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Battle for next DVD format takes another new twist

The battle for who will control the standards for the next generation of DVDs became more tangled on Wednesday when the Blu-ray Disc group said that it would not adopt technology requested by one of its leading members, the Hewlett-Packard Co.

Last month, Hewlett said it would consider quitting the Blu-ray group, which is led by the Sony Corp and Panasonic, if it did not honor its request that certain copy protection and interactive software be included in the standard for the discs, which promise better audio and visual quality and more data storage.

The software that Hewlett favors has been adopted into the rival standard that Toshiba and others have developed.

One technology that Hewlett favors is called mandatory managed copy and lets users legally copy DVDs. The other, known as iHD, allows for interactive features and will be included in an operating system being developed by Microsoft, which supports Toshiba's standard.

But on Wednesday, the spokesman of the Blu-ray group, Andy Parsons, said that his group would use different software technology known as Java that was developed by Sun Microsystems.

While the Blu-ray group was willing to consider Hewlett's request, it was unwilling to make the changes to its standard if it meant delaying the introduction of Blu-ray products next year, Parsons said.

The Blu-ray group could change course and adopt the additions that Hewlett wants. But for now, Hewlett is a step closer to having to decide whether to leave the Blu-ray group, and join forces with the Toshiba group or potentially produce products in both standards.
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