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1. Comment - Unified Next-Gen DVD Format Unlikely

   (May 31, 2005 - 9:10 PM)

   I haven't heard back on the email I sent or seen you correct your error in the above article. I'll repost me email here:
   
   ----------------------------------
   Your article is a little misleading as to how that backward
   compatibility works. As far as I understand it a HD-DVD disc that
   doesn't have a special DVD layer physically cannot be read by a DVD
   player. The laser used to read HD-DVD is in the blue spectrum & the
   laser used in DVD players is red. The physical differences in
   wavelengths would make it impossible for a red laser to read a blue
   laser disc, thus the need for new players. Otherwise HD-DVD would
   have no need to add on a DVD layer, & they alread had announcement
   about that technology. The native format for both HD-DVD & Blu-ray is
   dual layer of their own standards. HD-DVD is losing a HD-DVD layer &
   replacing it with a DVD layer.
   
   Quote: "Memory-Tech will start mass production late next year of
   read-only discs that can contain data stored in both DVD and HD-DVDs
   (High Definition/High Density-DVDs) layers, a company executive says."
   
   Quote: "The discs contain two layers, an upper DVD layer with a
   capacity of 4.7GB and a lower HD-DVD layer with a15GB capacity, says
   Masato Otsuka, general manager of Memory-Tech's engineering
   department."
   
   These quotes are from the PCWorld article you reference in your
   previous article.
   
   http://www.pcworld.com/n...cle/0,aid,118869,00.asp
   
   This announcement refers to a transitional combination of the DVD &
   HD-DVD formats. 1 layer is DVD & the other is HD-DVD.
   
   JVC did the same with Blu-ray a few weeks later, December 24, 2004.
   
   http://www.jvc-victor.co.../press/2004/bd-dvd.html
   
   Quote: "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 (Fig. 1). 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, blue laser read the outer
   BD layer, while red laser read the inner DVD dual layer during DVD
   reproduction"
   
   Quote: "Users that do not have a Blu-ray disc player can view the
   video content at standard definition using their current DVD player,
   and enjoy the same content at high definition resolution when
   upgrading to a Blu-ray disc player in the future."
   
   Quote: "The company is also working on a Blu-ray/ DVD combo ROM disc
   with an even larger 58.5GB storage capacity. The proposed disc will be
   comprised of a 50GB Blu-ray dual layer and 8.5GB DVD dual layer
   structure."
   
   NEITHER format can be read by DVD players in its native form (blue
   laser layers). BOTH need a special DVD layer(s) in order to do so.
   As you can see from these links & quotes, your statement that "Toshiba
   is the creator of the HD-DVD disc, which it has touted as the superior
   of the two formats for its backward compatibility", is erroneous. If
   anything, backward compatibility is worse on HD-DVD as it only
   supports 1 DVD layer. Blu-ray on the other hand can handle dual
   layers of DVD content.
   
   Thank you.
   
   - DaVinci42
   
   P.S. If you are curious, I initially supported the HD-DVD standard.
   But after finding out that it isn't a purely Sony standard (unlike
   memory sticks & beta max), my research showed the technical
   superiority of Blu-ray. The ONLY advantage HD-DVD still has is that
   initial production costs will be lower because of the ease with which
   DVD production lines can be retrofitted.

2. Comment - Unified Next-Gen DVD Format Unlikely

   (May 27, 2005 - 3:01 PM)

   You people aren't listening. NEITHER format will natively play in a DVD player. BOTH machines will play regular DVDs. So there is no need for a second player.
   
   HD-DVD can add a single DVD layer to play in a DVD drive.
   
   Blu-ray can add dual DVD layers too play in a DVD drive.