LG has already attempted to bridge the gap between Blu-ray and HD DVD with its BH100 Super Multi Blue Player that plays both formats. Now the Warner Bros studio has chosen CES to debut its Total HD Disc, which has HD DVD on one side and Blu-ray on the other.
The announcement was made at a presentation hosted by Warner Bros. Entertainment Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer here in Las Vegas. The discs will be available in the latter half of 2007.
The physical structure of the disc is 1.2 mm the same as DVDs, HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. The Total Hi Def disc has the ability to contain both single layer and dual layers for both formats - that's 15 GB or 30 GB on the HD DVD side and 25 GB or 50 GB on the Blu-ray side.
"Warner Bros. has a history of embracing and promoting new technologies, from producing the first sound movies to being early pioneers in 1950s television to the creation and proliferation of DVDs," said Meyer. "We understand the benefits to our business - and to consumers - that technology affords us."
Warner is attempting to dissolve the slow consumer adoption of HD technology due to the choice between formats. Consumers don't know which format their favourite film will be in, for example,
Sony Pictures has slated 007 flick Casino Royale for a March Blu-ray release, for example, but as Sony are a Blu-ray supporting studio, availability in HD DVD is unlikely.
"The Total Hi Def disc is about giving consumers complete choice," said Kevin Tsujihara, President of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
