What Is Optical Storage?

Optical storage is affected by the medium on the surface of the optical disc. There are uneven pits on the optical disc. The light irradiates on it with different reflections, and then it is converted into 0 and 1 digital signals to become optical storage. Of course, there is a protective film on the outside of the disc, which is generally not visible, but you can see where there is information and where there is no information. Burning a disc is also the principle, that is, when burning, the light is relatively strong, and different bumps are burned out.

Optical storage

Optical storage is affected by the medium on the surface of the optical disc. There are uneven pits on the optical disc. The light irradiates on it with different reflections, and then it is converted into 0 and 1 digital signals to become optical storage. Of course, there is a protective film on the outside of the disc, which is generally not visible, but you can see where there is information and where there is no information.

A new type of waveguide multi-layer memory (WMM) is composed of a stack of multilayer planar optical waveguides, which uses waveguide defects to record data, reads the data through the defect's light scattering effect, and uses the waveguide's spatial constraint on light to achieve layer location. A 10-layer WMM model device was made and the principle experimental results of data readout were given. The results show that the WMM has a large intra-layer signal-to-noise ratio and small inter-layer signal crosstalk, which is a promising 3D optical storage technology. .

Development status of optical storage

Although the optical drive has been around since 1991, its development seems very slow. In 1993, the second generation of MPC specifications came out, the speed of the optical drive has become double speed, the transmission rate reached 300KB / S, and the average search time was 400ms. In the summer of 1995, the Multimdeia PC Working Group announced the third-generation specification standard, the optical drive speed was increased to four times, the data transfer rate was 600KB / S, and the average time of the data was no more than 250ms. Compatible disc formats: CD-Audio, CD-Mode1 / 2, CD-ROM / XA, photo-CD, CD-R, Video-CD, CD-I, etc.

In the future, speeding up the optical drive has also become the main goal of the technological development of various manufacturers. The speed has increased from 4x and 8x to 48x and 52x. With the development and maturity of technology, the price of optical drives has dropped to an acceptable level. When the time evolved to around 1997, optical drives have begun to spread.

Although the capacity of the optical disc has reached 640M, the pursuit of human beings is endless, and people are eager to store more data on the disc. In this case, DVDs and DVD drives were also introduced. At the beginning of development, the meaning of DVD was Digital Video Disc, which can only store video and audio information. When the DVD expands its functions, the DVD can not only store MPEG2 video and audio information, but also computer programs and file digital information, meeting people's needs for large storage capacity and high-performance storage media. This media integrating computer technology, optical recording technology, and film and television technology became the Digital Versatile Disk.

We talk about DVD, of course, the official organization of the DVD Alliance. This organization was originally formed by Hitachi, JVC, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer, Sony, Thomson, Time Warner, and Toshiba. In May 1997, the DVD Forum, an international open organization based on this alliance, was announced. To date, the organization has attracted more than 200 members. The overall goal of this organization is to promote and develop DVD formats, coordinate DVD specifications and license companies in the field of DVD technology. There are special working groups that work on different aspects of DVD technology and develop international standards for some specifications. They have played an invaluable role in promoting the development of DVD standards and technologies. Today, many specifications have become international standards.

The principle of DVD is the same as that of optical drive. When it can read DVD disc, it can also read DVD disc. The minimum storage capacity of a DVD disc is 4.7GB. With the development of DVD technology, single-sided double-layer and binocular double-layer technologies have been continuously developed, and the data capacity that DVD can store has also increased rapidly. DVD attracts people not only in terms of data storage, but in terms of images, DVD images can provide several times better clarity than CD images, and support 5.1 channels. Compared with CD stereo, DVD can be said to have absolute advantages. DVD began to enter the market in 1997, but for a long time, due to high prices and not low requirements for PC processing power, DVD drives could not enter ordinary people's homes. In recent years, the large adjustment of DVD prices has made more and more users choose DVDs to replace optical drives. The trend of DVDs to replace optical drives is irresistible.

