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DV Dailies - JVC Develops New Blue-ray/DVD Combo Disc With 33.5 GB Of Storage
by , 10:45 AM EST, January 28th, 2005
JVC has announced new ROM based media capable of storage capacity up to 33.5 GB. The three layered, Blue-ray/DVD combo, features a Blue-ray outside layer for HD signal storage, and a dual-layer standard definition layer beneath. The tri-layer structure provides 25GB in HD, and 8.5 GB of SD information using both blue and red ray lasers.
According to JVC, the advantage of this type of media is that it allows users the ability to purchase a movie with HD playback on an HD television monitor, or playback on a standard television in SD quality. The media effectively covers both display methods in one complete disc. JVC is also currently developing a disc that is both dual layered Blue-ray and dual layered DVD for storage sizes up to 58.5 GB.
You can read find out more about the new combo media at the JVC site.
The Mac Observer Spin:
This is a neat development from JVC to consumers, but will no doubt help continue to confuse the public as the great format war continues. While JVC has obviously adopted the Blue-ray technology for future DVD media and players, there still remains to be seen, a disc that is capable of both Blue-ray and HD DVD support. That disc will be of the most help to consumers when the new players hit the market, and consumers are forced to decide which format they will adopt.
Observer Comments
Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:10 pm Subject: Current DVD players
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?
QuoteMikuro 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.
Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:13 pm Subject: Ironic message subject
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.
Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:14 pm Subject: Re: MW Keynote
QuoteAnonymous 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.
Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:10 pm Subject: Corrections of the corrections.
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
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