Toshiba/Nec HD-DVD Format

[Gregg Lengling]

In a renewed effort to promote their HD-DVD high-density recording format as an industry standard, Toshiba and NEC held a joint press exposition last month to explain their latest compression technology (MPEG-4 based H.264), to officially drop AOD (Advanced Optical Disc) as a moniker for the proposed format, and to say they are hopeful that when the DVD forum member composition turns over next February, they will get the approval they seek.

The assertion of engineers and other technical personnel at both companies is that HD-DVD eclipses rival camp's Blu-ray format in cost/performance ratio and compatibility with the garden variety DVD format.

Split-screen demos of film excerpts were conducted with the right showing the HD-DVD format's compression scheme engaged and the left showing the identical scene without compression.  The companies offered that no visual differences were apparent in the two halves.

"The system we have come up with is a response to all of Hollywood's requests," noted Hisashi Yamada, Toshiba Corps./Japan's representative to the DVD Forum.  "We are presenting a single-format that is both CE- and PC- compatible, offers a new copy-protection system, has sufficient disc capacity, and offers the best picture and multi-channel sound," Yamamda averred.

He said that HD-DVD met all elements of a "Hollywood wish list" whose top criteria included cost-effective manufacturing, DVD compatibility and reliable playback.

Yamada said he felt confident that the new DVD Forum steering committee next year would give the nod to the format.  "The two-year membership term of the committee will be changing, and at the next term's committee, we will get another chance," he said.

If the HD-DVD standard is, in fact, approved by the DVD forum, Yamada said that recorders, players and software of both the prerecorded and blank varieties could reach market by 2005 at satrting price-points of "less than $2,000," with prices quickly decreasing to less than $1000.