Advanced Optical Disc
The Development Of The AOD HD-DVD Proposal As A DVD Forum Standard
By Gary Reber
This On-Screen conversation with Hisashi Yamada, Fellow Technology Officer at the Digital Media Network Company division of Toshiba Corporation, Ryoichi (Rick) Hayatsu, Chief Manager of the 1st Storage Products Division of NEC Corporation, and Jodi Sally, Marketing Director of the Digital A/V Group at Toshiba America Consumer Products Inc. took place at Laser Pacific, leading high-definition post production facility in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 2003. I had been invited to attend a private presentation at Laser Pacific of the Advanced Optical Disc (AOD) proposal and a demonstration of film clips encoded in the proposed standard’s Advanced Encryption System (AES). The visual impact on a large theatrical-wide screen was stunning and compared to the D-5 uncompressed master of the film clips there was virtually no difference in picture quality. The purpose of the post demonstration meeting was to discuss the development of the DVD Forum open standard AOD format for high-definition delivery. As you will perceive, the final specifications for interface connectivity and audio formats have not been decided but the discussion provides much wanted insights into the process and the end result that Toshiba and NEC see for their proposed HD technology.
We will continue to follow this story as developments occur in future issues of Widescreen Review.
Gary Reber, Widescreen Review: I’d like to start this On Screen conversation with you both introducing yourselfs and describing your role at your companies and in relation to the development of the Advanced Optical Disc (AOD) HD-DVD standard.
Hisashi Yamada, Toshiba: I am representing Toshiba on the AOD development team.
Ryoichi “Rick†Hayatsu, NEC: I am the crafter from the NEC Fast Storage Products Division. Our division focuses on PC peripherals. Both our companies are in charge of making the new specifications for the DVD Forum as an open standard for the next generation of DVD with high-definition capability.
WSR Reber: What is the Advanced Optical Disc?
Yamada: Advanced Optical Disc, AOD is a nickname of the specification for the next generation DVD, named by both NEC and Toshiba. The official name of this specification will be fixed in the near future. This blue laser diode technology is a new specification as the successor of the current DVD specification that was co-developed by both NEC and Toshiba. These two companies jointly proposed the draft of this new specification to the DVD Forum, WG11-1 (Working Group) on August 2002. After that, in WG11-1, many engineers had been working very hard to complete the specification and on June 2003, WG11-1 and TCG (Technical Coordination Group in the DVD Forum) had approved this specification.
The blue laser was invented about seven years ago and has improved the performance of DVD. In recent years, the category of high-definition TV broadcasting has been accelerating both in the U.S. and in Japan. Now, consumers desire to have the high-definition content for their home. We want to create a new DVD standard to deliver high-definition to the home. There are many ways to establish that, but we want to establish a convenient way to maintain compatibility with the current DVD standard. So, the Advanced Optical Disc adopts the same structure of the red-laser DVD, that is, the same thickness, same process, but with the data capacity increased three to six times over the current DVD. This capacity can store a high-definition movie when combined with the new advanced and highly efficient compression technology. Our goal is to establish full backward compatibility and user convenience.
WSR Reber: The majority members of the DVD Forum Steering Committee are companies that are members of the Blu-ray Disc Founders. What impact will the decision of the DVD Forum Steering Committee to vote against approving a draft standard of the Advanced Optical Disc proposal for HD-DVD have for arriving at a single standard HD-DVD format?
Yamada: I think that if a very good format is proposed, the Steering Committee should approve it. If some companies create a format outside the DVD Forum, that is their choice and we have no objection. In fact, more than 200 members of the DVD Forum have an interest in the current AOD proposal, so we are confident that it will be approved. I think that even right now the Blu-ray Disc Founders represent a majority of the Steering Committee, but this is okay. They will not prevent us from creating an open format.
WSR Reber: But, hasn’t the Steering Committee voted against approving a draft standard?
Yamada: Currently the DVD Forum Steering Committee consists of 17 members.
Hayatsu: The fact was that at the last meeting in June, 2003, the result of the voting was six “yes†and three “no†votes. However, a majority of eight Steering Committee members abstained. Thus, according to the DVD Forum procedures this vote was not completed because so many abstained.
WSR Reber: So does that mean that the proposal continues to go back through the DVD Forum for another vote.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: And when is the next vote?
Yamada: September.
Jodi Sally, Toshiba: I want to clarify that the AOD proposal was not rejected, it just wasn’t approved, because all of the Steering Committee members did not vote.
WSR Reber: Why didn’t the Blu-ray Disc Founders submit their blue-laser proposal for review and approval to the DVD Forum, as the AOD proposal was?
Hayatsu: That’s the same question we have…
Sally: We cannot speak for them and suggest you ask them.
WSR Reber: Well, I did ask their representative and they said that the DVD Forum was too slow to act.
Yamada: Actually, that is not true. In fact, we proposed the AOD format to the DVD Forum last August and then the discussions began. The specification was completed very quickly after it was submitted to the DVD Forum.
We are really open to have the discussions and we want to make a very fair competition. We want to adopt the best technology for the next generation DVD.
Hayatsu: We invited them to propose their specification to the DVD Forum several times, but we were not able to have any formal meeting with them.
WSR Reber: Why then are the other nine companies on the DVD Forum Steering Committee supporting the Blu-ray Disc?
Hayatsu: We have no idea.
Sally: Once again, we cannot comment on their behalf.
Yamada: I think at first it was a very large group of consumer product manufacturers who wanted to get together and this was the reason.
WSR Reber: After all the work that has been done in the DVD Forum’s Working Group 11 to study and promote the best technical approach to HD-DVD, what say do the other companies, who are not members of the Blu-ray Disc Founders, but involved in the DVD Forum process, have?
Yamada: In fact, the current readout for WG 11-1 is such that 66 companies are participating out of the 94 companies of the principal members of DVD Forum. This means that really a majority of the principal members have an interest in our proposal and are supporting it.
WSR Reber: But, of course, of those 66 companies, not all of them are on the Steering Committee, and the decision has to be made by the Steering Committee. Is that correct?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: Does the derailing of the Toshiba/NEC AOD proposal for HD-DVD mean that the DVD Forum may dissolve?
Yamada: No, I don’t think so. The DVD Forum is playing a very important roll for the current DVD format and the future of DVD. We have been proposing the next-generation DVD as a successor of the current format. When the DVD Forum was started, already blue laser was predicted; therefore we wanted to develop the next-generation DVD using a blue laser for the high-definition future. That was really the commitment of the DVD Forum. Both NEC and Toshiba made a proposal to the DVD Forum, along with our commitment. Please be reminded that we are not saying that this is a NEC/ Toshiba specification, but we are making such a proposal to promote the process. AOD is now a DVD Forum format, it is no longer ours.
Hayatsu: Now the DVD Forum has developed AOD as a full model specification. In fact, we proposed it first to the DVD Forum, but now this specification is the DVD Forum’s specification.
WSR Reber: I see. Well, how do you expect the DVD Forum Steering Committee to approve the AOD proposal?
Hayatsu: Some of the abstained companies may be close to voting “yes.†Several companies are positioned to do so and we are now negotiating with many others.
WSR Reber: If the Steering Committee doesn’t vote in September to support AOD, then AOD doesn’t become a DVD Forum standard. Then, does the DVD Forum continue to work with just red-laser DVD issues?
Hayatsu: Yes, but not only red-laser DVD issues. After the vote in September, in October, we will start a two-year annual election for new Steering Committee members. Then the situation may change in the new DVD Forum.
WSR Reber: Then can the AOD proposal be submitted again?
Yamada: Yes.
Hayatsu: In the January/February timeframe, we can try again, with new Steering Committee members.
WSR Reber: I see. Will Toshiba and NEC proceed and compete with the Blu-ray Disc Founders if the AOD proposal is not approved by the DVD Forum the second time the vote is taken? Will you take your format outside the DVD Forum and compete with Blu-ray Disc?
Yamada: No, I do not think so. I think that if our proposal is not approved by the Steering Committee at the next vote in September, then the Steering Committee election will start and the new members will be elected. We already have 66 companies that have joined the WG11-1. We believe that their intention is to support our proposal. I am confident that our proposal will be approved, anyway. That is our belief.
