by Larry Richman
January 9, 2007 9:34 PM

Warner Home Video unveils Total Hi Def Disc --

Today was my fifth day here in Las Vegas, the second day of the CES. Fortunately, I wasn't hung over from last night's Pure party like some people, so I headed down to the Convention Center to take in some of the show. At the end of the afternoon, I took a special Warner Brothers bus to the Bellagio for a press conference and party. Warner Brothers Entertainment Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer officially introduced what they are calling the solution to the HD DVD vs Blu-ray format dilemma. They announced a new disc called THD, or Total Hi Def disc. It combines HD DVD on one side and Blu-ray on the other. It can, therefore, be played in either a HD DVD player or a Blu-ray disc player, and if played in a multi-format machine that plays HD DVD and Blu-ray, it will play whichever format is on the disc according to how you put it in.

Prices have yet to be determined but they said that the discs will be available in the second half of 2007. Right now Superman Returns is the debut title and we saw a demo showing each of the two formats being played off the same disc. Eventually, Warner Bros. will not manufacture separate HD DVD and Blu-ray titles. This will cut in half the shelf space needed as well as manufacturing and shipping.

Of course, if one format wins out over the other, these discs will no longer be manufactured and will have only been an interim solution. But statistics show that consumers are confused and hesitant about buying HD DVD or Blu-ray players, and this will give them more confidence to go ahead and make a purchase of a player, or a combo drive, and not worry about what disc to buy.