The initial format of DVD is: DVD-ROM (for data recording, including multimedia data of computer applications;), DVD-Video (for recording video information of home audio and video equipment or DVD-ROM drive. This format has copyright protection Function), DVD-Audio (users record high-quality multi-track audio), but because some members consider the market issues, the recording format has not reached a unified opinion, making the current DVD format very much, including: DVD-ROM , DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD + RW, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD + R, DVD-VR. The chaos of the DVD standard has inevitably affected the next generation of DVD standards. The next-generation DVD standard has always been the focus of the world s home appliance and IT industries. The world s electronics companies have formed a DVD alliance to unify the next-generation DVD standard. Has become fragmented.

The next-generation DVD standard is split into three: a Blu-ray standard (Blu-ray DVD) represented by Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Pioneer, Sharp, Samsung, LG, Philips, and ThomsonMM of France; a Toshiba and NEC The representative DVD AOD (Advanced Optical Disk) standard, referred to as AOD; the last one is the HD-DVD standard proposed by the Institute of Industry and Technology of Taiwan Province of China, which aims to avoid the high patent fees of AOD and Blu-ray. At present, the advantages of HD-DVD are not obvious, so the entire optical storage industry around the world is staring at the dispute between Blu-ray and AOD standards. From a comprehensive view of various factors, a new generation of unified standards is still far away.

However, manufacturers still find ways to produce more compatible drives. Among them, Panasonic first developed drives compatible with DVD-RAM and DVD-R (G) formats in April 2001, and Sony's DVD burners are already compatible. DVD + R, DVD-R, DVD + RW and DVD-RW formats, and now there are more and more dual-mode DVD burners on the market. In addition to considering compatibility, various manufacturers have also developed many unique technologies, including: extended life technology (all-steel movement, anti-aging hydraulic bearings), shock absorption technology (dynamic damper, anti-vibration device), noise reduction technology, Technology for improving disk reading ability (smart speed regulation) and cooling technology (using SMT).

Optical drives and DVDs are both generated due to the need to store data, and recorders are created from people's requirements for data storage. It is conceivable that if you rely on floppy drives for data exchange, how inefficient is it! Because of this need, burners have emerged, from the original CD burner to the current DVD burner. In the era of the early development of the recorder, due to the inconsistent specifications of the recorder and the compatibility of the CD-ROM disc format, a variety of data formats for recording discs were derived. Both have proposed their own set of specifications, so how to ensure support for various data formats at the time became the focus of the recorder. At this time, the speed of the recorder was mostly below 4X. In order to support the new data format, Need to cooperate with special burning software.

When the speed of the burner slowly increased to 8X-12X, the data format of the burned disc has stabilized, and the burners produced by various brands can better support the mainstream data formats. However, the DVD recording standard has not yet been established, so it has caused a lot of impact on the DVD burner. For the time being, no DVD burner that can support all DVD formats has been born. The burning process needs to read data from the PC, which has caused some burning problems, and manufacturers are constantly developing new technologies to address these problems, including increasing the buffer capacity of the recorder and adding some anti-degraving technologies.

With the emergence of optical drives, DVDs, and recorders, users have begun to face a choice, and manufacturers are also considering whether they can be unified into one device? In this case, Combo was born. Combo can be described as a "black horse" in the optical storage market, but as early as 1999, IT giant Samsung has proposed the concept of Combo and launched the industry's first Combo-SM-304, with a 4X CD specification -R, 4X CD-RW, 24X CD-ROM, and 4X DVD-ROM. But because the technology of making Combo was unprecedentedly complex and extremely difficult at that time, very few manufacturers were able to produce Combo. At the same time, due to the immature technology, the performance of the Combo is difficult to compare with a single product, and the manufacturing cost of the Combo remains high, so the Combo did not become popular at the time.