WSR Reber: Will there be a compromise format solution incorporating both Blu-ray Disc and AOD technologies, as was the case in the final DVD standard?
Yamada: In fact, that would be very difficult, because the structure of the disc is completely different, and the system is different also. I think that the current Blu-ray Disc proposal is really biased to the optical system. We think that our system is very well balanced in the optical system and the signal processing system. We introduced a very advanced signal processing method, and also we have kept compatibility with current DVD optical systems. We feel this is a benefit to both consumers and content providers.
WSR Reber: But then the Blu-ray Disc format also has to keep compatibility with the current DVD…
Hayatsu: In my opinion that may be
difficult.
WSR Reber: It seems logical to assume that the Blu-ray Disc implementation for compatibility is more expensive because they have double optical head systems and differing disc structures.
Yamada: Yes, that is true. I also believe that the system design should be well balanced in both compatibility and high picture quality. That is our priority. The consumer has been complaining about the compatibility with the legacy products. Our design target is very simple: keep compatibility and give the best quality for the next-generation DVD. So, I am confident that our proposal really meets this requirement.
WSR Reber: Your concept is for the AOD players to be fully backward compatible with the current DVD format?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: Will AOD recorders also record in the current red-laser format as well as in the blue laser format?
Yamada: Yes. Usually to keep compatibility means playback compatibility. That is indispensable, but the recorder compatibility is a little bit different. If you have recording capability with the blue laser, then you can record your content on the blue-laser disc, and that can be played back by blue-laser players, because blue-laser players should have the read capability with all discs, such as CD, DVD and AOD.
WSR Reber: What copy protection encryption scheme will be adopted? Has Toshiba or NEC developed a proprietary copy protection approach similar to D-Theater™ for D-VHS®?
Yamada: No, this is not like D-VHS. It is rather similar to CPRM or CPPM for DVD-Audio. We want to adopt a similar concept. CPRM and CPPM is currently completed and approved as a copy protection scheme in the DVD Forum. CPRM stands for Copy Protection for Recording Media and CPPM stands for Copy Protection for Prerecorded Media.
WSR Reber: Can you explain further what you presented earlier today at Laser Pacific. You explained that there were six doors, six keys per door, 36 keys total, and that it was virtually impossible to break the system, or it would take, I believe, in the demonstration 10 to the 21st years.
Yamada: It is “10 with 21 zeros†years.
WSR Reber: So, virtually, infinity.
Yamada: Actually, the encryption system will be the called AES. That is, the Advanced Encryption Standard, which is already an open standard. The current format design should adopt such an open standard, which means that the encryption is very open to the standard. AES was thoroughly examined and selected as a standard for the Advanced Encryption System. So, the secret is really key-only encryption.
WSR Reber: To what extent have the Hollywood studios reviewed the proposed AOD standard for them to endorse and support the standard as the one and only HD-DVD format?
Yamada: Our proposal is very open, so anyone can review our proposal if they participate in the DVD Forum activities. Also, we have been explaining our proposal to the studios so they can review it in detail.
The security against the illegal copy and the manufacturability of the disc are the most important issues for the studios as well as the features incorporated into the application format and the picture quality.
WSR Reber: I understand that you have been explaining the AOD format this week to studios and the American Society of Cinematographers here at Laser Pacific.
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: So the studios have been coming in and out all week to discuss the AOD format and see demonstrations. Now if the Blu-ray Disc Founders continue their development toward the planned introduction of BD in the U.S. in late 2005 or early 2006—they have already had an introduction in Japan for a recordable version using a protective disc cartridge—and Columbia/ Tri-Star, which is one of the studios owned by Sony, comes on board to support the Blu-ray Disc (BD) format with feature film releases, do you think that the other studios will follow Columbia/Tri-Star and also release in the BD format, or do you think the studios have other interests and will want to be independent of Columbia/TriStar and the Sony-backed BD format?
Yamada: I think the studios are really independent. That is my impression so far from the studios that we’ve had conversations with.
Hayatsu: They are very much concerned about the media cost…
WSR Reber: You mean replication costs?
