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To: BillyG who wrote (33317)	5/20/1998 4:31:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

China about to ramp up DVD? CHINA - Last hurdles to mass production falling Major DVD player manufacturers in China are uncertain when they will be able to launch volume production, as they lack the final specifications for the DVD standard. However, the industry is confident that these problems will be resolved, and most feel that the discussions will result in a stronger DVD standard. Thus, it is widely believed that DVD player output by Chinese companies will be substantial in the near future. This confidence stems from the fact that many of the world's leading electronics and computer companies have huge stakes in the DVD standard, as well as from the inherent technical benefits of DVD. In particular, compatibility with Video CD titles is a major draw for the China market and thus a big incentive for mainland suppliers. There do remain some hurdles to widespread DVD proliferation, such as a lack of DVD titles and relatively high prices. Currently sampling DVD players are priced as high as $400 each. But as suppliers catch on to the market potential of DVD and volumes rise, it is predicted that hardware prices will drop to current Video CD player levels in two or three years. Output boom to come at mid-year The proliferation of DVD products is moving more slowly than expected, as many Chinese manufacturers are delaying volume production for technical and market reasons. However, DVD players will likely enter volume production in China in the second half, according Ye Tao Jin, sales manager at the Jiangkui Group. Jiangkui plans to hit the market with a DVD player, the JK-100, in mid-year. The medium-size national enterprise specializes in the development and manufacture of optical audio and video products. It has fixed assets of $30 million and an 18,000-square-meter modern workshop with 600 staff, including 180 technicians. It is one of the largest specialized electronics manufacturers, with eight subsidiary corporations. The JK-100 has A/V, Y/Cr/Cb and S-video outputs, as well as Dolby AC-3 digital and PCM audio outputs. It uses the MPEG-2 encoding and decoding method. "Its great video and theater-quality audio will set a new standard of delight for the eyes and ears," Jin said. The model can play DVD, Video CD 1.1, Video CD 2.0 and CD media. It supports PAL and NTSC signals in various picture sizes, as well as PCTV and HDTV formats. OSD controls are supported in multiple languages. The player carries a suggested retail price of about $350 in China. Continued... asiansources.com