A DivX-capable Blu-ray player? It's a pirate's dream come true!

With the next-gen DVD format war convincingly won by Blu-ray, attention is turning to just how much content you can cram onto the little 50GB discs. Add a compression codec such as DivX and the answer is ... well ... lots.

Depending on the rate used, you could store multiple movies or an entire television series on a single, dual-layer disc. Reckon that'll get the attention of dodgy DVD pirates? Bet your Chinese yuan it will.

The name's ray ... Blu-ray: and you can probably find an entire set of my movies in DivX format on a 50GB disc...No doubt the pirates are also excited about the release by Panasonic of a DivX certified Blu-ray player. The nattily named DMP-BD30EG/EE will initially be made available in Europe and Russia, but unfortunately there is no news yet of an Australian launch date.

The player extends Panasonic's relationship with DivX. The electronics company was quick to spot the popularity of the standard and already has a number of compatible units in its range.

"DivX has already become a de-facto standard on existing DVD players and we are well-positioned to repeat that success in the Blu-ray category," DivX chief executive Kevin Hell said in a statement.

"We are pleased Panasonic continues to recognize DivX technology as an important feature on next-generation devices."

Naturally, anyone wanting to create their own DivX Blu-ray discs will also need a burner. These are currently retailing for between $500 and $800. Dual-layer recordable discs are available for around $55 each. As with any format, you can expect prices to come down significantly as volumes rise.

So the next time you're trawling the dark corners of those shady markets in downtown Shanghai, don't be surprised to see box sets of movies available in single-disc, easy-to-carry-home form. That's progress I guess.