HD VMD Hi Definition DVD Fashionably late to the party
Like a fashionably late party guest HD VMD high definition DVD players were quietly introduced to market in Q407 and promise to either fill a gap in the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray war or further muddy the waters and confuse consumers over what format to follow. The full HD 1080p player is being marketed as an economical alternative to the two major contenders in the HD disc wars.
Rolled out at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) trade show in Denver, New Medium Enterprises promoted a new high-definition optical disc format that use a patented multi-layer disc technology while using a conventional red-laser. NME demo-ed set-top players and high-definition movies that cost far less than ones that use the competing Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD formats. Two models are available to date - the ML622S and the ML777S. The players are being marketed online with Amazon.com as an outlet.
The new 1080p HD player employs a red laser - unlike the blue laser utilized by the main contenders already vying for confused consumers' affections. The red laser is said to be less expensive to produce and manufacture and is also being touted as being more compatible with existing standard definition DVDs for upscaling purposes.
According to NME spokesman and advisor Jim Cardwell buyers should "expect a small premium over DVD [discs], and a big discount over Blu-ray and HD DVD," said the former president of Warner Home Video. Currently at Amazon.com the players are available at $199.00 which is considerably less than the other two format players.
The NME unit's compatible disc formats include - HD VMDs, DVDs, CDs, and MP3 CDs, DVD+R/+RW and CD-R/-RW discs. Featuring a transfer rate of 40mbs the format falls between a bit better than HD DVD and a bit less than Blu-ray. The red laser technology discs have a capacity of 30 gigs however they do not support the HD audio formats which is a popular attraction of the competition's formats.
If you are waiting for the high definition DVD wars to settle - you may want to wait a bit longer. The HD VMD announced a mere 20 titles in its library at launch. However according to NME sources if the players sell well more titles and major studios will jump aboard. I personally will take the "wait and see" approach and will keep you apprised of any new developments so bookmark this page to come back for updates. BTW - you can keep abreast of all new developments on this site by subscribing to the RSS feed.
