Funai Supports Blu-ray - Page 3

So more studio support is important?

I wouldn't be surprised to see that either. However Funai's recent Financial statement about their strategy for next gen doesn't mention HD DVD but clearly mentions Blu-ray players. I don't think they wish to be exclusive. For sure they put a lot of effort deciding which format to support or if they should support both.

There is now official confirmation about Funai releasing Blu-ray player before the end of 2007. Earlier they had said they'll do it but it wasn't official.

And regardless of how many HD-DVD supporters come to this thread and try to derail the thread and try to downplay this news, this news is not good news for HD-DVD and GREAT news for Blu-ray.

~Josh

Not to mention this news is official.

The HD-DVD news was denied by Wal-Mart and retracted.


Cheap Blu-ray players are coming, and it is confirmed.

Oh, so the Funai will cost $300 and the Fuh Yuan will cost $30... Great news!

You mean like "it doesn't matter because nobody will every buy that cheap Chinese garbage anyway".

One day's cheap junk is another days salvation.

The real winner is the consumer - faster price drops are good & will help HD media move into mainstream = it's all good.

So how do they get fully compliant cheapo's to market in 07 when the BD-J/BD-I stuff isn't anywhere near being ironed out? I presume they're going to need more lead-time than a month or two?

Obviously cheap players in both formats are going to get here, so I don't doubt that, but timing is going to be pretty crucial.

Beatboy beatboy beatboy...

All you have is two sentences, count it 2. That says "launching of blu-ray player" and one that states the same EOY 2007.

No where does it say price, amount of units or where they will be sold.

Then, look at the disclaimer at the end of the article.


Give you BluBoys an inch and you run a mile. It's pretty funny actually.

I ask this, how is this news good for HD-DVD? How is it anything but negative for HD-DVD?

I am simply saying regardless of the spin attempts that will come, this is negative news for HD-DVD. Simple as that.

~Josh

Given what I've been reading, why wouldn't Funai put out a dual-format player like LG or Samsung? I so no reasons for them not to if it makes financial sense. As for the format war, I've bought blu-ray w/ my ps3, but this format war will take awhile to really take hold and I think the race to sub $200 players will take this fight into the mainstream. Right now, we're all a bunch of early adopters looking for signs from a Ouji board (that's what I equate all Press Releases from all the different CE companies).

-Splints

That's what I was wondering.
J

pronounced foon-eye

No mo weird than Fuan Yuan (probably pronounced funyun)

Hmm, now considering that the HD-DVD fans turned a doubly-retracted Walmart statement around info "fact" and started doing a victory dance, how far do they run with there given inch?

dual format would be more complicated/expensive.

the ones we have on the market today are priced higher than the standalones.

I'm guessing a low cost combo would be something like $500 -$600 at the cheapest. Again just a guess.

How could it be bad for HD-DVD? How could it be good for BD? One more manufacturer to compete with for all the CE's.

If there are 50,000 Funai BD players made at a price of $300. That isn't the "death" blow you are making it out to be. Who's to say there will be "millions"?

There simply aren't enough details to say it is good or bad news. No one knows the price, quantity or the location they will be selling.

If Wal-Mart is indeed having HD-DVD players made for them, they will market HD-DVD and it's player over BD and your Funai player will sit on the shelf much like it's brethren.

With the Fuh Yuan ordeal we had a;

Who: Fuh Yuan, Great Wall and Wal-Mart
How Many: 2 million to start and the possibility of more
How Much: We had price points hinted at at least


You have none of this, yet you act like you do.


More good news for HD-DVD!

retracted and denied like Samsung going neutral???

It doesn't take a genius to read through WM's soft denial and Fuh Yuan's denial basically confirmed that WM is looking for HD-DVD players. Then again, maybe it does take a genius

It is absolutely delicious that the same cast of characters that stated that a $199 HD DVD player was impossible by the end of the year are stating that this proves a $199 Blu-ray player is coming.

If a low cost Chinese Blu-ray player will be available its probable a even lower cost HD DVD player will beat it to market.

This thread is based on a bullet point?

Funny isn't it?

Who knew "launching of blu-ray player" could be so powerful and mean so much!

Their are denials that comply with policies, like we don't discuss future dealings with our suppliers, and there are denials like Universal's executive stating that the runour they would release in Blu-ray "absolutely false".

I love this place.

Funai announces blu-ray support ....... "Great news for HD-DVD!!!"
50GB blu-ray's became a reality .......... "Great news for HD-DVD!!!"
HD-DVD lost the lead they had over blu-ray..... "great news for HD-DVD!!!"
etc
etc
etc
etc

How about the argument that the blu-ray type player may be referring to blu-violet laser HD technology players in general?

Not to say, I have no doubt that there are Chinese based SoC designs available from guys like Sigma already available. Heck some of the new models are SoC based already with expensive loader and optical components, the only thing stopping Blu-ray players is the BDA and other Blu-ray companies and Blu-ray marketing and politics. But the increased complexity of the optics, the shifting standards and the lack of mass production economies of scale, and the development of MS/Broadcom's reference design give HD DVD a cost advantage.

Any way you argue it, if you can make a cheap Blu-ray player, you can make a cheaper HD DVD for less and get it to market sooner.

Bullet point on a slide dud. No promises. Only intentions. Rather vague at that.

Fixed that for you

Well. This thread is based on facts, unlike the Fuh Yuan deal. And we're not talking about Chinese Blu-ray-players here. Funai is Japanese company which happens to manufacture 52% of DVD players sold last year in USA and which happens to manufacture most of the DVD players sold by WalMart. They don't mention HD DVD anywhere in their strategy. They do mention Blu-ray player.

There are couple of factors which shouldn't be neglected when we think which format players companies consider to manufacture. VERY important fact is studio support another fact is current media sales. They both favor Blu-ray currently.

Actually, it says, "Blu-Ray type player". Probably a mis-translation of a Blue diode laser player, i.e. an HD DVD player.

Anyway, as long as they sell them for <$200, I'm in!

I already read that HD-DVD won the war a zillion times last year. Same short-sited HD-DVD fans who claimed PS3 owners wouldn't buy blu-ray movies. Hindsight is a mother #$#$@, lol

Just when I was ready to pull the trigger on an A2 player (I own a Blu-Ray player already) I see this news. I think this will be the final straw (cheaper Walmart Blu-Ray players) that breaks Universal's back and pushes them into neutrality....

I really want an end to this format war, and this may be what Blu-Ray needs. They will have the exclusive content advantage, cheaper day and date releases (when compared to Universal and Warner day and date combos), and just as cheap, if not cheaper players....

Actually it doesn't It says "Further enhancement of sales in LCD TV and DVDs and launching of Blu-ray player and digital STB"
That's from their US strategy.

Hmmmm.... what I get out of those Fuy Yuan / Walmart stories and this new Funai news:

Months ago WalMart went shopping for hardware bids for its upcoming holiday season. There is a format war going on, and WalMart probably covered their bases with both HD-DVD and BD. Fuh Yuan produced a bid for HD-DVD players, then leaked the information, causing an internet frenzy. Funai, already a big supplier for WalMart over the last few years, has probably been consulting with WalMart on Blu-Ray players for release later this year, as well.

WalMart was probably looking for bids on both types of players.