DVD, which once stood for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is the next generation of optical disc storage technology that is expected to rapidly replace the CD-ROM disk (as well as the audio compact disc) over the next few years.
DVD as an industry standard was announced in November 1995 and backed by major players in the CE, IT and movie industry. The first players appeared in Japan in November, 1996, followed by U.S. players in March, 1997. To produce DVD players, one needs to license a range of patents, owned by different companies. …
