Victor Company of Japan (JVC) says it has developed the prototype for a read-only disc that can hold both DVD and Blu-ray-formatted data, the first known disc able to hold both formats, the company announced over the Christmas weekend.
"The new Blu-ray/ DVD combo ROM disc has a one-side readout, triple layer structure comprised of an outside Blu-ray disc (BD) layer and inner DVD dual layer," JVC said in their announcement. "The outer BD layer is capable of storing high definition video signals up to a capacity of 25GB. The inner DVD dual layer can store up to 8.5GB of standard definition video signals.
"During Blu-ray reproduction, a blue laser reads the outer BD layer, while a red laser reads the inner DVD dual layer during DVD reproduction," the company continued. "The triple layer structure was made possible by the development of a high-performance reflective film that reflects the blue laser used for Blu-ray reproduction, but is transparent to the red laser used in DVD reproduction. The proprietary technology builds upon JVC's past developments in the field of disc processing technology."
JVC announced their prototype just weeks after Memory-Tech announced a prototype disc that could hold data formatted in both DVD and Blu-ray's high-definition rival, HD-DVD. The Memory-Tech disc's DVD layer can hold 4.7GB while its HD-DVD layer can hold 15GB. Memory-Tech said they expect to put their disc into mass production in late 2005, while JVC has yet to decide or announce when the DVD/Blu-ray disc will enter commercial production.
But both companies say their double-format discs can help Hollywood and other content providers make an easier transition to new optical disc technologies aiming to supplant standard DVDs with high-definition content storage.
Fifteen major electronics and technology companies – including developers Sony and Matsushita – back Blu-ray, with JVC the Blu-ray Disc Association in October.
Competition between the rival high-definition formats ramped up earlier this season when the Disney Company and its Buena Vista home entertainment division came out in support of Blu-ray, while Sony bought one of the most valuable properties in Hollywood history – MGM and its vast and legendary back catalog of films. But Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and New Line Cinema have endorsed HD-DVD for their next-generation DVD releases.
JVC, however, is looking to ramp up Blu-ray's acceptance and future presence a little further as well. The company said their Blu-ray/DVD combination "creates new possibilities for future software releases," and that they're working on a combination disc giving even larger storage, a projected 8.5GB for standard DVD format and 50GB for Blu-ray format.
The company said they'd bring the Blu-ray Disc Association a proposal to have the dual-layer technology accepted as a specification for future commercial production, though they didn't say just when they might deliver the proposal.
