Rewritable DVD+RW Double Layer to be finalised by year-end

September 6, 2005

The DVD+RW Alliance, which supports the DVD plus recording standard is currently in discussions for a Double Layer DVD Rewritable disc standard, which will be finalised by the end of the year. Like a Double Layer DVD+R disc, a Double Layer DVD+RW will feature a capacity of up to 8.5GB of data or up to about 4 hours of standard DVD quality video.

At present, all new DVD writers and some standalone DVD recorders support the writing of DVD+R DL discs, however rewritable's are currently limited to 4.7GB of data or about 2 hours worth of standard quality recording on a DVD recorder. The rewritable double layer disc will be targeted towards standalone DVD recorders and an 8-cm version will be developed for up-coming camcorders that support writing to DVD+RW DL.

Current tests carried out by Philips research already achieves recording speeds of 2.4x to 4x to DVD+RW DL discs, while retaining low jitter and high modulation values. However, as the reflection of these discs is only between 5 and 7%, this is too low for existing DVD-ROM and DVD rewriter drives, thus new drives that support DVD+RW DL media will be required to both read and write this new type of media.

The DVD+RW Alliance, a voluntary association of industry-leading personal computer, optical storage and consumer electronics manufacturers that support the Plus format for DVD recording, has started discussions for a new rewritable double-layer DVD+RW DL standard that will be finalized by year-end. Using a double-layer DVD+RW DL disc, a consumer can write and re-write up to 8.5 GB of information or up to 4 hours of DVD quality time-shifting recording onto a single 12 cm disc.

"8.5 GB double-layer DVD recording is quite popular amongst PC users and is now standard on any new DVD writer," said Frank Simonis, chair of the DVD+RW Alliance Product Promotions Group and strategic marketing director for Philips Optical Storage. "Rewritable double layer DVD+RW DL will give consumers the extra recording time for consumer video recording and especially the 8cm discs for DVD camcorders."

As Double Layer DVD+R discs are still rather expensive, this will very likely be the case for the upcoming DVD+RW DL media. Unfortunately, as many consumers have already got a DVD±RW drive by this stage, it may be too late for the new media to take off well, especially since it cannot be read back in existing drives and how close it will be to the launch of Blu-ray and HD DVD. However, as standalone DVD recorders are still in their early stages yet, there is still a chance to do well in this market, although it will be interesting to see if consumers would be willing to pay a high premium just for a double capacity rewritable disc, which can only be played back in the recorder itself.

Source: ECN Asia