Classic timing, just as I finish up the previous post this article comes across the wire.

To quote the article, "Trying to bridge the gap between next-generation optical disk formats, Ricoh said it has developed an optical component that reads and writes all disk formats - Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD, as well as DVD and CD—with one pickup and one objective lens."

I have to admit this is pretty exciting. If the development turns out to be viable (read: not too expensive), dual-format players could be a reality in just a year or so, and the whole issue about whether to support Blu-ray or HD-DVD is moot. Only real disadvantage is that it could dampen the high-definition movie market for a year or so if people choose to wait. Won't really matter to me as I'll have both a Blu-ray player (via the PS3) and an HD-DVD player (via the 360), but I know I'm a bit extreme that way.