Posted by Allan on 12/22/54 11:25

http://webplus.dvd-recordable.org/Article2172.phtml

The world's first 5 1/4 inch PC drive HR-1100A for HD-DVDs from NEC
will be available from October onwards. The HD DVD drive plays back
HD-DVDs, DVDs and CDs. This is all down to the optical head that was
developed by NEC which can read blue, red and ultra-violet light.

NEC's HD-DVD Multi-Reader, the HR-1100A
The NEC HD DVD Multireader HR-1100A is the first drive that is capable
of reading the HD-DVD format. HD DVD media are read at 2x speed. DVD
minus and DVD plus media can be read at up to 8x DVD speed, as well as
rewritable and dual-layer DVDs.

It can also read DVD-RAMs at 5x speed. Finally, the HD-DVD Multireader
delivers a convincing 32x CD speed as CD-ROM drive. The new HD DVD
standard enables a storage capacity of up to 64 GB – which is over 13
times greater than that of a conventional DVD – as well as 16 hours of
recording and playback in HD quality.

HD-DVD – greater storage capacity for films, High Definition TV and
data

The HD-DVD is comparable to the DVD. The difference is that blue
instead of red laser light is used. The advantage of using blue laser
light is that it has considerably shorter wavelengths. This light is
much easier to concentrate via optical lenses, which means that the
data can be written to the disk at a far higher density. As a result,
much more data can be stored on a HD-DVD medium.

An HD-DVD can store 15 GB per layer. A double-sided HD-DVD can store
up to 60 GB on two layers. The rewritable HD DVD-RWs offer 20 GB
(single-layer) or 32 GB (dual-layer) storage capacity, which means up
to 64 GB on double-sided media.

The HD DVD is capable of storing large-format, high-resolution cinema
films, despite the vast amount of data involved, on media the size of
DVDs or CDs. Leading entertainment industry enterprises have announced
that they plan to market films on HD DVD.

Almost 100 films have now been selected for HD DVD format, such as
'Batman Begins,', 'Million Dollar Baby', 'Alexander', 'Ocean's Twelve'
and 'The Bourne Supremacy'. Classic movies such as '12 Monkeys',
'Forrest Gump' and 'Harry Potter' are also among the chosen films.


The HR-1100A will be available in the market in January 2006, at a
price tag of €500 (£341).






"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game
because they almost always turn out to be -- or to be indistinguishable from
-- self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time."
- Neil Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_

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