Japanese entertainment distributor Pony/Canon will release the first movie title on a hybrid Blu-ray/DVD disc in Japan in February, in an effort to accelerate the transition from the DVD to the new Blu-ray Disc format.

The single-sided hybrid Blu-ray/DVD disc was originally developed by JVC more than two years ago. The disc integrates a blue laser top layer (25GB); underneath there are two more layers like an ordinary DVD-9.

The Blu-ray and DVD layers are separated by a semi-reflective film that reflects blue light while it allows the red light to pass through the DVD layer underneath. The disc conforms to the "Blu-ray Disc, Hybrid Format" specifications released by the Blu-ray Disc Association.

The disc itself was produced by Tokyo Television and Infiniti Storage Media Ltd who claims the structure of the disc is easy to manufacture. The Hybrid BD/DVD disc is compatible with current DVD and Blu-ray players. Infinity Storage Media claims that it achieves a compatibility of 99% according to tests made on 64 Blu-ray and DVD players.

Using a single layer for the Blu-ray content required the use of a new efficient video-encoding algorithm, since the provided capacity (25GB) is not always enough for studios’ requirements. “Provided that the specific title is not very demanding in terms of bandwidth, it was decided to use JVC's Intelligent HD encoding technology, a technology based on the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) specifications,” says the communiqué. According to JVC, the technology compresses a full HD image of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 24p/60i into about 12-24Mbps.

However, the first hybrid releases will be quite expensive. Pony/Canyon said that the fist movie package to be released in February would include a set of four hybrid discs (MPEG-4 AVC, Dolby Digital, 534 minutes in total) that will cost around ¥36,540 ($406), while the DVD version (7 DVD discs, 534 minutes, Dolby Digital) will retail for ¥23,940 ($266).

Story filed 21.12.08