"DVD" (Digital Video Disk) has become a generic term for video discs in general, even though it is a trademark for a specific format (Digital Versatile Disk [formerly Digital Video Disk]). Just as Aspirin is the common term for many ASA based drugs (and even some non-ASA based ones) even though it's a specific brand name.
I would tend to agree with MHAithaca that when the ITC used the term "HD DVD" they meant "High Definition Digital Video Disks" in the general sense and not the specific, and dead, format. It is an accurate term, that unfortunately collides with a trademark (which is likely why Toshiba chose the name in the first place).
DVDs are not "Digital Video Discs" they are "Digital Versatile Discs" which can include video or data, which is why they have the designation of being DVD-ROM or DVD-Video or DVD+/-R/RW. So saying you have a "High Definition Digital Versatile Disc" is not saying that you have a video disc that has high definition content. And Toshiba did not "collide with a trademark" when they used the name HD DVD, the DVD consortium, now known as the DVD Forum, created both the DVD and HD DVD standards.
“An engineer explained to us that hundreds of ear impressions were gathered in the name of research, and while each one obviously boasted its own unique shape and size, one single characteristic remained uniform across the board: the entrance into the ear canal is not a perfect circle, it's an oval.”
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
"DVD" (Digital Video Disk) has become a generic term for video discs in general, even though it is a trademark for a specific format (Digital Versatile Disk [formerly Digital Video Disk]). Just as Aspirin is the common term for many ASA based drugs (and even some non-ASA based ones) even though it's a specific brand name.
I would tend to agree with MHAithaca that when the ITC used the term "HD DVD" they meant "High Definition Digital Video Disks" in the general sense and not the specific, and dead, format. It is an accurate term, that unfortunately collides with a trademark (which is likely why Toshiba chose the name in the first place).
DVDs are not "Digital Video Discs" they are "Digital Versatile Discs" which can include video or data, which is why they have the designation of being DVD-ROM or DVD-Video or DVD+/-R/RW. So saying you have a "High Definition Digital Versatile Disc" is not saying that you have a video disc that has high definition content. And Toshiba did not "collide with a trademark" when they used the name HD DVD, the DVD consortium, now known as the DVD Forum, created both the DVD and HD DVD standards.