Cheap HD DVD players coming from China

[CochiseGuy]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6405062.html

FROM CES: 2.5 million players, $600 mil. in HD DVD software projected for '07
By Jennifer Netherby 1/8/2007

JAN. 7 | LAS VEGAS—Chinese manufacturers, known for low-cost consumer products, will begin making and shipping HD DVD players for the U.S. market by the end of 2007, HD DVD promotional group execs announced at an event here Sunday evening.

Chinese manufacturers Alco, Shinco and Lite-On will join Toshiba in making players as will Japanese company Onkyo, execs announced. Microsoft may also make players, officials said, but didn’t provide further details. Car system manufacturer Alpine is making a player for cars.

The move is expected to add lower-priced players to the market, which could greatly expand household penetration for the format.

Meanwhile, Toshiba, so far the only manufacturer with HD DVD set-top players on the market, is ramping up player production, conservatively projecting it will ship more than 1.8 million units to the market this year, Toshiba’s Digital Media Network president and CEO Yoshihidi Fujii said.

Overall, the group is projecting more than 2.5 million players will be sold through 2007.

The group said more than 175,000 players were sold between the format’s April, 2006 launch and Jan. 5.

Their early adopter purchasers have a healthy movie appetite. The attach rate for HD DVD, the average number of movies people buy for each player sold, is 28, said Craig Kornblau, chair of the HD DVD Promotional Group and president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The group is projecting HD DVD movie sales to exceed $600 million in 2007 with more than 600 movies available by year-end. Among the coming titles is the original Star Trek from Paramount Home Entertainment, Kornblau said.

Kornblau and other execs emphasized HD DVD’s interactive ability and that “all features work on every player you buy,” a dig at the first generation of Blu-ray players, which won’t have full interactive capabilities.

Hmmmm - maybe a better title for this thread could be "HD DVD AIN'T over". :up

 

[BobMurdoch]

BluRay better drop their hardware prices fast or they are gonna get flattened...

 

[hpman247]

So now we shall buy cheaply made Chinese HD DVD machines. No thank you. not to say that I have never bought Chinese electronics, but for something where I want the best PQ there is no way in hell I would buy. The Onkyo palyer should be pretty good.

I've never heard of Shinco or Alco. Wal-mart brand?? Id HD-DVD going wal-mart. :chuckles:

 

[kenny911]

If it wasn't for those cheap chinese dvd players, we'd still be paying $150.

 

[williamkmurphy]

So now we shall buy cheaply made Chinese HD DVD machines. No thank you.

Well you could buy expensive korean garbage then (samsung)

 

[JamesJ]

isnt the Ps3 made in china?

 

[BobMurdoch]

If it wasn't for those cheap chinese dvd players, we'd still be paying $150.

That was my point...... When these things sell for $50-100 at the local supermarket is when the format really takes off....

 

[GeorgeLV]

So now we shall buy cheaply made Chinese HD DVD machines. No thank you. not to say that I have never bought Chinese electronics, but for something where I want the best PQ there is no way in hell I would buy. The Onkyo palyer should be pretty good.

I've never heard of Shinco or Alco. Wal-mart brand?? Id HD-DVD going wal-mart. :chuckles:

Have you ever heard of OEMs? Most famous brand electronics are actually made by some no name Chinese manufacturer if you'd take the time to read the fine print. When you see them in stores they'll be called an RCA, Sharp, Panasonic, Westinghouse, etc.

 

[navychop]

These Chinese companies will no doubt pump out Blu-ray players also - IF the competition continues.

 

[Yota86]

isnt the Ps3 made in china?

According to this thread over at AVS, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9065176#post9065176, over 80% of the respondents reported that their PS3s were manufactured in China.

 

[hpman247]

Apparently you all didn't get the ":chuckles:." I really do not care, but I don't like the fact that my PS3 was made in China. I guess to look at the good side of things, at least it was designed by a Japanese company.

 

[hpman247]

That was my point...... When these things sell for $50-100 at the local supermarket is when the format really takes off....

which i suppose is true now that I think about it. Personally, that is not the case for me, but I also know when I walk into walmart and see "half" of the people in there that look all shabby and really shouldn't be allowed into public, that I can definitely see a $50 HDDVD player selling like hot cakes.

EDIT:

PS. I have been quite a d*ck lately here on these forums. I'd like to apologize. I'll try to keep my smarty attitude in check.

 

[dodge]

chinese made electronics

the sad thing is most electronics and dvd players are made in china.. go to Best Buy, wal-mart and Circuit city and 90% are made in china. Even my $150 sony vcr was made in china. Dish Network and directv are havin stb boxes made in china. I have seen dish 311's , 322's , and Directv D11'ss and R15's made in china to their specifications... Can we say contract manufacturer. I have even seen some dish stuff being made in India..

 

[BobMurdoch]

which i suppose is true now that I think about it. Personally, that is not the case for me, but I also know when I walk into walmart and see "half" of the people in there that look all shabby and really shouldn't be allowed into public, that I can definitely see a $50 HDDVD player selling like hot cakes.

EDIT:

PS. I have been quite a d*ck lately here on these forums. I'd like to apologize. I'll try to keep my smarty attitude in check.

Hey, you feel like your position is under seige and you're thoughtfully trying to counter any arguments. I have the same butting of heads with Greg Bimson over distant networks. One of these days we need to to all grab a beer together.

Just be careful when your instinct is to attack an individual. I've had to fight the urge a few times, but never with you, as your arguments were well stated and usually non inflammatory. :

 

[JoeSp]

Will someone who pays $100 for a HD-DVD player pay $29.99 for a HD-DVD movie? Could this be where Walmart says that they are going to have a seperate HD-DVD display? Maybe HD-DVD movies that have been out for say six months will come down in price to say $14.99 and that would make it more palatable? And does anyone here believe Disney is going to let their movies in HD sell for less then $23 - $24 when the regular DVD sells for that price?

 

[jbcheshire]

Well, you can pay $29 for a DVD player today, and pay $23 -$24 for a regular DVD... Just pointing out this fact..

I doubt that I will ever pay $30 for a DVD whether it's SD or HD. $20 is my max price, and then I have to clinch my teeth to do it...

 

[VinceT3]

You can pick up HD-DVDs from amazon for around 18 on a good chunk of them since they still have that buy 3 get 10% off all high def movies for a year..

 

[navychop]

I doubt we'll see $100 HD-DVD players. They're not expected until the "end of 2007" and it's hard to picture component costs coming down that much- ten fold? And blue laser diodes are going to be common and cheap by then? Moot, anyway. It's really beginning to look like the market will have moved big time to BD by then. I figure we should KNOW by next Xmas, and have a pretty good indication of a winner after first quarter 2007 sales figures come out. If BD titles really do outsell HD-DVD titles by 3 to 1 by then, as some forecasts predict, the fat lady will be warming up. And the HD-DVD camp will start moving to cut their losses.

 

[ShinNYC]

A $500 PS3 blu-ray player is till cheaper and has HDMI and can output 1080p. The HD-DVD players should go lower than $500 if they really wanna compete since the blu-ray has the edge on the backup from most movie companies.

 

[ronjohn]

That was my point...... When these things sell for $50-100 at the local supermarket is when the format really takes off....

Bob,

I thought you said before that $250 is the take off price point.