Hybrid Blu-Ray / DVD Disc Announced

[soumya]

Great news for those who have both Blu-ray and DVDs in the house; Infinity Storage Media has released the first hybrid Blu-ray and DVD disc in Japan.

The new media has a total storage capacity of 33.5GB and is compatible with existing DVD and Blu-ray players. The biggest advantage of the new media is backward compatibility - you can play it on your DVD or Blu-ray player.
How does it work?

Based on JVC's 2004 Blu-ray/DVD combo disc technology, Infinity has layered one format on top of the other on the same side of the disc, making it possible for the lasers to penetrate to the desired depth and read the required information.



The Blu-ray makes up the top layer (25GB) with two more layers beneath that make up the DVD layers (8.5GB). Separated by a semi reflective film, the blue laser accesses the top layer and bounces off the DVD layers, while the red laser penetrate the various layers to get to the DVD information underneath.

The company claims that it has achieved compatibility with 99 percent of tests made on 64 Blu-ray and DVD players and conforms to the Blu-ray Disc specifications released by the Blu-ray Disc Association.

As we mentioned earlier, technically, this is not new. In 2004, JVC released a prototype, but ISM is the first company to take the disc to production, and hopefully to the masses. The only disadvantage? Currently it's only available in Japan, and no release date has been set for the United States.

Source

P.S. Does this mean that my XBOX 360 will play blu ray discs in the future?

[plsoft]

However, the first hybrid releases will be quite expensive. Pony/Canyon said that the fist movie package to be released in February would include a set of four hybrid discs (MPEG-4 AVC, Dolby Digital, 534 minutes in total) that will cost around 36,540 Yen ($406), while the DVD version (7 DVD discs, 534 minutes, Dolby Digital) will retail for 23,940 Yen ($266).

Source
Agreed lots of titles included in one disc, but look at the price . Having said that, i do wish it becomes as popular as dvds & that the prices come down in a short period.

[JojoTheDragon]

The price is shocking although the improvement is gr8.