During the Intel Information Technology Summit of 2008 in China last month, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Haier announced the introduction of its "Blue Box (Lan _Bao) V9", a Blu-ray device which they describe as the "Haier HD digital entertainment Center."

Haier regards Blue Box V9 as a next-generation home entertainment platform – not just a PC nor a stand-alone Blu-ray player. Its main features include: Intel Core 2 TM Quad Q9300 Quad-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce graphics card; HDMI V1.3 interface, BD Drive built-in; Supports Full HD 1080P; Dolby TrueHD 7.1Chs output, Storage with 2TB, Internet-ready, Remote Control.

Sony is reported to have produced 2000 units of a Blu-ray music title, the first BD release developed specifically for the Chinese market.

In a separate development, a group of leading Chinese consumer electronics companies announced the formation of an industry consortium whose mission is to build and drive the adoption of the next-generation interactive television and home CE networking interface known as DIVA, or Digital Interface for Video and Audio. The DIVA Consortium's charter members (called the Promoters Group) include major CE and home appliance manufacturers such as Sichuan Chang Hong Electric, Qingdao Haier, Hisense Electric, Konka Group, Nanjing Panda Electronics, Skyworth Group, SVA Information Industry, TCL Corporation, and Synerchip.

Story filed 04.05.08