China unveil DVD players with homegrown technology

[Smokey]

China's top electronics makers on Wednesday unveiled dozens of video players made with a homegrown DVD format in a campaign to promote a Chinese alternative to foreign technology.

The DVD format, known as EVD, is part of state-backed efforts to reduce dependence on foreign know-how and possibly reap licensing fees if they are adopted abroad. EVD, or Enhanced Versatile Disc, was first released in 2003, but an effort to promote it was dropped in 2004.

Now Chinese electronics makers have revived the campaign on a massive scale, saying they plan to switch completely to EVD by 2008 and stop producing DVD players. Promoters of EVD say it provides crisper pictures and sound, bigger recording capacity and better anti-piracy features than standard DVD.

Chinese companies produce 80 percent of the world's DVD players under their own brand names and for foreign electronics companies or retailers. But manufacturers complain that fees paid to foreign owners of technology cut into profits in a highly competitive industry.

http://www.evd.cn/images/evd8700.jpg

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/06/business/AS_TEC_China_New_DVD.php

[Woochifer]

It's been an ongoing effort because the whole purpose of Blu-ray and HD-DVD was to prevent these high-volume/low-cost manufacturers in China from collapsing the margins like they did with the DVD format. All of the primary developers of the DVD thought that they would have a much longer window from which to make money from the DVD format. Rather than join with the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps (I don't think they were invited anyway), they went on their own.

The EVD will apparently become standard issue with domestic video products in China, with all of the royalties going to the government (the government already owns most of the factories that produce DVD players in China). I doubt that they will completely undercut the DVD format, but they also likely will not embrace the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats.

I seriously doubt that any of the U.S. studios will ever embrace EVD (in much the same way they have rejected the compressed DivX format, even though it is capable of HD resolution using a DVD bitstream). Any market potential for the U.S. market would likely come about if you see a lot of imported EVD discs coming into the U.S. from China, and those discs include American movies in HD. I've read that the EVD is inferior to both Blu-ray and HD-DVD, but if the cost is about the same as or lower than DVD, then who knows.

[Smokey]

I've read that the EVD is inferior to both Blu-ray and HD-DVD, but if the cost is about the same as or lower than DVD, then who knows.

Good post Woochifer

From the link I posted, it said that price of EVD dvd player would be around 700 yuan (US$87; €70).

Specifications for this DVD player is sketchy at the moment since the manufacture's web site is in Chinese (anybody know Chinese :D). But from this web site, it state that output resolution is 1,920x1,080i or 1,280 x 768p.

http://en.shinco.com/web/product.php?action=viewproduct&product_id=22

[Dusty Chalk]

Here's to hoping that Serenity is the first disk in this new format. :D