Memory-Tech and Toshiba developed the first dual-format DVD

Toshiba claimed yesterday to have developed the first DVD that is capable of playing both conventional and high-definition content, in the latest move in the race for the next generation of optical discs. The Japanese company and its allies in HD-DVD are locked in competition with their rival format, Blu-Ray, over the industry standard for the next generation of high-definition DVDs.

Toshiba and its partner Memory-Tech said their disc had a dual-layered surface, which separately stored high-definition and lower resolution data on the same side, informs The Guardian.

According to the Indian Express, both HD DVD and Blu-ray technologies use blue lasers, which have shorter wavelengths than conventional red lasers and allow discs to store more data, enabling the clearer and sharper pictures of high-definition films and television.

Toshiba and disc maker Memory-Tech said they developed a dual-layer ROM (read-only) disc which stores data in the conventional DVD format on the upper layer and content in the HD DVD standard on the lower layer that is further from the DVD player's optical head.

The discs, which took six months to develop, will be able to hold 4.7 GB in the current format and 15 GB in high resolution, Memory-Tech spokesman Masato Otsuka said.

Making the discs won't cost any more than the companies now spend on producing current DVDs, Otsuka said, reports Forbes.

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