Hayatsu: They claim that there are one billion DVD discs replicated in a year.
WSR Reber: That is a lot of money expended on replication.
Hayatsu: In the case of Blu-ray Discs, if they need a protective disc cartridge, the cartridge costs at least one dollar at this moment.
WSR Reber: But the Blu-ray Disc Founders say they do not need a cartridge, that they have developed a hard surface protection…
Hayatsu: That may be so-called “hard coating,†but they still need an additional process and material cost for a hard coating in comparison to normal discs. There are still some additional costs nevertheless.
Yamada: That’s right.
Hayatsu: Five to seven cents added expenditure might be costly in terms of millions of Blu-ray Discs. The success of the hard coating hasn’t been determined yet nor the added production cost per unit.
WSR Reber: Has any one studio endorsed AOD?
Hayatsu: No.
Yamada: No, they have not yet. They don’t need to decide right now because they are making a very good business with the current red-laser DVD format, but I think that the market for the current DVD format will be saturated in several years from now.
Hayatsu: In that case, to start a new market and to generate new revenue streams, in the middle of this decade may be a good time for the studios to introduce HD-DVD
WSR Reber: That was my next question. When is the anticipated time frame for the studios to begin releasing prerecorded content? Are you suggesting that at the earliest it would be 2005?
Hayatsu: Yes, it will take some time.
Yamada: I would say within the next two or three years.
WSR Reber: Will AOD be ready to replicate and author in 2005, and when in 2005 will you be ready?
Yamada: In terms of the current DVD production, we were ready in 1994. We prepared everything for manufacturing, but then the actual disc was introduced in late 1996.
WSR Reber: So, you are saying that even though the technology and replication and everything else will be ready in 2004, it still may take a little bit more time, perhaps a year or two, before it starts to gain momentum.
Hayatsu: Conditions sometimes change. In this case, the studios already have lots of experience in producing DVDs, so it will be easier to launch HD-DVD than it was to launch DVD.
WSR Reber: So, are we going to wake up one morning in 2005 and find that all of a sudden the studios have released movies in HD-DVD?
Hayatsu: That is essentially possible…
WSR Reber: How long will it take for AOD replicators to come on line and have a significant replication capacity? It took a long time for DVD to ramp up to meet the demand. How long will it be for AOD?
Yamada: For DVD, when it was first implemented ten years ago, the disc structure was different from CD, therefore, CD manufacturing systems could not be used. In addition, DVD needed fine control of the production and mastering process.
So, for AOD, that condition is a little bit easier. Based on our AOD disc production tests, we can use the existing DVD disc manufacturing equipment and also the mastering facilities. But as with DVD it may take one to three years to establish a good production yield. Then, mass-production can begin. So, I think it will be two years from now in 2005 that ample mass-production will start.
Hayatsu: As mentioned, in the case of AOD production, replicators can use the existing production processes. Of course, they will need some refinement but there is no need to buy everything completely new. There is a minimum investment required.
WSR Reber: So, replicators will be in a position to make, basically, affordable refinements and adjustments to the existing machinery and processes.
Yamada: Right.
Hayatsu: Also it will be very easy to move from the DVD to the AOD business. That is much different than the transition from the CD to the DVD, because AOD and DVD are similar in structure but with different color lasers. Basically, we can store 2.5 times more data/memory on the disc when we change the red laser to blue laser with the current system. We do need additional breakthrough technologies to achieve our target for high-definition capability. The blue-laser AOD is capable of achieving six to nine times more recording and/or play-back time compared to red-laser DVD.
WSR Reber: If your analogy of CD to DVD was a major jump, is the DVD to Blu-ray Disc a bigger jump compared to DVD to AOD?
Yamada: No, I do not think so. We had several approaches to achieve high-definition performance. If we succeed to have the same level of HD performance with PRML and the Tilt Servo system and so on, it should be much better for the end-users to have a compatible specification with the current DVD. So, we think that those factors, along with adoption of the 0.6 mm DVD structure are a logical evolution of the current DVD system. That is really a reasonable transition.
WSR Reber: What would be the pricing for blank recordable AOD discs and prerecorded AOD discs?
