Groups duel over DVD recording standards; home video and still image archiving expected to spark recorder sales.

Most experts agree the next big thing in consumer video and digital image storage and playback is Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) recorders. If one measures the quick acceptance by consumers of DVD players for home entertainment, it appears the technology is being embraced even faster than the conversion to CDs from vinyl LPs. The DVD stores up to 4.7GB of data, which is equal to more than two hours of high-quality digital video, or a similar amount of other information. Double-sided discs have a capacity of 9.4GB.

DVD recorders, which sold for more than $5,000 a few years ago, were priced around $999 last Christmas at Sears, and are expected to dip to $600 later this year. Buyers are expected to use DVD recorders for editing and burning their own personal digital videos and storing vast amounts of still images. The entertainment industry, however, is trying to block the possibility of permanently recording digital broadcasts--a time-shifting convenience that is a common practice among VCR owners.

Therefore, much effort and money is being spent by the entertainment industry on encrypting schemes that will bar consumers from digitally recording copyrighted material at home for their personal use.

All the chatter about encryption safeguards and the existence (again) of two or more different recording standards made a significant impact on marketing DVD recorders to consumers. One industry analyst described the situation as "an ongoing donnybrook in the DVD rewritable market."

The DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corp. (www.dvdfllc.co.jp), is trying to get manufacturers in line to protect the majority of DVD formats. A Forum license, valid until 2004, is $10,000 per product category. As the official watchdog organization for many DVD formats, DVD FLLC controls the familiar DVD equipment logos, including the DVD Multi players and DVD Multi recorders, which are required to play and record all the DVD Forum-approved formats.

According to a recent press release, the Tokyo-based DVD Forum is attempting to keep the import of unlicensed DVD products from entering the United States through the U.S. Customs Authority. The approved formats include DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM Video, and DVD-ROM Audio. Then, there are the DVD Multi specifications, which are not a format, but a set of physical and logical specifications to ensure compatibility for virtually all formats officially created by the DVD Forum for both personal computers and consumer electronic products.

There are three competing re-recordable DVD formats currently available: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW.

The DVD FLLC does not control the DVD+RW format, or the write-one-time version, DVD+R. The two important formats would be popular with computer users. The main difference between DVD-RAM/DVD-RW and DVD+RW is the +RW permits data to be stored on the disc randomly like a computer hard drive, which is very convenient. The competing DVD-RW format disc can only be recorded once per session, which means when using a DVD-RW drive, one has to erase the entire contents of a disc and re-record all the data at one time in order to add a single photo or video clip to the disc.

The DVD-RW format, therefore, is popular with people who want to record a pre-edited video file and play it on consumer DVD players. It's estimated both the DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs have the ability to be re-recorded more than a thousand times.

Due to its random rewriting ability, DVD+RW has found supporters among major computer manufacturers, including Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard, and Sony Electronics.

"DVD+RW discs can essentially act like a big floppy, which is why Sony is supporting the format," comments Sony marketing manager Bob DeMoulin. "We're firmly behind DVD+RW, and we believe it will be successful. But, we're not so sure its success doesn't mean DVD-RW won't be. That's why we continue to support DVD-RW," he adds.

Some electronics manufacturers straddle the DVD compatibility issues, waiting for the market to better define itself. Others expect both formats will co-exist with DVD+RW the choice for computer applications, and DVD-RW adopted for video and entertainment purposes. Conversely, some companies are selecting the format they expect to "win."

Recently, Hewlett-Packard announced it is dumping CD-RW drives in favor of DVD+RW drives for its computers. HP will not market any upgraded CD-RW drives and has completely stopped shipping add-on CD-RW drives. The DVD+RW drives will have the ability to read CD-R/CD-RW discs as well.

Rob Wait, worldwide business manager, HP Consumer Business Organization, predicts DVD+RW drives will become "mainstream" by the end of 2002.

Other signs of emerging DVD dominance include the public's immediate acceptance of DVD players for their home TV entertainment systems. More than 3.8 million DVD players were sold during the third quarter of 2001--a 55 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates more than 30 million DVD players have been sold in the United States since the technology was introduced.

The Technical Coordination Group for DVD FLLC includes Hitachi Ltd., IBM Corp., Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan, Intel Corp., Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., LG Electronics Inc., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., NEC Corp., Pioneer Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corp., Sony Corp., Thomsom MultiMedia, AOL Time Warner Inc., Toshiba Corp., and Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. (JVC).

Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh Co. Ltd., and Philips Electronics jointly developed the DVD+RW format in 1996. In addition to the initial trio, other manufacturers joined what is called the DVD+RW Alliance (www.dvdrw.org). Philips also has its own DVD+RW Internet page (www.ce.philips.com/dvdrw). The DVD+RW format is up against DVD-RAM drives, promoted by Panasonic, Toshiba, and Hitachi, as well as DVD-R/RW developed and manufactured by Pioneer, and supported by Apple Computer and Compaq Computer Corp. Also, members of the DVD+RW initiative include Dell Computers, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp./Verbatim, Sony Corp., Thomson MultiMedia, and Yamaha Corp. As you can see, some manufacturers are hedging their bets and supporting both groups.

A big issue continues to be compatibility; and one hears mixed opinions about the different formats, when it comes to playing discs on DVD players. For example, DVD-RAM, the oldest DVD recording format, offers the least compatibility with the latest DVD drives and player models.

One industry analyst estimates 80 percent of the DVD players can read DVD-R discs. A manufacturer of DVD-R/RW drives, Andy Parsons, vice president of Product Development, Pioneer Electronics, recently speculated that DVD-R discs are compatible with 90 to 95 percent of the latest batch of DVD players, while DVD-RW discs are only compatible with 70 percent of these players.

Christine Roby, product manager for Technology, Hewlett-Packard, estimates DVD+RW discs can be played in about 65 to 70 percent of today's installed DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. "So, we're not compatible with them all. But, with more recent products, we're seeing a higher compatibility rate of around 80 percent," Roby reports.

Sonic Solutions (www.sonic.com) is a leader in DVD authoring applications and marketer of MyDVD 3 consumer DVD editing software. Sonic reports, even though DVD+RW drives are not supported by the DVD Forum, "the DVD+RW drives read DVD-ROMs and CDs, and usually read DVD-RW and DVD-R discs; but they can't read or write DVD-RAM discs ... Discs made on a DVD+RW drive should be readable in most existing DVD-Video and DVD-ROM drives.

"The DVD+RW format uses phase change media with high-frequency wobbled groove that allows it to eliminate linking sectors," Sonic Solutions advises. "This groove, plus the option of no-defect management, allows DVD+RW discs to be written so they are compatible with most existing DVD readers. DVD+RW disks can be recorded in either CLV format for sequential video access (read at CAV speeds by a drive), or CAV format for random access. DVD+R discs can only be recorded in CLV mode."

One immediate advantage of DVD-R/RW recorders over DVD+RW units is their capability to produce both write-one-time DVD-R discs and rewritable DVD-RWs. While DVD+R format specifications do exist, current DVD+RW models do not provide this functionally--but models that will be introduced sometime in 2002 will. The low-cost DVD-R media can range from as high as $10 for name-brand blanks to as low as $3 for no-name blanks sold on the Intemet. Both DVD-RW and DVD+RW media sell for about $16 per disc, but, of course, can be re-recorded repeatedly.

The oldest DVD recording format is DVD-RAM, which today offers the least compatibility with modern DVD drives and players, and its best application is for archiving data. Some experts suggest combo drives of DVD-RAM and DVD-R can address most users needs for data storage and video editing for playback on consumer DVD players. If a buyer's main application is home video editing and DVD videodisc making, a DVD-R/RW drive is a good solution, since there are fewer compatibility issues with new DVD players.

Other users prefer DVD+RW recorders because they feel these units are better suited for storing data and recording video content, when editing towards a finished presentation. Users can drag video clips to a DVD+RW disc with the same ease they do with a hard drive, and they don't have to erase the whole disc to add one more video scene.

All current DVD formats support Content Scrambling System (CSS) protection, and cannot be used to illegally copy content from copyright-protected DVD originals. Depending on manufacturers' specifications, the life span of the content on a DVD disc, much like CD-R/RW discs, is from 30 to 100 years. This is far longer life than videotape, or any magnetic-based recording medium, such as floppy discs or hard drives. Some authorities indicate magnetic videotape images start to degrade in quality after only five years of storage. This physical reality could be the basis for both home-based DVD recording of family videos, or as a consumer service provided by video/imaging retailers.

--By Alfred DeBat e-mail: [e-mail]