Zhao Yong, president of Changhong, has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with Chen Tianqiao, president and CEO of Shanda (SNDA), at Changhong's headquarters in Sichuan.

The parties announced that they would together create a new type of family entertainment center in China. They will work together on product engineering, technological development, manufacturing, marketing promotion, channel sales and operations services.

Although they have not given much detail about their cooperation, it is predicted that the two will first work on an IPTV entertainment box for consumers to use in their homes.

In addition, they plan to set up an industry-wide IPTV strategic alliance and build up a sustainable development platform for the whole industry by making full use of pioneering technologies.

Microsoft (MSFT) is currently also working on similar technologies that combine computing technologies into entertainment centers for consumers' homes.