China-only version of HD-DVD developed
Posted by Sachin Garg on 22nd September 2005 | Permanent Link
The AVS video compression technology is being developed in China as a cheaper alternative to video compression technologies developed oversees, which some Chinese electronics manufacturers have said are too expensive for them to license. The AVS Workgroup of China, the group promoting the standard, has previously said that adoption of AVS by Chinese manufacturers could save them $1 billion in licensing fees over the next 10 years.
The China-only version of HD-DVD will be largely similar to the standard international version of HD-DVD, with a few modifications, including support for the AVS video compression technology, Lu said. “That is the principal difference,” he said, noting that many features of the format, such as the disc capacity, will remain the same.
In addition to AVS support, the China-only version of HD-DVD will include support for MPEG2, MPEG4 and Microsoft Corp. Windows Media Video 9 (WMV9),
Chinese HD-DVD products are expected to hit market a bit later than the mainstream HD-DVD products.