DVD TECHNOLOGY

Digital Versatile Disc, or DVD is a collection of new optical disc technologies that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of a number of consumer electronics and personal computer products. These discs are capable of holding up to 17 gigabytes (GB) of data storage, with current research offering a potential for 15 times more storage. This technology is made available through advances in laser technology and advances in manufacturing processes for optical discs. A Digital Versatile Disc is basically a double density, double sided, compact disc. In addition, the laser used to read a DVD utilizes a shorter wavelength, allowing the storage surface of each of these layers to be more compact.

The purpose of this report is to present the format, creation, current applications, and economic forecasts for DVD technology. To emphasize the advances afforded using this technology, a side by side comparison with current Compact Disc technology will be used. Motorola’s Research and Development is currently investigating the possibilities for implementation of a DVD Group to interact with current research and product groups.

This report will give the introduction and background necessary to determine the feasibility of DVD integration into current marketing and research products. This report will provide a simplified explanation of the construction methods required for DVD replication, solely for the purpose of presenting the difference in construction needed to manufacture a DVD. 

The four parts of this report will discuss (1) a technological overview of DVD, utilizing a comparison of CD vs. DVD technologies, (2) the construction of a DVD, (3) current applications utilizing DVD, and (4) projected sales and revenues of DVD devices. The technological overview section will use a comparison of current CD specifications vs. DVD specifications to convey the advances made possible using DVD. The construction section explains the manufacture of a DVD to show the physical advantages of DVD for data storage and retrieval. The section covering current applications examines the five current formats for DVD specifications and how they are currently being used today. Finally, the sales and revenues section includes forecasts of DVD sales and distribution, based upon current sales and technology release. 

DVD TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) technology was pioneered in 1993 by the Toshiba Corporation to fulfill two primary technical goals, provide both higher throughput and higher capacity than current CD-ROM technology. While DVD optical discs are quite similar to CD-ROM optical discs, there are a number of key physical differences, as well as philosophical differences. CD-ROM technology was originally designed to accommodate high quality audio data, and a large quantity of textual data. While the use of CD-ROM has been extended to include video data, the format falls short of providing broadcast television quality video and cannot store full-length feature films. The DVD format was specifically designed to address each of these limitations.

Beyond the inception of DVD technology, advances have been developed by a group of ten consumer electronics companies, called the DVD Forum, who have agreed on the set technical specifications for each DVD format. Until recently, there were two competing groups of companies: one led by Sony, and the other by Toshiba, that were both trying to develop proprietary high-density optical disc formats. Fortunately, these two groups joined forces and agreed to form the DVD Forum. The DVD Forum has also actively encouraged participation from members of the entertainment and computer industries so that the DVD format will have a broad base of support in both the consumer and computer electronics areas. 

As mentioned before, two of the primary goals of DVD are to provide both higher capacity and higher throughput than current CD-ROM technology offers. To demonstrate the advances afforded using DVD, this section will reference the specifications of CD-ROM vs. DVD technology. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this report gives the initial introduction to DVD technology required to determine whether to implement the technology in Motorola products in the future. Given the ease of implementation of this technology and potential growth in sales and revenues, DVD technology promises to afford many avenues of implementation. These implementations range from current video, audio, and computer applications to household combination cable modem and large data storage units for combined application in multiple use consumer electronics devices. Beginning research as soon as possible could yield consumer product rollout in as soon as 12 months time. Given the expansion and partnerships forged by Motorola with other corporations and our current standing in the communications world, the implementation of DVD technology in our products beginning in 1999, will provide a large share of the market share during a period of extreme market growth.