NEC announced today that it has begun shipments on a dual-format chip that can playback both Blu-ray and HD DVD. Although there is not yet an optical lens capable of reading both formats, the release of this chip could signal an end to the format war.
The chips will be available for roughly the same price as the current single-format chips, so it shouldn’t, at least, raise prices too greatly. NEC has promised that 300,000 units will be shipped by next April.
NEC moves toward a Blu-Ray-HD-DVD combo [Akihabara]