Requirements For Future High-Capacity Compact-Disc Format Announced By Computer Industry Technical Experts

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 1995--Technical representatives of five major computer hardware and software companies said today that their companies strongly encourage the adoption of one format -- not two -- for the next generation of high-capacity compact disc for both entertainment and computer-based applications. Moreover, new digital-video players or compact-disc drives built for the new format should also be able to read the millions of compact discs and CD-ROMs that corporations and individuals already own. The next-generation compact disc is expected to store about 10 to 15 times more data than today's.

These objectives are the first two of nine released today by data storage systems experts from Apple Computer, Inc.; Compaq Computer Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, International Business Machines Corporation and Microsoft Corporation after examining their respective companies' requirements for any future high-capacity compact-disc format.

In the past five months, two different -- and currently incompatible -- future compact-disc formats have been proposed: the MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD) format by Sony and Philips and the Super Density (SD) format by a group of electronics and entertainment companies led by Toshiba.

The data storage experts do not plan to choose between these proposed new formats. Rather, in separate meetings with representatives of each format April 20-21, they strongly urged the two groups to present a single format that meets the needs of both the computer and entertainment industries.

The consensus of the experts is that consumers, software and content providers and hardware manufacturers would be best served by a single format that combines the strongest technical features from each of the two current proposals. Such a united format must meet the requirements of both Digital Video Disc (DVD) and computer-based applications. The technical experts are prepared to provide further input, as each deems appropriate, to help hasten the development of such a single format that is acceptable to all parties.

The five computer companies' objectives are:

1) A single interchange standard for both TV-based and PC-based applications.

2) Backward read-compatibility with existing compact discs.

3) Forward compatibility with future read/write and write-once discs.

4) A single file system for:

a) both entertainment and computer-based content;

b) read-only, read/write, write-once discs and combinations thereof.

5) Low cost. (I.e, comparable to current CD-ROM drives and discs, assuming equivalent volumes.)

6) No mandatory container (e.g. caddy or cartridge). This would minimize the cost of the basic disc and also allow for compact autochangers.

7) Reliable data storage and retrieval for read-only, read/write and write-once media. The average number of uncorrectable errors per disc should be equal to or lower than that of current compact disc technologies, under equivalent environmental, handling, age and defect conditions.

8) High on-line capacity, extendible to future capacity enhancements, such as multiple data layers and shorter wavelength lasers.

9) High performance for both sequential (e.g., movies) and non-sequential (e.g., random-access computer data) files.

Participation in future activities by the data storage experts is open to computer-related companies by contacting Alan E. Bell. (Phone: (408) 927-1506; E-mail: bella@almaden.ibm.com.)