Toshiba is counting on the new product to help jumpstart sales. The last was the CD player, which was first introduced in 1982 and took five years to become widely accepted. Unlike Sato, who says the demand for DVDs for computers will be double that for home videos, Wolff is placing his bets on the video market. But it will be used like computer tape back-up units or to store huge amounts of data. Toshiba says the DVD device for computers it will manufacture will have backward compatibility - it will be able to read CD software.
People can also play music CDs on the new SD machine.
Sony and Philips have not indicated a retail price for a MultiMedia CD player. All the players originally agreed to strive for a common format. Sony says it can increase capacity to 11 gigabytes in the next two years. Made up of two fused discs, Toshiba's double-sided version is structurally stronger and less prone to warping, claims SD point man Kadoya. At the Berlin Electronics Show last month, executives from Sony and Philips confirmed that they had resumed talks aborted earlier with the Toshiba alliance.