Three years later, in July of 2002, Combo's ancestor Samsung again took the lead in launching its multi-function optical drive, SM-308, in the condition that the technology was quite mature and the market was full of potential. In the following year, major manufacturers also launched their own brand of Combo, and the Combo battle in the market also began. In the past year, the competition in the market has led to a rapid increase in the speed of the Combo. Most of the Combo specifications currently on the market are 48X CD-R burning, 24X CD-RW erasing, 16X DVD reading and 48X CD- ROM read, there are a few products that increase the read speed of CD-R and CD-ROM to 52X. Combo is accepted by the majority of users for its high performance-price ratio. The emergence of Combo is a major breakthrough in the field of optical storage. It uses advanced technology to achieve multiple functions. It is simplified to use, which can save IDE interface, save chassis space and reduce power consumption. It also has the advantages of easy installation. Provides great convenience for users to install applications. All this makes Combo extremely competitive in the current market.

Light Storage Blu-ray

Blu-ray Introduction

Blu-ray (Blu-ray) or Blu-ray Disc (abbreviated as BD) uses blue laser light with a shorter wavelength (405nm) to read and write data, hence its name. Traditional DVDs require a red laser light (wavelength of 650nm) to read or write data. Generally speaking, a shorter laser light can record or read more information per unit area. Therefore, Blu-ray has greatly increased the storage capacity of optical discs. For optical storage products, Blu-ray provides an opportunity for leapfrog development.

So far, Blu-ray is the most advanced large-capacity optical disc format, and the huge advancement of BD laser technology enables you to store 25GB document files on a single disc. This is five times the number of existing (single-disc) DVDs. In terms of speed, Blu-ray allows recording speeds of 1 to 2 times, or 4.5 to 9 megabits per second.

Blu-ray discs have an unusually strong layer that protects the important recording layers inside the disc. Philips' Blu-ray Disc uses advanced vacuum bonding technology to form a uniform 100 & micro; m security layer. Philips Blu-ray discs can withstand frequent use, fingerprints, scratches, and dirt to ensure that the storage quality data of Blu-ray products is safe.

Technically, the Blu-ray recorder system is compatible with various disc products that have appeared before. The huge capacity of Blu-ray products brings the possibility and convenience to high-definition movies, games and large-capacity data storage. Will greatly promote the development of high-definition entertainment. Currently, Blu-ray technology is also supported by more than 170 major game companies, movie companies, consumer electronics and home computer manufacturers in the world. Seven of the eight major film companies: Disney, Fox, Paramount, Warner, Sony, MGM, and Lions Gate.

Blu-ray history

In 1998, Philips and Sony took the lead in publishing technical papers on next-generation optical discs, and set out to develop a single-sided single-layer technology solution to achieve 23GB to 25GB, which brought a surprise to the industry.

On February 19, 2002, with Sony, Philips, and Panasonic as the core, together with Hitachi, Pioneer, Samsung, LG, Sharp, and Thomson, the 0.9-Blu-rayDisc (BD) technology standard was released. Blu-ray means BlueRay, so February 19th also officially announced the birth of the next-generation DVD candidate, Blu-ray Disc.

The BD Group then officially released the 1.0 version of the BD specification on June 14, 2002, with a total of 3 volumes for a total of $ 5,000, thus marking the design of the BD has been fully established.

Although the current dispute between BD and HDVD as the next-generation Blu-ray storage standard has always existed, this has also prompted the two to continue to introduce new ideas and carry out technical reforms. In 2003, the blue-ray laser head reached the production level, but the blue-ray products suitable for the market began to appear in 2006.

In 2006, Sony, Pioneer, Samsung, etc. all released their Blu-ray technology and Blu-ray products, and all proposed their own Blu-ray plans. In the Chinese market, on July 19, 2006, BenQ first launched its molded Blu-ray products. It can be said that 2006 was the "first year of Blu-ray" in the true sense.

On February 16, 2008, the headline reported by Japan's NHK Television reported a shocking news: Toshiba announced the abandonment of the HD-DVD format. The news program stated that Toshiba declared a complete failure in this "next-generation DVD specification war" with losses of up to tens of billions of yen. At the same time, Reuters' Tokyo branch also published "Toshiba abandons HD-DVD to end the format war."

