DVD History

During the early 1990s there were two high density optical storage standards in development: Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD) backed by Philips and Sony Super Disc (SD) supported by 8 major consumer electronics giants including Toshiba, Matsushita and Time-Warner. IBM led an effort to unite the various companies behind a single standard to avoid a format war similar to the one between between VHS and Betamax decades before.

DVD format was announced in September of 1995. The official DVD specification is maintained by the DVD Forum, formerly the DVD Consortium

Founding members

 * Hitachi
 * Matsushita Electric Industrial Co
 * Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
 * Pioneer
 * Royal Philips
 * Sony
 * Thomson (RCA, Grass Valley, Technicolor)
 * Time Warner
 * Toshiba
 * Victor Company of Japan (JVC)

Today, membership includes more than 230 companies.