not so fast HD DVD fan's your touting the Walmart card....?

[joeorc]

for those that doubt Blu-Ray is going to win this ..better not blink because Toshiba and HD DVD is in for a world of hurt: why:

FUNAI NEWS Press Releases

"Supplier of the Year" awarded to Funai CorporationWal-Mart's "Supplier of the Year 2004" prize was awarded to Funai Corporation in April of 2005. This highly-coveted annual award is bestowed on the suppliers that make significant contribution to the growth of Wal-Mart business, particularly by supplying high-quality products. In 2004, Funai Corporation was the only company in the household electrical appliances category to win this coveted award. Funai Corporation was also awarded Supplier of the Year in 2002. That year, 75 companies were recognized among approximately 15,000 companies. Two companies, including Funai Corporation, earned an excellent reputation as the best supplier of the household electrical appliances category. Additionally, Funai Corporation has received "International Supplier of the Year 2001", which is awarded to the most outstanding suppliers by the import division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and seven times “Supplier Award of Excellence for the Quarter" after the first award in the 3rd quarter of 2001. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is by far the largest company in the distribution industry with revenues approximately $288 billion on a consolidated basis in the 2004 fiscal year and has achieved the world's number one position for sales in the past four years. It establishes a rigorous standard for quality, price and lead time, and recognizes the companies that satisfy these requirements as a supplier.


READ ON:


Funai Electric Co. Ltd. to Launch Full High-Definition LCD TV in North America
06/21/2007

Funai Electric Co. Ltd. announced that it plans to introduce a full high-definition 42-inch LCD television in the North American market this autumn as it seeks to strengthen sales of upscale audiovisual equipment. Funai will procure the LCD panels from a Taiwanese manufacturer and begin assembling the TVs at a plant in China this fall. The firm estimates output at approximately 100,000-200,000 units in the first year. Funai also intends to start shipping this year next-generation DVD players compatible with the Blu-ray Disc format, supplying the products to domestic and foreign manufacturers on an OEM basis. In the first year, it projects shipments of about 20,000-30,000 units from a Chinese plant.

http://investing.businessweek.com/re...p?capId=884307

guess where a new distribution chain of Funai just opened up..right in my back yard..

October 1,2007
To Whom It May Concern:
Funai Electric Co.,Ltd.
Representative: Tetsuro Funai, President and CEO
(Code No.: 6839 1st section of TSE/OSE)
Notice Concerning Establishment of New Service Company for North America

FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD. (the "Company") split off the service division of FUNAI CORPORATION, INC., the Company’s U.S. sales subsidiary (Head Office: New Jersey), to establish FUNAI SERVICE CORPORATION, a service company under the direct control of the Company’s head office, on October 1.

After-sales service in the North American market, which accounts for approximately 70% of the Company’s consolidated revenues, has been performed by the service division of FUNAI CORPORATION, INC. the Company’s U.S. sales subsidiary. This activity has been transferred to FUNAI SERVICE CORPORATION, the newly established service company. By placing the service company under direct head office control, the Company will seek to provide more active support and strengthen its call center and after-service divisions from a service company operations perspective, while creating an organization that enables customers to use the Company’s products with greater confidence and further increases customer satisfaction by reflecting customers’ comments in product development.

Overview of the new company

1. Company name FUNAI SERVICE CORPORATION
2. Address 5653 Creekside Parkway, Suite 1, Lockbourne, O43137
(Columbus, Ohio)
3. Capital USD500,000 (JPY60 million)
4. Ownership 100% wholly-owned
5. President Takashi Miyamoto
6. Date established October 1, 2007 (will begin operations on the same date)


INQUIRIES ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASE
Naoyuki Takanaka
Invester/ Public Relations Department
TEL:+81-72-870-4395

cheap but good quality Blu-Ray player's anyone

[oscar_in_fw]

Could be too little, too late for Blu-ray.

Toshiba dumping a million A2s on the US market at $98.00 and a presumed spike in HD DVD software sales. might give Warner's the excuse they need to dump Blu-ray before Funai comes out with a Blu-ray player.

[thrlride]

It will be great for price but we can't have out cake and eat it too.

The majority of people here say the A2 is junk, trash, will have tons of returns. The cheap Chinese players will be a huge step down no doubt from even the Toshiba's.

Is it really a good thing? A cheap player like this won't attract customers that are willing to pay for movies.

[andyparhelia]

Originally Posted by oscar_in_fw

Could be too little, too late for Blu-ray.

