Format War Redux: China

Shanghai United Optical Disc has announced that they have completed assembly of the first production line for CBHD (until recently known as CH-DVD or the Chinese version of HD DVD). They expect to start volume production of films this winter, though they may be too late with Blu-ray already making its move in China.

Not surprising, the backers of CBHD are claiming lower production costs and licensing fees as the main strengths of the format instead of any benefit to the consumer. Where have I heard that before?

The Blu-ray Disc Association held a large Blu-ray event in China a few weeks ago, followed by SinoCES which featured a ton of Chinese manufacturers who are making players for the chosen high definition format. Combine that with the fact that no Hollywood studio has pledged support to the format, CBHD is not expected to receive much attention in China.