Microsoft wants more from HD DVD discs

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 9 Oct 2007 at 11:20

Microsoft and Toshiba have announced plans to form the Advanced Interactivity Consortium (AIC) to promote interactive HD DVD devices and content.

The new organisation's task will be to to accelerate industry-wide adoption of advanced interactivity and interoperability for the high-definition disc format.

Unlike its rival, Blu-ray, HD DVD includes interactivity as a basic feature in both content and players. Interactive features can include games, and access to additional online content or online shops - selling movie merchandise, for example.

AIC will also focus attention on extending such interactivity to other services and platforms, including digital downloads to DVD players, PCs, TVs, cell phones, portable media players and game consoles.

Toshiba claims advanced interactivity is critical to the future of home entertainment. "In order to create these ecosystems, we wanted to bring together a group of companies committed to extending these scenarios across a wide variety of platforms," says Hisatsugu Nonaka, corporate executive vice president at Toshiba. "The Advanced Interactivity Consortium will advocate for these platforms as well as help ensure interoperability of HD DVD players and services."

Microsoft says the AIC has its roots in HDi, Microsoft's own implementation of HD DVD interactivity based on existing web standards. "We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD's interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market," claims said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience, not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services."

AIC's membership will also include major Hollywood studios DreamWorks, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. Each studio either currently distributes or plans to distribute HD DVD titles with HDi-enabled features such as advanced in-movie navigation, bookmarking and picture-in-picture.