The war rages on for high definition DVD format supremacy. Both Toshiba and Sony continue to hype their products and push to be the universal standard. It remains unclear who will end up with the crown, however, Toshiba managed to beat its chest today with the reconfirmation of its recordable HD DVD.
Toshiba, in many eyes, appears to be the underdog in this fight. Make no bones, this is an important battle because whoever wins will define this aspect of media for years. Sony lost previously when Panasonic beat them with VHS over what many feel was a superior Beta product. Once again, will Sony have a superior product and lose? Unknown.
The big selling point for Toshiba remains the similarity to existing production technology. This would require a minimum amount of changes in facilities. Sony’s Blu-Ray however would force many manufacturers to implement major production changes.
On Wednesday, Toshiba discussed the recordable aspect of their 30GB dual layer HD-DVD. The DVD Forum has approved the 15GB single layer format but has not as yet confirmed the dual layer discs. They are slated to do the testing on October 17th at the DVD Forum.
Where this goes remains to be seen. With so many companies already choosing sides, including movie companies, game companies, computer companies and many others, at this point, it’s tough to say who will win. In any event, one needs to come out ahead so there can be a universal standard.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
