Comments on: New format war on the way? – HD VMD vs Blu-ray

By: CptGreedle

CptGreedle — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:21:49 +0000

I hope you are joking pingalaka. This technology is not only already out-of-date, but has no chance against Blu-ray. They claim blue-violet lasers are inferior to red BECAUSE it uses a 405nm wavelength. They provide no explanation, no source, no evidence, but just claim the red is better cause it is older. Well if you take a 650nm red laser and shine in across an airplane hanger you will have a hard time seeing it on the other side. You can clearly see a green laser, while a blue-violet laser is brilliant and blinding at that distance. There is no comparison. Red lasers might be cheaper, but blu are dropping fast. Not to mention the better movie selection, manufacturer selection, game selection, player selection etc.
No one will support this, and it has been around a long time. They have not updated their site in ages, and there is no word on what they are doing now. They hope BDA will buy them, but there is no chance because they offer NO competition. If they had a chance of taking some consumers away from Blu-ray, maybe then they would be bought out, but as it is, there is not a chance in hell.

By: pingalaka

pingalaka — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:42:37 +0000

This product is a winner hands down. Everyone should support the format which is affordable to all and uses a tested technology to spectacular effect. Let us abandon the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD battle and embrass the red laser HD, which is good for the consumer.

By: Justin

Justin — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:17:36 +0000

Consumers should be made aware that for £100.00 they’re buying a machine which will up-scale regular DVDs – plus it will play HD content.

Just the fact that VMD discs cost a third of Blue-ray discs – AND they’re region-free – is proof that there will be a market for the format.

You then have to take into consideration that existing DVD-RW drives on PCs may be able to write to blank VMD discs via a free firmware upgrade… It seems like a winner to me.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:22:37 +0000

I personally hope this format catches on in a big way. HD VMD movies retail for about $18. That’s amazing for a full 1080p movie. If this can get studio support, I believe that it could not only overtake Blu-Ray, but it could replace standard definition DVDs as well.

By: DaveP

DaveP — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:00:10 +0000

VMD is not new agreed, but as far as I’m aware, HD VMD is, which is what I was talking about in the article.

By: superdynamite

superdynamite — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:53:16 +0000

VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) is not new. It’s been out for a while and never caught on. The owners of VMD are looking to be bought out by Blu-ray disc association. They are using the media in a last-ditched attempt to achieve that goal.
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The format uses approximately 5 GB per layer [2], similar to standard DVDs. The larger formats come from adding more layers. Whereas DVDs hold up to 2 layers per side, standard VMDs can use 4 layers, for 20 GB of storage. There are also reports of 8- and 10-layered versions which can hold 40 and 50 GB, respectively. [3] The manufacturer list up to 20 layers on a disc being possible in the future. [2]

The Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats use blue-violet lasers, rather than VMD’s red laser, which means they can store more information per layer. However, those formats have so far only utilized 1- and 2-layered versions. In January 2007, Toshiba announced a triple layer HD DVD (TL51) that would have a capacity of 51GB. Hitachi announced a 4 and 6 layer version of Blu-ray as well, capable of 100 GB and 200 GB respectively. Therefore, a standard 4-layer VMD stores 20 GB which is comparable to a 1-layered HD DVD (15 GB) and 1-layer Blu-ray Disc (25 GB).