The new disc is an advance on Toshiba's current DVD TWIN format, which supports both DVD and HD DVD storage types. The three-layer discs will allow for either two HD-DVD layers and one DVD layer, two DVD layers and one HD DVD, or one dual-layer DVD and one HD DVD layer.
Toshiba say the TWIN format was created so that consumers could have both the standard definition and high-definition versions of a movie on a single disc, so videos can be played on DVD and HD DVD players. This also means film makers and producers can put two editions of the same film (SD and HD) on the same disc without worrying about reaching capacity.
The TWIN format has yet to be widely accepted, although some companies have adopted it, such as Japanese visual entertainment company Pony Canyon. "We have been releasing TWIN Format titles since April," said Pony Canyon's general manager Hideki Oyagi. "We are getting positive feedback from the market, and our TWIN Format titles are selling better than anticipated."
The slow growth of the TWIN format is likely to be because HD DVD itself has yet to be consumed on a large scale.
Sources:
- tomshardware
- The Register
Written by: Ben Reid @ 12 Sep 2006 2:15
