Notice!The chinese version HD DVD player not a international version HD DVD player. It's only for CHINA market, but the manufacturer can easy translate to international version HD DVD player.

We will offer a detailed report this weekend on my website (www.stor-age.com) !

This is the C-HD DVD format - China only. It only works on C-HD DVD players. It is NOT compatible with HD DVD players at all.

It should push manufacturing costs of HD-DVD down though.

It should push manufacturing costs of HD-DVD down though.

We already have a Chinese made HD DVD player coming - the Venturer. . . MSRP $199

Notice!The chinese version HD DVD player not a international version HD DVD player. It's only for CHINA market, but the manufacturer can easy translate to international version HD DVD player.

Wouldn't surprise me if there was a hidden menu to enable it for international discs. ;)

It should help Toshiba, however by bringing in a great deal of money. I suspect that the parts are similar between international and Chinese players.

Wow. A market of what, 1.3 billion being presented with a low cost, easy to manufacture HD player?

HD DVD just got a whole lot bigger, even if it is just in the china market...

Wow. A market of what, 1.3 billion being presented with a low cost, easy to manufacture HD player?

HD DVD just got a whole lot bigger, even if it is just in the china market...
And then there's India...

Wouldn't surprise me if there was a hidden menu to enable it for international discs. ;)This is an incompatible format to HD DVD. China did not want to pay the licensing and royalties to HD DVD.

It uses different components inside to go with the format.

If you can make a BD player read an HD DVD . . . then you can make a C-HD DVD player read an HD DVD - same thing.

It should help Toshiba, however by bringing in a great deal of money. I suspect that the parts are similar between international and Chinese players.
I believe the only difference is in the compression standard support. The Chinese wanted to use a homegrown version so presumably, the hardware is identical, for the most part.

This is the C-HD DVD format - China only. It only works on C-HD DVD players. It is NOT compatible with HD DVD players at all.


Some earlier posts stated that the hardware was identical, and that the only difference was the encoding. Thus (as the theory goes) a manufacturer could build one player design and serve both markets by simply burning different firmware at the last stop on the assembly line.

Does anyone have any hard data to support or refute this? If it's true, it could be a very big deal....

I agree GMan, IIRC they use the HD DVD disk format, the difference is the coding.

Some earlier posts stated that the hardware was identical, and that the only difference was the encoding. Thus (as the theory goes) a manufacturer could build one player design and serve both markets by simply burning different firmware at the last stop on the assembly line.

Does anyone have any hard data to support or refute this? If it's true, it could be a very big deal....

Check this link out and see what you think:

http://www.screendigest.com/online_services/intelligence/video_and_dvd/updates/vi-110407-EC1/view.html

The Chinese C-HD DVD-ROM disc shares almost identical physical specifications to Toshiba's HD DVD format, the primary difference being the codec used to record content. The Chinese hi-def disc is expected to use the Audio Video Coding Standard from EVS instead of the codecs used by HD DVD (such as VC-1), effectively making the two formats incompatible

And?

Doesn't that mean the SoC is different?

Wouldn't surprise me if there was a hidden menu to enable it for international discs. ;)

If only that were possible! Just imagining what that would do to software sales is staggering - I think DVDPacific would have to add staff, lol!

It should push manufacturing costs of HD-DVD down though.If Chinese people buy this thing in droves... which I don't expect.

hardly gonna happen sorry. chinese workers work for peanuts and sleep in dorms next to factories, they ain`t gonna watch no hi def disk on no hdtv. it`s going to sell probably just it ain`t gonna be as succesful as somebody might think. there is 1.3 billion people there, but most of them are very very poor.

The effective market in China is roughly 300 million. Of those lots are still too poor, agreed, so the effective HD market is much lower. However, there is an increasing middle class, and they have significant amounts of disposable income.

I could see a Chinese HD DVD player going for US$100. I could see player that plays BOTH Chinese HD DVD and international HD DVD for US$150. Let me tell you, much of this middle class would have no problems spending US$150 on a movie player.

The economies of scale afforded by having such similar hardware produced on the same assembly lines are significant.

The effective market in China is roughly 300 million. Of those lots are still too poor, agreed, so the effective HD market is much lower. However, there is an increasing middle class, and they have significant amounts of disposable income.

I could see a Chinese HD DVD player going for US$100. I could see player that plays BOTH Chinese HD DVD and international HD DVD for US$150. Let me tell you, much of this middle class would have no problems spending US$150 on a movie player.

All they need is the $1000 HDTV to go with it first. China has almost no HDTV's installed because they have no HDTV content being broadcast (they are working on this now).

And?

Doesn't that mean the SoC is different?

I remember last year an insider mentioned they were firmware interchangeable. Hardware is the same. I also don't believe this C-HD DVD is created for China. The only purpose of C-HD DVD is to create a "legal" way for Chinese manufacture to produce HD DVD players without the huge burden of IP cost thus at lower cost, IMHO.

Made in China doesn't equal cheap. Ipod was made in China also. A lot of hi-end audio/furniture products was made in China also. One of the keys to low cost DVD player is that Chinese manufacture dodge the IP.

It will be very easy to adapt players, a bit like we have DVD players to play PAL vs NTSC. If they are making a few million local players it will be easy to make a batch for export probably via Hong Kong.

