(6 January 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Right now high definition (HD) DVDs have not taken off in the US due to the prevailing system of two incompatible formats.

One is blu ray which has the backing of Sony and the other is HD DVD which has the backing of Toshiba. Now however there could be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Warner Bros. media reports state will introduce a high-definition DVD that can hold films and TV shows in rival and incompatible formats. Warner said that it developed the Total HD Disc.

Warner Bros. will place both formats of movies on a single disc. This though shows that there is no resolution on a single format.

Meanwhile LG Electronics is planning to market a dual-format DVD player. Other electronics makers are expected to do the same.

Warner Bros. has also patented a disc that can hold three versions of a film — one in each of the rival high-def formats and a third that can be viewed on standard-definition players. This eliminates the need for the consumer to upgrade his DVD if he/she does not want HD in the first place. Reports add that from a technological standpoint this could be as groundbeaking as when LP records were introduced in the late 1940's.