China Wants Its Own DVD Format

Citing the Chinese official Lu Da, deputy director at National Disc Engineering Center, Xinhua News informs that a new DVD format is likely to appear in China.

This format will be derived from HD-DVD, but, according to Lu Da's statements, it will not be compatible with HD-DVD players. China wants to introduce it by 2008.

If this DVD format is launched, not only will it become an important player in the DVD industry, but, in addition, will allow saving significant amounts of money. China is responsible for 70-80% of the worldwide production of DVD players, but the licensing fees represent up to 40% out of the price of such a device.

By introducing its own standard, China would be able to eliminate those fees. Lu Da said that the new format will include protection schemes against duplication and audio-video quality superior to that of current DVDs. However, the official didn't say anything about the stage of the project or if a prototype already exists.

For now, the candidates for the next optical format are HD-DVD, promoted by Toshiba, and Blu-Ray, which is backed by Sony. The South-Korean company Samsung has announced it will try to develop and launch a player that supports both formats.

Should China decide to introduce its own format, the future of the DVD's replacement would become even more unpredictable.

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