Evaluation of TCL THBD 1008 for CBHD China Blu-ray Launch.

Emufan, the IT 168 evaluation center, talked about the birth of domestic HD DVD format. The author feels a lot. In 2005, in order to attack the national standard, various true and false HD DVD formats were debated endlessly. At that time, the author wrote a "scam or lie: third-party software reveals the authenticity of HD DVD". With the listing of HD DVD and BD, these true and false HD disc players based on DVD disc storage format gradually disappear. According to the author's understanding, the struggle at that time was not to be an industry, but to find some ready-made technologies, piece together a makeover and make a debut in BLACKPINK. Then from 2006 to 2008, the focus of the industry has been the format war between HD DVD and BD. Later, BD became the only HD DVD standard. In fact, in this special domestic market, there is another force that cannot be ignored, that is, the current CBHD format. After the official release on April 22nd, the author finally got the CBHD HD DVD player THBD 1008 produced by TCL to find out.

Historical review of CBHD

In 2005, Tsinghua University Optical Disc National Engineering Research Center and the Third Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group jointly revised the HD DVD standard led by Toshiba for three times: 4-6(FSM) modulation code was used instead of 8- 12(ETM) modulation code, which increased the patent of China; Adopt a simplified navigation system to meet the consumption demand of China; China audio and video compression standard AVS can be selected to enhance China's right to speak. In February, 2007, DVD Forum adopted the standard text of Technical Specification for Physical Format of HD DVD (China Edition), and the preparation of application format specification and prototype development were mainly carried out in China. The changed disc format is called China HD DVD, also known as China Blu-ray High Definition Disc (CBHD).

This historical description is concise, but accurate. CBHD was born out of HD DVD and simplified appropriately. At the same time, this format has also been recognized by international organizations. According to Zhao Xiaomin, a storage device expert, the coding efficiency of 4-6 is higher, and this change is realized by firmware. Therefore, the optical drive hardware should be the same as HD DVD, but the patent fee is less. The production line of HD DVD can be upgraded from DVD production line at a low price, which used to be one of the important advantages of HD DVD. DVD player parts are directly obtained from HD DVD related industrial chain. Although HD DVD is no longer produced, the existing production equipment and technology can be obtained at a low price. In terms of capacity, CBHD is still single-layer 15G and double-layer 30G, which is the same as HD DVD and can realize high-quality HD movie playback. Although the production capacity is slightly lower than BD, this is not the main reason for the failure of HD DVD.

CBHD embarked on a journey.

The price of TCL THBD 1008 disc player is initially set at 2499 yuan, and the 15 CBHD disc is given at random, which is very attractive according to the disc price in 55 yuan. In addition, the change of modulation code is a physical isolation measure. CBHD discs can't be read on HD DVD drives, let alone BD. This isolation measure, which is more effective than area code, will bring at least one benefit, that is, Hollywood film distributors will not worry that low-priced CBHD discs will be smuggled to overseas markets, which is one of the main reasons why BD discs are still sold in China at almost the same price as those in the United States. CBHD has enough strength in hardware, and the rest depends on how much quality content content content providers can provide to consumers. Audio-visual industry, content is king, and countless formats that have disappeared in history have verified this truth.

Fortunately, CBHD has made a good start. Random discs include 10 discs of China Film Corporation, including films such as Suffocation, Water Ballad and warlords. As an important content provider of CBHD, Warner publicly stated that it will release 120 CBHD discs this year. The random discs include five films produced by Warner: Blood Diamond, Voyager, Poseidon and Polar Express.

This paper will mainly introduce the hardware configuration and functions of TCL CBHD disk drive, and will spend more time to interpret the characteristics of CBHD. In the next article, we will give a detailed experience and introduction to the randomly given 15 disk.

The design of TCL THBD 1008 is very beautiful, the silver decorative strip is in harmony with the black mirror plastic shell, and the texture and style design of the keys are in place. Generally speaking, it can be compared with the products of international manufacturers.

The interface is simpler. THBD 1008 has a set of HDMI outputs, supports 1080P, and can transmit audio and video in one line. There is also a set of color difference output and AV compatible video. In addition, the optical fiber interface can also realize the source output of AC3 and DTS sound effects.

The design of the remote controller is good, which is really rare in domestic brand household appliances. The font and key design are full of fever and feel good. Function keys are available, and the operation is convenient enough.

Some settings in the system function menu are related to picture performance, sound effect and ease of use. The system menu of THBD 1008 is also beautifully designed, and its functions are divided into four categories. In HDMI output, besides the proportion of output signal, you can also choose RGB range in image settings. Although the name of the option is a bit strange, I think it refers to limited gray scale and full gray scale. From the resolution setting, it also supports 24P mode, which is very helpful for watching movie programs. In audio settings, the format of optical fiber output can be selected as bit stream (source code output), which can be decoded by an external decoder, while HDMI output has no bit stream output. Judging from the demo disc that comes with it, the audio track is Dolby D+, which is often referred to as Eac3 or dolby digital Plus Edition. When connecting the next generation power amplifier, the source code output is not realized. As for whether local decoding can realize multi-channel LPCM transmission, it will have to wait until 15 movie disc arrives. There is basically no need to change the language settings and usual settings, so there is no need to say more here. Then let's take a look at the effect of playing the demo CD.

I just got THBD 1008 and brought a demo disc with me. Since CBHD can't be played on other Blu-ray players and Blu-ray discs can't be used on CBHD, this demo disc is just a simple experience of CBHD, and more effect evaluation and waiting for the arrival of 15 CBHD disc. When the CD is put on the screen, the reading speed of THBD 1008 is similar to that of most Blu-ray players, and the fonts on the panel are also well displayed. The fly in the ointment is that the fan is a little loud, but the heat generation is not obvious, so the speed should be reduced.

The menu of this demonstration is a graphical selection menu. After selecting a clip and playing it, a clear, smooth and colorful image comes into view. Since CBHD was born in HD DVD, its effect is beyond doubt. You can view the information of the CD by pressing the display button of the remote control. This Demo is encoded by MPEG2-2, the audio track is Dolby D+, and there are no subtitles or other audio tracks. It also has the functions of cyclic playback and direct switching of audio track subtitles by remote control. For more insights, please look forward to the launch of CBHD blockbuster. (End of full text)

TCL blu-ray HD DVD-THBD- 1008

[Reference price] 2499 yuan+15 genuine Blu-ray disc.

[Contact] TCL official online mall