Philips DVD Burner to Support Blu-ray

Philips introduced Monday a new computer DVD recorder that will be able to record and play DVDs in the new Blu-ray format. The unit will be on display this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and is expected to be available by the second half of this year.

Blu-ray discs will be able to store up to 50GB of data through the use of a smaller laser.

The announcement comes as a surprise to many industry analysts, who did not expect a Blu-ray player to hit the market until sometime in 2006. It also puts pressure on the competing high-definition DVD format, HD-DVD, which is not expected to have a player available until the holiday shopping season.

Movie studios remain split between the competing formats. Blu-ray is backed by Disney and Sony Pictures, while Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal pictures have come out in support of HD-DVD.

However, no studio has come out and given exclusive support to either Blu-ray or HD-DVD, a sign that any of the major studios may jump ship if sales favor one format over the other.