In light of a growing stalemate between competing next generation DVD formats, the prospect of combo drives that would allow consumers to realize the benefits of the new technology without having to pick a winner appears to be capturing the attention of the market. Blu-ray-backer Samsung recently announced plans to unveil its own combo drive, which would play both HD DVD and Blu-ray.
The Ricoh device — a tiny, paper-thin diffraction plate — looks like it’s the first component on the market that would make a cross-format combo player a reality.
"This diffraction device is the first one that is ready for four formats, including Blu-ray and HD DVD," a Ricoh spokesman said. "It will make it possible to build players and recorders ready for all formats, which will benefit consumers.”
While the diffraction device is capable of both reading and writing, Ricoh plans to offer the device exclusively in players at first. Writing discs, though possible, means a greater drop off in the laser beam’s energy. For the device to be successful in writable drives, the company believes that it will need drives that are equipped with more powerful blue lasers.
The company plans to unveil the device at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition ’06 held in Tokyo July 12-14.