Toshiba dumping a million A2s on the US market at $98.00 and a presumed spike in HD DVD software sales. might give Warner's the excuse they need to dump Blu-ray before Funai comes out with a Blu-ray player.

Trust me, the $98 player is just going to cause trouble. It's basically a jumped up dvd upscaler. People are going to buy this and then subsequently freak when they find the content they want is not available for the format or that it's not full 1080p.

Also, Funai is a good step. I'm not a fan of cheap electronics but at least the HD-DVD boys have one less thing to crow about.

[Go Blu]

Notice this in the new DUD Wal-mart Commercial.

In the HD DVD-specific commercial (scroll to the end of this story to watch), a wife raves about the "incredible" price she paid for a Toshiba HD-DUD player she bought her husband. "All I know is that Christmas is going to be a very, very good day," she says, smiling.

Perhaps they are assuming the (non-tech savvy, un-infomed wife) will run out a buy a player for her husband. Is that what they are banking on?

[The Don]

Originally Posted by oscar_in_fw

Could be too little, too late for Blu-ray.

Toshiba dumping a million A2s on the US market at $98.00 and a presumed spike in HD DVD software sales. might give Warner's the excuse they need to dump Blu-ray before Funai comes out with a Blu-ray player.

HD DVD has to sell the players...and movies before Warner makes a move...

Warner doesn't get paid on hardware sales...and from the looks of things, neither does Toshiba for that matter...

the HD DVD crowd has to actually start buying these movies and a good portion of people buying HD DVD players are people who are uninformed...or misinformed about the format war...and they don't know what movies are coming out or aren't coming out on their format...

when the average consumer that buy's anything that plays movies at a discount, they're likely not expecting certain movies to be excluded from the lineup..

people who purchase BD players know the difference, because if they didn't, they'd just go the cheaper route....it's the "smart" way to go if you are uninformed...

[SS316SRV]

Originally Posted by oscar_in_fw

Could be too little, too late for Blu-ray.

Toshiba dumping a million A2s on the US market at $98.00 and a presumed spike in HD DVD software sales. might give Warner's the excuse they need to dump Blu-ray before Funai comes out with a Blu-ray player.

FUD.

Walmart is losing money selling these. It is a fire sale to relieve stock and free up space for the holiday season. Anybody who works in the distribution business know that if product sits in the warehouse because it is not moving, you lose money, lots of money. This fire sale is a very bad thing for HD DVD because it is indictive of the demand for HD DVD, or the lack of rather.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by Go Blu

Notice this in the new DUD Wal-mart Commercial.

In the HD DVD-specific commercial (scroll to the end of this story to watch), a wife raves about the "incredible" price she paid for a Toshiba HD-DUD player she bought her husband. "All I know is that Christmas is going to be a very, very good day," she says, smiling.

Perhaps they are assuming the (non-tech savvy, un-infomed wife) will run out a buy a player for her husband. Is that what they are banking on?

it's what they've been banking on this whole time...

[The Don]

Originally Posted by SS316SRV

FUD.

Walmart is losing money selling these. It is a fire sale to relieve stock and free up space for the holiday season. Anybody who works in the distribution business know that if product sits in the warehouse because it is not moving, you lose money, lots of money. This fire sale is a very bad thing for HD DVD because it is indictive of the demand for HD DVD, or the lack of rather.

yuup...when you see places like Sears put an .88 or .97 after the dollar amount ...it means it is a clearance price...and they aren't receiving anymore shipments..

and that's what I've seen recently....with the A2 player....

[thrlride]

Originally Posted by SS316SRV

FUD.

Walmart is losing money selling these. It is a fire sale to relieve stock and free up space for the holiday season. Anybody who works in the distribution business know that if product sits in the warehouse because it is not moving, you lose money, lots of money. This fire sale is a very bad thing for HD DVD because it is indictive of the demand for HD DVD, or the lack of rather.

How is this even true? Most were selling out the A2's when they dropped to $199.

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by oscar_in_fw

Could be too little, too late for Blu-ray.

Toshiba dumping a million A2s on the US market at $98.00 and a presumed spike in HD DVD software sales. might give Warner's the excuse they need to dump Blu-ray before Funai comes out with a Blu-ray player.

