Chang: In the last two-years, we’ve put a lot of effort into the interactive features in HD DVD and Blu-ray movies. Investors often ask us, ‘Why do you spend so much R&D money? DVD is already mature, why do your R&D expenses keep on growing?' -- because it’s a whole new team for HD DVD, for the digital home. I told investors that the return on investment wouldn’t come in two years; maybe by 2007, 2008 it will start to trend up. And finally, finally, this year we see at least HD DVD has already shipped. Maybe it’s not popular, maybe the format is still in competition with Blu-ray, but finally, the ecosystem, the first version, is ready. And studios are finally ready, releasing the first titles. This is a whole new generation. It’s very exciting.
IDGNS: How long do you think it will take for HD DVD and Blu-ray to gain a following?
Chang: It’s just starting now. It's slow -- but it is taking off and it’s gaining momentum. I think as prices come down, it will become more popular.
When DVD-ROM was first released, it was around US$300, and that was years ago. But HD DVD and Blu-ray are getting a boost from Microsoft and Sony Corp. and other multinationals, and that should speed up Blu-ray and HD DVD.
We saw DVD in 1998, and at that time it was so premature, it was such a primitive environment compared to now. Now you hardly see video tapes anymore. The rise to maturity for CD, DVD took about 8 years. It won’t take that long for Blu-ray and HD DVD, the new technology is moving fast. In fact, we’ve already had a look at combo Blu-ray / HD DVD players.
IDGNS: CyberLink is often asked to tweak its software to the specific needs of users in different cultures around the world. What kind of differences do you see?
Chang: We see a big difference from vendors in different countries. In Japan, for example, users like more advanced functions, very detailed functions. In the U.S., ease-of-use is the key, so we have to adapt to different requirements of different areas.
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