Pioneer Boast 400 GB 16 Layer Blu-ray Disks

Pioneer Corporation has reportedly succeeded in developing a 16-layer read-only optical disc with a capacity of 400 gigabytes Its per-layer capacity is 25 gigabytes, which is the same as that of a Blu-ray Disc (BD). This multilayer technology will also be applicable to multilayer recordable discs. This development has bolstered Pioneer's confidence in the feasibility of a large-capacity optical disc, which is expected to become necessary in the near future.

For more information read the full Pioneer Press Release

Convert Your HD DVDs to Blu-Ray

Wired.com has a great how-to for converting HD DVDs to Blu-ray.

The process is described as "simple in principle but excruciating in practice". Mainly do to the complexity of the technology, the need for several applications and the fact that the industry doesn't want you format-shifting at all.

But it is still a useful article for anyone that currently owns HD DVDs and wants to upgrade them to the Blu-ray format.

HD DVD Dead, Long Live Blu-Ray

Following much speculation and several reports, including my own, Toshiba finally made the announcement that they are pulling out of the HD DVD market and will stop shipping players at the end of March.

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, president and CEO of Toshiba Corporation in a statement. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."

Now that HD DVD has been dealt its final death blow Blu-ray prices are to fall. A single format should help accelerate the shift to the new technology. It has been speculated that prices will fall slowly over the year, with more major cuts coming later in year towards Christmas time.

Analysts expect more Blu-ray players to be embedded in laptop and desktop personal computers from next year. Companies such as Apple Inc, Dell Inc, Philips and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, could start investing more aggressively in the technology and get a head-start in terms of launching products. Dell has already showed an influx of desktops that are fitted with Blu-Ray drives, however the prices are still a little too high for many consumers.

The announcement has had an impact on the gaming world as well. Currently Sony is expecting a bigger push and better sales of their PS3. Microsoft however has not commented on any plans for their HD DVD equipped Xbox 360's. So its unclear if there are plans for a Blu-Ray equipped version or not.

Toshiba To Drop HD DVD, Is This The Final Nail In The Coffin?

PC Magazine reports that Toshiba is expected to "Pull the Plug on HD-DVD"

"Toshiba is expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format in the coming weeks, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's stunning announcement in early January that it would support only Sony's rival Blu-ray Disc format after May."

Toshiba has not made any official announcements however the HollyWood Reporter which originally broke the story has cited sources that have stated, "An announcement is coming soon,It could be a matter of weeks."

Wal-Mart has also announced that it will stop selling HD DVD movies by June, and is expected to restock its shelves with ‘only Blu-ray movies, hardware machines, as well as standard definition movies and DVD players, and up converts. This follows the announcement earlier this week that both Best Buy and Netflix.com Inc. are supporting behind Blu-ray exclusively.

It looks like HD DVDs days are numbered.