Audioholics has posted an interesting insider's report on dual layer recordable DVD technologies, including the long delayed DVD-R9 format from the DVD Forum. Here's a snippet from the report:

Because neither side has yet to blink, there will still be two different versions of DVD-R9 media (+/-). By the time you read this the DVD+R9 media spec will be a matter of record. The DVD-R9 specs will still be making their way through committee and DVD Forum approval.

All Philips and MKM (Mitsubishi Kagaku Media)/Verbatim had to do is develop the hardware/media technologies, make certain it could be inexpensively and reliably produced and the +RW Alliance was off to the races. Most of the rest of the members don’t care which way the wind blows…as long as it blows.

On the other hand, Pioneer, Toshiba and Matsushita/Panasonic (two of the three don’t play well together) had to hammer out their differences, go through a series of different working group studies and get the 200+ members of the DVD Forum to agree.

Dictatorships just seem to reach consensus faster than democracies!