Double Density CD Format - FAQ

We tried to find more info about the coming DDCD from Sony and Philips so we did a small interview with Sony:

CDRINFO: When the new format will come out officially?
SONY: We are planning to finalize the format by the end of September. After we finalize the format, we would like to launch the product as soon as possible, but we can't give you the specific timing a this time.

CDRINFO: When we should expect new CDR-W drives supporting the Double Density media?
SONY: Our plan is to introduce Double Density CD-RW drive as the first product. Again, we can't confirm the exact timing, but we intend to introduce the product as soon as the format is finalized.
CDRINFO comment: Other manufacturers estimate to ship DDCD drives in early 2001.

CDRINFO: Will the produced DD CDs read by existing CD-Roms drives?
SONY: DD CD Drive will be able to read the current CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW discs, but the existing drives will not be able to read the discs of new format. (So, basically backward compatibility)
CDRINFO comment: This is the most major problem that the new format will have to face..

CDRINFO: If I understood correctly the Double Density term is actually not for the CD but for the drive. This means that we will be able to write existing media with 1.3GB? Or new media supporting 1.3GB will come out?
SONY: Double Density will be used for both drive and media. To have 1.3GB capacity, you will need both new drive and new media. DDCD drive will be able to write the existing media, but the capacity will be 650MB.

CDRINFO: Why and what this copy control scheme will be about? As I understand it will limit the copy of pressed CDs or not? Also will the DDCD format used in music area to replace existing 74min CDs?
SONY: The copy protection is basically for protecting AV content, but specifics are still under discussion and we can't discuss the details at this time.

CDRINFO: What possible reading speeds of the DDCD CDR-W drives we would see?
SONY: We can't discuss the specific product plans at this time, since we are still working on the format.

CDRINFO: What about the writing/re-write(?) speeds of the new 1.3GB media? Maybe we will see 16x write speeds (or higher)? Also will you ship 1.3GB RW media? Again what possible re-write speeds it will support?
SONY: We cant's discuss the specific product plans at this time, since we are still working on the format.

CDRINFO:Do you believe that the RW DDCD format will become a possible competitor for DVD+RW format which Sony backups?
Sony: For DDCD format, primary product focus will be RW product, that can be used for CD/CD-ROM/CD-R player and CD-R/RW recorder. Although DVD recordable products will have much higher capacity (4.7GB), CD-RW market will continue to grow for the next one or two years and both products (CD/DVD recordable) will coexist for the certain period. We believe that adding more capacity to CD-RW without significant cost increase while having backward compatibility with the current products will certainly bring benefits to the users.