Blu-ray group adopts Microsoft's VC-1 codec

The
Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has decided to include two new video codecs as
mandatory codecs in the specifications for BD-ROM (read-only discs) besides the
already adopted MPEG-2. One of the new codecs is Microsoft's VC-1, previously
known as VC-9, while the other is MPEG-4 AVC High Profile.

The decision by the Blu-ray group means that makers of Blu-ray disc players will have to incorporate VC-1, as well as another advanced codec known as MPEG-4 AVC High Profile and the older codec MPEG-2, said Richard Doherty, a director of Panasonic's Hollywood laboratory. Advanced codecs are designed to squeeze a larger amount of content into a given space.   The move will lead to licensing fees given to companies, like Microsoft, that own intellectual property used by these codecs. The decision also appears to show that Microsoft was wise to buck its usual strategy and turn its VC-9 technology over to an open-standards body such as SMPTE. Doherty said it was "important" to the Blu-ray backers that Microsoft's codec became an open-standards technology.

This
means that Microsoft has succeeded to get its video codec incorporated into both
of the competing high definition formats as VC-1 (VC-9) was approved for the HD
DVD format by DVD forum in June too. More information is available at CNet
News.com here.

Source: CNet News