All content of this article is based on official and reliable sources, and the specific information is detailed in the article and at the end
Shingen:
Sanlian Life Weekly, No. 23, 1999, "Death Files"
-< > foreword-
In the 90s of the last century, an electronic product called "VCD" emerged in China, which is a device that can transmit video and audio data to the TV screen at the same time through optical discs.
For a long time, it has entered thousands of households and become popular all over the country.
However, after only a few years, VCDs disappeared from the market, why on earth?
Information sources:
"Why VCD Disappeared in China", 2002-09-15
-< VCD market that emerged in the 90s>-
In the 90s, every time CCTV was in prime time, there would always be an advertising song on TV, "There is justice in the world, and there is always a reward for paying." It's better to do what you say, do the best if you want to do it! - Backgammon ......"
This advertising song led to the popularity of an electronic brand "backgammon" VCD.
At that time, the VCD brand led by "BBK" led the entire audio-visual equipment market, and brands such as "Xiaobawang" and "Aiduo" rose rapidly, and China set off a VCD trend in the world.
At that time, the market was no less popular than the current Internet market.
VCD machines not only have Wanyan, BBK, Aiduo, Xiaobawang, Xiaxin, Malatana, Jinzheng and other well-known domestic brands, but also breed many niche brands.
In the Chinese market, there are not only many brands of VCD machines, but also the sales of VCD machines are also considerable.
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According to relevant financial data, in 1995, the sales of VCD machines in China were 600,000 units, but in 1996, the sales of VCD machines in China soared to 6 million units; In 1997, the momentum was even stronger, and the market sales of VCD machines reached 10 million units!
It is no exaggeration to say that at that time, one VCD machine per household in China's urban households had become the standard.
Why China's VCD machine market can be so hot, to put it bluntly, is still the price advantage.
At that time, China was the world's main VCD producing area, and almost every electronics factory in Guangdong and its vicinity was engaged in VCD production.
Due to the large output of VCD machines produced in China, and high quality and low price, the world VCD market was once monopolized by China, and some foreign big brands such as Philips and Sony wanted to enter the Chinese market, but the sales performance was not ideal.
So, how did VCDs come about?
-< The Birth of VCD Machine>-
Speaking of the reason why VCD machines are so popular in China, in addition to the high quality and low price, it is also due to the fact that we are the original country of this product and master the core technology of this equipment.
The world's first VCD was born in Wanyan, China.
In 1993, a young man named Jiang Wanmeng met Sun Yansheng, a Chinese boss who operated "image decompression" equipment, at the American International Radio and Television Technology Expo.
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Jiang Wanmeng, who is an electronics professional, talked to Sun Yansheng about wanting to make a device that can output video and audio at the same time, as an upgrade to a CD player that can only output audio.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Jiang Wanmeng's words came out, the two of them hit it off, and it turned out that Sun Yansheng also had this idea.
So two people who have a skill in the field of electronics began to cooperate, and on March 18, 1993, Wanyan Company was established to specialize in the research and development of VCD machines.
After more than half a year of hard work, the world's first VCD machine was born in China, and on September 4, 1993, a product launch conference was held in Beijing, which shocked the world in one fell swoop, and Jiang Wanmeng was known as the "father of VCD".
The successful advent of the VCD machine has given China the first consumer electronic product with completely independent intellectual property rights, and it is also the first original product in the history of Chinese electronic products.
The VCD player produced in China could not only play high-definition video and audio on TVs, but also the price was only one-tenth of that of the DVD player at that time, which was quickly recognized by the consumer market.
However, just when China's VCD machine industry was emerging, an accident occurred.
-< domestic VCD unexpectedly >-
It turns out that due to the good quality and low price of VCD machines produced in China, the core technology has always been in the hands of foreign countries.
In the face of the huge market prospect of VCD machines and the big cake of the Chinese market, foreign forces have long been eyeing the tiger.
At that time, the three giants in the market: Sony, Samsung, and Philips all wanted to get a share of the Chinese market, but the popularity of VCDs could not make it so easy for them.
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So these brands found another way to claim that VCD players are obsolete products in the market, and launched the concept of DVD players on the basis of VCD machines at the fastest speed to hit China's VCD player industry.
The most odious thing is that they use their brand's international influence to set DVD industry standards and charge high fees to producers as a way to crack down on Chinese producers.
In this way, VCD machine, which was born in China's independent research and development technology, was strangled in the cradle by international capital after a short period of popularity, and became a short-lived product in the market.
Looking back at the business war of the year, looking back at the fall of China's VCD machine market, not paying attention to the patent protection of core technology is the biggest failure factor.
If we could pay the same attention to intellectual property protection as foreign companies and set industry standards as early as possible, perhaps this business war would not have been so completely lost.
-< the demise of the VCD market is an inevitable > of the times-
In the 21st century, it is difficult to find a trace of VCD machine on the market, and various intangible digital products have replaced tangible digital products, and "cloud" technology has long been deeply rooted in people's daily life.
Nowadays, watching movies, listening to songs, and watching MVs no longer rely on auxiliary equipment, as long as a mobile phone can easily interconnect electronic data and download and play various audio-visual products.
Even shopping, ordering takeout, making housekeeping appointments, and medical diagnosis can all be realized online, and digitalization is becoming more and more relevant to people's lives.
So from this point of view, the disillusionment of the VCD market is also the inevitable development of the times.
Perhaps the VCD machine business war of the year has been forgotten by ordinary people, but in that tragic business war, we should learn the lessons of failure and understand our own problems, so that our independent brands can be invincible in the current digital age.
Now we can see many digital products, such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu and other companies, as China's national brands, they already have a high degree of intellectual property awareness and the means to protect core technologies.
These national brands not only occupy a wide market share in China, but also can share a share of the pie with international companies such as Apple and Samsung in the international market, so that Made in China has finally raised its eyebrows in the international market.
The rise of China's national brand and the development and growth of private enterprises are the inevitable trend of the current market economy development, and it is also the foundation of China's national strength.
I hope that our Chinese enterprises can pay attention to their own brand value, pay attention to intellectual property protection and core technology protection, and realize the dream of brand power in China!
Shingen:
CNKI: International Business. Author: Liu Yan, "China's VCD Ten Years of Wind and Rain", 2002-07-05