One of the main drawbacks of the HD-DVD format could disappear as more and more supporters come with exciting innovations.

For example, Ricoh has announced that it will submit for the DVD Forum's approval the HD DVD-RW double layer disc that allows 32GB of data to be stored. The DVD Forum has already approved this year the HD DVD-RW single layer that can store 15GB.

The technology proposed by Ricoh has all the chances to become a standard for HD-DVD-RW discs and if the DVD Forum agrees with it, the first discs will appear at the end of 2006. Ricoh has also introduced new protection methods against scratches and shocks.

Last week, Toshiba announced that the DVD Forum approved the specs for the HD-DVD-R dual layer discs, which can store 30GB.

Intel and Microsoft today announced their support for the HD-DVD format, outlining that the introduction of the 30GB HD-DVD discs is one of the main reasons why the two companies think the format promoted by Toshiba and the DVD Forum is superior to Sony's Blu-Ray.