Three's company: Warner patents all-in-one hybrid disc

Most studios have already picked a side in the HD DVD / Blu-ray war, but for the few still contemplating a near suicidal attempt at a simultaneous DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray release, there's help on the way. A pair of Warner engineers have been working on a way to get all three formats to hold hands on a single disc, and have recently filed a patent to that effect. This is made possible by the fact that Blu-ray uses a 405nm laser to read its 0.1mm deep info layer, while HD DVD uses the same blue laser wavelength at the depth of 0.6mm. The hybrid disc works by making the Blu-ray layer act like a two way mirror, reflecting enough light for Blu-ray playback, but letting enough light through for HD DVD operation. As for DVD, that layer can be found on the flip side of the disc. Of course, the new format will cost more to produce than your standard next-gen disc, and we're not quite sure this isn't all madness to begin with, but we suppose we'll have to play the game if we don't want to end up buying every title in triplicate.

[Via New Scientist]

[Munchie @ Sep 18th 2006 10:32AM]

If they can keep the price down on these...sounds great. It would be a good insurance again either of the formats failing alltogether. I can only imagine this would also be a cost saving measure for Warner. It's probably allot cheaper for them to release one Disc compatible with all formats.

[Raider @ Sep 18th 2006 10:57AM]

I agree

[EmEhRKay @ Sep 18th 2006 10:36AM]

Stop trying to save these formats (hddvd/bluray) let them die

[oBLIQUE @ Sep 18th 2006 10:37AM]

great idea.

[MusashiX2 @ Sep 18th 2006 10:42AM]

so if this really is true, works fine, and isnt mad more expensive, then the end result of the next-gen format war is that nobody wins! yay, they all will be kissing their sisters!!

[Simon @ Sep 18th 2006 10:47AM]

A disc with two data sides and no lable will never make it.

[Magus @ Sep 18th 2006 10:50AM]

3 formats + some

[Deluxe @ Sep 18th 2006 10:50AM]

This is perfect, we can all co-exist in harmony. Now where's the hybrid PS3/XBOX360/WII console..?

[alphamale @ Sep 18th 2006 11:11AM]

PSWiiBOX?

[Magus @ Sep 18th 2006 10:50AM]

found a bug messege truncated woo!

[Magus @ Sep 18th 2006 10:53AM]

3 formats + some 'lovin' = horrible mutant babies
The should just let natural consumer selection dictate a winner. I cant imagine this leaves much room for redundancy or even a decent scratch resistant/protection layer. Not to even get into the cost or much else....

[Grodesh @ Sep 18th 2006 10:54AM]

The media shouldn't be what drives the prices (DVDs have never been cheaper that VHS even though they cost less to produce), but I wouldn't be surprised to see them asking a premium for theses discs.

[John Hinds @ Sep 18th 2006 10:55AM]

The only reason they want this is so they can sell you a disk for twice the price while only adding a fraction to the production costs.

[Deluxe @ Sep 18th 2006 10:55AM]

Simon, does the label really matter all that much? If it's in a case or a sleeve, the label is on that. Also, you can write text on the central ring around the core.

[Julian Weisser @ Sep 18th 2006 11:54AM]

The format war could potentially be over before it begins...

[DeShaun @ Sep 18th 2006 12:04PM]

If it's not of comparable price to BluRay or HDDVD movies, it's not going to fly. Of course, one would hope that cost effectiveness would be on their agenda. I mean, we don't want another Laser Disc on our hands.

[Seth @ Sep 18th 2006 12:54PM]

If the formats are so similar that they physically use the same laser but at a slightly different depth, then I think I might just wait until they come out with a hybrid player. If it's all down to the firmware, someone will make one, and make it cheap, someday.

I guess that's one of the few benefits to being a LATE adopter -- all the kinks will be worked out by the time I get around to purchasing HD stuff...

[Vyenpakakapaka @ Sep 18th 2006 1:14PM]

This sounds like a nifty idea, but....well, if Blu-Ray and HDDVD use the -same- laser at -different- depths, wouldn't the deeper laser be able to 'see' the data of both?

Or does the laser just pass on through like a mini-beam of death?

Obviously, since it -doesn't- work that way, this is the best alternative. I wouldn't even mind paying a little extra to get a three-fer-one. An extra five bucks, let's say, woudl be worth it being able to play in my laptop's DVD drive, my PS3, or, my friend's HD-DVD player - assuming you actually have all three devices and want to paly it in all three.

I thought it was silly they were uncompatable to begin with.

[Wonderboy @ Sep 18th 2006 1:25PM]

Wouldn't it be cheaper/easier to utilize the HD-DVD/Standard DVD hybrid on one side, then the Blu-Ray on the other side? The HD-DVD/S-DVD hybrid seems like it's already tested and good to go. Plus the HD-DVD and S-DVD are similar production lines and could more easily be put on the same production line with a shift in production to flip the disc and press the Blu-Ray.

I don't know, seems to me like they're trying to re-invent the wheel here. I like the idea, hybrid discs/players are a (relatively) perfect solution...but is Warner really approaching this from the correct angle?

A benefit no one's pointed out yet... buy the disc and you've got the ability to play the movie literally anywhere. On your own Blu-Ray, on your friend's HD-DVD, and on your parent's DVD player. Consumers want ultimate portability... here it is. (Especially if they can bundle an online download for portable devices.)

