DVD recordable formats, just a bridge to HD. Pioneer has an announcement in early November..............
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FOR THE RECORD, IT'S ANOTHER FORMAT WAR
Recordable DVD formats prepare to fight it out 10/25/1999
By Nathaniel Wilkins
NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 25, 1999 -- At the Japan Electronics Show a few weeks ago, etown.com was wowed by Panasonic's announcement that it plans to release a DVD recorder this spring; Hitachi and Toshiba also plan DVD recorders at that time. But this is the digital age, when every format is met with a competitor (or three) and none can truly claim supremacy until the competition is hauled off in body bags.
The latest battle finds Panasonic, Hitachi and Toshiba backing DVD-RAM. In another corner lurks the outnumbered Philips -- championing DVD+RW -- while in yet another is Pioneer, pushing DVD-RW. Each of the formats allows DVD recording but it appears this planet ain't big enough for 'em all. From outside the ring, Sony stands by, casting a watchful eye. The company is not planning to release any DVD-RAM, DVD-RW or DVD+RW stand-alone components -- but it's toiling away on its own secret weapon.
Pioneer the pioneer
Though all of the fuss at the Japan Electronics Show was focused upon Panasonic, Pioneer may take the field first -- but it's "iffy." "The product will ship in Japan at the end of the year and will be in the U.S. next year," said Chris Walker, Pioneer spokesperson. "We wanted to base something off of DVD-R, so that it would be backwards compatible. Discs could be played back with slight modifications. It would take a new machine, but wouldn't justify a cost increase [over current players]. We'll have an announcement in early November."
The DVD-RAM gang has a developmental lead of over a year on +RW, and that's one reason Panasonic and cohorts are going to have recorders out sooner than the DVD+RW competition. "It's been announced that there will be a recordable DVD-RAM format in the U.S. next year. We haven't discussed specific dates," said Rusty Osterstock, Panasonic's general manager of consumer DVD products. "We feel comfortable and confident that DVD-RAM addresses consumer needs, and I believe the Hollywood studios will review this as having suitable copy protection. It offers opportunities for future products that are DVD compatible."
Though the DVD-RAM-based Panasonic will hit Japan in Spring 2000 (and possibly the U.S.), the DVD+RW competition isn't expected to make landfall until later that year. "We'll have a recorder out the second half of next year," said Frank Pauli, Philips' General Manager of Disc Systems.
Will history repeat itself?
Having learned from past format wars, the industry as a whole knows there's no room for a slew of incompatible formats. That's why the DVD Forum, composed of top DVD hardware makers, tried to avoid just such a rift. Though it approves of DVD-RAM and DVD-RW, DVD+RW was never certified for home video use (it's primarily a computer drive format).
"Its backers claimed in 1997 that it [DVD+RW] would be used only for computer data, not home video, but this was apparently a smokescreen intended to placate the DVD Forum and competitors," according to the Forum's website. "DVD+RW is not supported by the DVD Forum (even though the DVD+RW companies are members), but the Forum has no power to set standards."
Official disapproval hasn't stopped Philips from leading the DVD+RW charge, though. "We believe the most important reason [for backing DVD+RW] is that this format allows a consumer to write a disc that plays back on most DVD players currently on the market," said Philips' Pauli. Panasonic, however, claims that the DVD+RW players aren't actually backward compatible once copy protection measures are implemented. They are outfront that DVD-RAM players will not be backwards compatible. Philips also champions the idea that you'll be able to use a DVD+RW disc in your computer if it has the appropriate drive.
Here comes HD-DVD
When the smoke clears, Sony and other leading manufacturers may ultimately walk away from the battlefield with a larger capacity recording disc format. "We feel that you need more capacity than 4.7 gigabytes [the size of DVD-RAM and DVD+RW discs] for recording movies at home or other long material, especially as we transition into the digital age, so we feel like you're going to need 10 or even 20 gigabytes of capacity," said Rick Clancy, Senior V.P. of Corporate Communications for Sony. "We have another optical-disc-based technology under development we are looking at in combination with blue or blue green laser."
Sony is looking ahead to the High Definition recordable DVD format due in 2002 or 2003 rather than the interim DVD-RAM which "only" records DVD quality. All other key manufacturers are furiously working to bring this technology to market as well. As we stated in our report from Tokyo, the Y2K recordable DVD formats are "bridge" technologies between the analog and HDTV worlds. Is this "bridge" better than any current VCR available? You bet, but it has the potential to be obsolete in a few years.
None of the companies interviewed are offering set release dates at this time and pricing is still up in the air. A good guesstimate for a DVD-RAM machine is between $1500-$2000 list, placing it in a very rarified atmosphere, given the proliferation of $199 list DVD players. But as we know from the past, prices will drop precipitously in the years ahead.
As with so many format battles in the past, only time will reveal which survives and which withers on the vine. If sheer numbers could determine supremacy, you could bet on the DVD-RAM gang beating the outnumbered DVD+RW and -RW camps. But, that's not necessarily the way things go. It's possible that consumers will agree with Philips regarding the merits of DVD+RW or with Pioneer about -RW. It's also possible people will sit this one out until the smoke clears, giving Sony and others the time to develop their weaponry and position themselves for a takeover by HD-DVD. Stay tuned.
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