1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 177 Color Changing Ink
The CD that Zhai Yuan was holding in his hand was about 12 inches in size.

Even if it becomes popular in the future, its main function will not be home use, but it will be popular in karaoke venues in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

There are also a few wealthy people who collect them because laser discs have higher clarity and will not have the problem of image degradation due to contact reading, so they are loved by some enthusiasts.

But this is definitely not the CD that Zhai Yuan wants.

"The reduction in the size of the disc means that the capacity for storing analog video has decreased. If it is reduced from 12 inches to 6 inches, the storage capacity will be reduced by at least 80%. This is why CDs can only be used for music records."

After communicating with Zhai Yuan for a long time, Matsumoto Xiong gradually understood his demands, and professional terms popped up one after another.

Including but not limited to audio layers, picture layers, multiple channels, bit rates, sector tracks, rare earth materials... and so on.

"Boss, it's not that I don't want to translate for you. What he said is too professional and there are some things I can't understand myself." Guan Weiming looked bitter.

"It's okay, I don't blame you." Zhai Yuan expressed his understanding, and then asked him seriously: "Can I ask them to return the money to Dongyang now?"

Zhai Yuan really wanted to back out because he found that he had taken things for granted, thinking that he could just hire a few technicians to build a lithography machine.

Who would have thought that a palm-sized CD could contain so much high technology?

According to Matsumoto Yu, if the new CD wanted to achieve the level that Zhai Yuan wanted, it would be almost impossible to do so with the limited equipment and manpower they had.

"Let's start from the beginning and talk slowly. Let Michiko come over so that the translation can be more convenient for communication."

Zhai Yuan rubbed his face vigorously, and was determined to back down, but he still did not intend to give up the red ocean of CDs.

A few people went out for a simple meal, and when Nishixie Michiko arrived at the factory, Zhai Yuan gathered the three Japanese guys together to discuss the feasibility of producing new CDs.

Although I am not a technical person, I can start from the basics of the CD and make suggestions for improvement as much as possible.

This understanding took nearly ten hours.

With the help of two translators, Zhai Yuan and the three Japanese people had a general understanding of how the current laser discs worked.

First this, then this, and finally this...

Well, actually I only have a partial understanding of it. There are so many talented people in big companies, and they have been doing research and development for several years or even decades, how can they figure it out easily?

But it was not without gain.

During this discussion, Zhai Yuan, who is not an expert in blood, actually came up with a practical suggestion.

Three words: subtraction.

He yawned with tears in his eyes, picked up a piece of paper he had just written, and said, "First of all, I don't need so many audio tracks and channels. I only need three tracks at most, English, Chinese and Japanese are enough. I only need one stereo channel, and I don't need left and right mono channels."

Currently, a laser disc has 99 audio tracks. Zhai Yuan didn’t understand but was greatly shocked.

Dongyangzi wrote down his suggestions.

Zhai Yuan continued, "Second, don't overlay graphics."

This function is the so-called soft subtitle. The current CD provides four sub-channels for optional subtitles, but Zhai Yuan decided to add hard subtitles in Chinese and English to the original video before burning it, and directly remove this function to save space.

"Third, no chapter coding is needed. Just put the disc into the machine and play it directly. Remove all the data tracks reserved for the preface, tidbits, trailers and director's interviews."

"Fourth, the current frame rate is 29 frames per second, but I think 22 to 24 frames is enough, and the increased resolution will not make any difference on most current TVs."

"Fifth, the bit rate can be lowered, sacrificing some of the image reading speed. It is normal for a black screen to last for more than ten seconds when the disc is inserted..."

Zhai Yuan made suggestions one by one.

The three Japanese guys frowned when they heard this and seemed to want to say something but stopped themselves several times.

By the time he finished speaking, it was already nightfall.

In Dongyangzi's notebook, there were twenty or thirty suggestions written, all of which taught them how to castrate the functions of existing CDs.

We strive to ensure that when a disc is placed into the projector, the picture is displayed directly and simply, without any complicated options.

Zhai Yuan had already thought of the advertising slogan: VCD of such and such brand, made for audiophiles... no, made for movies.

"Can we increase the storage capacity of the CD by following this process?" Zhai Yuan took the cup of water brought by Michiko to moisten his throat and asked the three Japanese guys.

Matsumoto asked, "How small do you want to reduce the size of the disc to?"

Zhai Yuan thought about it and gestured with his hands: "It's about this size, about 3.5 inches."

This is the average size of later CDs.

Matsumoto shook his head repeatedly when he heard this: "It's impossible. The shrinkage from 12 inches to 3.5 inches cannot be simulated by current micro laser probes. I can guarantee that there is no such technology in the world."

The principle of CD playback is actually very simple. It is to use laser to burn concave and convex pits on the disc and use these pits to record video information.

But the smaller the size of the CD, the denser the pits must be. If it is 3.5 inches, the distance between them must be kept within the nanometer range, which was difficult to achieve even in later generations until the emergence of optical storage technology.

Kobayashi Tetsuo also added: "Mr. Zhai, even if you make a 3.5-inch disc, the existing projector's optical drive system will not be able to support it."

"If the size is reduced to about 6 inches, combined with the functions you just deleted, I estimate that 15 to 20 minutes of video footage can be stored," said Matsumoto.

Fujii hesitated for a moment and nodded, "A drive system of this size can be realized."

Zhai Yuan frowned and asked, "At most 20 minutes?"

Matsumoto said: "This is already the best case scenario, and it may actually be lower than this."

The discussion reached a deadlock again.

Ten minutes is obviously not enough to meet the needs, even "Ajian in the Laundry Shop" is half an hour long.

"In fact, if we just play the video as Mr. Zhai requested, I think we can even remove the re-write function."

Tetsuo Kobayashi glanced at his two companions and came up with a new idea.

Zhai Yuan asked curiously, "Tell me more about it."

Tetsuo Kobayashi immediately took a pen and paper and began to explain it to him, writing and drawing.

A few minutes later.

Zhai Yuan nodded. Although the other party's words were complicated, he summarized what Kobayashi Tetsuo said in four words:
Read only, no writing.

In order to adapt to the market, the current mainstream laser discs are still influenced by videotapes. Like tapes, the files on the discs can be erased and re-burned with new content at any time.

The downside is that it takes up a lot of empty space.

The idea proposed by Tetsuo Kobayashi is: use up all the reserved space at one time, and the burned CD can only play the pictures but cannot be deleted or rewritten.

He said to Zhai Yuan with some concern: "But the discs made in this way are not very flexible, and users may not be able to accept them."

Zhai Yuan shook his head and said firmly: "No, you don't understand the users."

The CD erasing function is useless to at least 90% of users.

Zhai Yuan looked at Matsumoto Xiong and said, "If we follow Kobayashi Tetsuo's approach, how much storage space can be increased?"

Matsumoto Xiong looked confused: "I don't know, no one has ever tried this before."

"That's because I wasn't here. If I had been here, you would have tried this a long time ago." Zhai Yuan patted his shoulder and said, "Try to burn a CD like this first. How long will it take?"

Matsumoto thought for a moment and said, "I estimate it will take three days to change to a new firing method."

"Okay." Zhai Yuan nodded, and then asked Kobayashi Tetsuo and Fujii Ryo: "All the functions that can be castrated on the disc should be castrated, and the same goes for the projector. Only a few keys for the switch and the entry and exit of the compartment should be retained. The remote control can only realize basic functions such as fast forward, fast rewind and pause. How long will it take to make a home version?"

Fujii said: "I can't guarantee the exact time, but this will definitely speed up the progress."

Kobayashi Tetsuo said, "Mr. Zhai, the factory needs new equipment in addition to new workers. Can you ship a few commercial and home CD players and LD players from companies like Pioneer and Philips over? We want to take them apart and look at the circuit boards inside."

