[Always Right]

Well I think there is technology out there .....at least in development of some sort .....that can play a disc in either format....

That would be a much more important break through than this. The best result would be just to settle on one format though.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Ricoh has a reader in development:

Ricoh's new part brings HD-DVD Blu-ray closer

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Ricoh, the Japanese electronics giant, has come up with a component that will let manufacturers built drives that read and record both HD-DVD discs and Blu-ray discs, potentially brining some peace to the disc wars.

Ricoh will show the device at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition '06 near Tokyo, which takes place near Tokyo on July 12-14, according to EE Times. The company will start selling it to manufacturers by the end of the year.

The part in question is a diffraction plate. Say what? It basically sits between the laser and the lens and adjusts the light beam so that it focuses on the proper portion of the disk. Reading both formats isn't easy. The data layer of the Blu-ray Disc resides 0.1 mm from the surface, while the HD-DVD data layer is 0.6-mm deep. Both standards will sport multiple layer discs too.