Blu-ray Discs Will be Compatible with DVD Players

Posted by Colin Hogan

If you happen to be one of the pioneering consumers of Blu-ray technology, each video purchase becomes a dilemma: Do you go for the blu-ray disc so you can play it on your HD-TV in the best possible graphics, or should you stick with the DVD version so you can watch it on your laptop or at your friend’s house that doesn’t have a Blu-ray player?  One film studio is working to eliminate that need for choice.

Universal studios announced Tuesday that it will begin offering two-sided versions of its movies, with both Blu-ray and DVD capabilities.  All of the features of both formats will be included.

The lack of a backward-compatibility feature has been one of the greatest challenges for the new medium, as many consumers have questioned the value of upgrading to Blu-ray.

These new flip discs will sell for about the same price as the average Blu-ray: $29.98, meaning that you won’t have to pay more for the same movie.  The first “flip discs” will be available in stores Jan. 19.