There's no room for a third high-def format

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DOES THE MARKET need a third high-definition format and can it succeed? For some time now we’ve been hearing about a maverick third option, HD VMD (Versatile Multi-layer Disc ) from a UK-based outfit called New Media Enterprises. This week, it managed to carve up a nice slice of the media pie with the news that it’ll be launching its first high-definition player in January at CES for around – wait for it - £95. I can see Cornflakes spattering monitors and laptops around the globe.

In comparison, £95 wouldn’t pay for the remote control of the forthcoming Blu-ray players and even the cheapest HD DVD player from Toshiba costs four times that – if you could get your hands on one in the UK, that is, which is highly unlikely.

When I first heard about the existence of VMD, my reaction was a mixture of annoyance tinged by curiosity. Annoyed because another format means more confusion but interested because the discs are based on low-cost red laser technology, the same used for making DVDs and CDs. The other two use blue lasers which cost a lot more and which could be made compatible if Sony and Toshiba weren’t so damn greedy.

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