From Microsoft, which only supports HD-DVD, announced that it supports both formats at the same time, to some time ago, Warner of the HD-DVD camp was defeated, and the HD-DVD camp led by Toshiba can be said to be getting harder. The HD-DVD format, a battle for specifications that lasted for several years, ended with a victory over Blu-ray.

BlueRay application

At the end of 2007, Sony Corporation launched the first Blu-ray DVD-equipped HD player in China: BDP-S300 / BM. The Blu-ray player opened the commercialization of Blu-ray in China. The outstanding results achieved on the previous PlayStation 3 were Blu-ray and The battle for the standard of HD-DVD lays the foundation, but the DVD's high price of 5000RMB is prohibitive for many consumers. The rampant cost makes BlueRay a long way to go.

BDP-S300 / BM Blu-ray Player Performance Standard

7.1 surround channel

1080 signal output

Movie-like playback frames at 24 frames per second

xvColour color gamut standard

BRAVIA Theatre Sync

Change and size

A single-layer Blu-ray disc has a capacity of 25 or 22GB, which is enough to burn a high-definition movie for up to 4 hours. Double layer can reach 46 or 54GB capacity,

Enough to burn a high-definition movie for up to 8 hours. And the capacity is 100 or 200GB, there are 4 layers and 8 layers respectively.

According to current research, TDK has announced the development of a 4-layer disc with a capacity of 100GB.

Blu-ray disc players use blue lasers to read files on the disc. Due to the shorter wavelength of blue light, higher density discs can be read. So why can Blu-ray read and write higher density discs? Let's start with the laser:

The laser used for reading and writing is a very precise light, accurate to the limit, which is the general wavelength of light. Since the wavelength of red light is 700 nanometers and blue light is only 400 nanometers,

So the blue laser can actually be a bit more precise, and can read and write a dot that is only 200nm, compared with a red laser that can only read and write a dot at 350nm, so the same

The same kind of CD-ROM, the more you order, the more information you record!

Blu-Ray Disk is a Blu-ray Disc. It is one of the next-generation standards for DVD. It is dominated by Sony and Toshiba, with Sony, Panasonic, and Philips as the core.

Support from giants such as Hitachi, Samsung and LG. The storage principle is the groove recording method. The traditional groove is used for recording. However, more advanced jitter addressing is used.

Achieved greater capacity storage and data management, which has now reached 100GB. Compared with traditional CD or DVD storage, BD discs are obviously

Bringing better reflectivity and storage density is the key to its capacity breakthrough.

Blu-ray discs are 12 cm in diameter, the same size as regular compact discs (CDs) and digital compact discs (DVDs). This disc uses 405n blue laser light on one side and single layer

The disc can record and play up to 27GB of video data, which is more than 5 times the capacity of existing DVDs (DVDs generally have a capacity of 4.7GB), and can record for 13 hours.

Ordinary TV shows or 2 hours of high definition TV shows. Blu-ray discs use MPEG-2 compression technology.

HD-DVD Optical storage HD-DVD

definition

HD DVD (or High Definition DVD) is a blue light disc product in digital optical storage format. It has now developed into one of the high-definition DVD standards and is formulated and developed by the HD DVD Promotion Group. HD DVD is similar to its competitor Blu-ray Disc. The discs are optical digital storage media of the same size (120 mm in diameter) as CDs. They use blue light with a wavelength of 405 nanometers.

HD DVD is promoted by the HD DVD Promotion Association composed of Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo Electric and other companies. Hewlett-Packard (also supporting BD), Microsoft and Intel have joined the HD DVD camp, and mainstream studio Universal Pictures is also a member.

But in 2008, as Warner, which originally supported HD DVD, announced its departure from HD DVD, and several US chain stores decided to support Blu-ray products, Toshiba officially announced on February 19 that it would terminate the HD DVD business.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that HD DVD is often mistakenly written as "HD-DVD" because people think that the middle cable is similar to the previous DVD-R / RW direct cable.

