New Media Publishing Format, Movie Maker 2.0

Microsoft has announced a new format for storing and organizing digital media data on writable discs and has introduced a significant update to Windows Movie Maker, a tool for editing digital video. Following closely on the high-profile launch of Windows Media 9 Series, the moves are a continuation of Microsoft’s efforts to make the PC a better tool for digital media.

Format Aids Navigation, Performance

Developed by Microsoft and Matsushita, High Performance Media Access Technology (HighMAT) is designed to make it more convenient for consumers to record digital media from a PC onto a writable disc such as a CD-RW and then play that disc on other devices. HighMAT is not a new digital media format; rather, it defines a new way of organizing digital media data, and works with many existing media formats, including Windows Media Format (Audio and Video), MP3, MPEG-4, and JPEG for pictures. It will be licensed to other companies under undisclosed terms.

Its creators claim that HighMAT will solve two problems: