Washington, D.C.
(February 20, 2007)
-- There's hope today for HDTV owners who have been
waiting for a less expensive Blu-ray high-def DVD
player.
Funai, known for marketing low-cost electronics products, says it will introduce a Blu-ray player by year's end. Company officials say the player will not carry the Funai name, but instead will be offered to other name-brand CE firms who will re-sell them to consumers.
The Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reports that the player will cost roughly $500 -- about $300-$500 less than current Blu-ray players. (However, Sony's PlayStation 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, can be purchased for as little as $499.)
Funai, known for marketing low-cost electronics products, says it will introduce a Blu-ray player by year's end. Company officials say the player will not carry the Funai name, but instead will be offered to other name-brand CE firms who will re-sell them to consumers.
The Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reports that the player will cost roughly $500 -- about $300-$500 less than current Blu-ray players. (However, Sony's PlayStation 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, can be purchased for as little as $499.)
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Although the Sony-supported Blu-ray players are more expensive than the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD players, sales of the two formats have been about the same.
The emergence of a low-cost Blu-ray player from Funai could force other Blu-ray makers to lower their prices and trigger increased sales overall.
IDG News Service reports that Funai this year began supplying a 32-inch LCD HDTV to Yamada, which is now selling the unit for $1,149, less than most similar-sized 32-inch LCDs.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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Although the Sony-supported Blu-ray players are more expensive than the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD players, sales of the two formats have been about the same.
The emergence of a low-cost Blu-ray player from Funai could force other Blu-ray makers to lower their prices and trigger increased sales overall.
IDG News Service reports that Funai this year began supplying a 32-inch LCD HDTV to Yamada, which is now selling the unit for $1,149, less than most similar-sized 32-inch LCDs.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of
TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of
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Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial
Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood
Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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