Cable Spies

In this day and age, everybody is all about the hybrids. Whether they be hybrid cars or hybrids in the Resistance 2 video game, the big thing in the market is combining two or more different things together for a common objective. The movie format industry is no different. A few years ago, Victor JVC developed the first Blu-ray/DVD hybrid (BD-25GB/DVD-9 8.5GB), but it never picked up in the industry. The Blu-ray/DVD hybrid has a regular DVD (Dual-layer 8.5GB) movie on one side and a Blu-ray version (single layer 25GB BD) on the other. Now Japanese companies Infiniti and Co-TVhave announced that they will be releasing TV-series on the new Blu-ray/DVD hybrids. The first title they plan to implement in the hybrid format discs is Japanese TV-series drama “Code Blue emergency helicopter doctor Blu-ray BOX”. Although the BDA certified hybrid disc has not been approved by DVD-forum because of potential compatibility issues, the companies have stated that their hybrid discs have posted a 100% compatibility test in their own tests of 64 different units (PCs, DVD players, Blu-ray players). The BD/DVD hybrid versions of shows will come with 4 discs and comes with 534 minutes of playable content. There was no word on how much these Blu-ray/DVD hybrids would cost. Sounds interesting. It would be a good option for those who plan to buy a blu-ray player, but just waiting for the prices to go down. You could watch the DVD version first, then buy a blu-ray player later, and play the blu-ray version.

- Geoff

[Source: Slashgear]