DVD Forum

Tokyo--The DVD Forum today further reinforced the fast-growing line-up of DVD products with the announcement of specifications for a write-once disc offering compatibility with DVD-Video and ROM formats, as well as the technological expandability required to meet next-generation needs. The newly-announced DVD-R offers a 3.95 gigabyte single-sided storage capacity and a simplified read-write optical system. Version 1.0 specifications of the disk will be made available to all interested parties in a DVD-R Format Book.

This first-generation DVD-R will provide enhanced support for the development of DVD titles. As a key authoring tool for the professional market it will allow developers to produce and verify DVD software titles and assure their compatibility with the DVD-ROM and DVD-Video standards.

The DVD-R Working Group is following up the agreement by starting discussions this month on the format for a next-generation 4.7GB DVD-R. This larger capacity disc is expected to offer even greater versatility, including application in the home-use market. The DVD Forum will support this wider use by simultaneously studying a copyright protection system for DVD-R.

Since the April announcement of version 0.9 of the DVD-R format, the working group has evaluated DVD-R disc compatibility, with the support of the DVD-R Advisory Group of more than 20 hardware and storage media manufacturers from around the world. This has confirmed DVD-R's compatibility with read-only DVD disc formats, as well as its reliability and expandability. The announcement of version 1.0 format confirms these findings.

The finalized format seeks to satisfy user requirements to the fullest extent possible; to ensure expandability to the next-generation 4.7GB disc, and facilitate the earliest possible development of that disc; and to support a disc offering superior expandability, reliability and full compatibility with the DVD-Video and ROM formats.

The main features of the format version 1.0 are:
(1)A recordable optical disc with a single-sided capacity of 3.95GB, six times the capacity of a CD-R, and a double-sided capacity of 7.9GB.
(2)A simple configuration of optical systems and simplified overall structure. The mechanism does not require a magnetic recording head.
(3)As DVD-R has the same physical specifications and format as a read-only DVD, it can be played back on DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives already on the market.

Outline of DVD-R Specifications

Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industries Co., Ltd., Mitubishi Electric Corp., Victor Company of Japan, Pioneer Electric Corp., Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Philips Electronics N.V., THOMSON Multimedia, and Time Warner, Inc.

For further information, please contact the DVD Forum: 81-3-5444-9580