Look out BluRay + HD-DVD... here comes HD-VMD!

[shams]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070908/tc_pcworld/136977

 - HD-VMD hold 30Gig (on a single side)

 - maximum bit rate is 40Mps (about halfway between BluRay & HDDVD)

 - uses red lasers

 - discs as cheap to make as existing DVDs (maybe same burn tech??)

 - players will launch for $149US

"Instead of the blue-laser technology embraced by the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps, the HD VMD format uses the red-laser technology already used to create DVDs, and as a result, keeps the cost of manufacturing discs and drives low, says Eugene Levich, director and chief technology officer of New Medium Enterprises. He said that manufacturing a Blu-ray drive costs ten times as much as manufacturing a DVD or HD VMD drive, because the latter two are essentially the same drive but with different firmware."

LOL... :)

If price is the primary factor, VMD should win!

If this actually launches - and even "semi" takes off - my prediction is that you'll see most studios drop any form of exclusivity pretty quickly.

Sweet thing for MS, is they could release a VMD player pretty easily - and maybe for $99US (or even $49??).