'China High Definition DVD' (CH-DVD) Introduced In China

The Optical Memory National Engineering Research Center (OMNERC), a laboratory dedicated to optical disc research in Tsinghua University, today announced CH-DVD (China High Definition DVD)(a), a new generation high definition DVD format developed in collaboration with research institutes and manufacturing enterprises at home and abroad. The physical format of CH-DVD includes Chinese-owned intellectual property, and is based on HD DVD, the next generation high definition DVD approved by the DVD Forum. The realization of CH-DVD was supported by the Chinese government, and will pave the way for the localization of blue-laser, high-definition DVD in China.

On Sept. 7, 2007, OMNERC established CHDA -- the China High Definition DVD Industry Association -- in cooperation with the DVD Forum and Chinese and international partners. CHDA will play a leadership role in the promotion of CH-DVD, and will make a big push to launch CH-DVD player into the Chinese market in 2008.

According to the article from Stor-age.com (ZDNet China), it is reported that the physical specifications portion of the CH-DVD will be very similar to DVD Forum-specified HD DVD. For instance, the same laser wavelenth and the same disc configurations (15GB Single-Layer; 30GB Dual-Layer, for a single-sided disc). The main differences are in the bits and bytes. The Audio Video Standard (AVS) codec will also be required to be present in the CH-DVD players, in addition to video codecs VC-1, MPEG-4 AVC and MPEG-2, and audio codecs from Dolby Labs and DTS Inc.

There are also plans to make CH-DVD players compatible with the Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) and High-Definition Versatile Disc (HVD) formats, when they are first introduced to the Chinese market in March 2008.

It has also been mentioned in the same article that CH-DVD replication facilities are already in operation in China.

Sources:

• Foundation of China High Definition DVD Industry Association (CHDA) Heralds New Era of High-Definition Entertainment in China
• CH-DVD Launch in China (Stor-age.com / In Chinese)
• New Chinese Involvement Could Trigger HD DVD Price Plunge (BetaNews.com)