dvd

Research Brief

Microsoft Outlines DVD Support Strategy

Microsoft will be supporting the emerging digital video disc (DVD) applications running under Windows 95 and NT through its Win32 Driver model class drivers and ActiveMovie and DirectDraw application programming interfaces (APIs).

Workgroup Strategic Services’ Analysis

Microsoft will be making life much easier for developers of DVD enabled applications. By providing a common driver for both Windows 95 and NT, software developers can reduce the time spent writing applications by half. Multimedia content puts pressure on the performance of a PC’s storage device. With the use of DVD technology, multimedia applications can offer enhanced video and audio without a performance degradation. Workgroup Strategic Services expects additional hardware vendors and software providers to endorse Microsoft’s DVD strategy.

Announcement Highlights

Microsoft is preparing a DVD driver that will run across both Windows 95 and NT that follows a universal disc format file system currently under development. Matsushita, Compaq, SGS-Thompson Microelectronics, and Mediamatics have all endorsed the use of common DVD drivers and ActiveMovie APIs.