Yamada: The prerecorded disc pricing will depend on the content, and I cannot say what that will be. That is up to the content providers.
WSR Reber: Would it be more expensive though to make a prerecorded disc, with AOD?
Yamada: The studios would like to price the prerecorded disc higher than standard DVDs.
WSR Reber: Will manufacturing costs be more expensive for AODs?
Yamada: The manufacturing cost increase is very marginal.
Sally: It is really a minimum investment, because the AOD structure is almost the same as the current DVD structure.
Yamada: Right. The cost will be almost the same as the current DVD recordable disc and therefore, the price should be almost the same.
WSR Reber: What is the projected cost for AOD manufacturing for the studios in terms of replication? Is it that much different than current DVD? I think you mentioned that it wasn’t that much different. It was marginal compared to their current DVD unit cost. Is that right?
Yamada: Right. In fact, through the current experiment, the cost variable only depends on the throughput of the injection process. With current DVD, the injection process takes four to five seconds, sometimes three seconds per disc. That is the injection time for the current DVD. Right now for the AOD it is about double that.
WSR Reber: So about six seconds.
Yamada: Yes, six or eight seconds right now. So, that can be improved to almost the same time-frame as the current DVD injection process.
Hayatsu: Within two years.
WSR Reber: …to get to the current level of DVD efficiency.
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: So, that would mean that the costs would basically be the same for either DVD or AOD.
Yamada: Yes, in the near future.
WSR Reber: Will there be a backward compatible red-laser HD-DVD player option as proposed by Pixonics? You are familiar with Pixonics?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: Will Pixonics be a part of the AOD format?
Yamada: That will be a timing issue, as it would need to be directed to the protection program.
WSR Reber: The Pixonics format adds a high-definition 1.5 megabits per second layer to the standard DVD layer, while maintaining the picture quality of the standard-definition NTSC layer.
Yamada: That is right. So in fact, we would have to adopt a different encryption system. Therefore the disc itself is currently incompatible. It cannot be played back on existing legacy players.
WSR Reber: That is what they say their format will do.
Yamada: But that is not true, unfortunately. If they can adapt to the same AOD protection system, the same encryption system, then it can be played back.
WSR Reber: But if you played a standard red-laser today in an AOD player of tomorrow, wouldn’t that have to have the same encryption system as current DVD players?
Yamada: No.
WSR Reber: No? Wouldn’t the AOD player have to be able to read that encryption system?
Yamada: Right. The existing encryption system still remains for the current DVD, but new AOD DVD discs should have the new encryption system. Then the new AOD player has to have the two encryption systems. So, if the new AOD systems had the same encryption system as the current DVD, it would be easy for hackers to break the new system. That is not the system the studios will accept. It is not good for the content providers. They want to protect new content with a new encryption system.
Hayatsu: It is the HD content that they want to protect.
WSR Reber: So the issue with Pixonics is an encryption issue?
Yamada: Yes. There is no advantage to backward compatibility unfortunately, but it is a very good idea.
WSR Reber: Will the Warner Home Video red-laser HD-DVD proposal be adopted?
Yamada: Yes, the proposal for an HD-DVD red-laser disc has been adopted in the DVD Forum.
WSR Reber: So, that particular format, which is H.264, a derivative of MPEG-4 (Part 10), then, will be put into AOD players?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: What about provisions for Windows Media Video 9 (WMV-9)?
Yamada: In fact, we have conducted a very intensive study. We made tests, which compared the H.264 compression scheme to WMV-9. WMV-9 showed very good picture quality. After the tests, we recommended that both H.264 and WMV-9 be further evaluated and recommended to the DVD Forum Steering Committee for adoption in the standard. WMV-9 still will be decided.
WSR Reber: What is the status of WMV-9?
Yamada: WMV-9 is a proprietary format of Microsoft but Microsoft is now making it an open standard.
WSR Reber: Would there be any prohibition on including it as part of an AOD HD-DVD player, WMV-9 capability?
Yamada: That is a DVD Forum Steering Committee decision. I cannot comment on that right now.
WSR Reber: What will be the cost of AOD recorder/player models?
