AfterDawn: News

HD DVD coming back from the dead in China?

On June 11 the DVD Forum's Steering Committee met for the second time this year. Their biannual meetings usually result in boring discussions about bureaucratic matters, but not so this time around. That's not entirely surprising considering it's the first meeting with an agenda set entirely after HD DVD's demise at the hands of Blu-ray earlier this year.

You might think Blu-ray's victory in February would have immediately halted any serious discussion about new HD DVD development, but you'd be wrong. In fact a format called C-HD DVD is still in development. The C stands for China, which is where it's being developed and expected to be sold.



Don't expect this to mean the return of HD DVD in the rest of the world, at least not any time soon. It's not in the studios' interest to rekindle the format war. And it's hard to believe the executives who were apparently blind sided by Toshiba's decision to suddenly drop HD DVD are lining up to repeat that experience.

Of course things aren't exactly decided yet. If Blu-ray hasn't made significant progress toward mainstream adoption in the next couple of years the studios could become restless. If C-HD DVD were already established in China it's hard to believe the studios wouldn't at least consider jumping ship again.

Toshiba is already rumored to be targetting Blu-ray with better upscaling DVD players. The adoption at this most recent meeting of the DVD Download DL logo could also be a sign that HD DVD technology is going to be re-used in the older format.

Even if C-HD DVD doesn't ever come to market it looks like Toshiba may be in the best position to benefit if Blu-ray fails. Right now that's not looking like a bad place to be.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 3 Jul 2008 12:19

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• 40 comments

• core2kid

  If China wants HD-DVD, be my guest. I wouldn't care even if the US started to use HD DVDs again. The 2 formats have no difference and I have both players.

  3.7.2008 12:31 #1

• tripplite

  huh?? the console war was never over.....now the majority of the worlds population is going to be using HD-DVD...muhawawawa!!!!!!
  
  but seriously.....
  -tripplite

  3.7.2008 12:36 #2

• ZippyDSM

  HDVD is a good format with lil difrance to BR but price.

  3.7.2008 12:59 #3

• NexGen76

  Quote:Toshiba is already rumored to be targetting Blu-ray with better upscaling DVD players. The adoption at this most recent meeting of the DVD Download DL logo could also be a sign that HD DVD technology is going to be re-used in the older format.I don't see why anyone would even bring up a upgrade over upscale DVD players in the same breath as HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.If Toshiba actually though this player was on the same level as Blu-Ray why didn't they push HD-DVD to the side.....It wasn't so i wish this BS comparing stop you can't improve that much if your source isn't improved either.

  3.7.2008 13:59 #4

• SProdigy

  Someone posted that the 360 HD-DVD player was being sold for $5 now, so I went to check the movie in case I made a buy, considering a "dead" format should be on the cheap right?
  
  Well over at Amazon, some titles are around $12, but the "blockbuster" type movies, such as Mission Impossible, are still in the $20 range, which is still more than DVD and too expensive for a dead format.
  
  Granted, there are some deals and it's HD, but I could still own and upconvert some of these in SD-DVD for $5, maybe even less.

  3.7.2008 14:02 #5

• Pop_Smith

  Interesting... I wonder what if Toshiba will try to re-launch HD DVD worldwide if it does real well in China, they probably won't try to re-launch it but you never know I guess.

  3.7.2008 14:03 #6

• goldenear

  I would love to see egg on Sony's face as Toshiba wins the game!

  3.7.2008 14:30 #7

• canuckerz

  Movie studios aren't going to go back and fourth exclusively supporting formats. That's why this is going to stay in China; none of the major North American studios are going to be on-board.

  3.7.2008 17:37 #8

• NexGen76

  Originally posted by SProdigy: Someone posted that the 360 HD-DVD player was being sold for $5 now, so I went to check the movie in case I made a buy, considering a "dead" format should be on the cheap right?
  
  Well over at Amazon, some titles are around $12, but the "blockbuster" type movies, such as Mission Impossible, are still in the $20 range, which is still more than DVD and too expensive for a dead format.
  
  Granted, there are some deals and it's HD, but I could still own and upconvert some of these in SD-DVD for $5, maybe even less.
  
  I notice the same thing also @ wal-mart they had American Gangster for 25 bucks i wonder why the prices are still high on some of the HD-DVD titles?

  3.7.2008 18:01 #9

• Rudeboi

  This is a complete and utter FAILURE.
  That's why it's only in China.
  