China unveils fleet of 'HD DVD killer' players

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/07/china_unveils_54_evd_players/

China to develop its own DVD format

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9618578/

All they need is the $1000 HDTV to go with it first. China has almost no HDTV's installed because they have no HDTV content being broadcast (they are working on this now).


The house/apt price in many major cities in China is equal or even more expensive than US. A 1000-1500 sqft apt in Shanghai cost around 150k-300k US dollars. 37"-42" LCD HDTV is not a problem for the working class in those cities.

Of course, these are unrelated to this C HD DVD topic. People would not invest in HD DVD/Bluray players unless there is a steady stream of bit for bit pirate HD titles. For now, a lot of AV fans just download/sharing the copy of HD DVD/Bluray online.

still don`t count too much on it. the transformers managed to get a whooping 3 million at the box office on the opening. that country is still plagued by poverty and piracy. yes their middle class will buy some of those players probably. but don`t forget the people that have money in china prefer foreign goods.

The house/apt price in many major cities in China is equal or even more expensive than US. A 1000-1500 sqft apt in Shanghai cost around 150k-300k US dollars. 37"-42" LCD HDTV is not a problem for the working class in those cities.

So what are they going to watch on their brand new HDTV? HDM? There are no HD broadcasts of any kind.

Of course, these are unrelated to this C HD DVD topic. People would not invest in HD DVD/Bluray players unless there is a steady stream of bit for bit pirate HD titles. For now, a lot of AV fans just download/sharing the copy of HD DVD/Bluray online.

?

China unveils fleet of 'HD DVD killer' players

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/07/china_unveils_54_evd_players/

China to develop its own DVD format

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9618578/


I am not sure how EVD or XVD are related to this topic. People are not stupid there. Manufacture created so called China format for different purpose. EVD was created for the purpose to get cheap loans from bank thus they could invest into hot housing market. The company behind EVD was up for auction/liquidation last year.

Consumer are not stupid either. What wins here wins in China. There is no other way around.

Considering that Chinese video piracy rates have been estimated to be as high as 95%, I doubt their own HD-DVD players will make much of a dent in the market. When I was in Beijing this summer, you could walk into any run down corner market store and could easily find all the summer movies pirated on a set of burned DVDs. In fact, I remember seeing a bundled pack of all the big movies that debuted during May and June for about $5 USD. China can't even control its own DVD market, yet the country wants to distribute its own version of an HD-DVD player. Spend some time researching the numerous video formats China has tried to introduce in mass over the years and you'll see why this is going to be a major uphill battle until the country can overcome its current problems with the media industry. In other words, I wouldn't count on this having much of an impact on HD-DVD hardware sales any time soon.

So what are they going to watch on their brand new HDTV? HDM? There are no HD broadcasts of any kind.

?

DVD and HD via HTPC. Also some cities could receive BSHI from Japan. Sometimes people just needs a bigger TV.:)

I doubt their own HD-DVD players will make much of a dent in the market.
yet the country wants to distribute its own version of an HD-DVD player.

C-HD DVD has little to do with China. It is mainly DVD Forum who wants to distribute this version. As for the reason, maybe someone could pose this as a question in the insider thread.

Let me try to msn with firemaster tonight, see if I could get some details.

And?

Doesn't that mean the SoC is different?It could just mean that the firmware ROM inside the SoC ASIC just has a different load. So same chip footprint, family, player main circuit board, etc. Just change to use a different (yet same external mechanical and electrical) part during build.

I don't question that the ability to make C-HD DVD players is a tiny baby step from making HD DVD players. This is a good thing as far as I am concerned. $99 HD DVD players will do wonders for mass adoption. Hope they come soon.

As I understand it, C-HD DVD uses the same Blu-laser pickup assembly, but uses a chinese video codec instead of VC1/AVC/Mepg2, correct?

So volume production of this will definitely help bring down HD DVD costs even further.

As I understand it, C-HD DVD uses the same Blu-laser pickup assembly, but uses a chinese video codec instead of VC1/AVC/Mepg2, correct?

So volume production of this will definitely help bring down HD DVD costs even further.

But HD DVD only has a few CEM's.:(

And 45 Chinese CEM's ready to flood the market with low cost HD DVD players . . . how terrible!:rolleyes:

If anyone is going to bring prices way down, it is the Chinese.

Theres no doubt the Chinese companies involved are looking at the export market as an extra revenue stream.

As I understand it, C-HD DVD uses the same Blu-laser pickup assembly, but uses a chinese video codec instead of VC1/AVC/Mepg2, correct?

So volume production of this will definitely help bring down HD DVD costs even further.

The C-HD DVD now is call " CH-DVD", it seem use AVS video code standard by CHINA,the AVS is seem AVC, base on H.264.

All they need is the $1000 HDTV to go with it first. China has almost no HDTV's installed because they have no HDTV content being broadcast (they are working on this now).
HDTVs are very common in China.

All they need is the $1000 HDTV to go with it first. China has almost no HDTV's installed because they have no HDTV content being broadcast (they are working on this now).

China is very keen on broadcasting the 2008 Beijing Olympics in high-definition within their country. That should be a big push.

Lets be serious. In China a bottle of water only costs $0.20 in a store, VCDs are still dominant, and cheapo HDTVs only have a penetration because the flat panels save valuable space in small homes.

On the manufacturing front China is important, but Chinese consumers are a different cup of (Oolong) tea all together.

How does AVS compare to AVC and VC-1?

DVDs are still dominant,

Fixed.:)