Infinity, the Japanese-based disc producer, has annouced that it will be bringing Blu-ray/DVD combo discs to the market, and that the boxset for the TV series Code Blue will be the first video to use the combo disc.
The disc will only be a single layer Blu-ray on one side and a dual layer DVD on the other, but the company says a full BD-50 dual layer on one side is possible.
Before its demise earlier this year, a good amount of HD DVD discs were combo discs as an effort to spur interest in the format and in HD in general.
The Infinity BD/DVD Hybrid discs will begin shipping in mid-February, and the 11-episode Blu-ray boxset will retail for the equivalent of $408 USD.
Result for: dual layer
Sharp has introduced two new LCD HDTVs to the North American market, each of which has built-in Blu-ray burners and a second slot for playback of CDs and DVDs.
Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America president, Mike Troett added that the “32-inch set features 720p resolution and a 7,000:1 contrast ratio, while the 42-inch set has a 120Hz panel with 1080p resolution and 15,000:1 contrast ratio. The new AQUOS DX-series HDTVs are meant to appeal to people who want or need a clutter-free appearance, minimizing the amount of hardware, or want a clean-looking, wall-mount installation.”
The Japanese models of the TVs, which were released in October, have built-in dual digital HD tuners which allow users to watch a program in HD while recording a second program to Blu-ray.
Sharp added that using H.264 encoding with high bitrate would allow for 21 hours of TV to be recorded to a dual layer BD-50.
Prices have not been announced but it is estimated the larger model will retail for $1899 USD
Result for: dual layer
Buffalo Technology has introduced its first ever external optical disc drive, a dual format HD drive dubbed the BRHC-6316U2.
The drive can read and write single or dual layer Blu-ray discs at an impressive 6x speed and can read HD DVD at 3x. As is standard, the drive can read and write DVDs at 16x.
Buffalo adds that the drive is very simple to use and connects via USB to any PC using a plug and play connection. Included with the drive is Buffalo’s own TurboUSB with Secure Lock Ware for drive encryption and the popular burning suite Nero 8 .
The company says the drive will be available for sale on Amazon, Dabs.com, Misco and Play.com for about £284 plus VAT.