  Right now, it's not about 'HD DVD has better quality than Blu Ray' or any of that nonsense.
  
  It's about the studios.
  
  Do any of you honestly think that Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount & New Line (Just to name a few) is going to crawl back to HD DVD when they are already in production with blu ray?
  
  HIGHLY doubt it, they would just be throwing away time and money, and i'm sure they don't want that especially with having to deal with piracy.

  3.7.2008 18:29 #10

• iluvendo

  What ever happened to "Can't we all just get along ?"
  
  Must it always be a format war ?

  3.7.2008 19:01 #11

• DXR88

  True its not about who's better, let us put differences aside. so no studio support at least not major, so whats to stop this format from being supported in a non-studio type way, a rewritable storage solution device for pc's, perhaps a way for Xbox360 to stay in the game,
  
  example vinyl records came in 3 different types 33RPM 45RPM and (96RPM records arn't vinyl but still used the same technology)
  
  Also SVCD & VCD were a Asian region Format only but it had uses over in America.
  
  
  argue all you want it has its uses.

  3.7.2008 19:46 #12

• Rudeboi

  Originally posted by DXR88: True its not about who's better, let us put differences aside. so no studio support at least not major, so whats to stop this format from being supported in a non-studio type way, a rewritable storage solution device for pc's, perhaps a way for Xbox360 to stay in the game,
  
  example vinyl records came in 3 different types 33RPM 45RPM and (96RPM records arn't vinyl but still used the same technology)
  
  Also SVCD & VCD were a Asian region Format only but it had uses over in America.
  
  
  argue all you want it has its uses.It just causes much more confusion for the uneducated consumer. Even the HD-DVD vs. Blu Ray war wasn't easy to grasp for some people.

  3.7.2008 20:15 #13

• 7thsinger

  Quote:Even the HD-DVD vs. Blu Ray war wasn't easy to grasp for some people. A lot of that comes from poorly trained store clerks that can't adequately explain the benefits of Hi Def to the consumer.

  3.7.2008 22:31 #14

• DXR88

  Quote:Quote:Even the HD-DVD vs. Blu Ray war wasn't easy to grasp for some people. A lot of that comes from poorly trained store clerks that can't adequately explain the benefits of Hi Def to the consumer.you know i like to test store's like that. ill ask them whats the difference. you would be surprised how many a store clerk has told me that blue-ray has a better picture and sound.
  
  i went to wal-mart and i ask this one fellow,whats the difference between the two he goes of to say, there ain't no significant difference.
  
  its sad when i store clerk from best-buy or other high tech gadget place will lie to you to get the most expensive thing out the door.

  3.7.2008 22:45 #15

• core2kid

  A perfect example of that is when I asked for the best most portable Digital camera and he showed me one of these Sony ones for $300 or something with only some 3x digital zoom. It was pretty small though. He kept telling me how it was the best camera ever made. I ended up getting another Sony, because of the damn helper there and I personally hate it now. Its a 7.2MP camera with a 1.5 inch LCD. Spend 200+ on that thing!

  4.7.2008 00:07 #16

• Blackjax

  I thought the pleasantly round female belted out a tune already. Maybe not?

  4.7.2008 00:07 #17

• DXR88

  Originally posted by Blackjax: I thought the pleasantly round female belted out a tune already. Maybe not??_?

  4.7.2008 01:39 #18

• PantherM

  Quote:Originally posted by Blackjax: I thought the pleasantly round female belted out a tune already. Maybe not??_?The fat lady that sings...

  4.7.2008 08:33 #19

• 7thsinger

  Originally posted by Blackjax: I thought the pleasantly round female belted out a tune already. Maybe not?Maybe she didn't sing loud enough for China to hear.

  4.7.2008 09:00 #20

• SDF_GR

  Quote:Toshiba is already rumored to be targetting Blu-ray with better upscaling DVD playersIf toshiba say that they can take 720x576px(DVD) and make it look as good as 1920x1080px(BD)...
  Then i wonder where Sony or yamaha, samsung can reach by starting with 1920x1080(BD)...5000+ x 2800+ px? Is that simple?
  
  The pixels arent there, end of story.

  4.7.2008 11:05 #21

• nyurbiz

  So you knuckleheads don't think the major studios will be putting out HD DVD content for the largest market in the world? Go take another bong hit and think about it.

  4.7.2008 12:44 #22

• Mr-Movies

  I don’t think that HD-DVD will be coming back but if it did it would be good for all of us. Even though most of you didn’t like the so called format war it was and always is good for the consumer. We need competition in the market for pricing and performance.
  
