Esonic Introduces First Products For US Market at COMDEX: DVD Kits Make Low-Cost PC Products 'Multimedia Ready'
11/13/98
PR Newswire
(Copyright (c) 1998, PR Newswire)
Razor/Blade Paradigm: Upgrade Kits Packaged With Free NetFlix.com DVD Movie
Rental
MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pacific Group, based in Taiwan, is entering the US personal electronics market at COMDEX (Las Vegas). Their US company, Esonic Multimedia, is introducing a family of DVD upgrade kits to enhance performance for millions of low-cost PCs now reaching consumers. Like the razor/blade paradigm, each comes with a free movie rental from NetFlix.com, world's largest online DVD rental store.
"These upgrade kits increase utility of low-cost personal computers by replacing CD-ROM drives with DVD , adding multimedia entertainment and educational power to all the capabilities of the original CD-ROM," said Andrew Hsieh, CEO of Esonic Multimedia Corporation. "These kits include MPEG I/II decoding, Dolby digital audio, and DVD playback and are backward compatible with 'original equipment' CD-ROMs."
This unique marketing partnership hits the primary objection to purchasing DVD -ROMs and players, which has been the lack of available software titles, according to studies by Yankelovich and other industry analysts.
"NetFlix.com is delighted to partner with Esonic to further increase momentum for DVD ," said Marc B. Randolph, NetFlix.com president. "Now every Esonic kit purchaser is only a mouse-click away from the world's largest collection of DVD movies, all available for rent."
Esonic has a product roadmap for the US market beginning with multimedia upgrade kits, and moving into home electronics, including DVD players with unique value/cost benefits based on technical advances to be announced later. This technical breakthrough will also benefit future DVD -ROM kits for computers, according to Hsieh.
The initial product announcements includes a family of five 2- and 5-speed DVD -ROM and multimedia kits for personal computers. Prices (from $179 to $269 MSRP) dependon the combination of features required by the user or OEM. This is a very competitive price point for the US market, according to Joe Childs, Esonic vice president, marketing.
The initial Esonic line utilizes an MPEG II decoder board with LuxSonor and Real Magic chip sets produced by Procomp Informatics USA.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTS:
Request data sheet or backgrounder for product-by-product feature mix and pricing.
ABOUT ESONIC MULTIMEDIA CORPORATION:
Esonic Multimedia Corporation (EMC) was formed in June, 1998, to develop and market Esonic brand DVD and related multimedia products in North America. The company, based in Milpitas, Calif., is a subsidiary of the Pacific Group of Taipei, Taiwan, and also sells products made by Esonic Technology Corporation of Taiwan. EMC has autonomous management authority. More at www.esonicusa.com.
The Pacific Group, formed in 1950, is one of Taiwan's top 10 financial consortiums with total revenue in 1997 of more than NT$ 10 billion.
ABOUT NETFLIX.COM:
Founded in 1997, NetFlix.com is headquartered in Scotts Valley, Calif. With the world's largest selection of DVD movies, NetFlix.com rents and sells DVD movies to owners of DVD video players and DVD -ROM equipped PCs from its Internet store, www.netflix.com. The NetFlix.com site offers virtually every DVD movie. By focusing on online rentals, NetFlix.com is pioneering a new online retail model and e-commerce category.
NOTE: AT COMDEX: Visit Esonic at Sands -- Booth #6322 (Procomp Informatics USA, Inc.)
/NOTE TO EDITORS: For photos, interviews or further information, contact Brough Communications./
/CONTACT: Te Smith of NetFlix.com, Inc., 831-461-8067, or fax, 831-461-8088, or tsmith@netflix.com; or Bruce Brough, APR of Brough Communications, 831-426-BCOM, or fax, 831-427-9388, or bruce@brough.com, for Esonic Multimedia Corporation/ 16:10 EST |
