Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: coopie who wrote (26169)	12/5/1997 8:14:00 AM
From: John	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday December 5, 4:14 am Eastern Time DVD developers optimistic despite sluggish start TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Major Japanese developers of digital video discs (DVDs) on Friday put on a brave face over the sluggish start to the market. ''The domestic production of DVD players will be 300,000 to 400,000 in 1997/98, falling short of our initial expectation of 500,000 to 600,000,'' said Toshiba Corp(6502.T) President Taizo Nishimura told a news conference on Friday. Nevertheless, he added: ''The market (for DVD) has a large potential in the future.'' DVD players were launched in the Japanese market in November 1996, the first introduction to the global market. A spokeswoman for Toshiba said, demand for DVD players in 1998/99 is expected to double from 1997/98 in the both Japanese and global markets. It expects demand for DVD players in circulation will reach 1.25 million to 1.5 million units in the global market in 1997/98. A spokesman for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd (6752.T) also said on Friday that the company expects the market for DVD players in the year to March 1999 to double from the expected demand in the current business year of 300,000 units in Japan and 1.2 million units in overseas markets. A DVD looks like a compact disc (CD) but stores far more information, allowing it to hold feature-length movies, as well as music and other information. Industry experts expect the system to eventually replace video movies, CDs and CD-ROMs. In a bid to promote growth of the fledgling market, the DVD Forum -- an international consortium of 10 major DVD developers -- announced on Friday it has expanded membership to 122 companies. New members included such major companies as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (64050.KS), Fujitsu Ltd (6702.T) and Intel Corp (Nasdaq:INTC - news). The group aims to promote formats for the DVD-related products such as DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM and DVD-R. The Forum is now working on setting specifications for DVD-Audio and DVD for professional use, it said in a statement