Didn't Alex B mention that CUBE has DVD down to the sub-$500
level? If Matsushita is ready surely CUBE is already shipping...???
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Tuesday January 21 9:45 AM EST
Matsushita To Launch DVD Player On Global Market
TOKYO - Japanese consumer electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial says it plans to start the first sales of digital video disc players outside of Japan later this month.
A spokeswoman said Matsushita would begin the sales in Asia in time for the Chinese New Year shopping season.
Industry analysts said the sales would be the first outside of Japan, where Matsushita started selling DVD players in November, one of the first Japanese makers to do so.
The company plans to start selling DVD players in Germany on Feb. 1 and in the United States on March 1. The launch in the rest of Europe would be some time after that in Germany, the spokeswoman said.
Matsushita aims to capture more than 30 percent of the global DVD player market, which it forecasts at two million units in 1997.
A DVD looks like a compact disc but stores far more information, allowing it to hold feature-length movies, as well as music and other information. Industry experts expect the system eventually to replace video movies, CDs and CD-ROMs.
Toshiba said it would start selling DVD players in the United States in March, in Asia in the summer and in Europe in the winter.
Hitachi said it had not decided on overseas launch dates.
Sony said earlier this month it would start selling DVD players in the United States in April and in Europe in mid-1997. The players will be introduced to the rest of Asia, except Japan, after going on sale in the United States.
Toshiba and Hitachi already sell DVD players in Japan. Sony plans to launch its version on the domestic market in March.
The Matsushita machine's features include remote control and karaoke functions.
In the United States, Matsushita plans to sell two DVD player models, the DVD-A100 and the DVD-A300, at suggested retail prices of $599.95 and $749.95, the spokeswoman said.
Copyright, Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved
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Interesting bit about the karaoke function for the Matsushita boxes.
Isn't that CUBE's primary selling point for Matsushita's VCD as well? |
