Microsoft Promotes New Storage Standard

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106049,tk,dn101802X,00.asp

This sounds like a good standard, and considering that it's compatible with current hardware, it looks like it will be adopted without much pain.

"Matsu****a Electric Industrial, better known as Panasonic, and Microsoft have jointly developed a new way to store, access, and retrieve digital multimedia stored on recordable optical discs, they announced in Tokyo on Friday. The technology, called HighMAT, for high performance media access technology, spells out a common way to store data such as digital music, photos, and video and also specifies the way in which devices can access this media and is intended to make accessing the data faster and easier for consumers.

At the base of the system is a set directory structure under which images, audio, and video are stored. In addition, a metadata file is also stored on the disc providing information about the files and what they contain. Access to media is fast because HighMAT-compatible devices will be able to determine disc contents by accessing the single file rather than reading the disc's directory structure and having to fetch in turn information about each file stored on the disc."

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106049,tk,dn101802X,00.asp

This sounds like a good standard, and considering that it's compatible with current hardware, it looks like it will be adopted without much pain.

"Matsu****a Electric Industrial, better known as Panasonic, and Microsoft have jointly developed a new way to store, access, and retrieve digital multimedia stored on recordable optical discs, they announced in Tokyo on Friday. The technology, called HighMAT, for high performance media access technology, spells out a common way to store data such as digital music, photos, and video and also specifies the way in which devices can access this media and is intended to make accessing the data faster and easier for consumers.

At the base of the system is a set directory structure under which images, audio, and video are stored. In addition, a metadata file is also stored on the disc providing information about the files and what they contain. Access to media is fast because HighMAT-compatible devices will be able to determine disc contents by accessing the single file rather than reading the disc's directory structure and having to fetch in turn information about each file stored on the disc."

[Arne Hess]

Hmmm :?: Sounds a little bit like DRM and inproved Memory Stick.
Not sure if I want to see another standard beside SD and CF which is enough today for my needs on Pocket PCs and CD-ROM, DVD, CD-ROM R/W, DVD R/W for desktop PCs...

But I'm not so deep involved into that storage devices discussions. Maybe there are good reasons which anyone here could explain me. :idea:

[Jonathan1]

Any time Microsoft gets into hardware standards my monopoly antenna goes up and asks why. Why is Microsoft pushing a new format? What are they planning? What do they have to gain against their competitors. Remember this is a company that doesn’t take a dump without asking if its going to give them an advantage against the rest of the computer industry. Hmmmmmm :?:

[vincentsiaw]

i hear rumour that windows succesor code name longhorn will use the same technology like this highmat but how true it is i still don't know yet lets see!

[sponge]

This doesn't sound like a new format, just an extension of the CD. Audio CD, Data CD, Video CD, and now HighMAT. It's not so much a new file format, as it is a standard that would allow people to make HighMAT/incorporate HighMAT standards into their products. I wouldn't be too worried about this, it seems it's just like an extension to the CD.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by Jonathan1

Any time Microsoft gets into hardware standards my monopoly antenna goes up and asks why. Why is Microsoft pushing a new format? What are they planning? What do they have to gain against their competitors. Remember this is a company that doesn’t take a dump without asking if its going to give them an advantage against the rest of the computer industry. Hmmmmmm :?:

Dude, your MS bitterness is getting out of control... 8O

[st63z]

So you're saying this is something like Mt. Rainier or what? Sorry, I'm too lazy to read any long articles today...

[Landis]

Sounds like an idea that's long overdue. CD-ROM disk mount times are WAY too slow with the current system.

[marconelly]

Why?! First Blue Ray (Sony and bunch of others), then another Toshiba's new 'standard', and now this...

[Willmonwah]

It sounds interesting to me...

and Jon1, it seems like old software incompatible with HiMat will be obsolete. With Windows Media so conveniently available, why not start using it for burning? It's something I have yet to try.

Does anyone know how much space? Will it be more than 700 mb? What is the current highest disk capacity?

[Will]