Not one to give up (even after giving up), Toshiba is reportedly now preparing to take some of the technology behind the failed HD DVD format and backport it to the existing DVD format.
Content Agenda is reporting that even as the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) gears up to start their long battle to migrate consumers from regular DVD to high-definition Blu-ray, Toshiba is planning to try to get DVD a new lease on life.
At the DVD Forum meeting held last month, Toshiba was re-elected to another two year term as the chair of the format's steering committee. The steering committee formed a new working group, co-chaired by Microsoft, to study the creation of a "DVD 2.0"-type format, that would include the HDi interactivity layer and networking capability of the former HD DVD format. Also up for study is a type of "managed copy" system, such as that in the works for the Blu-ray disc format.
The goal, presumably, would be to create a standard that would allow for DVD discs to be created that allow for additional interactivity on special "DVD 2.0" players, while maintaining compatibility with existing DVD players.
Without any support from movie studios to add new features to DVD releases, that would only be compatible with these special players, the format is unlikely to ever be released. Even if they get an approval from the steering committee and get some movie studios to add the new features to some of their new releases, Toshiba is still left steering a standard-def format in an increasingly high-def world. Anything they can do to try to keep DVD relevant certainly works to their benefit, but with the rest of the industry pushing Blu-ray they have an even tougher battle ahead if they are going to try to seriously slow Blu-ray adoption.
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