This is a plea to Universal and Warner to drop all combo discs in favor of the HD DVD/DVD twin format. It is the perfect solution to the combo disc dilemma.

As many of you know, combo discs do not have a reputation for being the most reliable. Yes, I am aware that not *all* people have had any issues but the problems are far from nonexistent.

It also helps your average consumer from accidently inserting the wrong side of the disc into their player. It may sound foolish but the twin format offers the core users a far better ease of use experience.

In the end, I think the twin format could prove itself to be the dominant solution. It just has to be given more of a chance by major studios.

What's "the twin format?"

This is never going to work or happen. You'd buy the HD version and sell on the SD part to someone else. The studios are not going to let that happen, and honestly I don't blame them. After all they want as much money as possible out of the film.

Combo disks aren't my favorite fruit, but if it's the only way to get HD, then I'll live with it. Better that than *just* the DVD.

This is never going to work or happen. You'd buy the HD version and sell on the SD part to someone else. The studios are not going to let that happen, and honestly I don't blame them. After all they want as much money as possible out of the film.

Combo disks aren't my favorite fruit, but if it's the only way to get HD, then I'll live with it. Better that than *just* the DVD.

actually you've got the idea that the "twin" format is just an HD DVD disc and a second SD disc included. The Twin format is actually similar to a combo. It is a single sided disc with multiple layers, 1 or 2 of the layers is HD DVD and the third layer is an SD DVD.

I thought this "plea" was an announcement... color me duped!

Jim, HD and SD version on the same side of the disc.

Unless they are easier to make, and therefore reduce the price, I see no advantage to the twin format over combo discs.

Hasn't only one twin format title been released at this point? How do we know twin format discs would be more reliable than combos? (For the record I've never had a problem with a combo).

AFAIK all combos are 2 layer HD DVD on one side and 2 layer DVD on the other, twin can only be 3 layers on one side, so they are 1 layer short to be used instead of combos, in short: it will not happen.

More likely when the user base is large enough they can release HD DVD only and combo edition, just like they release full screen, wide screen and extended editions (standard DVD).

That would limit the HD movie to 15gb (one layer). Granted, many movies might not need more than that, but I would hate to see HD movies limited because of this technique.

Personally, I don't want ANY SD movie with my HD DVD. Just give me the HD movie and the extras and release the SD version separately. That's my plea.

I thought this "plea" was an announcement... color me duped!

Jim, HD and SD version on the same side of the disc.

+1

It will be harder to go twin format because of layer limitations. Right now the twin format specs are for 3 layers. 2 HD DVD and 1 DVD or 1 HD DVD and 2 DVD. Unless a movie is on the shorter end on the spectrum on version is going to receive a bare bones treatment. A 90 minute movie could easily fit on a single HD DVD or DVD layer but for longer movies something would have to be sacrificed, they could release a the complete bare bones DVD version on a single layer with just the movie and a single audio track, but even that would push a single layer DVD if the movie is over 1.5 hours long.

This is never going to work or happen. You'd buy the HD version and sell on the SD part to someone else. The studios are not going to let that happen, and honestly I don't blame them. After all they want as much money as possible out of the film.

Combo disks aren't my favorite fruit, but if it's the only way to get HD, then I'll live with it. Better that than *just* the DVD.

This is what Bandai Visual is doing with both their Blu-ray and HD-DVD releases. Then again they are charging $80 some of which is going into pressing a second disc which I find stupid. I really don't need a standard def version of my movies in any form.

if they can make the twin format work flawlessly and can produce it by millions of copies per day. then that could be HD DVD studios jackpot ticket ;). Imagine they put stop dvd and sell only the twin format with $5 more than DVD, the will be making millions per day selling the disks ;)

What's "the twin format?"


If the people who own hd dvd would look in the settings you would already see a setting labeled twin format disc and you could choose hd dvd or dvd. :)

http://www.physorg.com/news77213132.html

The new disc also maintains two defining features of the HD DVD format: a low cost and highly efficient manufacturing process. Memory-Tech has developed a new disc manufacturing procedure that adds an additional process to form the third layer, but does so on the same disc replication machines that can be used for DVD and HD DVD mass production.

I think Triple Layer Twin Format is a much better technology than Combo. The DVD side need not contain the extras that a typical disc would. Just give us the movie, native soundtrack and a majority of movies would likely fit fine on 4.7GB. Put the extras on the HD DVD side. The DVD side is for backwards compatibility.

The nice thing would be the return of disc art. I'd like to see Toshiba and Memory Tech subsidize the replication of TL TF and deliver this feature as a zero cost upgrade for studios.

Drop the combos and bring 3L.

Why does HD DVD have 3 different Flavors?

Twin, Combo, Hybrid, Chimera?

I guess we got lucky that the discs only have two sides.

Drop the DVD's and only make combos.

Why does HD DVD have 3 different Flavors?

Twin, Combo, Hybrid, Chimera?

I guess we got lucky that the discs only have two sides.
It's simply different ways of using the layers that exist on the disk. Nothing to be afraid of lil buckaroo. :p