HD DVD Type

HD DVD can be divided into four categories: read-only HD DVD-ROM, single-write HD DVD-R, multiple-write HD DVD-RW and HD DVD-RAM. The HD DVD-RAM specifications have not yet been finalized. As of February 2008, the technical versions of HD DVD-ROM and HD DVD-RW are 1.0 and HD DVD-R is 0.9.

Disc structure

HD DVD-ROM, HD DVD-R, and HD DVD-RW have a single-layer capacity of 15GB, double-layer capacity of 30GB, and HD DVD-RAM of a single-layer capacity of 20GB. The thickness of the surface layer of an HD DVD disc is 0.6 mm, which is the same as that of a DVD disc, but the number of aperture openings of the optical pickup head is 0.65, which is different from 0.6 of the DVD. However, all HD DVD players are backward compatible with DVD and CD.

diameter	Single-sided single-layer	Single-sided double layer	Double-sided single layer	Double-sided double-layer
8 cm	4.70 GB	9.40 GB	9.40 GB	18.8 GB
12 cm	15 GB	30 GB	30 GB	60 GB

File system

HD DVD is compatible with several different file systems such as ISO 9660 and UDF. The default is UDF 2.5.

Video format

For audio, HD DVD supports 24-bit / 192kHz encoding with up to two channels or up to eight channels with 24-bit / 96kHz encoding. All HD DVD players must support decoding of linear PCM (uncompressed), Dolby Digital AC-3, Dolby Digital EX, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. If the HD DVD has a second sound track, then the sound track can be stored in the above format, or DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio.

To enjoy the highest definition audio, HD DVD manufacturers can choose linear PCM, Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio encoding. Nevertheless, because the bandwidth requirements of linear PCM are very high, the distortion-free audio in HD DVD movies is usually in the form of Dolby TrueHD.

In terms of images, HD DVD supports many different resolutions, from the lowest CIF to the highest SDTV, and the DVD standard stores images to 720p, 1080i, 1080p of HDTV. In terms of encoding, HD DVD can use MPEG2 supported by DVD or newly supported and more efficient AVC and VC-1.

Interactive content

HD DVD uses HDi Interactive Format technology to enable HD DVD to allow interactive content. The HDi interactive format is based on web technologies such as HTML, XML, CSS, SMIL, ECMAScript (JavaScript), and more.

HD DVD variant

DVD / HD DVD Hybrid Disc: This disc contains DVD images and HD DVD images. When using a DVD player, it will play DVD information, otherwise it will play HD DVD information. Another type of hybrid disc will be DVD on one side and HD DVD on the other. This frees consumers from having to worry about discs bought back being incompatible with their own players.

HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid Disc: Presented by Warner Bros. at the 2007 CES conference. One side of the disc is HD DVD and the other side is Blu-ray disc; both sides support double-layer technology. However, in November 2007, Warner Bros. announced that it would stop developing HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid discs.

3x DVD: 3x DVD is a red light DVD. However, it can provide three times the bandwidth of ordinary DVDs and store HD DVD format data on DVDs.

HD REC: Just like 3x DVD, use technology to store HD DVD format data on DVD. High-definition data in HD REC uses H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC compression. This technology was officially recognized by the DVD Forum on September 12, 2007.

Development History

The HD DVD specifications of the Advanced Optical Disc (AOD) group of NEC / Toshiba are designed from the current standard DVD specifications. HD DVD completely inherits the same thickness of the standard DVD data layer, but it uses blue laser technology without any compromise, but it has a short optical wave length and can store more dense data on the disc. Compared with the current standard DVD single-layer capacity of 4.7GB, the HD DVD single-layer capacity of 15GB is considered as high-capacity optical storage technology.

The main selling point of the HD DVD specification is the structural design of the shared parts of HD DVD and standard DVD. DVD manufacturers do not upgrade the specifications, and then invest huge funds to update production equipment. Blu-ray manufacturers must purchase new production equipment for new specifications.

