DVD Forum okays 30GB, dual-layer HD DVD-R

Toshiba today said the DVD Forum has approved its suggestion for a 30GB, dual-layer recordable HD DVD-R disc.

The format gained the organisation's thumbs up last week at a meeting of the Forum's Steering Committee. The dual-layer disc will now become part of the HD DVD-R standard, though formal ratification is not expected to take place until next Spring.

The Forum formally ratified version 1.0 of the write-once HD DVD-R specification in February. That release detailed a single-layer, 15GB disc developed by Toshiba in 2004. Since the HD DVD-ROM standard already incorporates a 30GB dual-layer disc specification, Toshiba developed a recordable version, and submitted it for the Forum's consideration.

The 30GB HD DVD-R will be initially enshrined in version 1.9 of the HD DVD-R spec., which means it has been approved but not formally accepted. First, Toshiba will go through compatibility testing, expected to begin next month. Once ratified, the specification will become a standard when version 2.0 of the specification is released in 2006. ®