Blu-ray Disc BD-ROM adds MicrosoftVC-1 video codec

The Blu-ray Disc Association and Microsoft have agreed to include the VC-1 advanced compression video codec, the proposed SMPTE standard based on Windows Media Video 9, as a mandatory codec in Blu-ray Disc's BD-ROM specification for video playback equipment.

Blu-ray Disc spokesperson Maureen Weber, general manager of HP's optical storage solutions business, said, "We want to offer content providers a variety of compression codecs to suit their various needs. With the addition of Microsoft's VC-1, we extend that option in a package that makes Blu-ray Disc's capacity advantage even more substantial while still delivering the picture quality that consumers demand from high-definition technology."

Video codecs are used to compress video images for storage to a disc and then decompress them for viewing. A critical piece to Blu-ray Disc was making sure that any advanced compression codecs included in the specification accomplish the compression and decompression with little or no visible loss of image quality.

Amir Majidimehr, corporate VP, Microsoft's Windows digital media division, added, "Microsoft will maintain its neutral position in supporting the emerging high definition video formats that deliver new possibilities for content providers and consumers."