Longhorn Will Support All DVD-W Formats

Microsoft plans to support all major writable DVD formats in future versions of its Windows operating system, the software maker has said.

Native support for DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R and DVD+RW/+R will start with Windows Longhorn, the successor to Windows XP slated for launch in 2005, according to a Microsoft spokesperson.

Scaling Mount Rainier

Writable DVDs have a storage capacity of 4.7GB, much higher than the roughly 650MB of writable CDs. The higher capacity can be useful for storing multimedia files or making backups, for example.

The disclosure, made at the recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), follows Microsoft's backing of DVD+RW announced at last year's WinHEC conference.

Microsoft appeared to be picking favorites earlier this year when it joined the DVD+RW Alliance, the group that promotes and develops the DVD+RW format.

Microsoft at the time already was working closely with some on the DVD+RW Alliance to design technology that will make a rewritable CD and DVD as easy to use in a PC as a floppy.

The technology, called Mount Rainier, is intended to provide a simple, consistent way to transfer files through Windows Explorer, or to save a file to a disc with assurance that other new drives can read the disc. Once an operating system supports Mount Rainier (also called EasyWrite), users won't need a packet-writing program, but will be able to simply drag and drop files to disc.

Other Contenders

Microsoft representatives say the company's support for all the major standards is about offering choice to users. Users will be able to connect any compatible drive and have it running without the need to download any additional drivers, he said.

Several prominent makers of DVD drives have chosen to support multiple formats as the DVD format skirmish continues.

DVD+RW is backed by a number of vendors, including Koninklijke Philips Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Dell, and Ricoh. DVD-RW and DVD-RAM are rival formats supported by the DVD Forum.

The DVD-RW format is being pushed by Pioneer. In the DVD-RAM camp are Hitachi, Toshiba, and Matsushita Electric Industrial (which markets products under the Panasonic name).