  There are big differences with BD size capability is the main one but the bitrate is better as well and because of the size capabilities they use higher res sound uncompressed. So when you ask a store sales clerk what the differences are and they say better sound and picture they are right, presuming the source is high quality of course. These things have been hashed over-and-over again here at AD and you should know better. Now if you are an Upscaling king then what can we say it just doesn’t matter you’ll never get.
  
  AS to HiDef there is really nothing to explain once the customer sees the difference from a side-by-side or even stand alone viewing you need not explain anything the difference is noticeable, unless of course you are an upscaler king. As to the differences in formats then some explanation might be necessary.
  
  When buying a digital camera digital zoom is meaningless Optical zoom is the important feature to look at and 10x is the way to go or better if you can find it. Digital zoom is just a marketing thing and I love it when they multiply the two to make it look even better, what a joke. Its like buying an amplifier and when they display the wattage they add all of the channels in a peak-to-peak form to make it really seem powerful instead of using the more important RMS rating per channel.

  4.7.2008 13:03 #23

• juankerr

  Originally posted by nyurbiz: So you knuckleheads don't think the major studios will be putting out HD DVD content for the largest market in the world? Go take another bong hit and think about it.The largest market you're referring to also boasts the fact that more bootlegs are sold than genuine copies of movies and 90% of revenue is lost to piracy. I'm sure the major studios will be salivating at the chance to release there.
  
  http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/hollywo...9788693472.html

  4.7.2008 13:12 #24

• gerbs

  I will just add to this discussion by stating that if this proves successful in China we will see it here. China is the source for electronics and even if it is just an add on someone will offer it for sale in the U.S. market. Cost of discs will also be important for those who will be burning their own. Remember not everyone goes over to Wally World to buy their movies--the internet makes it possible to shop everywhere. Anyway have fun and don't get too serious--it's just entertainment.

  4.7.2008 13:23 #25

• juankerr

  Originally posted by gerbs: I will just add to this discussion by stating that if this proves successful in China we will see it here. The problem is CH-DVD uses a video and audio codec that is totally incompatible with anything we have here. They will use the proprietary AVS video standard whose patents are 90% owned by Chinese companies. This allows them to bypass any royalty payments to the patent holders of VC-1 and AVC.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Video_Standard

  4.7.2008 13:32 #26

• Mr-Movies

  Quote:Originally posted by gerbs: I will just add to this discussion by stating that if this proves successful in China we will see it here. The problem is CH-DVD uses a video and audio codec that is totally incompatible with anything we have here. They will use the proprietary AVS video standard whose patents are 90% owned by Chinese companies. This allows them to bypass any royalty payments to the patent holders of VC-1 and AVC.
  
  " target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Video_Standard
  
  They would use the US codec if they were going to reintroduce it here again obviously. It could happen even though I doubt it will.

  4.7.2008 14:29 #27

• salsa36

  Is this an Asian problem?
  
  We should stick to ONE format: jpeg, CD, MP3, DVD, BluRay etc.
  
  If chinese people want to mess around, let them do it. At least it will be lead free.

  4.7.2008 15:20 #28

• SDF_GR

  Toshiba wants to,
  but have they asked what movie studios have to say?
  If they are willing to release their movies to that format? and to a country with the highest piracy ratings.
  Toshiba has anything to show against BD+ for securing the content to CHD-DVD?
  If toshiba cares only to release chinise movies to that discs, np just keep them in china.

  4.7.2008 16:00 #29

• spydah

  How do we know that China "the international counterfeit device makers" are not making their version of the HD-DVD system and pushing it out like they do with any popular device or item? They might be re-creating the HD player to sell cheaper just for profit. Its sad they do that but this might work in Toshiba's favor.

  4.7.2008 23:28 #30

• inikkid

  I am happy and content with HD DVD and just plain old DVD. Newer never did mean significantly better -- only significantly more expensive. Sony can keep its Blue-ray -- and do not for a moment think I am alone in this.

  5.7.2008 20:27 #31

• goodswipe

  This must be the HD DVD players hughjars was always talking about.

  7.7.2008 10:41 #32

• 7thsinger

  Where is that fellow these days anyway?
  

  
  
  Learn To Backup DVDs Here
  And Here.

  7.7.2008 10:54 #33

• juankerr

  Originally posted by inikkid: I am happy and content with HD DVD and just plain old DVD. Newer never did mean significantly better -- only significantly more expensive. I'm confused. If you think that newer isn't significantly better - then why did you even bother buying HD DVD???

