Ricoh announces four-way optical device
 

Reads/writes Blu-ray and HD-DVD

FOLLOWING THE news that Blue-ray vendors are struggling to release product pre-2007, better news for consumers comes from Ricoh, which has announced an optical component that reads and writes to four competing next-generation optical storage devices, including the much maligned Blu-ray and HD-DVD.


Ricoh will demonstrate the 'diffraction plate' at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition '06 outside Tokyo on July 12-14, with the company intending to offer the device to OEMs by the end of the year. A preliminary offering will be available for read-only players, quickly followed by a read/write device. More here.