The DVD Association (DVDA), National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Optical Storage Technology Association
(OSTA) jointly announced today that the three organizations are participating in
a joint DVD compatibility testing initiative to provide an independent,
objective reference source for compatibility information on recordable DVD
technology. The DVD Compatibility Committee, established as an OSTA working
committee, will announce its goals, test plan, and preliminary findings at the
DVD 2003 Conference, June 9-11 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
committed to resolving issues of standardization for the preservation and
distribution of digital information. This includes, among other things, working
with industry and government leaders to develop testing guidelines, such as this
test plan, to promote greater interoperability between digital media formats and
digital playback devices. This study is one of the first steps towards
unencumbered dissemination of digital content to consumers and enterprise
end-users. It also is a step in addressing the broader concern of the
preservation and access of digital content for the future."
"The DVD industry has been wrestling with
recordable DVD compatibility issues from day one," said Jim Taylor, president of
the DVDA. "This project, with its solid test plan and scientific approach, is
very important in helping manufacturers improve compatibility and in winning
consumer confidence. The combination of NIST's expertise, OSTA's industry
connections, and the DVDA's base of content developers has been perfect for
bringing this important work to fruition."
The OSTA DVD Compatibility Committee, which began
work in the fall of 2002, is focusing on recordable DVD technology and is
rigorously testing a wide variety of media types, recordable DVD drives, DVD-ROM
drives, and consumer DVD players. The group is performing compatibility and
physical testing, and defining test methodologies and parameters. Throughout the
process the committee will work closely with manufacturers to identify root
causes of compatibility problems, fix compatibility issues, and provide useful
information to consumers and the optical storage industry.
OSTA's Planning Committee will oversee the
independent working group. Dr. Subutai Ahmad, Vice President of Engineering for
YesVideo, is serving as chairman of the OSTA DVD Compatibility Committee. The
committee also includes participants from NIST and the DVDA as well as OSTA. A
branch of the US Department of Commerce, the mission of NIST is to develop and
promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity,
facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. The DVDA is a non-profit
organization representing more than 5,000 independent content producers.
"In 1997, OSTA worked with media and hardware
manufacturers to test CD-R compatibility, and the results were very positive,
with CD-R becoming almost universally compatible with consumer and PC playback
and recording devices," said Ahmad. "Today, we recognize that the same effort
needs to be made with DVD recordable technology to ensure widespread
compatibility."
Members of the committee include Jim Taylor of
Sonic Solutions and president of the DVDA, Parker Lee of Sonic Solutions and
Chairman of OSTA; Victor McCrary, John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory;
Oliver Slattery and Fred Byers, from NIST; Bob Zollo and Lee Prewitt, Software
Architects; David Bunzel, president of OSTA and Santa Clara Consulting Group.
Phase I of the test program, currently underway,
covers DVD-ROM drives for personal computers. A total of 15 models of recordable
DVD-ROM drives and over 40 different media have been selected for this initial
test phase, representing approximately 60 percent of the current market share
for these devices. Preliminary results for Phase I will be presented at the
DVDA's DVD 2003 Conference, with a final report scheduled for September 2003.
About the DVD Association
(DVDA)
The DVDA is a nonprofit organization funded through
membership dues and corporate sponsorships. Membership is open to all those
connected in any way with the creation of DVD titles. The bulk of DVDA members
are developers that specialize in the creation of multimedia programs for
training, education, presentations and entertainment using the DVD platform. The
DVDA represents many of the most experienced producers of professional
applications in the industry. For more information visit www.dvda.org
About NIST
Founded in 1901, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory federal agency within the
U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration. NIST's mission is to
develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance
productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. NIST carries
out its mission in four cooperative programs: the NIST Laboratories, the
Baldrige National Quality Program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and
the Advanced Technology Program. The mission of the Convergent Information
Systems Division, the group representing NIST in the OSTA DVD Compatibility
Committee, is to develop and promote the exchange, storage, and manifestation of
digital content via IT standards, measurements, and technology that support the
economy, welfare, and defense of the USA, and in support of NIST's Information
Technology Laboratory. For further information, please visit our website at
www.itl.nist.gov/div895
About the Optical Storage Technology
Association (OSTA)
The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA)
was incorporated as an international trade association in 1992 to promote the
use of recordable optical technologies and products. The organization's
membership includes optical product manufacturers and resellers from three
continents, representing more than 85 percent of worldwide writable optical
product shipments. They work to shape the future of the industry through regular
meetings of DVD Compatibility, Commercial Storage Applications (CSA), Marketing,
MultiRead, Planning and UDF committees. Interested companies worldwide are
invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting
an OSTA representative at +1 (408) 253-3695, by fax +1 (408) 253-9938 or by
addressing its Web site at www.osta.org
Source: Yahoo!Finance