  7.7.2008 11:40 #34

• goodswipe

  Originally posted by 7thsinger: Where is that fellow these days anyway?Ahh, Mr. hughjars got banned months ago. He came back again under a different alias, but I haven't seen him around since then. Think he got canned back in January or Feb., whenever HD DVD bit the dust.
  
  
  Originally posted by juankerr: Originally posted by inikkid: I am happy and content with HD DVD and just plain old DVD. Newer never did mean significantly better -- only significantly more expensive. I'm confused. If you think that newer isn't significantly better - then why did you even bother buying HD DVD???Because HD DVD was affordable. Maybe not when it first came out, but a year later or so it was going for a reasonable price. Also, no telling when this guy bought his.
  

  
  
  "I hope Newbies that come across your signature bar do not become intimated and decide this forum is for wisecracks and stick to other ones." -ofield

  7.7.2008 11:53 #35

• juankerr

  Originally posted by goodswipe: Because HD DVD was affordable. Maybe not when it first came out, but a year later or so it was going for a reasonable price. Also, no telling when this guy bought his.If affordability is his only complaint then he should see something in his price range within the next 1 - 2 years. Prices are coming down and this year's holiday shopping season should come with some good deals.

  7.7.2008 12:15 #36

• goodswipe

  Originally posted by juankerr: Originally posted by goodswipe: Because HD DVD was affordable. Maybe not when it first came out, but a year later or so it was going for a reasonable price. Also, no telling when this guy bought his.If affordability is his only complaint then he should see something in his price range within the next 1 - 2 years. Prices are coming down and this year's holiday shopping season should come with some good deals.Yea, I can see Blu-ray players starting off at 299, plus some type of free movie deal during the Christmas season. I believe by then, more people will be buying Blu-ray.
  

  
  
  "I hope Newbies that come across your signature bar do not become intimated and decide this forum is for wisecracks and stick to other ones." -ofield

  7.7.2008 12:34 #37

• core2kid

  Originally posted by goodswipe: Originally posted by juankerr: Originally posted by goodswipe: Because HD DVD was affordable. Maybe not when it first came out, but a year later or so it was going for a reasonable price. Also, no telling when this guy bought his.If affordability is his only complaint then he should see something in his price range within the next 1 - 2 years. Prices are coming down and this year's holiday shopping season should come with some good deals.Yea, I can see Blu-ray players starting off at 299, plus some type of free movie deal during the Christmas season. I believe by then, more people will be buying Blu-ray.
  You already got $298 players at Wal-Mart
  http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9864613
  

  My PC: Core2Quad Q6600 @ 3.07GHz|Asus P5K-E Wifi AP Edition|4GB RAM @ 817MHz|6800GT 350MHz/900MHz|250GB SATA2 Primary XP|200GB SATA1 Secondary Vista|500GB WD MyBook|Vista Rating 5.0
  My Game Systems(Order of Release): Atari 2600|Genesis|GB Original|PS|GB Pocket|N64|GB Color|Dreamcast|PS2 w/ HD Loader|PS2|GameCube|XBOX Halo Edition|GBA SP|Slim PS2|DS Silver|DS Blue|PSP @ 3.90M33-3|GB Micro|XBOX 360 HD DVD Player|PS3 80GB MGS Bundle

  7.7.2008 14:16 #38

• goodswipe

  Originally posted by core2kid: Originally posted by goodswipe: Originally posted by juankerr: Originally posted by goodswipe: Because HD DVD was affordable. Maybe not when it first came out, but a year later or so it was going for a reasonable price. Also, no telling when this guy bought his.If affordability is his only complaint then he should see something in his price range within the next 1 - 2 years. Prices are coming down and this year's holiday shopping season should come with some good deals.Yea, I can see Blu-ray players starting off at 299, plus some type of free movie deal during the Christmas season. I believe by then, more people will be buying Blu-ray.
  You already got $298 players at Wal-Mart
  " target="_blank">http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d...9864613
  
  I was talking more along the lines of something from Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung.
  
  LOL @ Magnavox!
  

  
  
  "I hope Newbies that come across your signature bar do not become intimated and decide this forum is for wisecracks and stick to other ones." -ofield

  7.7.2008 14:26 #39

• nick99088

  I was talking more along the lines of something from Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung. Tiffany & Co 5 OPEN HEART Necklace

  26.8.2008 22:47 #40