's new lasers have got us feeling a little more optimistic. Using a 1mm thick diffraction plate with concentric grooves on each side, the new lasers can recognize what kind of disc you've inserted into a drive (be it CD, DVD, HD DVD or BD) and adjust the beam to play it. The ability to write data is further off because of the extra fire power necessary to make up for light lost to diffraction, but until the price of blank media comes down, we won't be worrying about that too much anyway. Ricoh is hoping to start supplying manufacturers with these by the end of this year, so barring any legal and or licensing nonsense, Samsung (or others) could actually make good on their original plan to be the "world's first" to market with a hybrid player by early 2007. We won't be holding our breath, though, not on this one.

[Via HDBeat, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Craig @ Jul 9th 2006 5:39PM]

Finally there is hope for the consumer!!!

[Andy @ Jul 9th 2006 5:46PM]

Hope for the consumer? HAHAHAHA!

Seriously though, just as big oil bought up the super efficient engine invented some odd 25 years ago, big business will not let this slip through their grasp. I give it 3-5 years of this format war BS before a multiformat player is oh so benevolently released by our kind tech overlords, er I mean, tech companies...

[Rivendale286 @ Jul 9th 2006 6:16PM]

Yeah, I've always thought this is what would happen in the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD War. Just as DVD-R and +R had a slight battle a few years back, and now every burner can write to both... In 5 years it'll be called a blank Hi Def DVD, and noone will care whether it's HDDVD or Blu-Ray...

[Z @ Jul 9th 2006 6:23PM]

And even if players like these are released, who cares?

When it comes to movies, who wants to mess with two formats? People just want ONE format. A cassette was a cassette. A CD is a CD. A DVD is a DVD. Likewise, a HiDef DVD should just be a HiDef DVD.

Combo players are OK, but it still won't eliminate confusion from the minds of consumers as to which version of HiDef DVD they should buy.

There needs to be only ONE format. Combo players will only be like bandaids for a wound that needs a cast.

[Dorian @ Jul 9th 2006 6:53PM]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but neither Blu-ray consortium nor the HD-DVD folks will licence their formats if they support the other format.

Remember, making a drive that supports one or other format requires licencing and royality fees for each respective format. DVD requires 5% for the 6C linceene and Blu-ray requires something similar.

Maybe be crap, but its the truth. People trash on MemoryStick, but SD is a format controlled by Matsushita/Toshiba/Sandisk. DVD is controlled by the 6C (including Toshiba), there are very few, if any, open formats left.

[n2 @ Jul 9th 2006 7:47PM]

This is unfortunately what you need when you have two companies that cannot collaborate on a single format, and you divide movies studios in supporting one over the other.

[Will @ Jul 9th 2006 9:50PM]

Its not impossible LG and RCA both support these two formats, therotically these two companys can produce either players, no one said they can't produce a combo player, its just they can't get both formats on to one system, or they can produce a dual format player, but why whould tehy want to do that? They can make more money from releasing them separately, as two different products.
Ricoh can pay to have their product licensed if they wanted. Most people act as if these company won't sell there products licenses, everything has a price in business.

[Special_K @ Jul 9th 2006 10:34PM]

I believe we should take this moment to made a small prayer to the god Ricoh:

Uoummm, kou-tou
Uoummm, kou-tou
Shalamu-kota
Uhmmmmmmmmmmm....

[Chris McDowell @ Jul 9th 2006 11:24PM]

HD DVD and BluRay are both dead. I dont see why downloadable content has not gone mainstream yet. Look at Direct to drive where you can download entire games onto your computer after being purchased. Why not do this with movies and get rid of the stupid containter that they are on. Streaming content from a server is the way to go. I have all my dvd's backed up onto a server where they stream across onto a media centerish device pick a movie from anywhere in the house and not have to worry about a disk.

