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Here's a solution to the endless bickering between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD proponents - and which will promote calls of "Blasphemy!" from the die-hards of both camps. Why not two formats on a single disc?
"Impossible!" "Scandalous!" "Betrayal!"... We've had the previous story about Warner engineers proposing that the competing formats be printed on a single disc. Now, UK-based New Medium Enterprises says that they have finally cracked one of the final obstacles to that proposal, and that their technology now makes such multi-format CDs affordable.
Previously, such techniques meant low yields, meaning that in a given batch of multi-layered multi-format DVDs, the majority would not work at all, which translates to higher costs per working disc. The new NME technology allows the manufacture of multi-format discs for only nine cents a disc, compared to six cents for a standard single-format/layer DVD. By putting two formats of the same film together in the same disc, movie studios can save on manufacturing costs, and consumers will not have to worry too much about compatibility between the DVD and their player (HD-DVD or Blu-Ray). This format may not be as cheap as iTunes, but in our opinion, it eases all that heated debate between the competing formats and makes the next-gen optical media and their players a little more attractive to consumers.
Warner, in the meantime, doesn't see any competition between them and NME. According to NME's chief tech officer Eugene Levich, Warner patented the application, while NME is patenting the technology for the application.
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