First dual laser HD-DVD drive using a single optical lense.

PC-Engine

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http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/0312/1801.html

Tokyo, December 18, 2003, NEC Corporation today announced development of technology capable of recording and playing back both current DVDs and next generation DVDs (HD DVD - High Definition & High Density DVD) with a single optical head, and its success in creating a compatible drive based on this technology.

With the spread of high-resolution digital images, big-screen displays, and the start of terrestrial digital TV broadcasting it is anticipated that the need for integration of high-resolution content into DVDs in the home and PCs will grow. As current DVD software has spread rapidly the need for compatibility with current DVDs is an important consideration factor. To date challenges have included the need for two optical heads to develop a device that can play/record both current and next generation DVDs. Success in creating a device with a single optical head enables production of smaller and thinner HD DVDs at a lower cost.

Through this research NEC has realized a HD DVD device with a single optical head that is the same size as current DVDs but which achieves 4 times the storage capacity of current DVDs. It is expected that this will enable smooth transition from current DVDs to HD DVDs.

Development was enabled by the following technology:

1. Compatible head technology developed by using two lasers, the blue laser diode and the red laser diode, as the light source, thus enabling both current DVD and HD DVD discs to be played on a single objective lens.
2. Realization of system operation by overcoming the physical format difference between DVD and HD DVD with functional compatibility by developing large scale LSI.
3. On-going development of playback signal processing technology.
4. Realization of system operation by utilizing current DVD drive system functions.

Background
NEC and Toshiba have proposed jointly developed next-generation large-capacity DVD (HD DVD) technology, which has blue laser diodes (LDs) as its light source, as the next-generation DVD format to the DVD Forum. Two HD DVD format specifications are currently being promoted for standardization. One is the ROM (read-only-memory) disc with 15GB of storage capacity on a single layer and 30GB on dual layers and the other is the rewritable disc with 20GB of storage capacity. In November, the DVD Forum's steering committee approved the proposed HD DVD-ROM format in version 0.9.

Features of the HD DVD include:

(1) The ability to respond to the Contents-Media industry by sharing manufacturing infrastructure for current DVDs, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
(2) Realization of a compatibility function enabling the playback of current DVDs.
(3) A cartridge-less disc structure the same as the current DVD, thus making it possible to realize a thin drive suitable for mounting on notebook PCs and adaptable to various optical discs.
(4) Realization of dual-layer large-capacity discs with the same 0.6 mm disc bonded structure as current DVDs, which are considered to be the best format for users, disc manufacturers, contents makers and drive makers.

Expecting that this technology will improve HD DVD significantly, NEC plans to further advance its technology to promote product development. NEC will display the above accomplishments at the International Consumer Electronics Show (2004 International CES) from January 8 to 11, 2004 in Las Vegas, U.S.A.
 
How much is it? Why is it in the Console board anyway? How much is it? ;)

Oh, and most importantly, why should i care, since no HD-DVD material is going to be released before 2789 AD? :D
 
PC-Engine said:
Same reason why Blu-ray was/is in the console board... :idea:


errrmm Blue Ray was here because it was rumored to be in PS3, and especially because it's a new standard that could hold much more information than normal DVDs, not only for videos but especially for games, hence Console related. That has a reason of being here because it's not exclusively about HD-DVD video playback, such as this thing is.
Unless i missed something. Wasn't really following the whole BR VS AOD fanboism so....

How much is it?
 
PC-Engine said:
Same reason why Blu-ray was/is in the console board... :idea:
The BR specualation was connected to PS3. Your thread fail to deliver a relation to consoles. How about adding something like this "First dual laser HD-DVD drive using a single optical lense. Will it be used for future console platforms?"
 
ChryZ said:
PC-Engine said:
Same reason why Blu-ray was/is in the console board... :idea:
The BR specualation was connected to PS3. Your thread fail to deliver a relation to consoles. How about adding something like this "First dual laser HD-DVD drive using a single optical lense. Will it be used for future console platforms?"

Sounds good to me...

I think it was pretty obvious that if BR is a possibility for PS3 then this could be a possibility for Xenon or even N5. The press release talks about making slimmer cheaper drives which will eventually be used in PCs and if it's good enough for PCs then it's good enough for consoles.
 
london-boy_

> errrmm Blue Ray was here because it was rumored to be in PS3

A rumor started by the fan community like so many other PS3 rumors.

> That has a reason of being here because it's not exclusively about
> HD-DVD video playback

HD-DVD isn't solely for video content either,
 
cybamerc said:
A rumor started by the fan community like so many other PS3 rumors.

Posted for the 200th time:

[url=http://www.tokyopia.com/articles.asp?articlesid=10 said:
Sony Dream World 2002: Blu-Ray disc to be in PS3?[/url]]
The technology is fantastic. The useability and feature set extensive. And it records. Are we going to see this in PS3? The Sony R+D manager at the booth indicated that it was the front runner internally.
 
cybamerc said:
A rumor started by the fan community like so many other PS3 rumors

Where it came from doesn't matter, the fact is that at least it was linked to PS3, this isn't even rumoured to be linked to anything outside the PC world... Unless PC-Engine's idea counts as rumour.

Anyway, back to topic,

(For the 7th time) HOW MUCH IS THIS THING? WHAT'S SO GOOD ABOUT IT?

Thanks :D
 
Vince:

Sony fans were speculating about the possibility of BRD in PS3 long before that article.

Anyway, if BRD is relevant to this board so is HD-DVD if for no other reason than being a competitor.
 
Strange, I would have connected this with the NES5...

But well, yes it could be used in a next gen console, question is, do devs really need that much room ?
At least it won't be easy to pirate that in a while.

8cm HD DVD for NES5 anyone :)
 
I guess they don't really NEED it as much as they need loads of RAM in a console, Still i remember Faf being of the opinion that "if it's there, we'll find something to put on it" kind of thing...

Also, somewhere around here, some people were saying that in some cases, DVD are already beginning to feel "tight" for some games, where sometimes the same data is duplicated over different areas of the disc... So i guess the more the better, by 2006 this (or Blue Ray) should be affordable enough to be put in a console i guess.
 
What's with all the OT hostility and people that think its thier call to make? Next generation optical mediums are obviously related to next generation console speculation. Untwist your panties already.
 
I agree with gurgi. Based on the kind of speculation that goes on in this forum, this seems fair game to be included.

So is this NEC drive read only. No record ability?
 
It should be read only for HD-DVD, a combo HD-DVD reader, DVD/CD writer.

I'd like to see 8cm HD-DVD media being used on the next gen consoles and have packages like the current Japanese GameCube games. Elegant and space friendly.
 
The thing is, if Nintendo includes DVD-writing features in their next gen console (skeptical about it) but they use 8cm proprietary discs, what would be the point in that? i mean they would only work on N5's, and not normal DVD players... Or am i missing something as usual ;) ?
 
Unless they include different copy protection mehanisms that make it unreadable in those other players, there should be no problem.
 
london-boy said:
The thing is, if Nintendo includes DVD-writing features in their next gen console (skeptical about it) but they use 8cm proprietary discs, what would be the point in that? i mean they would only work on N5's, and not normal DVD players... Or am i missing something as usual ;) ?

The first sentense was for kaching's post.

The 2nd sentense was what I want. There is no need to have a combo drive unless you want that console doing something else than gaming, that will not be my concern, consoles are only for games to me.
 
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