14 DAY TRIAL // The next generation storage devices battle is nourished by the support of the important companies to one (Blu-Ray) or the other (High Definition DVD) size.
When an important corporation such as Apple announces its intention to back the Blu-ray format, the battle is bound to be turned up a notch.
Apple announced this decision at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany. Most likely, the decisive argument was the far greater storage capacity BDs (as Blu-Ray discs are known among professionals) offer, in comparison to the existing red-laser discs. Discs written with red lasers can store up to 4.7 gigabytes of data, but new blue-laser discs will hold between 25 gigabytes (single-layer discs) and 50 gigabytes (double-layer discs).
"Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD", Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, declared.
The enthusiasm other companies and movie studios showed to Blu-Ray convinced Apple to support this solution. Apple will launch in the summer its QuickTime 7, which promises superior support for High-Definition Video content.
The Blu-Ray technology is backed by heavyweights such as Samsung, Dell, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Mitsubishi and, among the film industry giants, Disney and Twentieth Century Fox.
Famous names are found on a superior level, in the Blu-Ray Disc Association Board of Directors: Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, LG Electronics Inc, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK, Thomson.
The first BD-ROM physical technical data was approved last August by the Blu-Ray Disc Association, and several companies began to present their compatible drive prototypes, some being CD and DVD compatible as well.