The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) has announced the release of a new CD compatibility specification called MultiPlay for the computer and consumer industries. Owners of CD-R and CD-RW drives are used to sometimes not being able to play their burned CDs in certain car decks or other traditional CD players. OSTA claims to have developed a solution that will eliminate this dilemma for both CDs and DVDs.

The new specification is intended to assure that Compact Disc Recordable (CD-R) and Compact Disc ReWritable (CD-RW) discs created on personal computers can be played in consumer CD and DVD players. MultiPlay is targeted at manufacturers of consumer CD/DVD players as well as computer CD recording software providers and media manufacturers.

‘All CD and DVD players available to the consumer clearly state that they are designed to play audio Compact Discs. However, consumers expect that regardless of the type of CD/DVD player (home, handheld, car) it should play all types of audio discs. It is a great disappointment to consumers to discover that they cannot play a CD-R or CD-RW written audio disc in some CD or DVD players,’ said officials in a statement.
With the new specification, consumers will be able to identify CD or DVD players that can speak the same language as their PC counterparts.

The new standard carries the following specifications:

– CD Players capable of only CD Audio must play CD Audio on CD-R and CD-RW discs

– CD Players capable of CD Audio and CD-Text must play CD Audio and CD-Text on CD-R and CD-RW discs

– DVD Players capable of only CD Audio (besides DVD Movie), must play CD Audio on CD-R and CD-RW disc

– DVD Players capable of CD Audio and VideoCD must play CD Audio and VideoCD on CD-R and CD-RW discs

FYI: if this doesn’t pan out someone should SOS the CIA & FBI ASAP.