DVD Forum closer to approving 51GB HD DVD
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business,10/04/2007
OCT. 4 | A working group within the DVD Forum has approved the specification for a triple-layer 51GB HD DVD, confirmed a spokesperson for the North American HD DVD Promotion Group, although final approval within the organization is still pending.
The spokesman said that once the spec is finalized, compatibility with current HD DVD player and recorders can be investigated, which opens the door for the format to be competitive with Blu-ray Disc's highest-capacity 50GB disc.
After the Forum gives the final blessing, replicators will start producing 51GB HD DVD discs, which include three layers holding 17GB capacity each. Production should drive manufacturers to begin testing how existing HD DVD players and drives can playback such the new discs.
No studio has announced plans to release a 51GB HD DVD, which was first announced as a developing technology during January’s CES. However, HD DVD backers will likely use the ability to create such high-capacity discs as ammunition in the format war.
Many Blu-ray supporters have pointed to their own 50GB BD releases as a competitive advantage to HD DVD, which to date has generated 15GB and 30GB discs. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Oct. 30 BD release of Spider-Man 3 is among upcoming Blu-ray titles containing 50GB discs.
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| Submitted by: | Talkstr8t (talkstr8t@gmail.com) 10/5/2007 5:45:52 PM PT |
There has been no indication that TL51 will include an increase in the bitrate supported. Without raising HD DVD''s restrictive bandwidth limits the extra capacity is far less useful. Blu-ray support 18Mbps of extra A/V bandwidth compared to HD DVD. This means titles can use more bits for better quality of difficult scenes (i.e. explosions), more audio tracks (i.e. additional languages), and easier use of seamless branching and the like. Even if some existing drives prove able to read the discs, it''s virtually impossible that the chipsets in the player could support increased bitrate.
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