NEC chip plays HD-DVD, Blu-ray

NEC has announced it is ready to distribute a new controller chip that may bring a cease-fire in the battle between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD. The new NEC chip is designed to play both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray content.

The price of the chip is around 84 U.S. dollars and NEC has said that will reach estimated shipments of around 300,000 by April next year.

NEC said another key part, an optical pickup usable on machines using both new DVD formats, is being developed by another manufacturer.

"We are in talks with that company so that the pickup can be built into a new line of personal computers due to hit the market next spring," an NEC official said.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs are the same size as the current DVD, but each use a more advanced laser technology to expand storage. These new formats offer massive storage capacity, a must for High Definition content, by using a shorter wavelength blue laser.

High Definition videos/pictures contain more pixels and scan lines in a frame, and are able to present objects in more significant detail. Both formats can accommodate High Definition video content of resolutions up to 1080p.

Thanks to this greater storage capacity, the uncompromised, multichannel audio content is made available: more advanced Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, which offer up to eight channels of audio, are all supported by the new formats.

The unification of the formats may be the best bet to end the format wars. NEC is not the first company trying to figure out how to end the conflict between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

In June, IDG News Service reported Samsung's intention to explore the possibility of creating a dual player.

Source:Xinhua/Agencies