Trading Markets: "Toshiba to Keep Aloof from Chinese HD DVD Player Sector"

[BBlue]

Never, never I will buy a Toshiba product. I have had enough of this company which can not accept that it has lost!

Toshiba to Keep Aloof from Chinese HD-DVD Player Sector
Monday, February 04, 2008; Posted: 04:36 AM

BEIJING, Feb 04, 2008 (SinoCast China IT Watch via COMTEX) -- TOSBF | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- Toshiba Corporation, a backer of HD-DVD, will keep aloof from the Chinese HD-DVD player market when Sony-branded Blu-ray DVD players are in hot sales in the Chinese market, said Toshiba China Co., Ltd. on January 31, 2008.

By doing so, it is intended to give its rival - the Blu-ray DVD group - a blow by encouraging more companies to produce HD- DVD players in the nation, said sources.

As a matter of fact, plenty of domestic companies in the China High Definition DVD Industry Association are preparing to rollout HD-DVD players in the Chinese market during 2008, said Lu Da, an official of the Optical Memory National Engineering Research Center. Some of the products, priced at no more than CNY 3,000, will be available in the market in the coming March.

Therefore, the largest HD-DVD player supporter is not going to make a foray into the Chinese market in order not to affect the sales of the Chinese manufacturers, citing sources.

The production costs of the to-be-launched HD-DVD players by domestic companies will be lower than the imported Sony and Pioneer-branded Blu-ray DVD competitors, thanks to the Chinese HD-DVD companies' efforts to adjust the international HD-DVD standard.

However, the HD-DVD player market still faces an unclear prospect in the year due to some uncertainties, citing Lu. The association is now studying about the Audio and Video Coding Standard (AVS) application in the HD-DVD player decoder chip, in a bid to decrease the production costs. But the association has not gained material progress currently. In addition, there is not enough film supply for HD-DVD player in the market.

In fact, Toshiba has wet its feet in the Chinese HD-DVD market in the past year. Toshiba, together with some global HD- DVD backers and Chinese companies set up the China High Definition DVD Industry Association on September 7, 2007, in an attempt to promote the mass production of China High Definition DVD (CH-DVD).

Since January 24, 2008, the first CNY 4,990 Blu-ray DVD player catering for the Chinese customers, launched by Blu-ray backer Sony Corporation, has been available on the shelves of the leading Chinese household appliance retailers such as GOME Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd. (SEHK: 0493), Dazhong Electronics Corporation and Suning Appliance Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 002024).

In fact, Pioneer-branded Blu-ray DVD players have been provided to the customers in the nation in the past year. However, the pricy CNY 14,800 scared the potential buyers away.

From dycj.ynet.com, Page 1, Friday, February 01, 2008 info@SinoCast.com

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