A detailed plan could be unveiled ahead of a key meeting of manufacturers involved in the manufacture of next-generation DVDs scheduled for May 16, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.
Sony, along with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (6752.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , maker of Panasonic brand products, had been pushing for the standard it calls Blu-ray, while Toshiba, with NEC Corp. (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. (6764.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , has been promoting a technology called HD DVD.
Both sides have indicated that a new, unified format will use Sony's technology for recording information onto an optical disk while Toshiba will supply software that will handle efficient data transfer and copyright protection.