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To: CPAMarty who wrote (27131)	12/28/1997 10:12:00 AM
From: Rarebird	Read Replies (6) \| Respond to of 50808

Marty, you pose an excellent insightful question: " Given the tendency for companies to preannounce, is it possible that the Asian effect is fully, or even overly priced into the market at this point?" No, I don't think the market has priced in the rate of earnings growth it will see over the first half of 98. I think the market is overly optimistic as to earnings in 98. There is an excellent thought provoking article in Barrons this week on page 20, titled " Playing Bubbles" with Albert Edwards providing commentary. Read it. His view is very similar to mine and represents the risk I have been trying to convey to others on this thread.

To: CPAMarty who wrote (27131)	12/28/1997 10:58:00 AM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

SAST adds anti-shock............................ asiansources.com Product News <Picture> VCD player with anti-shock feature CHINA: Shenzhen SAST Laserdisc System Company has recently developed model AL-P658K, a digital video CD player with anti-shock system. The player uses a full-system circuit with Philips mechanism and C-Cube decoding chip. It is compatible with most kinds of video discs. Standard features include high-definition pictures, nine-picture display, 10 times fast play and karaoke. Outputs include CD, video and RF. The unit can play CD-DA, CDI-FMV, video CD 1.0/1.1/2.0. Unit price, lead time and minimum order are negotiable. - Asian Sources Electronics, January 1998 Fax: (86-755) 226 4477

To: CPAMarty who wrote (27131)	12/28/1997 12:01:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

Matsushita on DVD......................................... asiansources.com Exclusive Interview: Outlook 1998 Optical drive pioneer pushing DVD technology forward <Picture> For more than 25 years Japan's Matsushita Electric Ind. Co. Ltd has been heavily involved in the development and application of optical storage device technology. Its latest foray into the optical storage sector has been into DVD, a technology that was conceived to meet the manifold needs of a number of industries in the entertainment and computer world. This new format is supported by major companies in the entertainment, computer and electronics arena and was developed by the members of the DVD Forum, namely, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Philips, Pioneer, Sony, Thomson, Time Warner, Toshiba and JVC. Thus, Matsushita has been involved in the development of DVD right from the beginning. R&D on DVD products began in 1993 and the firm is moving swiftly ahead in this hot industry, offering a full line targeted at a variety of home theater and computer applications. Akira Kurahashi, general manager of engineering in the optical disk system division, spoke with Multimedia Products to discuss Matsushita's plans for DVD technology and how it will affect the larger sphere of the multimedia and computer industries. MP: When did Matsushita Electric begin developing DVD technologies? Kurahashi: We originally started working on optical disk technologies more than 25 years ago. As for DVD, we set out on R&D work around 1993. MP: Based on its extensive experience in the line, what sort of DVD products has the company commercialized, and what will come this year? Kurahashi: We have made available a variety of products, including DVD players, DVD-ROM drives, DVD navigation systems, TV sets with DVD built-in, and DVD built-in PCs. In addition, we have commercialized DVDs, DVD-related components, DVD manufacturing facilities and DVD authoring systems. We will expand the product range, for instance, by bringing forth smaller models. MP: Where do you sell your DVD products and which markets are particularly strong for the line? Kurahashi: We market DVD players in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, Central America, South America, the Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States. We expect the DVD player business to get off the ground in North America, China and some other parts of Asia. The domestic market will also start expanding, coupled with the number of DVD software titles increasing. We estimate the world market size at some 80 million units in the year 2000. MP: The success of DVD hardware clearly depends on the availability of software. How do you see this shaping up this year? Kurahashi: We estimate that some 650 titles were available on the domestic market at the end of 1997, and about 500 titles in North America. So we think the number of titles will come to exceed 1,000 in these markets in the first half of this year. MP: What else is required for the expansion of the DVD business? Kurahashi: For DVD players, a large number of attractive DVD titles must become available. In the case of DVD-RAM drives, inexpensive drives and disks must be put on the market. MP: In what directions will the DVD-RAM drive market develop this year? Kurahashi: Some PC enthusiasts will take up DVD-RAM drives and from here the market will begin to form. MP: When will DVD-R and DVD-RAM drives enter the mainstream as large-capacity PC storage devices? Kurahashi: They will become one of the main product lines for such applications in 1999. MP: In which areas will Matsushita's engineers be working for the further improvement of DVD products in the years ahead? Kurahashi: They will exert their R&D efforts on the development of more advanced MPEG-2 encoding technologies and blue laser technology, among others. Company contacted Matsushita Electric Ind. Co. Ltd Web: na Fax#: 81-6-9081597 Asian Sources Multimedia Products - January 1998