Hybrid DVD Media for Blu-Ray and HD DVD

Inventors have come up with a design for a disc that can store copies of films in rival high-definition formats. A US patent has been filed for the discs that could hold both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray versions of movies.

Currently movie makers and technology companies are dividing into camps that back either one or the other of the two formats. The creation of the discs could end the looming battle over the different high-definition formats.

The engineers behind the idea reportedly work for the Warner Brothers movie studio.

BBC - Double Disc Might End Hi-Def War

Both Blu-ray and HD DVD use blue lasers to read data from the media, however, the data layer of the Blu-ray discs is 0.1mm from surface while HD-DVD data resides 0.6mm deep. Warner researchers hope to overcome this by using special mirrors to allow the lenses to focus on each as necessary.

However, despite the technological advances, the company may run into licensing problems. Backers of BluRay and HD-DVD are so competitive that they may not allow licensing for a universal player, experts contend.

International Business Times - Warner Bros Patent Hybrid DVD Media