HD DVD & Blu-ray News

Ricoh Develops Laser for HD DVD and Blu-ray

By Barry Levine

"This type of device should alleviate much of the hesitancy many potential buyers are feeling today as they consider the purchase of next-generation optical storage players," said Gartner analyst Todd Kort. "But [movie studios] do not want to support two formats."

Undecided about whether to go for an HD DVD drive or Blu-ray player? If so, Ricoh has taken the first step toward solving your dilemma. The company has announced the development of a laser that is capable of detecting and reading both next-gen optical formats, as well as standard DVDs and CDs.

Ricoh is expected to begin supplying the laser to manufacturers by the end of the year for the production of multiformat drives. There have been reports that Samsung was intending to release a hybrid machine by early 2007, but the company has recently issued statements denying such plans.

A drive capable of reading Blu-ray and HD DVD media apparently will take some sophisticated engineering to pull off. Both formats actually use blue lasers, but the lasers must operate at different distances from the media and use different wavelengths.

Ricoh is scheduled to show off its new laser later this week in Japan at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition '06.

Paul O'Donovan, a Gartner analyst, said there will be some dual-format players coming out from several companies not affiliated with either Toshiba's HD DVD camp or Sony's Blu-ray group. This trend, he said, will help drive down prices.

"Eventually, the cost of any dual-format player, with volume, will probably be somewhere between the cost of an HD DVD player and a Blu-ray player," he said.

"This type of device should alleviate much of the hesitancy many potential buyers are feeling today as they consider the purchase of next-generation optical storage players," said Gartner analyst Todd Kort. "But [studios] do not want to support two formats."

The HD DVD format is backed by Toshiba, Microsoft, Universal, and others, while the Blu-ray format is backed by Sony, Samsung, Phillips, Panasonic, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, and others. Warner and Paramount are backing both formats.

While a few players and titles have been released for each format, consumers appear to be taking a "wait and see" attitude before making a decision about which to buy.

In November, Sony's next-generation gaming console, PlayStation 3, will be released with Blu-ray as a standard feature. Some observers believe the PlayStation 3 could change the dynamic and help Sony win out in the end.