Editing Versatile Multilayer Disc

{{refimprove|date=December 2014}}
{{short description|Failed format intended to compete with Blu-ray and HD DVD}}
{{Infobox media
|name = VMD
|logo = [[Image:HDVMDlogo.jpg|201px]]
|image =
|caption =
|type = High-density [[optical disc]]
|encoding = [[MPEG-2]] and [[VC-1]]
|capacity = Standard: 20&nbsp;[[gigabyte|GB]] (4 layer), 5&nbsp;[[gigabyte|GB]] per layer
|read =
|write =
|standard =
|owner = New Medium Enterprises
|use = [[High-definition video]]
|extended from =
|extended to =
}}
{{optical disc authoring}}
'''Versatile Multilayer Disc''' ('''VMD''' or '''HD VMD''') was a high-capacity red-laser [[optical disc]] technology designed by New Medium Enterprises, Inc. VMD was intended to compete with the blue-laser [[Blu-ray Disc]] and [[HD DVD]] formats and had an initial capacity of up to 30&nbsp;GB per side.
At a physical level, VMD is identical to DVD, but with the possibility of using more layers.

==History==
The company founded in [[Nevada]] as Shopoverseas.com on August 2, 1999, changed its name to New Medium Enterprises, Inc. (NME) on July 10, 2000.
On April 20, 2001, it became a public company, with shares traded [[over-the-counter (finance)|over-the-counter]] with symbol MNEN.
On January 13, 2004 it acquired the intellectual property for multi-layer optical discs from MultiDisc Ltd. and TriGM International S.A, and became headquartered in London.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Form 10KSB/A: Annual Report for Fiscal Year End June 30, 2006 |date= April 4, 2008 |url= https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1126983/000112698308000004/form10ksb_a.htm |publisher= US Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date= October 19, 2021 }}</ref>
On June 14, 2005, Rupert Snow became chairman, and Mahesh Jayanarayan became chief executive officer, replacing interim CEO Irene Kuan.
On July 1, 2005, [[Eugene Levich]] was appointed chief technical officer of NME. Levich had a long history of developing multi-layer formats, such as the fluorescent multilayer disc of [[Constellation 3D]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= Form 10KSB/A: Annual Report for Fiscal Year End June 30, 2005 |date= November 2, 2005 |url= https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1126983/000112698305000074/doc1.txt |publisher= US Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date= October 19, 2021 }}</ref>

In December 2005, NME announced an agreement with Chinese-based company E-World which was developing a similar format called [[Enhanced Versatile Disc]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= Rivals start to spin Blu-ray, HD DVD alternatives
 |work= The Register |date= March 31, 2006 |url= https://www.theregister.com/2006/03/31/next-gen_dvd_rival_roundup/ |author= Tony Smith |access-date= October 20, 2021 }}</ref>
At [[CeBIT]] in March 2006, NME demonstrated a prototype VMD player and announced that it was expecting to launch the format in the third quarter of 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Higher capacity 50GB EVD / VMD at CeBIT |date= March 6, 2006 |url= https://www.engadget.com/2006-03-06-higher-capacity-50gb-evd-vmd-at-cebit.html |author= R. Block |work= EnGadget |access-date= October 20, 2021 }}</ref>
NME claimed 100 titles would be available in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Enter VMD: 100 high-def titles launching this year from NME |date= May 9, 2006 |url= https://www.engadget.com/2006-05-09-enter-vmd-100-high-def-titles-launching-this-year-from-nme.html |author= R. Lawler |work= EnGadget |access-date= October 20, 2021 }}</ref>

At the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association trade show in September 2007, NME exhibited two players set for release in October 2007. Twenty US titles were available at launch time, including some from [[Icon Productions]], [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Walt Disney Pictures]], [[New Line Cinema]], [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks SKG]], [[Lionsgate]] and [[The Weinstein Company]]. NME also signed a deal with [[Bollywood]] production company ''Eros Group'' who intended to release 50 Bollywood features on the format.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The two initial players to be released were the ML622S and the ML777S. The ML777S included [[USB]] ports for connection to external storage devices and a [[media card]] reader.<ref name="pcw-070908">{{cite news |url=http://pcworld.com/article/id,136977-c,hometheatersystems/article.html |title=HD VMD to Battle Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD |publisher=PC World |date=September 8, 2007}}</ref>

The manufacturers hoped to sell the format as a lower cost alternative to other optical technologies.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10dvd.html |title= Another DVD Format, but This One Says It's Cheaper |work= New York Times |date= March 10, 2008 |author= Eric A. Taub |access-date= October 19, 2021 |archive-date= April 29, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180429023824/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10dvd.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin }}</ref>
However, the [[Great Recession]] of 2008 struck about this time, and NME struggled to stay in business.<ref>{{Cite web |title= HD VMD (2007 – 2008) |work= Museum of Obsolete Media |date= 23 December 2020 |url= https://obsoletemedia.org/hd-vmd/ |access-date= October 20, 2021 }}</ref>

