Philips To Unveil Multi-Format Blu-Ray Drive
January 05, 2005
Amsterdam, Netherlands - Philips Electronics has unveiled an optical PC disc drive compatible with CDs and DVDs in three formats, including the new Blu-ray standard.
The drive, to be presented at the Consumer Electronics Show and to be available in the second half of 2005, comes as electronics companies battle for support of their new DVD systems. Many had expected that Blu-ray would not hit the market until 2006.
The Philips Blu-ray optical disc drive achieved the three-format compatibility by installing three lasers on to its drive, one of which is the blu-ray laser which has a shorter wavelength and is capable of reading and writing smaller bits of information on a disc. Blu-ray has a shorter wavelength than current red lasers, allowing for a thinner light beam that can read and write smaller bits of information on a disc, the company describes.
Together with a group of other powerful electronics makers including Sony Corp, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, Philips is proposing the Blu-ray format which can store up to 50 GB of data on a disc. This level of storage allows film publishers to put a full-length movie in the high-definition format on one disc.
Another group led by Toshiba Corp and Sanyo Electric Co proposes the HD (high definition) DVD standard they have developed. That technology has less storage, but proponents say it is cheaper and will be ready soon.
Some film studios have already come out in support of specific formats. Disney and Sony Pictures back Blu-ray while Warner-Bros, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures give support to HD DVD. The support given by the studios, however, is not exclusive and the format wars are seen as unsettled.
For more information, visit
www.philips.com
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