Yamada: At introduction, the cost of the recorder might be a little bit high, because the H.264 Codec LSI and the blue-laser diode will be expensive. The recorder at introduction will perhaps cost $2,000. Within one or two years I predict that the cost of the blue-laser diode will decrease to less than $5.00. For the player models at introduction the cost will be approximately $1,000. Within two years though, the players will cost less than $500. That is just my expectation.
Hayatsu: There are two items that are required in producing AOD recorders. To encode the data with H.264 encoding LSI may be expensive. Also, to record, we need a high-powered blue-laser diode. It might be difficult to have a blue-laser diode, a high-powered blue-laser diode will be much more expensive. So those two expensive items will mean that the recorder will be much more expensive than the player initially.
WSR Reber: Will the players have an IEEE 1394 interface?
Yamada: Maybe.
Hayatsu: That is up to the production company.
Yamada: We have been working on the DTCP copy protection for IEEE 1394.
WSR Reber: Will AOD players support both DVI and HDMI interfaces?
Yamada: No. HDMI is backward compatible with DVI, only adding the audio transmission capability. Therefore, maybe in the future HDMI will be adopted for all products with the HDCP protection scheme. You cannot connect many devices through HDMI. That is only a one-to-one connection from the player to the display. So, we need to have the IEEE 1394 FireWire® transmission to network.
WSR Reber: What about component, YPbPr? Will that be sustained?
Yamada: That is really a difficult condition. Please ask the content providers.
Hayatsu: That is up to them. The studios feel that this interface is dangerous.
WSR Reber: But there are so many current displays and legacy displays that only can receive HD signals in the component YPbPr format, so why wouldn’t that be a major issue with consumers if that wasn’t continued?
Hayatsu: Supposedly. I know component video connections are very popular, but for the home usage it might be more advantageous for a single digital connector with good signal quality.
WSR Reber: Provide both a component video interface and DVI or HDMI, and as well IEEE 1394.
Yamada: Right.
Hayatsu: We should ask the studios. They are concerned about piracy through an analog component video connection.
WSR Reber: I understand that they have expressed the fear of piracy but consumers can’t record to any device this component video signal. There are no recorders that accept component video.
Hayatsu: There is always a concern that it could be pirated.
WSR Reber: Well, perhaps. But professional pirates can pirate DVI and HDMI as well.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: We are not talking about professional piracy.
Hayatsu: From our standpoint, we understand what you say, but how different the studios feel, we do not know. That is the point.
WSR Reber: I would bet that if the component video interface was denied on those grounds that there would be a class action suit.
Yamada: This is a very difficult issue.
WSR Reber: How will HD-DVD impact the future of recordable D-VHS and HD prerecorded D-Theater, which is a format available now?
Yamada: I think that once people use the disc, they may not go back to the tape, unfortunately.
Hayatsu: That is the current history with respect to DVD and VHS. Everyone has now moved to DVD. Why? Because it is convenient, and obviously it has much better audio and video quality.
WSR Reber: What are the standout features of the Advanced Optical Disc technology?
Yamada: We can provide the very best high-definition picture at a very reasonable cost. That is the AOD target. Content providers can choose the appropriate disc capacity according to their time and content needs. The single-layer DVD is less expensive than the dual-layer disc, and the dual-layer DVD is less expensive than the single-layer AOD. So, it is up to the AOD content provider to select the suitable release format.
Sally: And since AOD shares the same disc structure with DVD that is a compelling feature to achieve backward compatibility for consumers.
WSR Reber: The HD encoding is at a variable rate. As demonstrated today some scenes were encoded at around 10 megabits per second while others were at around 12 megabits per second.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: You have a single-layer disc capacity at 15 GB and you have a dual-layer disc capacity at 30 GB.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: With the 30 GB dual-layer disc you can fit films like The Matrix, for example, that have a lot of extra features and supplemental material.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: Will AOD support prerecorded 1080 progressive/24 frames per second studio releases?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: Will DTS® Digital Surround™ at 96 kHz/24 bit 1.5 Mbps or at even higher data rates be adopted as part of the AOD standard?
Yamada: That is under discussion. We want to conduct evaluation tests for that.