[Will @ Jul 10th 2006 1:04AM]

You guys misunderstand these formats. I have a VPL-VW100 1080p projector at home, and trust me, DVDs look like crap on it when its stretched on a 119' screen. Its pixelated, and blurry. Also these formats can replace 35mm film used in theaters (I doubt it though, saves money for the production company cost a fotune for theaters. But I agree with kevfla_com, companys are already working on 1TB disc. They might as well put an HD-DVD layer on top of a BD layer, put it on a piece of plasic and call it a disc.

[KultiVator @ Jul 10th 2006 5:24AM]

Funny how Ricoh have pioneered so many technologies (world's first rewritable CD, the DVD+RW standard, some of the compression technologies used in JPEG 2000, eCabinet, etc, etc) yet are not such a well known name as many other less dynamic tech companies.

Ricoh's new GR digital camera also looks really nice.


KultiVator

[Ray Morris @ Jul 10th 2006 5:27AM]

"DVDs look like crap on it when its stretched on a 119' screen"

Maybe you better check your (upconversion?)DVD Player or projector settings. Our screen is 12' or 144 inches and we get a beautiful picture from standard DVDs. Many people ask if we are playing the new HD-DVDs.
Another reason HD-DVD or Blu-Ray are a waiste!

[James @ Jul 10th 2006 9:12AM]

Avoiding the problem by making something support both isn't all a good thing. It's a great idea in a sense that hey, a cool movie came out for HD-DVD, but not BR, man I can't play it on my BR player, or vice-versa. But I definately wouldn't pay the different to have both in 1 shot. Unless of course it's under $200, and all the DVD's drop below $15....

Oh sorry, was daydreaming what it'd be like in 5 years when BR vs. HD-DVD is still going on... *sigh*

[jim @ Jul 10th 2006 9:50AM]

I'm stoked about the news. Frankly I doubt either format will win the war. I think the consumer wants better quality DVDs with better sound and more features but they are also concerned about the titles - they don't want to get into a battle about which is better - saving .50 cents on a $20 disc because it is HD DVD or paying a tad more for more space for features and sound. What they care about is - hey that is a movie I want.

Both camps stand to make more money if they just license the technology for both formats. They get their pound of flesh selling to a dual format producing company and they make the money because the consumer will actually buy the new format because now they don't have to buy two players or decide which camp has more titles they actually want.

[Wonderboy @ Jul 10th 2006 12:46PM]

I'm surprised people actually think downloadable movies will kill BD and HD-DVD... If that's the case maybe we should watch for the obliteration of cd sales due to futuristic downloadable music... oh wait, we've already got music downloads... And even though cd sales have dropped a little, they're still doing pretty dang well (certainly haven't been "killed" by downloads).

So until a downloaded movie can be taken with me on vacation, to my friends, and put on my ipod instead of just being part of my home theater... I'll be buying the disc.

[glitchy @ Jul 10th 2006 5:43PM]

In my opinion, they are both going the way of the laserdisc. Sure it was around for a while but we found something cheaper and better. Give it a few years.

[Dexter @ Jul 17th 2006 1:06PM]

Look how about three eye reader(cd&dvd/hidef/TBA) with software upgrade!
OEM can make one unit, supply support for the customer that bought their product(pc/bios style).
Let the movie giants fight and let the box makers build a customer base.
Consumer do need to pull back the $$ to bid recognition!

Dreamer with credit limit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Robert @ Aug 16th 2006 1:18PM]

Why is this supposed format war even a concern to the consumer? Unless you actually plan to watch the extra 30-40 gigs worth of crap the studio is going to put on the discs in addition to the movie! DVD's are just fine the way they are and for my money they will stay that way. I don't watch the extra's they put on DVD's as it is! Keep on suckin up to em you peon's!

[Matt @ Dec 21st 2006 5:27PM]

Sounds like the ol' VHS vs. BetaMAX wars in the 70's and 80's. Wonder if the worse of the two will win this time also?