Apple Joins Blu-Ray in DVD-Standard Battle

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HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - Apple Computer said on Thursday it had joined the Blu-ray forum, which is battling with rival HD-DVD forum to set the next standard for DVD.

"Apple has joined us," said Victor Matsuda, vice president of Blu-ray disc group Sony Corporation of America, at a presentation at the CeBIT electronics trade fair here.

Apple has become a member of the alliance with a seat on the board of directors.

Other directors include Dell, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi , Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and LG.

Hollywood studios that support Blu-ray include Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures.

Apple is an important ally for the forum, as it has a strong position in the creative and entertainment industries.

Support from Hollywood will probably be the decisive factor in the battle. The studios are not expected to produce titles in different next-generation DVD formats.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is also chief executive of animated film studio Pixar.

Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, roughly six times that of current DVDs which work with a, thicker, red laser. Extra capacity is needed to store high-definition video.

On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include NEC, Toshiba Corp. and Warner Home Video.

Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.