HD VMD - 40GB Multilayer Optical disc - It Costs a fraction of Blu Ray !!

The developer of a maverick high-density DVD format is planning to release a player that costs a fraction of the price of devices using the mainstream Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats.

London-based New Media Enterprises announced its Versatile Multi-layer Disc (VMD) format at Cebit earlier this year. It uses low-cost red lasers used in existing DVD players but, as its name suggests, can squeeze up to 40GB on a single disc by stacking the data at different levels. The player, launched at the Mipcom digital-content show in Cannes, will cost about $175 (£95), which compares very favourably with the competing formats.

Samsung’s BD-P1000 Blu-ray player has already debuted in the UK with a £1,000 price tag. Toshiba expects to have its HD-DVD players on the market in November and December, with the HD-E1 and HD-XE1 models costing €599 (around £400) and €899 (around £600) respectively.

However, New Media Enterprises’ product seems unlikely to dent the market for Blu-ray and HD-DVD players, because deals have already been signed with major Hollywood and European companies to sell titles in those formats. New Media Enterprises said at Cebit that it would initially target the Chinese and Bollywood markets – the latter, in particular, is very big in Britain. A spokeswoman for the company said that other content providers had shown interest and a deal with one German company is expected to be announced shortly. New Media Enterprises’ player will be available in some European countries in December, with availability throughout Europe in January.