SANYO has decided to adopt the HD DVD standard promoted in the DVD forum, an international association that brings together some 220 consumer electronics, entertainment, software and other related companies around the world. SANYO will develop next generation DVD players and recorders using the HD DVD standard, and aims to first launch in Japan HD DVD players in 2005: and recorders in 2006: and then expand into the North American market.

HD DVD is being promoted by the DVD forum as the standard for next generation DVDs. It’s compatible with current DVDs, so consumers’ DVD software libraries can readily be used.

SANYO joined with Toshiba and NEC in the autumn of 2003 for technical studies of HD DVD-R, a one-time recordable version of the format, in May 2004 was able to jointly present this to the DVD forum. In September 2004 SANYO, Toshiba and NEC expect this HD DVD-R technology to become Version 0.9.