Forget Bluray and HD-DVD part 2

[Vandenh]

Looks like a lot of alternatives are slowly fighting for control of the "next gen" storage market. El Reg has an article (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/30/fvd_volume_production/) about a Taiwanese alternative and some information about a (mainland) Chinese version as well.

FVD, which was formally launched in March this year, is being primarily pitched at the Taiwanese and other Asian markets, but its backers would like to see the format adopted in the West, though here it will have a tougher fight with HD DVD and BD.

The Taiwanese format isn't the only alternative to these next-generation optical disc formats. China is developing EVD to free domestic manufacturers from the royalty payments they will need to make to Western companies in order to produce HD DVD- and/or BD-compatible players
Anybody who has been to Asia knows how strong the support for VCD is over there. Can they do the same with DVD?

[KhitomerRouge]

Nope. Seeing as how China is one of, if not the largest base of operations for large-scale piracy, there's no way the studios will jump on board. Their last "next-gen" format, EVD, barely even got started over there. The studios want the ability to protect their property, and the only formats with nearly enough copy protection are Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Maybe it'll be big for HK studios, but not with any of the big names from the US.

And holographic discs? Please. They might be the big thing that comes after Blu-Ray and/or HD-DVD, but they're still several years away from technological and fiscal maturity. I like the idea, but if HD optical formats are even moderatly successful, they'll hold off on introducing HVD until it makes good business sense to fleece consumers again. Or until that format that the Japanese are working on that supercedes HDTV (UDTV?) comes out.

[mister_slim]

The tech for Blu-Ray is only maybe ready. The HVD tech is nowhere near feasible.

[XenonCJ]

A single-layer FVD can hold 5.4-6GB of video content or data, rising to 9.8-11GB for a single-sided, double-layer disc. That's sufficient for 135 minutes of 1920 x 1080i HD content, the format's backers claim. The format will be maintained and promoted by the Advanced Optical Storage Research Alliance (AOSRA), which comprises 29 local player and disc manufacturers, and media firms.Am I missunderstanding this? These things only hold like 1 or 2 GB more data than regular DVDs... Who's going to "upgrade" to that crap?

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

Well, the last attempt at creating a Chinese next-gen format (the "EVD" Khitomer mentioned) was exactly the same as DVD except for the codecs used, so I guess this constitutes "progress."

EVD went down in flames when the EVD group was sued by the company that developed the codecs (I think there's something like ten EVD titles out there) so I'm guessing this is an attempt to regain some lost ground. But no matter what these people claim, the purpose isn't to create a format that will compete with HD DVD and Blu-ray on their own turf, it's to create a format Chinese manufacturers can use without having to pay royalties to Sony and Toshiba and Philips and all the other non-Chinese companies that control the better-established formats. Given that millions of Chinese have yet to upgrade from VCD, though, I kinda doubt there's a pressing need for a Chinese HD format.

[XenonCJ]

Well, the last attempt at creating a Chinese next-gen format (the "EVD" Khitomer mentioned) was exactly the same as DVD except for the codecs used, so I guess this constitutes "progress."

EVD went down in flames when the EVD group was sued by the company that developed the codecs (I think there's something like ten EVD titles out there) so I'm guessing this is an attempt to regain some lost ground. But no matter what these people claim, the purpose isn't to create a format that will compete with HD DVD and Blu-ray on their own turf, it's to create a format Chinese manufacturers can use without having to pay royalties to Sony and Toshiba and Philips and all the other non-Chinese companies that control the better-established formats. Given that millions of Chinese have yet to upgrade from VCD, though, I kinda doubt there's a pressing need for a Chinese HD format.True enough considering many Chinese in the outlands are still awaiting the Mudhovel to Wood-construction upgrade....