Broadcom develop dual format chip

Last month we reported on NEC developing a hybrid chip able to read both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Now Broadcom have stepped up and announced their own single-chip hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD controller, which they seem to be aiming at companies wanting to make dual-format players and components - which stands at a grand total of zero at the time of writing.

Apparently the Broadcom solution supports H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Tru-HD, and DTS-HD.

Their release statement includes this: "Broadcom's product vision for a universal Blu-ray/HD-DVD solution solves one of the thorniest issues facing consumer electronics manufacturers in the high definition DVD market today."

Whether any manufacturers will pick up either Broadcom's or NEC's solutions remains to be seen.