"No problem." Zhai Yuan nodded and said to Guan Weiming, "Make a list of the equipment they need and purchase according to the list."

Disassembling other people's equipment and stealing technology from them is the basic operation of this industry.

…………

For the next three days, Zhai Yuan basically stayed in Yuen Long and did not leave.

Early morning on the third day.

Grand Hyatt Hotel Yuen Long.

Zhai Yuan opened his eyes from the quilt and glanced at Nishixie Michiko who was lying beside him and had not yet woken up. Without waking her up, he leaned against the head of the bed, picked up a document from the cabinet next to him, and began to read it carefully.

The file was faxed to Hong Kong by Michiko's brother Nishikyo Iwao, and the content was about the current development status of the Adult Video industry in Japan.

Because it was a new industry, even the local Japanese man Nishikie Iwano was unable to provide much useful information, and the sources of information were all cut from newspapers.

After receiving the fax, Michiko Nishiwaki had it translated into Chinese and bound.

This document arrived in Zhai Yuan's hands last night, but he was busy chatting with Matsumoto Yu and others about CDs and VCDs. He was so tired when he got back to the hotel that he fell asleep immediately. He only had time to read it now.

"The first pornographic films to appear in Japan were released on videotapes instead of in theaters. They were released in two videos in May 1981. However, the scale of the films was not high and the response was average."

“The following year, the first infantry work appeared, abandoning the plot and presenting real scenes of women touching themselves, which had a huge impact on male audiences.”

"In the same year, "Laundry Shop Ken" not only featured infantry, but also added a male and female doubles plot, and became a hit in Japan with sales of 50. Subsequently, the production team and male actors of this work were arrested for suspected violations of the "Obscene Articles Publication and Other Crimes"."

"In 1983, the popular director Toshiki Kojitani first proposed the term Adult Video, abbreviated as AV, which was widely adopted by the industry."

"Although the production team of "Laundry Shop Ken" was arrested, driven by huge profits, Adult Video continued to flow into the market in the form of videotapes, which were divided into two camps: infantry and cavalry." "For a long time, the infantry has crushed the cavalry in sales due to its large scale. Until January 1984, the cavalry camp's universe planning released "Miss Honban·Yumiko 1 Years Old" and invited movie star Yumiko to star in it, which set off a trend of beautiful girls in this type of film. Starting this year, the appearance of actresses will become a major killer for cavalry to compete with infantry..."

The document ends here, only recording the development process of this type of adult industry from scratch in Dongyang over the past three years.

Most of the content is excerpted from a magazine called Weekly Asahi.

Zhai Yuan closed the document and threw it aside, and he had a clearer understanding of this industry in his mind.

"The past three years have been a period of disorderly development of Japanese A-class films. "Laundromat Ajian" was arrested as a typical example because it was too popular, but now there are more and more producers. It is estimated that it will not be long before the Japanese authorities will issue relevant regulations. It will be appropriate to enter the market when the regulations are perfected."

The reason for targeting the pillar industry of the East is to wait for the first generation of optical discs and VCDs to be developed in their own factory and then seize the market share with Class A films.

For example, buying a VCD and getting a CD of Saeko Matsushita for free is definitely more attractive than buying a VCD and getting a copy of "A Better Tomorrow" for free.

But it is obviously not suitable to enter the market now, not to mention that Zhai Yuan's first generation of products has not yet been released. Even if the three Japanese guys produce all the products today, with the current unclear regulations in Japan, if he, a foreigner, dares to release Class A films there, he will be arrested as an example in minutes.

In addition to the Japanese government, there is also the Yamaguchi-gumi over there.

At that time, the organization was not yet the group of old, weak and disabled soldiers it later became. The 1980s was their most powerful period in Japan. The "Countermeasures against Violent Groups Law" had not yet been promulgated, and Yamaguchi-gumi members could open bank accounts, apply for phone cards, and take hot spring baths.

