All indications point to the next-generation optical disc format battle remaining a stalemate for some time to come, with proponents of both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc camps trying to one-up the other with announcements of new titles or companies joining their ranks. In the latest salvo, HD DVD format supporters say they’re making headway in Europe.
HD DVD supporters used a press briefing at the CeBIT (News - Alert) tradeshow in Hanover, Germany, to declare the growing support for the format there and form a non-profit trade organization called the HD DVD Promotional Group Ltd. Formed by several companies including Studio Canal, Universal, Toshiba, and Microsoft (News - Alert), the organization will comprise movie studios, distributors, consumer electronics companies, IT companies, disc replication companies, and authoring houses both in Europe and globally.
“After a strong year in North America and Asia, HD DVD is drawing attention in Europe, with unrivaled quality and affordable prices,” said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president, HD Strategic Marketing, for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, in a statement.
According to the group, over 100 HD DVD titles will be available at the end of the first quarter, more than a third from European studios and none of them presently available in other high-definition formats.
“Our goal is to achieve global penetration of the HD DVD format, so a lot of work has gone into making sure authoring houses and replicators throughout Europe were given the training and expertise they needed to get up and running quickly, allowing a wealth of European content to hit the market right from the beginning,” said Yoshihide Fuji, chairman of the HD DVD Promotion Group and president and CEO of Toshiba’s (News - Alert) Digital Media Network Company, in a statement.
On the hardware side, Toshiba has so far been the main supplier of HD DVD players. The company announced its HD-EP10 player for the European market, joining its RD-A1 HD DVD player introduced almost a year ago. Several of Toshiba’s Far East rivals, including Samsung (News - Alert), Sony, and Panasonic, have chosen to support the Blu-ray format through their players.
Hoping to drum up more support for their format, the HD DVD Promotional Group is banking on a campaign titled “The Look and Sound of Perfect”, highlighting European perspectives, with the launch of county-specific pages on the group’s website. The campaign will promote the format and co-market HD DVD hardware with over 300 HD DVD titles now on the market and another 600 expected by the end of 2007.
--------
Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.
Spencer Chin is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page. Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
|
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
IoT EVOLUTION MAGAZINE
By 
