Lasse Penttinen
24 Sep 2003 9:32
Nero Digital is the upcoming audio/video codec by Ahead Software, the makers of Nero Burning ROM. It has been pre-marketed as an alternative to the well known DivX codec and therefore there has been quite a lot of anticipation. One of Nero Digital’s highlight features is the ability to use high quality MPEG-4 AAC compression for the audio track. Nero Digital will be in the Nero Burning ROM 6 retail package.
But the Digital seems to have been delayed. As announced on the Nero Digital website, the release has been promised in Q3 of the year 2003. It seems that Ahead will have a busy week if they wish to stick to their time table.
Licensing problems with Dolby?
As the Digital seems to have been delayed, rumors have emerged about the potential reasons for the situation. We underline that the information we have received is not based on rock solid facts, so we are hoping that Ahead Software will clarify the situation for the public in the near future.
The rumors indicate that Ahead Software would have licensing problems with VIA Licensing by Dolby. According to the rumors, Dolby / VIA might oppose that the HE AAC audio codec would be used in Nero Recode. The Recode is the DVD video transcoding tool used for backing up DVD video and could potentially be used for copyright violations
Let's hope that Ahead Software can resolve whatever the problems are delaying the release. In the mean time keep an eye on this website and we'll keep you up to date in this issue