Format war a good thing & Chinese HD-DVD version

[navychop]

From Video Business.

"...at least a few influential people in the industry who will tell you that the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format war has been, on balance, a good thing, because the competition is driving down prices faster than either format would have achieved on its own...."

And, I daresay, has pushed functional improvements out the door faster.

Also:

"...the Steering Committee of the DVD Forum, on which Sony sits, gave formal approval to specifications for a “China-only” version of the HD DVD format.....
THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT difference between the China-only HD DVD and the version used in the rest of the world is the codec used to encode content.

In the rest of the world, HD DVD supports VC-1, H.264 and MPEG2. The China-only version supports only the Chinese-developed Advanced Video System (AVS).

In nearly every other respect, including the physical specifications of the disc, the interactive layer and the optics, the two versions are identical.

The purpose of the China-only version is to spare Chinese manufacturers the licensing fees associated with the global codecs on decks sold in China and to help propel China into the ranks of technology developers, rather than simply manufacturers...."

 

[rockhard]

In nearly every other respect, including the physical specifications of the disc, the interactive layer and the optics, the two versions are identical.

Yes so how simple and fast it will be to rechip these cheap $199 players to output 1080P HD-DVD . My money is on Toshiba / MS to have the first low cost players on the market by Q4 2007

 

[navychop]

Actually, they don't say they're $199 in the Chinese format. Just cheaper by avoiding paying royalties. Once you add the royalties on VC-1, etc, I'm sure the price goes up.

I personally doubt we'll see $199 high def disc players in this country this year. But you may be right. Of course, we might never see $199 HD-DVD players if the current trend favoring Blu-ray continues and HD-DVD dies.

In any event, if a $199 HD-DVD player appears, it won't be long before that same Chinese group comes up with a $199 Blu-ray player.

 

[mike123abc]

The main reason the studios like a special format in China is that they do not have to worry about piracy escaping from China.

 

[navychop]

Gee, I wish I'd have thought of that. No doubt that made losing the licensing fees for the codecs more than worth it.

 

[rockhard]

The main reason the studios like a special format in China is that they do not have to worry about piracy escaping from China.

Unless we import a $199 chinese player and crack that encryption and download AVC HD movies untill the cows come home lol ...

 

[mike123abc]

Unless we import a $199 chinese player and crack that encryption and download AVC HD movies untill the cows come home lol ...

They are more worried about the HD-DVD/BD factories in China pressing a few million extra copies. This is rampant in China now with DVDs, factories will make pirate DVDs and sell them, in many cases it is impossible to tell the difference from the authentic DVD. At least now the pirated versions mainly will stay in China and not be exported.

 

[navychop]

We hope.

 

[JoeSp]

China has been saying all along that they want their own HD format. So now we can see that even if HD-DVD loses out to BD they will have an entirely new market to build with the Chinese HD format. I do not see how this helps HD-DVD at all.

 

[rockhard]

entirely new market to build with the Chinese HD format. I do not see how this helps HD-DVD at all.

It increases the economies of scale for manufacturing allowing cheaper HD-DVD players to be made as the Chinese players are based on the HD-DVD platform .
Add to this the Bollywood adoption of HD-DVD and their 200 miilion plus middle class market will be purchasing HD-DVD players ....can you say $99 HD-DVD by 2008

 

[navychop]

Sure, you can say it, doesn't mean we'll see it- even by the END of 2008.

You do understand, the Chinese players won't work with US HD-DVDs? They'll only play discs uniquely Chinese and encoded with a Chinese-only method. And those Chinese discs will not play in US HD-DVD players. Sure, change out a few chips and pay the licensing fees and that's probably all there is to it, to make a Chinese or US player. Some economies of scale should apply.

And most of those economies of scale would also apply to making Blu-ray players. Remember, they use the same laser. Blu-ray has tighter specs and different software. I'll bet it will be cheaper to build one head assembly for both formats and just drive them to different track spacing. And the software differences will be handled the same way as software differences between Chinese unique and world standard HD-DVD encoding- swap out a few chips. Then be sure to put them in different cases!

But it's what will be the dominant format in this country that matters to us. If Toshiba and Universal do not pull a rabbit out of a hat before Turkey Day, they're toast- in the US. Two to one will become three to one, etc, until 80 or 90 percent of the market is Blu-ray.

And if many of the Blu-ray studios do not release their movies overseas in HD-DVD format, that will wither HD-DVD, regardless.

People won't buy a player because it's cheap. They'll buy it because it play movies they want- like from Disney.

 

[rockhard]

People won't buy a player because it's cheap. They'll buy it because it play movies they want- like from Disney.

If The Indian market for HD-DVD titles equals the population of the mighty US market then we will see Disney releasing their movies in HD-DVD oversees and that will start the hugh and cry here as people will just import them

 

[navychop]

That's the question. Disney has been so opposed to non-regional encoding, you must wonder if they ever would release in HD-DVD, even overseas.

By no means does this mean India will not have Blu-ray players.

And they could sit it out, waiting for HVD or similar, when they could flex their muscle early and ensure they get the region coding and encryption they want.

No, I don't support regional encoding, I just recognize it's importance to certain studios.

 

[JoeSp]

Apples to Oranges here. Who cares what HD-DVD does in China or India. That is not the North American market. What works there is not going to work here. The HD-DVD format being used in North America is not the format that will be used in China. These Chinese players using their own format and the HD-DVD platform will only be seen in China. I seriously doubt that these players will affect the North American market at all. You can have the cheapest player on the market but if you have no movies to play in it who is going to buy it?

 

[mike123abc]

One also remembers the profit margin is huge in the US compared to India or China. Region coding is important when a studio sells a movie here for $30 and the same movie for $2 overseas. China and India have to outsell the US market by 30-50+:1 on a title for the studio to make the same money. The studios are basically competing with pirated copies in China.

 

[rockhard]

SHD7000 Chinese/Canadian HD DVD player $100

Courtesy of Engaget -

Meet the Venture SHD7000 HD DVD player
Posted Mar 25th 2007 11:08AM by Matt Burns
Filed under: Industry, HD DVD, Players


Boy it sure took long enough, but finally, a company other then Toshiba is producing an HD DVD player. Sure, it might be made by the same company that produces those low-cost Walmart DVD players, but before you say anything, think back a few years. Remember when DVD players where a thing for AV geeks and gadget lovers, costing around $150 to $200 per player? Companies like Venture, APEX, and all those other random Chinese companies did what CE giants like Sony and Toshiba couldn't - get people to kick their VCRs to the curb with low-cost DVD players. We aren't saying those DVD players are still alive and kicking but those cheap units put a DVD player in every home across the country.

There aren't many details about the Venture SHD7000, besides it plays HD DVD movies. We are assuming it has the mandatory HD DVD requirements of persistent storage, network interface and HDi support but other then that, we have nothing. Hopefully when more details emerge, they will include a price of around $100 and a launch date that is sooner then later. Just when you thought the format wars where dying down, here come the Chinese. FYI - Venture is based out of Canada with a Chinese manufacturing partner, Alco.



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