Group To Add Microsoft Code To Blu-Ray Digital Video Format Part Of Windows Media Player As companies hammer out high-definition DVD details, standards battle looms big.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: BRIAN DEAGON

Thirteen computer and consumer electronics companies on Wednesday plan to say they'll include part of Microsoft's Windows Media Player software in what they hope becomes the standard for the next class of video discs and players.

The announcement raises the odds that a disc format called Blu-Ray will become a standard component in high-definition digital video disc players, digital video recorders, computer disc players and video game consoles.

Blu-Ray group members include Sony, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi and Pioneer. They will say they'll include elements of the latest generation of Windows Media Player, called VC-9, with the Blu-Ray specifications.

Media Player software is used to play movies and other media on computers and other machines. Microsoft itself is not part of the group. It has made VC-9 an open standard for anyone to use.

VHS Vs. Betamax Revisited

The announcement puts pressure on the companies competing against Blu-Ray in a standards war over which side will control the next generation of high-definition video technology. Toshiba and NEC are the leaders behind the rival format, called HD-DVD.