Toshiba Corporation today announced development of a prototype high-definition DVD player that can play high-definition DVD discs and current DVDs. The player features a single-lens optical head mechanism that integrates both red and blue laser diodes, assuring support for both the next-generation "HD DVD-ROM" format (version 0.9) recently approved by the DVD Forum and backward compatibility with today's DVD ROM discs. The new player points the way to a commercial product that will allow fans of DVD to enjoy the richer image quality of HD DVD while protecting their current investment in DVD software libraries.

Toshiba has recently made a series of crucial innovations in support of commercial development of next generation HD DVD drives and players.

The latest prototype dual-compatibility player incorporates an optical pick-up head integrating both a red laser diode for standard DVD discs and a blue laser diode for HD DVD, along with a single objective lens that works with both. This advance achieves the functionality and compactness required for consumer-use HD DVD, and is also more economical than dual-lens head or dual optical heads that require two separate lenses for each laser diode.