****Basic Agreement Reached On DVD-RAM Standard 04/02/97
Addendum to prior post of Davids. Recording method still in dispute.
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TOKYO, JAPAN, 1997 APR 2 (NB) -- By Martyn Williams. The 10 companies of the DVD (digital video disc) Consortium have reached basic agreement on a recording standard for the DVD-RAM system, overcoming disagreements on the recording method to be used. This now clears the way for companies to finalize design of DVD-RAM drives, which are reported to already be at an advanced stage of development.
The news was confirmed by spokespersons for some of the major members in the DVD Consortium, while others were still denying it. The main stumbling block to an agreement had been the recording method to be implemented on the disks. Toshiba and Matsushita had proposed a "land-groove" method while Sony and Philips were pushing for adoption of their "wobble" method. In the end a compromise was reached whereby the methods would be combined and elements of each used.
The system will offer computer users the chance to record, and re-record, large amounts of data onto an optical disk the same size as a CD. The disk will be available in two sizes, single sided 2.6 gigabyte and double sided 5.2 gigabyte.
Physically, the cartridge that encases the new disks is almost identical to Matsushita's PD disk cartridges, something that is no coincidence. The similar packaging will make combined DVD-RAM/PD drives much easier to produce. Combined drives are expected to make their initial debuts late this year with commercial versions hitting the market in 1998.
Final specifications of the system are yet to be completed but are expected, along with an official announcement, sometime this month, say sources.
A final standard for DVD-RAM will allow many manufacturers to complete design and development of their DVD-RAM drives. At some companies these are already at an advanced stage. Toshiba gave its DVD-RAM drive a semi-public debut last month at its "Tomorrow 21" industry exhibition in Tokyo (Newsbytes, March 7, 1997).
The company was using the system with a real-time MPEG-2 encoder to record video from a camera and instantly play it back. They supplemented the demonstration with the warning that the technology was not finalized and based on Toshiba's proposal.
The battle between Sony/Philips and Toshiba/Matsushita is reminiscent of the battles between the two groups prior to their joining together to create a single format, rather than two competing systems.
The first DVD format to launch was DVD-Video, released in Japan on November 1, 1996. It was followed later in the year by DVD-ROM, a read only version for computers with the capability to hold 4.7 gigabytes of data on a single sided disk. The greater capacity is made possible by professional mastering equipment, several levels above the technology that will be packed into home DVD-RAM drives when they are released.
Technical details of the system are worked out by the DVD Consortium, a group of 10 electronics companies that, together, own all the various patents covering DVD. There are Toshiba, Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Sony Corporation, Philips Electronics, Time Warner Video, Pioneer Electronic Corp., Victor Company (JVC), Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric and Thomson Multimedia.
(19970402/Reported By Newsbytes News Network: newsbytes.com /DVD970402/PHOTO) |
