THE VHS-versus-Betamax videotape wars of the late 1970s will seem like a schoolyard squabble compared to the three-way battle that is about to be fought over the next generation of high-capacity recordable DVDs.
Unlike recordable CDs, which can hold as much data as a pressed disc from a factory, today’s recordable DVDs cannot match the data capacity of their factory-made counterparts. Crucially, their maximum capacity of 4.7 gigabytes is not enough for a feature-length movie at full DVD quality.
Initially, the fight to expand this capacity looked like a straight showdown between consumer electronics companies on one side and the…
