Jari Ketola
26 Feb 2004 16:31
Movie and entertainment giant Walt Disney, Co. and world's largest software company Microsoft will join DVD Forum, the Tokyo-based industry group announced.
DVD Forum is a non-profit group consisting of more than two hundred member companies. The members get to decide and vote on the future of the DVD format. At the moment the group is debating on which format to choose as the medium for next-generation DVDs. Two of the strongest candidates are Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba and NEC's HD DVD. It is believed that the new members may improve support for the HD DVD format.
"With Disney and Microsoft joining, maybe the balance of voting power will be improved in favor of Toshiba's HD-DVD format" said Takutoshi Fujiwara of Fujiwara-Rothchild Ltd. "Then it will become much easier for the HD-DVD specification to be admitted by the forum." Fujiwara-Rothchild Ltd. is a technology consultancy advising both Sony and Toshiba.
The current home video markets in the U.S. generate a revenue of over $20 billion, so it's not surprising that everyone wants to have a say in the format that will eventually replace current DVDs.
Source: Bloomberg