The Yamaguchi-gumi, where you can enjoy hot springs, was described by American reporters as "Goldman Sachs with guns", which shows their influence in the East.

"If we want to earn this money from Japan more steadily, we need to support a local there. It would be great if we have someone like Tietou in "Shinjuku Incident" to help us."

Zhai Yuan lowered his head to glance at Nishixie Michiko. The Oriental woman had woken up at some point and was staring at him with her dark eyes.

He asked the woman, "When will your elder brother Xixie Yannan be free to come to Hong Kong?"

Michiko said, "I'll call him later and ask him."

The phone on the table rang. After Zhai Yuan answered it, he heard Matsumoto Yu's voice.

"Mr. Zhai, the CD format you requested has been burned. Would you like to come and take a look now?"

…………

When they arrived at the Yuen Long factory, the three Japanese guys were gathered with the workers, chattering about something.

Zhai Yuan pushed through the crowd and saw the new type of CD on the table.

The 6-inch CD was very close to the style he remembered.

Matsumoto's eyes were red and swollen, and his face was tired, but his tone was very excited as he introduced to him: "After the read-only mode, the capacity of the optical disc is more than three times larger than before. Now it can store 3 minutes of video! If the size is increased by another inch, it can easily hold a movie."

Zhai Yuan asked: "Can a 6-inch optical drive handle this?"

Kobayashi Tetsuo nodded and said, "No problem."

Zhai Yuan said: "Then keep the size. Both the disc and the optical drive should be as small as possible. If one disc cannot hold a whole movie, divide it into two discs, A and B."

The material cost of a CD is very low, at most glass and plastic, but what is expensive is the equipment and technology that requires a one-time purchase.

Even if a movie is divided into two discs, the cost price will not exceed 10 Hong Kong dollars. But even if the price is 50 yuan, the videotape that costs 50 yuan and sells for 100 yuan can be reduced to nothing.

A group of people gathered together, and Matsumoto Yu put the brand new CD in his hand into the projector. The TV screen was black for more than ten seconds, and then the picture came on.

Zhai Yuan said: "Now that the capacity has increased, we can increase the bit rate and speed up the reading speed."

Matsumoto nodded and wrote down his words.

This CD contained 70 minutes of "A Better Tomorrow", and everyone present, except Zhai Yuan, watched it with great interest.

But new problems soon emerged.

Everything was normal at the beginning, and the 352×288 resolution was very clear on the TV screen of this era.

As the film played for about 30 minutes, the screen began to frequently show strips of tearing, which became increasingly serious. After 40 minutes, almost only the sound could be heard, and the entire picture had become a blur.

Zhai Yuan frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

Dongyangzi didn't understand what was going on either, until Matsumoto Yu pressed the pause button and ejected the disc from the projector. Then everyone realized that the disc, which had been brand new just now, was now covered with scratches.

The three technicians got together to study for a long time and finally came to a conclusion.

"With the new burning method, the discs were spinning faster than the standard speed, causing vibration and heating problems," Matsumoto said.

Zhai Yuan asked: "And then the CD was scratched?"

"To be precise, it's not the disc that's scratched, it's the coating on the outside of the disc that's scratched," said Matsumoto.

With Dongyangzai's help, Zhai Yuan learned that what actually simulates the laser signal is not the CD itself, but the colorful film on the outside.

This thing uses a dye polymer layer to record information. When the original 12-inch CD used laser simulation signals, this film was hardly consumed. But now that the size has been reduced and the CD rotation speed has increased, the heat and vibration generated cause the dye to degrade quickly, rendering the data unreadable.

There is only one solution, which is to replace the coating material.

Currently, most coating materials on the market are made of silver and a small amount of precious metals. This patented technology comes from the Mitsui Group in Japan.

How fragile is this coating?

