Royal Philips Electronics today indicated that Microsoft, at its annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) this week, will announce their intention to incorporate the DVD+RW format into its next version of the Windows operating system.

DVD+RW is designed from the ground up to be compatible with PC and consumer applications and will handle both video and data storage in an optimized and compatible manner. “Philips is very happy to be adding Microsoft to the growing list of companies supporting DVD+RW and we are pleased to work with them to add support for DVD+RW storage in the next version of Windows. We believe that support in Windows is a key milestone in our effort to bring DVD+RW benefits to a broad set of users,” said Jan Oosterveld, Philips senior vice president.

Philips and Microsoft initially worked together on the Mount Rainier project with the objective to enable seamless integration of optical storage devices into the operating system. Mike Toutonghi, vice president of Microsoft’s eHome division noted, “Microsoft feels that DVD+RW provides a convenient option for the converging storage requirements of the PC and consumer electronics devices. Our support of DVD+RW in Windows will be one way to satisfy the growing need for a high-density optical storage solution.”

At WinHEC, Philips will present how to record video on DVD+RW discs on a PC, while assuring optimal compatibility with DVD video players and PC DVD-ROM drives.