The HD DVD specification also continues the data structure (such as architecture, index, and ECC blocks) of the standard DVD. The error correction algorithm is derived from the module structure of the standard DVD. The only difference from the standard DVD is the ECC blocks used to receive more error corrections. . ECC blocks error proofing is continuous. In HD DVD, one ECC block matches two standard ECC blocks of standard DVD.

In April 2005, HD DVD will adopt Advanced Access Content System (AACS), a higher-level version of CSS. This advanced and upgraded version has already been applied to standard DVD specifications and received good reviews. The Association of Patent Affairs Commissioners is composed of IBM, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Microsoft, Toshiba, and Sony Sony members. Because Disney is part of the BD camp, Warner certainly is.

Dan Ramer published a worrying report in the newspaper, mentioning that the Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) audited the two major anti-theft systems of AACS and SPDC (Self Protecting Digital Content). SPDC has already appeared in the HD DVD security system and has been ranked better than AACS by the association.

In the production of DVD players, AACS will give a set of 128-bit Device Keys to each machine. Device Keys can be used in a single device or shared with other multi-tasking devices. MKB (Media Key Block) is an anti-theft code legally authorized by AACS. This group of anti-theft codes can decode and restore the content. If the anti-theft code is damaged, MKB will immediately regenerate and destroy the original anti-theft code to protect itself, so the anti-theft code cannot be protected. Was restored.

This design is very disturbing, because if the DVD player anti-theft code is damaged and detected, unless the ROM read-only firmware is upgraded, the DVD player will deadlock itself and cannot start to prevent theft, so , This can be embarrassing and don't want to use it. AACS has a built-in Internet function, which can be linked to the website's CRM customer service management or content manipulation management. Therefore, network connection is inevitable in the future.

SPDC has a mechanism to restore the DVD player, play back all DVD content, and also restore the searched content while recording. Because the DVD player has a video recording function, if a video disc is damaged after being placed on the DVD player, then your DVD player becomes an anti-theft door latch, and the self-protection and anti-theft function is activated.

In fact, the function of secret surveillance in the system is not just that. Even every time a DVD player plays a new disc, the SPDC self-locking anti-lock mechanism is immediately activated. Therefore, when the old disc is damaged, each new disc seems to be a whistleblower, and will come forward to confess and record the truth on the RAM that can always be retained and can also modify the player's firmware.

The software called Divx is not compatible with SPDC, and Divx is just one of many incompatible software. If there is more conflicting software, this may lead to the advocates of the standard DVD specifications, and it will repel HD DVD specifications.

HD stands for both high density (larger disk storage capacity) and high resolution (higher quality pictures). The first commercial Blu-ray HD DVD came out in Japan this April. These DVDs can only be used for home recording, not pre-made HD movies, and can only be used in Japan's digital HD broadcasting system.

The new DVD format will not soon replace the existing DVD format, but the new HD player can play current DVD movies, and can use progressive scanning technology to make the picture look better. But new HD DVD discs cannot be played on existing DVD players. The DVD movies we have now can last for many years. Think about it, the HDTV system in the United States is expected to be available in 1989, but it has not been finalized by 1996, and it has not reached the market by 1998. Can HDTV obsolete existing TVs so quickly?

Historical events

November 19, 2003

The DVD Forum passes HD DVD 8 to 6 and is the next generation of DVD and HDTV. At the conference, they renamed the disc "HD DVD", previously known as "Advanced Optical Disc". Blu-ray discs were developed by companies outside of the DVD Forum and were not submitted to the forum for discussion. HD DVD-ROM and HD DVD-RW specifications are 1.0 and HD DVD-R specifications are 0.9.

January 5, 2006

The HD DVD Promotion Association said at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that 200 formats will support the format by the end of 2006.

March 31, 2006

Toshiba's first batch of HD DVD players was released in Japan, priced at 110,000 yen; the United States was released on April 18, the same year, the price is 499 dollars and 799 dollars.

