One of the benefits touted by HD DVD supporters had been the capability of the format to support both HD DVD and DVD content on a single side. Though, with only two layers, this meant a HD DVD15/DVD5 was the result – providing limited capacity on both formats. I repeatedly pointed out that the Blu-ray camp had the capability for the same kind of single-sided hybrid disc, and they had been demonstrated by JVC but not commercialized. Since Blu-ray, unlike HD DVD, uses a different layer depth than DVD it is theoretically possible to have higher capacities – in theory a BD50/DVD9 is possible. JVC demonstated a BD25/DVD9, which provides enough capacity on both formats for a lot of content. However, producing the hybrid discs is more complex and costly, and I didn’t really expect to see them move beyond the lab curiosity phase. What we’ve seen to date are some vendors simply packing a standard DVD in with the BD release to support both formats.

Well, color me surprised. On February 18, 2009 Pony Canyon will release the first BD/DVD hybrid discs, in Japan. It is a box set of the TV series Code Blue. It is a multi-disc set, with the discs being hybrid BD25/DVD9 – a single Blu-ray layer ‘over’ two DVD layers. So it is like having a standard dual-layer DVD and a single-layer Blu-ray disc on one physical disc. The DVD’s red laser sees through the BD layer to see the DVD data, while the Blu-ray’s blue laser reflects from the BD layer and never sees the DVD ‘below’.

The discs are produced by Infiniti Storage Media Ltd. and they’re very similar to the hybrid discs demonstrated by JVC back in 2004. Infiniti is also apparently working on a BD50/DVD5 (2-BD layers, 1-DVD layer) standard with the BDA. A BD50/DVD9 isn’t mentioned, though I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the next step, JVC was talking about that in 2004.

It’ll be interesting to see if this catches on or is just a bit of a gimmick. If it is successful we might see more titles using hybrid discs, which would eliminate the BD vs. DVD purchasing decision. Though I’m not sure it will catch on, since they are more complex to make than BD or DVD alone. Still, as a geek I love the elegance of the solution so I kind of hope it will.

Spotted via Blu-ray Stats News Log, which took me to Electonista, and thence to Impress AV Watch. Images from Impress.

UPDATE: Blu-ray Stats found another Post Christmas Blu-ray Sale with up to 60% off 20 Warner titles.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

And now there are even more deals:
- Black Friday Early Bird Deals. Between 02:00 and 11:00 (Pacific) you can get six Blu-ray titles for under $15: Indiana Jones, American Gangster, Transformers, Shooter, Kung Fu Panda, and Iron Man. (There are also six DVD titles for under $10, six more DVD titles for just $1.99, and Entourage Seasons 1-3 for $9.99 each.)

- The Movies & TV Black Friday Sale – Blu-ray. 246 titles to select from! Runs November 26 through December 2.

- Assorted Blu-ray Favorites, up to 61% off.

- Save up to 60% on over 550 DVD and Blu-ray titles.

Some of these were picked up via Format War Central or Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Next up is Blu-ray for the Holiday. This is a more attractive sale, with 79 titles with discounts of up to 48%.

Picked up from the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

First up is a Buy Two, Get One Free deal running through December 31st. It appears to be on Warner titles, with 112 of them to choose from.

And then there is a deep discount sale on Sony titles. While it is labeled as ‘up to 45% off’, 13 of the 17 titles in the sale are actually 54% off, three 45%, and one 44%.

Picked up from Format War Central and Blu-ray Stats News Log, respectively.

Alternatively, through November 13th you can buy a Sony Blu-ray player or Blu-ray capable Sony VAIO PC and receive a free Blu-ray movie.

Keep in mind that previous Blu-ray promotions are also still running.

Picked up from the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Deal spotted via the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Spotted via Blu-ray Stats News Log.

The second sale has 83 titles with discounts ranging from 40% to 55%. So you have lots of choices.

