A third player in the next-generation DVD market has released what it hopes will be an alternative format to the Blu-Ray/HD DVD format struggle.

New Medium Enterprises said this week that it has begun taking orders for its HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) player, a format that the company says will support high-definition video. The $175 player will begin shipping in November, according to a company spokesman.

In addition, the player will be shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, where an improved model will be released, the NME representative said.

Although the first shots have been fired between the Blu-Ray and HD DVD camps, there is theoretically still room for a third format, especially if it is marketed at populous but emerging economoies such as China or India. China, for example, has indicated that it plans to develop a high-definition DVD standard based on but imcompatible with the HD DVD standard developed by Toshiba. The DVD Forum plans to cooperate, according to reports, providing a lower-cost disc to provide an economic incentive against piracy.

Read the rest of this story at PC Magazine : “NME Launches Alternative Next-Gen DVD Player”