China to Develop Its Own DVD Format

[akrako1]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20051007/D8D349NO9.html

China to Develop Its Own DVD Format

Oct 7, 5:50 AM (ET)

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

SHANGHAI, China (AP) - For the second time in two years, China has announced plans to develop its own next-generation DVD standard to break the monopoly of foreign companies and avoid paying heavy licensing fees.

If successful, the move could add a new wrinkle to the battle between HD DVD and the competing Blu-ray Disc formats over which will become the dominant new DVD standard.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the new standard will be based on but incompatible with HD DVD, which is being promoted by Toshiba Corp. and Universal Studios, as well as Intel Corp. (INTC) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the leading suppliers of chips and software for most of the world's personal computers.

The Chinese standard, not expected to reach markets until at least 2008, would provide higher definition, better sound and better anti-piracy measures, Xinhua quoted Lu Da, deputy director of the government-affiliated National Disc Engineering Center, as saying earlier this week.

"With such format and related standards," Lu said, "We could have our own voice in the DVD industry."

The announcement marks China's latest attempt to leverage its manufacturing muscle to play by its own terms in the home video market. Up to 80 percent of DVD players are made in China, but makers have to cough up around 40 percent of the cost of each player to license holders, according to Chinese reports.

China began developing its own DVD standard in 1999, rolling out EVD, or enhanced versatile disc, in November 2003 with a vow to shake off dependence on foreign standards. Despite strong government backing, the initiative fizzled amid a legal battle between the technology's developer and a consortium of Chinese player manufacturers. Protoype EVD players were introduced in 2004 but never established a presence in the market.

Xinhua didn't give a name for the new HD DVD-based standard, and it wasn't clear whether it had borrowed technology from the EVD standard. No directory listing could be obtained for the National Disc Engineering Center on Friday, which was a holiday in China.

HD DVD's backers say they have made inroads with Chinese manufacturers, whose support is vital to quickly deploying the technology at a low price.

Blu-ray is backed by Sony Corp. (SNE), Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. (DELL), along with a variety of other tech companies and studios.

[Wile_E]

I would like to see this come back to the USA. After what I read about HD-DVD/Blu-Ray copy protection and playback protection, I won't support them. We do need ONE OPEN GLOBAL format. We DON'T need greedy corporations dictating to users what we can/can't do with the format.

[Phantom Of The Opera]

The Chinese standard would provide ... better anti-piracy measures

I think it is highly amusing, and quite ironic, to hear concern for fighting piracy expressed by the Chinese. What's next... Tony Soprano worrying about mob violence in NJ?

[GullyFoyle]

China already has an alternative dvd format and players.
Here is the Shinco EVD player.
https://www2.setssl.com/~hivizone/dvdplayer/main_frame.htm
Information on EVD
http://www.lsilogic.com/technologies/industry_standards/enhanced_versatile_disc_evd.html

Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD)
Developed by leading Chinese consumer OEMs for use in Greater China Region

Beijing E-world Technology, which includes leading Chinese consumer electronics manufacturers SVA, Shinco, Xiaxin, Yuxing, Skyworth, Nintaus, Malata, Changhong and BBK, has developed a new digital video format called Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD). Supported by the Chinese government, the first HD EVD content and optical disc players were unveiled at a special event in Beijing on November 18, 2003.

LSI Logic is providing E-world with HD encoding and decoding technologies based on the popular DoMiNo™ architecture. EVD is the first HD format created by using MPEG-2-based technology and a standard optical red laser. To deliver the industry's best quality HD and SD images, the DoMiNo architecture uses LSI Logic's award-winning PerfectView® MPEG-2 encoding algorithm.

EVD-enabled devices can include optional backward compatibility with DVD, VCD, SVCD and CD, making EVD the most versatile format in the market. Chinese consumers will be able to watch high-definition video content, play back their favorite music files, or display high-resolution JPEG pictures on HD-, LCD-, Rear Projection- and Plasma TVs.

If I remember correctly the price to liscence existing existing formats was too expensive so China invented a new format.

[adam]

Yeah they have a history of doing that. SVCD was supposed to compete with DVD and EVD was supposed to eclipse it...at least in China. Both formats were developed specifically to get around paying the DVD royalties. But from what I've read, EVD has tanked big time.

Its too bad this new format won't come sooner, it might have made HD-DVD and blu ray consider consolidating more seriously. I think this might be successful in China but not in the States. Also they say 2008 but back when HD-DVD and blu ray were first announced we heard "next year" every year for about 5 years. So who knows when it will actually get here.