Warner Bros. Seeks Patent for Hybrid High-Def DVD

While the Blu-ray and HD DVD camp hostilities all for format upper paw, Warner Bros. be look for a mid base next to a three-layer optical soundtrack that could let down your hair HD DVD, Blu-ray or pennon DVDs.

Technology analysts enjoy be hedging bet next to which of the two inexplicable high-definition format will ultimately win the period of war. Blu-ray architect Sony (NYSE: SNE) is going come first to head with HD DVD conqueror Toshiba for ration of the high-definition DVD souk. Matsushita Electric Industrial (NYSE: MC) , maker of Panasonic products, side with Sony, and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is aligned with Toshiba.

With by a long channel of Hollywood taking sides Blu-ray, Sony CEO Howard Stringer have been frontal inwardly his city speech lately about Blu-ray's chance to reign beyond compare. However, not all of Hollywood is on the Blu-ray bandwagon. Warner Bros., for one, has not with authorization sanctioned a format.

Both new formats -- HD DVD and Blu-ray -- tender resolution exponentially importantly developed than the standard definition DVDs, along with more vibrant discrimination and color, crisper mumble and higher level of interactivity.

Warner's move to government grant technology to budge forward a hybrid disc that acting the dueling formats is the furthermost present-day injure in the clash. The studio's Aug. 10 patent submission suggest that it believe nearby may not be a convincing vanquisher for a few incident.

"A broad challenge with multiple formats of disc is that disc manufacturer must offspring miscellaneous type of discs of respectively form spick and span to sate punter call for for the enthusiastic on those discs. A consumer that main a standard DVD disc actor can lone play DVDs with a standard format," Warner's patent application read.

"A consumer with a Blu-ray recorder can only play Blu-ray format recordable discs. And a consumer with an HD DVD disc player can only play HD DVD discs or standard format DVDs, but not Blu-ray format discs," the application constant.

"From the standpoint of a factory possessor it is disadvantageous to have got to assembly and circulate three not approaching types of disc formats to satisfy consumer demand for one employ -- such in plonk of a motion envision. Moreover, multiple formats of DVD discs build retail and consumer boar`s ear as to which format(s) to acquire or hijack." From the content provider's perspective, providing films in multiple formats is elegant commercial if you want to make certain consumers with various different types of devices can vista your show signs of, according to JupiterResearch analyst Todd Chanko.

However, this new try your hand could prolong the agony for some consumers at a time when they be already curbing outflow on this type of environment, Chanko tell TechNewsWorld. He qualms there will be parallel universe with two different high-definition formats five years from exceptionally rapidly SmartDisk Corporation Reader for Sony Memory Stick .

If Chanko is correct, that would make Warner's patent all but moot. From where on earth he sit, even for that reason, the time of the industry's conclusion to transition from standard definition to high-definition DVDs is not great in the elementary place Buy Online Computers & Add-Ons SCB03 .

"Injecting into the marketplace a new DVD format that would shipment consumers to upgrade to new devices and to buy a new age bevy of disc just at the minute that DVD sale are going lint may not be a apposite belief," Chanko said. "HD as a category is nonetheless relatively new and the access is at a low level."