<strong>Chapter 1202 – The fight over members</strong>


    To set the industry standard, getting recognition is most critical. The morepanies using a standard, the faster this standard can be introduced.


    This is what happened for DVD standards. DVD Forum has morepanies supporting them and let their standard be the industry standard.


    Now, both sides are facing off again for the high-definition DVD standards. The Blu-rays DVD Alliance had pulled all the Japanesepanies from the DVD forum over to their sides. But at the same time, some DVD Alliance’s members had switched sides to the HD DVD forum.


    If those Japanesepanies had joined forces because of protectionism, those that left DVD Alliances are because of benefits. Wind and Rain Electronics and Philips had decided to authorize their DVD patents to them. This way, they can produce more popr DVD yers, discs, and optical drives.


    Thesepanies had to buy the patent authorization rights from those Japanese firms in the DVD Alliance. But with the same price, they will definitely choose the side with a higher value.


    Furthermore, DVD Forum has a bigger advantage. BenQ has sessfully developed the technology that can y both DVD forum and DVD Alliance’s formats. DVD Alliance’s yers can only y their format.


    This resulted in DVD Forum getting a big advantage in their DVD yers and optical drives. Consumers will not know which format when they buy DVDs. If a yer can y all formats, and another yer can only y a certain format, what do you think the consumer will choose?


    Also, HD DVD Forum had announced that HD DVDs can be produced with the existing DVD production line. This will save costs for those smallpanies. After all, not everypany can afford to invest multi-million to set up new production lines like Sony and Panasonic.


    If they do that, how many DVDs must they sell to recover their cost?!


    So, many members from both sides switched, and both sides also do their best to attract other electronicspanies.


    Thompson’s representative represented HD DVD Forum to meet the US moviepanies to get their support and asked them not to work with DVD Alliance.


    Those Japanesepanies immediately responded to this. What’s most important now is those moviepanies’ rights. If those moviepanies don’t support their format, they will lose out on many movies and affect their profits.


    DVD Forum had done this in the past, and the Japanesepanies will not allow this to happen again.


    Thompson is North America’s top consumer appliancepany and had worked with all the moviepanies before. This is their biggest advantage.


    Of course. Sony has its own moviepany, and Toshiba has shares in moviepanies. In the end, Sony Pictures and Disney joined the Blu-ray DVD forum, and Japanese firms, like Toei and Toho, had also joined Blu-ray DVD Alliance. Lionsgate, Twentieth Century, MGM, Warner Bros., etc., joined HD DVD Forum. The moviepanies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and some European also joined the HD DVD faction.


    All Chinese moviepanies started using HD DVD standards too. After all, all Chinese DVDpanies had gotten the patent authorization rights from DVD Forum. They dare not go against Wind and Rain Electronics.


    The PC manufacturers are also split into two sides, supporting Blu-rays DVD and HD DVD. But to Feng Yu’s surprise, Intel announced they will be using Blu-rays DVD standard.


    This is the same as Microsoft announcing its support for DVD Forum previously. It shocked Philips, Thompson, and otherpanies.


    We are introducing DVD standards, and what has it got to do with Intel? You all are not manufacturing DVD yers, optical drives and doesn’t own movie or MV rights! Why are you all interfering?


    Microsoft is a softwarepany, and its operating system must support optic drives.


    The optical drive port had been standardized a long time ago. Are you going to create a different port? That’s why Feng Yu felt Intel is only trying to create problems and doesn’t need to be bothered by them.


    More than 80% of the world’s DVD yers are manufactured in China, and Chinese brands own more than 60% of the market share. The remaining 20% is owned by other DVD Forum members, and the other 20% is owned by the DVD Alliance members. These are mainly Japanese brands.


    Almost 50% of the world’s DVDs are made in China, and the remaining 30% is from the US. The rest are from Japan, Europe, and other countries.


    When ites to DVD yers or discs, China is still the leader, and Wind and Rain Electronics and Aiwa Electronics yed a major role.


    International electronics firms had acknowledged China is the strongest when ites to the DVD industry. Only the Japanesepanies don’t want to admit it.


    This time, DVD Forum is confident of their HD DVD technology is because Wind and Rain Electronics and Aiwa Electronics had started developing this technology two years ago. Sony and the rest of their alliances had only started developing their Blu-rays DVD not long ago.


    HD DVD yers and the new format discs will beunched in the market soon, and Sony will need at least another year before they canunch their product.


    Although the market will not be full when they enter the market, they had let HD DVD gain the upper hand.


    During this period, many electronicspanies that had never produce DVDs also started to choose sides. Some chose HD DVD Forum, and some chose to join Blu-rays DVD Alliances.


    Overall, HD DVD has more members, and more importantly, they have more DVD yer manufacturers and moviepanies.


    But the Japanesepanies’ advantage is their HD TVs. Their HD TV technology is the best in the world. If you buy a high-definition DVD yer, you must use it with an HD TV.


    What’s the point of using a normal TV where you cannot tell the difference between standard and high-definition?


    But the Japanesepanies did not expect LCD TV technology to develop so fast and overtake sma TVs. HD TVs can also be made with LCD.


    Japanese firms had created technological barriers for their sma TV technology and made HD DVD morepetitive.


    When everyone is trying to get more members, Wind and Rain Electronics announced the first HD DVD yer’sunch!


    Sony and the otherpanies were dumbfounded. How did they develop the HD DVD so fast? If they have the yer, do they have HD DVD discs?


    Immediately after the announcement, some Hong Kong moviepanies started selling HD DVD movies! The HD era is here!