If left in sunlight for just one week, the dye will degrade by more than half, and the CD will basically be unreadable.

Matsumoto gave Zhai Yuan a suggestion, saying: "If we use gold as a coating, we can easily solve this problem and extend the life of the CD by at least several decades."

Zhai Yuan: “…”

He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to use gold as a coating for CDs, so just after solving the storage and size problems, the research on CDs fell into a new dilemma.

And this time it was a purely technical dilemma. The dye coating problem could not be solved, and even a complete playback of the disc became a problem. Only 12-inch laser discs could be used, and everything was back to the starting point.

Song Benxiong said helplessly: "Mr. Zhai, now in addition to the three of us, you also need to recruit technicians in materials and chemical engineering. We know nothing about dye coating."

Zhai Yuan felt his head buzzing. Why was it so difficult to make a CD?

For many days, there was no progress.

Zhai Yuan took three Japanese guys and visited several chemical factories in Hong Kong. He hired several technicians with high salaries to specialize in solving coating problems.

Just purchasing precious metals for color matching experiments cost nearly one million Hong Kong dollars in half a month, including labor and materials.

Zhai Yuan looked at the discarded CDs from the experiment, piled up like a small hill in the corner of the factory, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"I don't want to play anymore. I'm going to go bankrupt if this continues."

It would be nice to see some progress after spending the money, but after such a long time, the coating still can't last more than 40 minutes. A CD can be played two or three times at most before it is completely scrapped.

Zhai Yuan had already discussed with Peng Jiayan and Xu Ke to go to the United States in April to watch the Oscar Awards ceremony, but now he is not in the mood at all.

He asked Xu Ke to take the script of "The Invisible Woman" to find Pang Ka Yin. The two had a master-disciple relationship when they were in Hong Kong, so there was no need to worry about communication.

Shi Nansheng also wanted to follow Xu Ke to America, but was forced by Zhai Yuan to stay in the company.

He had been trapped in Yuen Long and could not escape. If Jiuyi's housekeeper left again, "died and exhausted" would not be an enough description of his current situation.

Another month passed quickly.

The coating problem of optical discs has not improved much.

On the contrary, it was Tetsuo Kobayashi and Susumu Fuji who made progress first.

"Mr. Zhai, this is the first projector we improved according to your requirements."

Tetsuo Kobayashi brought Zhai Yuan to a brand new projector. The projector was slightly larger than a home VCR, but it was a great improvement over industrial and commercial CD players.

The two of them have recently disassembled and assembled a lot of Pioneer and Philips finished machines. The funding is also like a running water, but they have ready-made equipment to copy, and the progress is much faster than that of CDs.

"Let's watch a movie."

At Zhai Yuan's instruction, Tetsuo Kobayashi put a 6-inch CD that had just been burned using the new coating technology into the optical drive.

Read the disc and play it.

There was no problem with the projector, but the disc failed again after about forty minutes.

Zhai Yuan asked: "As long as we get the disc, can this projector be put into production?"

Kobayashi Tetsuo shook his head and said, "It still needs to go through many more tests, and the yield rate cannot be guaranteed now."

End of May.

When Zhai Yuan was about to despair about the CD coating, a turning point suddenly occurred.

It all started when Wu Yusen called him.

On the phone, Wu Yusen said, "Boss, what have you been busy with recently? It's been more than half a month since the filming of "Wushuang" started, and you haven't come to the set to take a look?"

Zhai Yuan said angrily, "If you have something to say, just say it. I'm extremely busy here."

Wu Yusen didn't dare to offend anyone, so he asked directly: "When you were writing the script for "Wushuang", did you refer to the real background for the plot about fake US dollars? Especially the part about the color-changing ink, I want to focus on this aspect, can you come to the scene to direct it..."

Color-changing ink?

Zhai Yuan seemed to have grasped something. He glanced at the discarded CD in his hand, and his eyes gradually brightened.

(End of this chapter)