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| Media type | High-densityoptical disc |
|---|---|
| Encoding | MPEG-2 andVC-1 |
| Capacity | Standard: 20 GB (4 layer), 5 GB per layer |
| Developed by | New Medium Enterprises |
| Usage | High-definition video |
Versatile Multilayer Disc (VMD orHD VMD) was a high-capacity red-laseroptical disc technology designed by New Medium Enterprises, Inc. VMD was intended to compete with the blue-laserBlu-ray Disc andHD DVD formats and had an initial capacity of up to 30 GB per side.At a physical level, VMD is identical to DVD, but with the possibility of using more layers.
The company founded inNevada as Shopoverseas.com on August 2, 1999, changed its name to New Medium Enterprises, Inc. (NME) on July 10, 2000.On April 20, 2001, it became a public company, with shares tradedover-the-counter with symbol MNEN.On January 13, 2004 it acquired the intellectual property for multi-layer optical discs from MultiDisc Ltd. and TriGM International S.A, and became headquartered in London.[1]On June 14, 2005, Rupert Snow became chairman, and Mahesh Jayanarayan became chief executive officer, replacing interim CEO Irene Kuan.On July 1, 2005,Eugene Levich was appointed chief technical officer of NME. Levich had a long history of developing multi-layer formats, such as the fluorescent multilayer disc ofConstellation 3D.[2]
In December 2005, NME announced an agreement with Chinese-based company E-World which was developing a similar format calledEnhanced Versatile Disc.[3]AtCeBIT in March 2006, NME demonstrated a prototype VMD player and announced that it was expecting to launch the format in the third quarter of 2006.[4]NME claimed 100 titles would be available in 2006.[5]
At the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association trade show in September 2007, NME exhibited two players set for release in October 2007. Twenty US titles were available at launch time, including some fromIcon Productions,Paramount Pictures,Walt Disney Pictures,New Line Cinema,DreamWorks SKG,Lionsgate andThe Weinstein Company. NME also signed a deal withBollywood production companyEros Group who intended to release 50 Bollywood features on the format.[citation needed]
The two initial players to be released were the ML622S and the ML777S. The ML777S includedUSB ports for connection to external storage devices and amedia card reader.[6]
The manufacturers hoped to sell the format as a lower cost alternative to other optical technologies.[7]However, theGreat Recession of 2008 struck about this time, and NME struggled to stay in business.[8]
On June 13, 2008 Geoffrey Russell, the interim chief executive officer of New Medium Enterprises, Inc., notified the USSecurities and Exchange Commission that the company would be terminating the registration of the company, and that NMEN would cease filing reports with the SEC. The date of effect of this action was 90 days after 12 June 2008.[9] In August 2008 in the UK, New Medium Electronics Limited, New Medium Entertainment Limited and New Medium Optics Limited notifiedCompanies House of their applications for voluntary striking-off.[10]
In October 2008, the technology behind HD-VMD was revived by companies Royal Digital Media, Anthem Digital and DreamStream to produce a new 100 GB optical disc. Anthem Digital's chairman Michael Jay Solomon was the former chairman of New Medium Enterprises.[11][12] As of December 2010, Royal Digital Media, Anthem Digital and DreamStream web sites were no longer available.
The format uses approximately 5 GB per layer,[13] which was similar to standardDVDs. Standard VMDs can use 4 layers, for 20 GB of storage. The rarer 8 and 10 layered discs store 40 GB to 50 GB, respectively.[14] One manufacturer listed up to 20 layers on a disc being possible in the future.[13]
The Blu-ray Disc uses a blue-violet laser, rather than VMD's red laser, which means Blu-ray can store more information per layer. This format has so far only utilized 1 and 2-layered versions. In January 2007,Toshiba announced development on a triple layer HD DVD (TL51) that would have had a capacity of 51 GB. Hitachi announced a 4 and 6 layer version of Blu-ray as well, capable of 100 GB and 200 GB respectively. A standard 4-layer VMD stored 20 GB, which was comparable to a 1-layered HD DVD (15 GB) and 1-layer Blu-ray Disc (25 GB).
The HD VMD format is capable ofhigh-definition video resolutions up to1080p which is comparable withBlu-ray andHD DVD. Video is encoded inMPEG-2 andVC-1 formats at a maximum bitrate of 40 Megabits per second. This falls between the maximum bitrates of HD DVD (36 Mbit/s) and Blu-ray (48 Mbit/s). There was the possibility that VMD discs could be encoded with theH.264 format in the future.[6]
The HD VMD format supports up to 7.1-channelDolby Digital,Dolby Digital Plus, andDTS audio output, though it does not offerDolby TrueHD orDTS-HD Master Audiosurround sound codecs.
