Since the beginning of the DVD format war there has always been a struggle to conquer the biggest piece of the market pie and now, whether you believe it or not, an UK-based company called New Medium Enterprises (NME) wants to take it all away by entering a new DVD format, the Versatile Multilayer Disk (VMD).

Although it uses the same red laser technology much like in normal DVD recorders, the difference is that the recording process is made on multiple layers, the current disks being made out of four layers, unlike two layers currently used, and have the possibility of storing up to 5GB per layer. With an expected increase in the number of layers up to 20, it will soon be possible to store 100GB of information per disk, thus giving a new meaning to the term "portable data".

The applications for this new technology are possible because of the reduced cross-talk between the different layers on the DVD, this being a major problem with the original DVD disks. Also, NME has developed an entire line of products to support and utilize this technology like the HD VMD Player - Duo and Multi, Combo units which include an LCD and a player and, of course, the disk itself. The players marketed by NME are backwards compatible with all current DVD formats and, if you want DVD authoring software, NME provides Author-WIZ and Author-PRO, with a VMD PC Drive for your personal computer.

Although the introduction of this technology represents a breakthrough for the consumer market and the movie industry, New Medium Enterprises was founded in August 1999, representing a newcomer onto this market. The company has development facilities in USA, UK, Germany, Israel, India, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Russia, China, and Ukraine with the help of over 30 scientists.