WSR Reber: Well, everyone knows that the DTS Coherent Acoustics Coding (CAC) technology is better sounding than Dolby® Digital. So, why would there be any hesitancy not to automatically include DTS, as well as Dolby Digital? I am not saying not to have Dolby Digital; I am just saying why not include DTS as well?
Hayatsu: That is a process now under continuing discussion. There is performance-testing going on right now to confirm that DTS is superior. Everyone knows this to be the truth, but we need evidence and positive data to make the decision.
WSR Reber: You need evidence that DTS sounds better then Dolby Digital?
Hayatsu: Yes, we need the evidence.
WSR Reber: Read our reviews in every issue of Widescreen Review and listen for yourself.
Sally: I don’t think that is exactly what he means. It really is being tested and it is very likely to be included in the standard because it is under discussion.
WSR Reber: Because it is a superior
system?
Hayatsu: That is up to the engineers to determine. In the DVD Forum we have a special working group studying this issue. It is WG2.
Yamada: The DVD-Audio working group actually is conducting the
WSR Reber: Well, for serious home theatre enthusiasts that should be an option, at least—as well as Dolby Digital as an option. The big question is, will DVD-Audio capability be part of the AOD standard, because that is what we all would like to see—uncompressed multichannel PCM. Is that part of the AOD standard?
Yamada: That is likely. We have not discussed DVD-Audio up to this point. The limiting factor is only the total capacity and the peak bit rate. Currently 5.1-channel DVD-Audio at 96-kHz/24-bit resolution requires a higher bit rate than the current DVD standard speed transfer rate.
WSR Reber: But, for AOD?
Yamada: For AOD, the peak rate varies (maximum 36.55 Mbps).
WSR Reber: But isn’t the AOD data rate around 30 Mbps?
Yamada: Yes. The current DVD data rate is 10 Mbps, so that was modified by a factor of three to accept any audio format available, including DVD-Audio.
WSR Reber: So DVD-Audio could be included in the AOD standard?
Yamada: I think the DTS format itself will be included.
WSR Reber: Then too, multichannel DVD-Audio as it is structured now will be included?
Yamada: Yes, that is likely.
Hayatsu: If we want to have high-definition video we also should have hi-fi audio.
WSR Reber: High-definition audio, yeah! It makes sense, doesn’t it?
Hayatsu: Sure.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: And then, there would be the option to output in the DTS lossy compression format, which holds up extremely well in fidelity when compared to PCM fidelity.
Yamada: Right.
WSR Reber: What new, if any, capability will there be for supplemental features on AOD?
Yamada: Actually, for example, interactivity and Web connectivity will be included. Also, I think we will include some storing media capability. So the AOD Web connectivity is a very important feature.
WSR Reber: That would be Web based interconnectivity for Web sites, for example?
Yamada: Yes, so you can visit a movie’s Web site. The studio people are saying they like that because it allows the actual HD-DVD to be a simple disc. The user will be able to visit the Web site…
WSR Reber: For the supplemental features…
Yamada: Right, or for the closed caption feature or for the subtitles. That can all be obtained from the Web site.
WSR Reber: So, that is a whole new capability.
Hayatsu: The DVD Forum WG1 is in charge of these features.
WSR Reber: What is the timetable from here on out?
Yamada: We want to complete everything by the middle of next year. That is what we are thinking. Then, we can prepare…
WSR Reber: With the approval of the DVD Forum Steering Committee next month, in September.
Yamada: Then, the application format should be ready before the middle of next year, and then we can prepare the product for the year 2005. That is the current timetable for implementation.
WSR Reber: Is there anything else you want to say that you think is important to convey to our readers that we didn’t adequately cover?
Yamada: I would like to say that the NEC/Toshiba proposal is not NEC/Toshiba’s property. That has become the DVD Forum’s property. That is very important to understand. We want to make it an open standard, and we would like everyone to participate in this discussion to improve an open standard specification. That is our intention.
WSR Reber: So, that opens the invitation to the Blu-ray Disc Founders to become involved and suggest ideas or improvements, or collaborate and come to an agreement on one HD-DVD standard?
Yamada: Yes.
WSR Reber: I want to thank you both for such expressions of openness and sharing the process of standardization with our readers.
