Even though the FVD format is mainly targeted at the Taiwanese and other Asian markets as the next generation format after DVD, the backers are now interested in bringing FVD to the west to compete with HD DVD and Blu-ray. China also has its own competing format to Blu-ray and HD DVD called EVD, which lacks the royalty charges required for the two, however it will likely only be made available locally.
Like existing DVDs, the FVD format uses red laser technology, but with a slightly higher capacity of 5.4 to 6GB for single layer FVD media and 9.8 to 11GB for double layer FVD media. It features a capacity of 135 minutes of 1080i high definition content and uses Microsoft's Windows Media as its audio and video codecs.
The Taiwanese manufacturer Idar has put FVD players into volume production, with an aim to ship 300,000 players throughout 2006. The company also aims to see over 1,000 movie titles made available on FVD by the end of the year. As the FVD format uses much cheaper components to produce as well as less royalty charges than HD DVD and Blu-ray, they aim to compete with lower pricing until around 2008 when the other two are expected to become mainstream.
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The FVD (Forward Versatile Disc) format provides HD content on a disc capable of being read by red lasers of the kind used in today's DVD players. Content is encoded in Microsoft's WMV HD format. FVD was developed to bridge the pricing gap between DVD and next-generation formats, which aren't expected to go mainstream until 2008. So claims Der-ray Huang, deputy director of Opto-Electronics and Systems (OES) laboratories, a division of the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the organisation that developed FVD, according to a DigiTimes report. Huang said FVD players are now in volume production from Taiwanese manufacturer Idar, which hopes to ship 300,000 players in 2006. By the end of the year, the company hopes over 1,000 movies will be available on FVD. |
If FVD becomes available in the west, they may have problems getting most of the studios to make their content available on the format. At the moment, the movie studios are already unhappy with having two competing formats preparing to enter the market, never mind a third format! This would also be bad for the consumer, since if consumers end up choosing an FVD player, they may have difficulties trying to get movies for it if some studios decide not to make movies available on FVD.
Source: The Register
"If FVD becomes available in the west, they may have problems getting most of the studios to make their content available on the format"
On the other hand the studios may have issues trying to sell me on the coming hd-blue-ray-drm crap. If FVD turns out to be more consumer friendly and the player cost about 100 bucks, i will prefer it over the others just to watch occasional (but decent) indie movies.
Cheers.
FidelC
FidelC I agree 100 percent. But unfortunately, Microsoft is supporting FVD as well as HD-DVD and they have set up an office in Taiwan to help push the standard. Well, there goes the neighborhood! 
[edited by Crabbyappleton on 02.12.2005 15:05]
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