Things aren't looking good for the Taiwan-developed FVD and China-developed EVD
formats. According to DigiTimes, FVD and EVD players have been suffering from slow sales due to the lack of titles and increased
competition from entry-level Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players.
Audio/video players of FVD (forward versatile disc), a
Taiwan-developed red-laser high-definition DVD standard, and EVD (enhanced versatile disc), a China-developed DVD standard, have faced
slack sales in Taiwan and China since the beginning of 2007 because of pricing competition from Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD players as
well as insufficient supply of movies using the standards, according to industry sources in Taiwan.
The development of FVD and EVD
was motivated by manufacturers in Taiwan and China wanting to avoid having to pay royalties to international companies holding DVD
patents, the sources pointed out. In order to promote FVD in China, the Electronics & Optoelectronics Research Lab under the Taiwan
government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the developer of FVD, has cooperated with organizations related to
EVD in China, including making the two formats mutually compatible, the sources indicated.
If you'd like to read more,
head on over to DigiTimes.
