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Another HD disc format: HD Versatile Multilayer Disc
>> From variety.com:
[QUOTE]
As if high-def DVDs weren't already a consfusing enough sell to consumers.
Starting in September, home media buffs in the U.S. and Europe -- Denmark, Finland, France, Poland and Sweden, specifically -- will have a third HD disc format to choose from, the HD Versatile Multilayer Disc (VMD).
Debuting a full year and a half behind HD DVD, the fledgling HD VMD -- being championed by U.K. technology company New Medium Enterprises -- is starting almost from scratch in the U.S. in terms of both distribution and content.
No major U.S. studio has aligned itself with HD VMD yet (although one indie has). And so far, just one U.S. retailer, Web site PCrush.com, has formally agreed to sell the HD VMD player.
Overall, NME has partnered with international distributors for about 5,000 slated HD VMD releases, including Bac Films (titles include "Pulp Fiction") in France, Scanbox ("Saw II") in Scandinavia and Germany's VCL Communications ("Hostage").
Based on "red-laser" technology, HD VMD utilizes conventional DVD manufacturing and authoring processes, so production costs are lower than those of HD DVD and Blu-ray.
"In the first six months we are giving free authoring tools to studio partners to make our content popular in the format," he says. "Many production houses can't make the investment with (Blu-ray or HD DVD). We want to make the industry feel comfortable with high-def."
Of course, consumers have to feel comfortable, too -- New Medium plans to debut its HD VMD players at under $200, with European retailers, including Tesco in Poland and Boulanger in France, selling the device from $150 to $199.
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Full Story: variety.com
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