Also picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

If you go for the deal I strongly recommend the PS3 over the BDP-S300. The PS3 is a more feature rich Blu-ray player – the BDP-S300 is only a Profile 1.1 / Bonus View player, while the PS3 is Profile 2.0 / BD-Live. And, of course, you get all of the top end gaming features with the PS3.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats News Log.

While some HD DVD die hards pointed to CH-DVD as if it were some kind of phoenix in the form of which HD DVD would rise from the ashes, it looks like even those hopes have been dashed. The BDA points out that since the demise of HD DVD, Chinese manufacturers have been flocking to Blu-ray, and that while the number of members in the BDA has increased to 187, the number of members in the DVD Forum (which backs DVD and HD DVD) has decreased from 240 to 163! The BDA last fall began evaluating Chinese codecs for inclusion in the BD specification. China has made support of the codecs a requirement for any advanced format released in China, and the codecs were the main difference between HD DVD and CH-DVD. This license development could hint at progress in including those codecs to support a domestic BD release in China.

Video Business reports that high-end consumer electronics retailers expect Blu-ray players to begin outselling DVD players as early as this August, riding a wave of increased player availability and lower prices. On a dollar basis, retailer Crutchfield is already reporting that Blu-ray is outselling DVD 60:40, but that’s largely due to the higher prices on BD decks.

The current Home Media Magazine has a product guide which provides an overview and comparison of the forthcoming Blu-ray players that have been announced. It is worth checking out if you’re thinking about buying a BD deck. Personally I wouldn’t even consider a Profile 1.1/Bonus View deck at this point – stick with Profile 2.0/BD-Live – at least BD-Live Ready.

From Blu-ray.com and Blu-ray Stats.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats.

From the Blu-ray Stats News Log.

Starz:
Dawn of the Dead (1979) 60% off – just $11.95!
Day of the Dead (1985) 60% off – just $11.95!
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) 60% off – just $11.95!
Halloween (1978) 60% off – just $11.95!
Masters of Horror: Season 1, Vol. 1 (2005) 60% off – just $11.95!
Masters of Horror: Season 1, Vol. 2 (2005) 60% off – just $11.95!
Masters of Horror: Season 1, Vol. 3 (2005) 60% off – just $11.95!
Masters of Horror – Season 1, Vol. 4 (2005) 60% off – just $11.95!
To Kill A King (2003) 60% off – just $11.99!

Sony:
AC/DC: Live At Donington (1992) 53% off – just $13.95!
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live in Dublin (2007) 56% off – just $10.95!
Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas – A New Day (2008) 57% off – just $14.95!
Chris Botti: Live (With Orchestra and Special Guests) (2006) 55% off – just $9.95!
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall (2007) 53% off – just $13.95!
David Gilmour: Remember That Night – Live At The Royal Albert Hall (2007) 57% off – just $14.95!
Destiny’s Child: Live in Atlanta (2006) 55% off – just $8.95!
Futuresex / Loveshow – Live from Madison Square Garden (Justin Timberlake) (2007) 53% off – just $13.95!
John Legend – Live at the House of Blues (2005) 53% off – just $13.95!
Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour (2006) 53% off – just $13.95!
Tony Bennett – An American Classic (2006) 53% off – just $13.95!

I am very amused that the Amazon product code for the Celine Dion BD is ‘B000YEUUCK’. I really have to wonder if that’s random, or if someone in the bowels of Amazon is letting us know what they think of Celine Dion.

Picked up from Blu-ray Stats.

And I’m not alone, the Blu-ray Stats New Log had a post last week about chip makers Zoran and Mediatek planning to join Broadcom and Sigma Designs in offering chipsets for Blu-ray players. More vendors offering chipsets will help drive down component prices, leading to lower player prices. As the post states:

Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing at Sigma Designs, said it’s widely expected that new Blu-ray players from China and Taiwan will be in stores at prices near $200 in time for Christmas.

And today trade-mag Dealerscope picked up on the story too.