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 : Ampex Corporation (AEXCA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: WTSherman who wrote (3919)	12/1/1998 1:26:00 AM
From: John M	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

TOP 5 REASONS I AM GLAD I OWN AMPEX.... #5...Lack of daily volatility eases ones nerves #4...Owning Yahoo or Amazon would require learning capital gains laws #3...Everyone loves an underdog story,like the Rocky movies #2...SI board is finest collection of wit and intellect I have experienced on the net #1....Only stock I own where the downside is only a buck!!!!!!

To: WTSherman who wrote (3919)	12/1/1998 3:53:00 PM
From: Hal Campbell	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17679

Been through all those stages ( and many more) myself several times, GMW. Apt. And terrific reasons John. Some reasons for not selling right now. Its basing ...don't know why but its basing.And in the teeth of tax loss selling. While they do indeed have to compete with giants in this sector, it wouldn't take much growth or success to improve the valuation. There is a new DCR....waiting to see if it sells. Waiting to see if the " positive contacts " Bramson mentioned turn into a backlog. Waiting to see if Imagio can improve marketing.If they can regain a positive cash flow, they can perhaps also think about acquiring ( though I think they are either a year and a half late( valuations) or several years early ( bandwidth) in going after a web host. Mybe Cooper will help somehow. Do wish they had something exciting up their sleeves, but that seems mighty unlikely. They do have the nuts and bolts to potentially and finally show some growth however. First most vital item - start making money from manufacturing again. DF ( complain all you want by the way- we are all entitled ) ...from the news release you posted ... <<When configured with five DLT7000 drives the Tape Array 100 delivers a capacity of up to 350 gigabytes, or 250 gigabytes with five AIT drives.>> Different ( much cheaper...much slower...much more unwieldy ) ballpark altogether from DST. Of course one quad density tape alone will hold 660 gigs. The very inexpensive DLT has sold like hot cakes. And now many seem to be stacking em to get higher capacities.

To: WTSherman who wrote (3919)	12/4/1998 9:33:00 PM
From: Ed Perry	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

<<Its only hope lies in competing with large, well funded companies >> Just happens that my favorite column from the Publisher of Forbes Rich Karlgaard "Digital Rules" Dec 14, 98 p43 reviewed Clayton Christensen "The Innovator's Dilemma" and concluded with the following: "Great companies blow it precisely because they do everything right. He explains why top companies that had listened hard to customers and invested like crazy in new technologies still lost their market leadership when confronted with disruptive changes in technology and market structure. Poor managers are not to blame. Nor are bureaucracy, late technology or tired executive blood. The culprits are size and a company's best customers. (Karlgaard continues) Yet the most disruptive of technologies - those that create whole new industries ( the telephone, the car, the radio and the microprocessor) - always start out very small. Typical early markets consist of a few crazed pioneers who look like little more than hobbyists. Big companies, surveying this amateur enthusiasm lying layers below them, always figure they'll jump onto the bandwagon later, just before the mainstream market takes off. In theory that makes sense, and that's what business schools teach. That's how salary-driven managers in large companies see it, too. Wait and see; evaluate; jump in only when the market gets big enough. But there's one problem: Incumbents who jump ship into the disruptive new markets invariably find that the amateurs have aced the core competencies and now command the sales and the distribution choke points. Also, they possess the new brands. Another large company dilemma: resource allocation. B-school tells you to focus your capital and technology on the most profitable products demanded by your best customers. This seems logical, but, in reality, your best customers can lead you up the high-margin mountain. From such heights you can no longer see what's happening in the grubby little markets below." ................................................................. These themes echo points raised in G Moore's "Gorilla Game" Intuitively, I would always place my bet on the small focused competitor. They are the most nimble and, by necessity of survival, the most driven. Ampex, especially in the area of conversion of Internet, computers and television broadcasting has a real advantage in technology and research in the digital plus video part. IMO, the worst case scenario for Ampex, is that they will not be able to sell into "the filler" storage markets during the interval upcoming before the demand for digital television and convergence drives the market to the high speed fast access storage wall. In this eventuality, Ampex would go "For Sale" (or merger) with one of the above described large companies needing to solve their dilemma. Assets are present and a sale in the 2.00 to 3.00 range, for their technology and patent portfolio would be a steal. Regarding the high end storage market, Infostor has not yet fixed their web site, so I must delay on some excellent articles on SAN's and high speed tape of huge proportions SAN aspect. I do have another link on SANS, which while well written, does not bring out the equipment configurations and the specific highlighted place for DST Tape Libraries. So I will present them all together. Ed Perry