In its quest to have a national standard uninhibited by licensing fees, China may in fact back a technology so close to HD-DVD that the same plants could produce HD-DVD players simply by paying an extra licensing fee. Assuming this moves forward, HD-DVD could be in for a HUGE price drop by next summer.
The result of that collaboration is the CH-DVD format, announced this morning. The HD DVD Promotions Group trumpeted the news in a message to BetaNews this afternoon. “This is great for the HD DVD camp,” the spokesperson said, “since product developers do not have to start from scratch and can achieve shorter development times. The more drives that are made, the cheaper it is to make HD DVD players across the board.”
Paramount’s move to HD-DVD exclusivity may not have just re-opened the high-def war; it may turn out to have been the turning point.
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