Sanyo Electric, Sharp to Join DVD Forum
japanbiztech.com
TOKYO -- The DVD Forum, which has been setting standards for DVDs, is reorganizing and will soon start setting standards for the next generation DVD-RAM technology. Also, the forum will have two new members, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and Sharp Corp.
Under the new structure, companies are divided into "A members," which are involved in establishing standards, and "B members," which are given priority in information sharing, making it possible for companies not needing to help set standards to participate in the forum.
The new DVD-RAM working group will start setting standards for 4.7Gb disks from the end of October and will complete the Book 1.0 in September 1998. Production will likely begin in 1999.
The DVD Forum, with 10 companies including Toshiba Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd., has set standards for DVD-ROM, DVD-R and DVD-RAM technologies. However, as for the DVD-RAM, Sony Corp. and NEC Corp. have proposed different standards.
The DVD-RAM with 2.6Gb has been criticized for its small capacity, and the DVD Forum seeks to quickly set standards for DVD-RAMs with 4.7Gb, or the same capacity as the DVD-ROM.
"By increasing the number of the forum's companies, we are seeking to promote 4.7Gb DVD-RAM as a prospective recording-media product," said Yoshito Tsunoda, an executive in Hitachi's Business Development Office.
Major producers will ship the 2.6Gb DVD-RAM by the end of the year as planned, but it appears to be a stop-gap media for only about one year until the 4.7Gb media is introduced.
As for the 4.7Gb DVD-RAMs, Hitachi has already developed the basic technology and will make a proposal to the DVD Forum as early as this month. Hitachi's method realizes a high recording density by using a high-contrast medium.
The method realizes a large capacity of 4.7Gb without changing the drive. This will make it possible to play 4.7Gb units on the DVD-ROM drive that will be sold after the autumn as well as on 2.6Gb DVD-RAM drives. However, the 4.7Gb units cannot be played on DVD-ROM drives delivered before DVD-RAM standards were set in August. |
