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!