So what happens if Warner Bros. dump Blu-ray with more disc's sold..that just means they already knew they were going over to HD DVD in the first place..don't you see this is just yet another way for the people in Warner Bros. to be pressured to go to HD DVD because this is the last area that has any chance for HD DVD..but what happens do you think fox wants to put their movies on HD DVD WITH ONLY AACS..HOW ABOUT Disney with HD DVD not have any region locks...and SONY as long as fox stick's with the Blu-Ray format they are going to stick around. now lets look at the CE support...no one is going to make any money on HD DVD to make Players for HD DVD. SO THAT MEANS The Studio support is still split..and it would be

quite ironic even with this is even HD DVD cannot hold more than a 2 to 1 over Blu-Ray would they still say they WON and Blu-RAY HOLDS 40% OF THE MARKET IN THE north america. it seems to not work for the HD DVD camp hearing that from the BDA would they take the same stance that The BDA has..since the only region they would be leading in is the US..Japan is still 9 to 1 in Blu-Ray's favor.
would they keep touting HD DVD won when Blu-Ray would maintain 40% or more of the market. the role's would be reverse but yet lets see what their reaction would be...

it has not hurt HD DVD's chances all this time from the way their supporters keep touting. not to mention the longer this go's on the cheaper Blu-Ray will be.

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by thrlride

It will be great for price but we can't have out cake and eat it too.

The majority of people here say the A2 is junk, trash, will have tons of returns. The cheap Chinese players will be a huge step down no doubt from even the Toshiba's.

Is it really a good thing? A cheap player like this won't attract customers that are willing to pay for movies.

read again Funai is no slouch trash brand...they won that award for a reason.


and this Funai its going to be a 2.0 player compatable player right out the gate....the price is rumored to be $300.00

[Deane Johnson]

So, for someone who had neither a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, but is betting on and planning for Blu-ray in the long run, is the $98 A2 a good purchase to just to play around with it. How is it for upscaling regular DVDs, anything at all?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[thrlride]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

So, for someone who had neither a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, but is betting on and planning for Blu-ray in the long run, is the $98 A2 a good purchase to just to play around with it. How is it for upscaling regular DVDs, anything at all?

Thanks for your thoughts.

They say it is one of the best upconverting DVD players but I haven't seen one myself. I can tell you, in my experience upconverted DVD is terrirble compared to both HD media formats.

[Spankey]

You can do whatever you want with your money. I have better things to do with $98. Like buy more Blu-ray discs.

Is there any way any hardware company is ever going to come around to producing players that cost $98. Most people who see this will think it is just a cheap DVD player. Heck, if I needed a DVD player I might buy this even if I didn't have an HDTV. Did you hear that? EVEN IF I DIDN'T HAVE AN HDTV. This player may sell out and not move that much software.

[thrlride]

Originally Posted by joeorc

read again Funai is no slouch trash brand...they won that award for a reason.


and this Funai its going to be a 2.0 player compatable player right out the gate....the price is rumored to be $300.00

That's great. $300 would be a great price point.

FWIW, Toshiba has won numerous design and quality awards too.

[Deane Johnson]

This does seem like a rather disparate move from Toshiba. For Walmart to sell these at $98 means they purchase them for less than that. Toshiba has much more invested in each one to get them to market. The loss has to be huge on each unit.

I read this, and other moves, as Toshiba trying disparately to find something that floats as they jump off the Titanic into the water.

[Spankey]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

This does seem like a rather disparate move from Toshiba. For Walmart to sell these at $98 means they purchase them for less than that. Toshiba has much more invested in each one to get them to market. The loss has to be huge on each unit.

I read this, and other moves, as Toshiba trying disparately to find something that floats as they jump off the Titanic into the water.

They are riding their last talking point to the grave. Cheap Players. It has been cheap, cheap, cheap, for months as Blu-ray began to dominate. With Warner's statements this week, they can only hope to get more players into people's hands hoping Warner sales go up. If Warner goes Blu exclusive it is game over HD-DVD. If Warner goes HD-DVD exclusive, it is a stalemate.

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by thrlride

That's great. $300 would be a great price point.

FWIW, Toshiba has won numerous design and quality awards too.

the Q:is have Toshiba ever won the award from walmart...i do not think so...

Walmart is not exclusively carrying HD DVD Blu-Ray will still be carried for black-friday. which means more playstation 3's being sold with wait a min Spiderman 3..thats what ..yea a blu-ray movie.."but people do not KNOW playstation 3 plays blu-ray" they will now...

[thrlride]

It's said that toshiba is crap along with magnavox and rca. Right? Do you think Funai is better than those brands?