Intel Wants Unified Hi-Def DVD Format

In a press conference following a speech at the Ceatec Japan 2005 conference, Intel Digital Home vice president Donald MacDonald said Intel planned to push the industry to create a unified standard for high-definition DVDs that would join Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD DVD camps.

"If we don't, who will?" asked MacDonald. "We have to avoid the format war. We certainly need to have one format." The statement comes one week after Intel joined Microsoft in publicly backing HD DVD. Even with pressure from Intel, however, it's not clear if a compromise is possible. Talks between Blu-ray and HD DVD representatives have taken place throughout the year with no resolution in sight.