It's sounding more and more like Toshiba will end their HD DVD format. If that is the case, I recall reading somewhere that China's HD format is based on HD DVD, with some nip and tucks to their software. Will their discs play in another country's HD DVD player? Will discs from another country play in their players? I'm curious because I have an HD DVD collection and player and wonder if this is a route we can take for future releases or if a player breaks.

"The not-so-secret secret is that a CH-DVD player is an HD DVD player whose laser is set at a different modulation. While you could never play an HD DVD on a CH-DVD player, it is physically more or less the same product. Manufacturing can happen side by side, using the same components such as processors and optical pick-ups."

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/the-state...dvd-330684.php

China's high-def format uses its own proprietary video codec.

I don't think this is technically true. The laser for CH-DVD is the exact same wavelength as HD DVD. The formats do use different types of data modulation to store the date on the disc though.

In addition to the video codec Adam mentioned, the CH-DVD will also have a corresponding audio codec. The audio and video codecs used in HD DVD will be supported as well. However, CH-DVD will also use a different interactive format than HDi, as well as using a form of AES for encryption instead of AACS.

So in summary, a CH-DVD will not play in an HD DVD player. Likewise an HD DVD will not play in a machine designed solely to play CH-DVD. However, considering the physical disc structures between the formats being identical, it's possible some CH-DVD players will have HD DVD support.

From Wikipedia,

Unfortunately, Wikipedia isn't always correct, and in this case is wrong, as is sometimes the case with projects still in development.

From the ZD-Net China article cited at the bottom of Wikipedia's page:
http://stor-age.zdnet.com.cn/stor-ag...7/495410.shtml

HD-DVD is the column on the left, while CH-DVD (until recently called HD DVD for China), is on the right.

The third line is the difference in data modulation for the disc formats, the fourth line the difference in audio codecs, fifth line the difference in video codecs. The sixth line is the differences in the interactive technology, while the seventh line shows the differences in encryption.

Also, here are some text excepts, as translated by google:
Note the differences in the formats, and how they mention that a CH-DVD player could be changed in production to a HD DVD player fairly easily, but that doesn't mean a CH-DVD player will play HD DVDs.

In this case, I see the differences between CH-DVD and HD DVD as similar to those between DVD and the original DIVX format, where DIVX was based on the same basic technology, but had differences that prevented it from DIVX discs being played on plain DVD players. It may have been possible that US HD DVD players may have added CH-DVD support at some point, but that doesn't seem likely now.

I think I'm now going to go change the Wikipedia article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CH-DVD

And they are WALMART exclusive and will be selling for less than $99 this Christmas !!!! CHINA FTW !!!!!

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20080218PD203.html