November 7, 2006

Microsoft's home game console Xbox 360 introduced an external HD DVD player.

August 21, 2007

Paramount Pictures announces the change from previously supporting both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD to HD DVD as Paramount s only approved high-definition movie storage disc; at the same time, Paramount s DreamWorks SKG and DreamWorks Subsidiaries such as Animation, Paramount Advantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Movies have switched to HD DVD only. Paramount executives acknowledged via Viacom that Paramount had collected a total of $ 150 million from the HD DVD camp to provide a one-and-a-half year HD DVD exclusivity, and the payments were paid in cash and future revenue splits.

January 4, 2008

Warner Bros. Pictures announced its departure from the HD DVD camp and discontinued the release of HD-DVD discs in June 2008. In the future, it will only support Blu-ray discs as a disc format. Warner Bros. Chief Executive Barry Meyer believes that supporting Blu-ray disc monopoly is beneficial to the popularization of the entire high-definition market, and the long-term format dispute will only make the film industry miss a good opportunity in the high-definition market. Warner-affiliated New Line Cinema made the same decision the next day to stop the distribution of HD DVD titles.

January 5, 2008

The HD DVD Promotion Association temporarily canceled the upcoming press conference at the CES show. The statement pointed out that due to the sudden decision of Warner Brothers, the association needs to discuss the impact of other HD-DVD camp members and re-evaluate future developments. Toshiba claims that it will not give up support for HD DVD.

January 8, 2008

The Financial Times reported that Paramount Pictures is considering exercising an exclusive agreement with the HD DVD camp, "If Warner Brothers abandons the HD DVD camp, Paramount can follow the leave", returning to Blu-ray Optical disc alliance. Microsoft (Microsoft) said that in the future, which format the company will adopt will only be left to consumers' choice.

January 9, 2008

Time Warner's other subsidiary, HBO, will follow the decision of Warner Bros. to suspend the distribution of HD DVDs.

January 28, 2008

Woolworths Group PLC announced that according to the sales figures of the Christmas holidays in 2007, Blu-ray discs have led HD DVD sales by a large margin of 1: 1, so they have decided to start selling Blu-ray discs in all stores.

February 11, 2008

Best Buy, a large US retail chain, announced that in order to avoid consumers' confusion when choosing next-generation optical disc format players, it has decided that all stores will begin to fully support Blu-ray disc players, video discs and related products, so that consumers can correctly master high-definition entertainment Content. On the same day, the online video store Netflix also made the same decision and will only support Blu-ray discs as the only recognized next-generation disc format.

February 15, 2008

Wal-Mart, the largest US retail chain, announced that all stores will only sell Blu-ray disc players, video discs and related products from June. HD DVD products will gradually be removed from shelves. On the same day, there are rumors that Toshiba will be preparing to abandon HD DVD. Although Toshiba currently refuses to acknowledge it, this recently published article states that each sold HD DVD player is actually causing considerable losses to Toshiba, plus Other major setbacks have frustrated the company. An anonymous person who claimed to be closely related to the HD DVD camp said that "the relevant statement is about to be released ..., wait up to another week!". In response to related reports, Toshiba Vice President Jodi Sally reiterated the company's support for HD DVD.

February 16, 2008

The Japan Broadcasting Association reports that Toshiba, which is leading the HD DVD camp, intends to withdraw from the race for the next-generation optical disc format, while the factory in Aomori Prefecture will completely stop the production of HD DVD players.

February 17, 2008

Toshiba issued an official statement that the Japan Broadcasting Association's report yesterday was completely wrong and that the company was reviewing HD DVD's future business policy.

February 18, 2008

A report from The Inquirer claims that the HD DVD is dead.

At 13:10 on February 19, 2008,

According to Japanese media reports, Toshiba has decided to completely stop the development and production of the next-generation DVD format "HD DVD" business.

February 22, 2008

In order to prevent the Sony Blu-ray DVD monopoly, the Chinese version of HD DVD insists on launching as scheduled.