On June 13, 2008 Geoffrey Russell, the interim chief executive officer of New Medium Enterprises, Inc., notified the US [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] that the company would be terminating the registration of the company, and that NMEN would cease filing reports with the SEC. The date of effect of this action was 90 days after 12 June 2008.<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1126983/000101905608000759/nme_15.htm New Medium Enterprises, Inc., Form 15, US Securities and Exchange Commission]</ref> In August 2008 in the UK, New Medium Electronics Limited, New Medium Entertainment Limited and New Medium Optics Limited notified [[Companies House]] of their applications for voluntary striking-off.<ref>[http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/94e239df8f3dd85f5010414b3713eb4e/wcprodorder?ft=1 NEW MEDIUM ELECTRONICS LIMITED, 12/08/2008, APPLICATION FOR STRIKING-OFF], Companies House</ref>

In October 2008, the technology behind HD-VMD was revived by companies Royal Digital Media, Anthem Digital and DreamStream to produce a new 100&nbsp;GB optical disc. Anthem Digital's chairman Michael Jay Solomon was the former chairman of New Medium Enterprises.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvd-intelligence.com/main_sections/news_archive/2003_free/10_dreamstream.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207152646/http://www.dvd-intelligence.com/main_sections/news_archive/2003_free/10_dreamstream.htm|url-status=dead|title=RDM's revives HD-VMD with DreamStream encryption|archive-date=February 7, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/solomon-heads-global-digital-studio|title=Solomon Heads Up Global Digital Studio &#124; PressReleasePoint|website=www.pressreleasepoint.com}}</ref> As of December 2010, Royal Digital Media, Anthem Digital and DreamStream web sites were no longer available.

==Technical specifications==

===Disc format===
The format uses approximately 5&nbsp;GB per layer,<ref name="hvdtech">[http://www.nmeinc.com/technology.aspx NME - New Medium Enterprises - HD VMD, High Definition Players and Movies<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225181247/http://www.nmeinc.com/technology.aspx |date=December 25, 2007 }}</ref> which was similar to standard [[DVD]]s. Standard VMDs can use 4 layers, for 20&nbsp;GB of storage. The rarer 8 and 10 layered discs store 40&nbsp;GB to 50&nbsp;GB, respectively.<ref>[https://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/nme-fleshes-out-40gb-hd-vmd-discs-hardware-still-prepping-for/ NME fleshes out 40&nbsp;GB HD VMD discs, hardware, still prepping for launch - Engadget<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> One manufacturer listed up to 20 layers on a disc being possible in the future.<ref name="hvdtech" />

The Blu-ray Disc uses a blue-violet laser, rather than VMD's red laser, which means Blu-ray can store more information per layer. This format has so far only utilized 1 and 2-layered versions. In January 2007, [[Toshiba]] announced development on a triple layer HD DVD (TL51) that would have had a capacity of 51&nbsp;GB. Hitachi announced a 4 and 6 layer version of Blu-ray as well, capable of 100&nbsp;GB and 200&nbsp;GB respectively. A standard 4-layer VMD stored 20&nbsp;GB, which was comparable to a 1-layered HD DVD (15&nbsp;GB) and 1-layer Blu-ray Disc (25&nbsp;GB).

===Content format===

The HD VMD format is capable of [[high-definition video]] resolutions up to [[1080p]] which is comparable with [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] and [[HD DVD]]. Video is encoded in [[MPEG-2]] and [[VC-1]] formats at a maximum bitrate of 40 Megabits per second. This falls between the maximum bitrates of HD DVD (36&nbsp;Mbit/s) and Blu-ray (48&nbsp;Mbit/s). There was the possibility that VMD discs could be encoded with the [[H.264]] format in the future. <ref name="pcw-070908" />

The HD VMD format supports up to 7.1-channel [[Dolby Digital]], [[Dolby Digital Plus]], and [[DTS (sound system)|DTS]] audio output, though it does not offer [[Dolby TrueHD]] or [[DTS-HD Master Audio]] [[surround sound]] codecs.

==See also==
* [[Comparison of high definition optical disc formats]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080101232112/http://www.nmeinc.com/ Official VMD Web Site]
* [http://digitaltvdesignline.com/howto/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=202602144&pgno=1 Digital TV Designline - Here comes HD VMD]{{dead link|date=December 2014}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071225181555/http://www.nmeinc.com/ML777S.htm ML777S model]

{{Video storage formats}}

[[Category:Audiovisual introductions in 2006]]
[[Category:Video storage]]
[[Category:Consumer electronics]]