Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Proponents of HD-DVD gained an ally Monday (Nov. 29), as film studio Universal Pictures announced it has adopted the format, with select titles available to consumers during the 2005 holiday season.HD-DVD (High definition digital video disc) has been waging war with the Blu-ray Disc format to gain control of the next-generation optical disk market. The spec, which now exists as Version 1.0, is expected to be finalized this Winter.
According to Rick Finkelsten, president and chief operating officer of Universal Pictures, HD DVD was chosen because of its secure data copy protection properties, a key consideration to media companies concerned with unauthorized copying and pirating.
HD-DVD's main supporters include NEC, Sanyo, Memory-Tech, and Toshiba Corp.
Toshiba Corp. said in a statement today it has received separate commitments of support not only from Universal, but also from Paramount Pictures, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. Studios, for HD-DVD. The company also said it would launch several HD-DVD products, including a player, recorder, and notebook PC with a built-in HD-DVD drive, by the end of 2005.
Still, HD-DVD faces stiff competition from the Blu-ray Disc camp. The first version of the Blu-ray Disc spec was approved in August, and the spec is backed by consumer electronics companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Sharp, and Sony, as well as the media company Fox.
By: DocMemory
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