WebProNews

The respective heads of the Redmond-based software firm and the Japanese technology power affirmed their support of HD-DVD.

Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates, and Toshiba president and CEO Atsutoshi Nishida, spoke in Tokyo on Monday about their ongoing patent cross-licensing developments.

The two men spoke highly of their continued efforts, and did everything but exchange secret decoder rings during the discussion. Toshiba sees Microsoft's support of the HD-
DVD standard as very welcome and important.

"We feel we have gained a very powerful supporter on our side," Mr. Nishida said with Mr. Gates at his side during a press conference.

While finding the agreement with Toshiba important, Mr. Gates did not specify exclusivity with the company. Sony and Disney both support the Blu-ray next generation DVD standard, and Microsoft may want to find room for itself with that technology too.

Earlier in the year, the two companies agreed to cross-license their patents on audiovisual and computer products. Today's announcement, as has been pointed out by WebProNews writer John Stith, may indicate HD-DVD will be inside the Xbox 360 when it arrives in November this year.

The two company leaders also agreed on continuing work with tablet PCs. Tablets, with their pen-writable surfaces, have not found broad adoption in the PC markets. But a few niche industries like insurance and health care have begun to embrace them.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.