If it were me at the store looking at a $20 DVD, a $25 Blu-Ray, a $25 HD-DVD, and a $30 hybrid with all formats and a free download... I'd definitely pay the $30.

[graves82 @ Sep 18th 2006 2:29PM]

@alphamale

It's definitely PSWii60.

[@ Sep 18th 2006 2:54PM]

In some ways this is a really good idea, but in a sense it's yet again creating another format. Which could cause even more confusion, especially among those less technically inclined.

The Blu-ray vesus HD-DVD battle is one that has and will continue to hurt consumers in a number of ways, and I really don't see any way for this battle to come to an end until one of the fighters is dead.

[GioNYC @ Sep 18th 2006 3:08PM]

Ok big deal, Thats Warner, what about the rest of the film industry????

[christ @ Sep 18th 2006 4:36PM]

im sure there are some type of liscensing fees, royalties, whatever.. that are associated with the blue ray and hd-dvd. and dvd for that matter. which means that that one single disc will probably cost more just for that reason. plus the convenience of it all.

as for the person who said something about the hd-dvd/dvd hybrid, im sure that someone has a patient on that technology already, which means that warner brothers would have to pay another liscensing fee to use that. in stead, they've created their own system which in turn they can make money off of by liscensing it out to other companies.

[Steven Veneralle @ Sep 18th 2006 5:09PM]

I do have a feeling its going to cost allot more then five bucks

[Ectoplasm @ Sep 18th 2006 5:44PM]

This is an intriguing idea. Now you cut down the shelf space by having to carry three copies of the same movie, and simply just carry one that applies to all formats. Nice job Warner!

Thing is, I don't see Sony warming up to this anytime soon, as it would offer support to HD DVD.

Also, I have to wonder about licensing.

[ps @ Sep 18th 2006 6:05PM]

The really great thing about this, it that we can by the discs, enjoy the DVD versions and wait out the battle of the formats! Of course we will be able to enjoy the HiDef version at out AV fanatic's house until we decide which is right for us.

[SuicideNinja @ Sep 18th 2006 6:52PM]

That is a lot of cross royalties/licensing to pay.

DVD5/9 + HD-DVD layers on the same side makes sense, but forcing Blu-ray in there seems to be a waste of time. JVC made a Blu-ray-DVD hybrid a long time ago, so why don't you think they persued it? Why would a Blu-ray provider want to pay for the DVD name? They don't want to anymore, which is why most of the companies flocked to Blu-ray intially.

Consumers aren't Corporations. They will pick whichever format suits them best. While HD-DVD is probably the most consumer friendly at this point, I bet some other medium will step on both of their toes in the next 5 years.

[Oddmanout @ Sep 18th 2006 7:15PM]

"A disc with two data sides and no lable will never make it."

Well, as long as I've been buuing DVDs there have been movies released with standard pan&scan and widescreen on a single two sided disc. True, it's not mainstream, but they haven't flopped so bad that they stopped producing such discs.

"we suppose we'll have to play the game if we don't want to end up buying every title in triplicate."

Ok, here's what you do. Go out and find yourself a mayonaise jar (sans mayonaise). Starting this month, every payday you put $20 in this jar for the next three years. Three years from now you should have nearly $1500 dollars in that jar. Take that money and buy yourself a nice ~30" hi-def TV and a ~~~DVD player. ie a DVD player of whatever ilk wins this format war. In three years, the war will be over (very likely anyway), and the prices for both hi-def TVs and next gen DVD players will be down, and the available library for that format will be up in volume and down in price.

Oh yeah, and during those three years you can continue buying and viewing regular DVDs which work pretty well on the standard TVs 95% of us have...

Just one way of dealing with the so called "format war"...

[disciple83 @ Sep 18th 2006 7:57PM]

whatever, I just wonder whether or not I can get all these new movies in laser disc format, as I have never had a need to watch any new movies since "Street Fighter". That was quality entertainment, (include sarcastic overtones here).

[Des @ Sep 19th 2006 11:47AM]

True

[loki @ Sep 21st 2006 11:10AM]

I could see this format working out better for the rental shops, they're always limited by shelf space. For the consumer, you could have the disc to play on whatever you have at home and take it to a friends house and watch it on their setup too.

This is better news for BluRay than HD-DVD, they need all the help that they can get. Their media has not performed as well as HDDVD and the stand alone players are twice as much as a HDDVD. Yes I know the PS3 will bring that price down but given the reliability issues that people have with PS2 would you seriously want to shorten the life span of your DVD drive by watching movies on it?

[HOWARD @ Nov 11th 2006 6:33PM]

THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN INCLUDE AN SD DVD LAYER WITHOUT REDUCING THE QUALITY OF NORMAL DVD BY 50%!!!
STOP THIS HYBRID CANCER FROM DESTROYING SD DVD!!
SAY TO HYBRID!!
OTHERWISE SD DVD WILL HAVE 50% OF ITS QUALITY STOLEN AWAY!!

[HOWARD @ Nov 11th 2006 6:41PM]

As for you people who own and use SONY PLAYSTATIONS are you not aware that SONY PLAYSTATIONS are responsible for the largest
increase in the acquisition of the mineral coltan as a circuit board element. COLTAN is mined in the Congo by child miners, children captured by militia and put into slavery to dig out coltan and other minerals for the world's electronics brands. SONY is the single worst offender of all.