NEC Electronics Announces the World's First Single-Chip LSI for Blu-ray Disc Players

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Here are your costs to get a BD player into a retailer:

1. Components - you can shrink the circuit board but you still have the BD drive with the expensive zoom lens assembly.

2. Assembly of above

3. Packaging of above

4. Shipping of above

5. Rotalties for all the different technologies that exist within a BD player.

Keep these in mind when you speculate about how low a BD player can be priced. No comparison to a DVD player.

BD drives are droping in price. I was emailed by a retailer/friend who can get me a BD drive for my computer for $79 (his cost and before shipping) recently. That was his cost. So I am guessing the manufacturer can make them for much cheaper than that.

Everything else you mentioned aside from royalites will be cheap as we are talking about China and mass quantities. Royalties are a big question mark. We simply do not know what deals have been signed. I do know that the Insignia BD player (Funai made) at Best Buy is $279 right now. Not on sale. Prices are coming down and will continue to and $199 BD players during the holiday season is pretty much a given even with current SOC's. News of this NEC chipset will only help prices to drop further and faster.

ssjLancer · 08-05-2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ack_bak

I don't think we will see $50 BD players anytime soon (maybe $50 BD drives for PC's in the next 18 months). But I do see $199 BD players this year (holiday sales) and perhaps $99 player as early as Q4 2009. I think 2009 will really be the breakout year for BD. Chinese manufacturers are authorized to make BD players next year for the US and global markets and that alone will force prices down.

$50 PC drives seems reasonable. The cheapest drives right now are about $130.

$199 BD players are a given since Walmart already had the funai at $199(with $100 off). I can definitely see the name brands going at $220+ in the holidays with the store brands at around $150.

Bravestime · 08-05-2008, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Here are your costs to get a BD player into a retailer:

1. Components - you can shrink the circuit board but you still have the BD drive with the expensive zoom lens assembly.

2. Assembly of above

3. Packaging of above

4. Shipping of above

5. Rotalties for all the different technologies that exist within a BD player.

Keep these in mind when you speculate about how low a BD player can be priced. No comparison to a DVD player.

$100 cheaper per player is good reduction. This could make a big difference. At any rate, any reduction is better than none.

Overall, GOOD NEWS for blu-ray.

Good post!

Bravestime · 08-05-2008, 04:20 PM

I have also noticed BD players have dropped in price a bit. Seems like the reverse some had predicted when the war ended.

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bravestime

I have also noticed BD players have dropped in price a bit. Seems like the reverse some had predicted when the war ended.

Really? All the name brand SAL's are still selling in the $350 range.

I know . . . just wait till Q4.

Bravestime · 08-05-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Really? All the name brand SAL's are still selling in the $350 range.

I know . . . just wait till Q4.

Really! Some predicted the BD SALs would increase in price.

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Really? All the name brand SAL's are still selling in the $350 range.

I know . . . just wait till Q4.

Wal-mart recently had BD players in the $298-399+ range that came with a $100 gift card. I don't remember seeing any deals on SAL's this same time last year that could touch that.

I don't see name brand companies selling BD SAL players too far below $250 this year. The will leave that market for the Funai and lower tiered players.

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ack_bak

Wal-mart recently had BD players in the $298-399+ range that came with a $100 gift card. I don't remember seeing any deals on SAL's this same time last year that could touch that.

I don't see name brand companies selling BD SAL players too far below $250 this year. The will leave that market for the Funai and lower tiered players.

Do you remember the numbers from last years Black Friday sales?

That weekend there were about 80,000 HDM SAL's sold and over 600,000 DVD players sold.

Yet there were 13 million DVD players sold in 2007.

A one day sale or one week just isn't enough.

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

Do you remember the numbers from last years Black Friday sales?

That weekend there were about 80,000 HDM SAL's sold and over 600,000 DVD players sold.

Yet there were 13 million DVD players sold in 2007.

A one day sale or one week just isn't enough.

Prices are already cheaper now on BD players than they were during the Q4 sales of last year. This year will be even better. As I mentioned earlier, Wal-mart carries BD players for $289 and Best Buy for $279 without a sale. I don't think anyone expects Blu-Ray players to outsell DVD players anytime soon. That is a pointless argument. But the fact remains that prices have really fallen from where we were last year, and it looks like this trend will continue.

Dare · 08-05-2008, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ack_bak

I don't think we will see $50 BD players anytime soon (maybe $50 BD drives for PC's in the next 18 months). But I do see $199 BD players this year (holiday sales) and perhaps $99 player as early as Q4 2009. I think 2009 will really be the breakout year for BD. Chinese manufacturers are authorized to make BD players next year for the US and global markets and that alone will force prices down.

These chips won't make computer drives any cheaper. The PC's video hardware and CPU does what this chip is supposed to do. The drives themselves are unaffected.

Dare · 08-05-2008, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

What about all the royalties for selling a BD player?

I don't know, but a percentage would be better than a flat fee. Flat fees just set a bottom limit on the price.

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dare

These chips won't make computer drives any cheaper. The PC's video hardware and CPU does what this chip is supposed to do. The drives themselves are unaffected.

Understood. I was simply pointing out that the price of BD drives has dropped and will continue to drop. As I mentioned retailers can get them for sub $100 and I suspect the parts to make them cannot cost much more than $50-70.

**kamspy** · 08-05-2008, 09:00 PM

Wow.

I just paid $89 for a Pioneer BD drive for my new PC. Couple that with these new SoCs and BD players are going to get cheap.

crazyal · 08-05-2008, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Sales are projected to triple from 2,200,000 units in 2007 to 6,800,000 units in 2008.

Is this right? They sold 2.2 million SA BD players? I do have to agree that chips like these will help lower the price.

Super XP · 08-05-2008, 09:16 PM

This may be in antisipation to Toshiba's SRT DVD players coming out in Q4 2008.

08-05-2008, 04:20 PM	#19
Bravestime Supporter of HiDef Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aiken, SC Age: 53 Posts: 4,415	I have also noticed BD players have dropped in price a bit. Seems like the reverse some had predicted when the war ended. __________________ Life is Short, Watch a Movie

08-05-2008, 09:16 PM	#30
Super XP Star Trek: The Movie! Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Toronto, ON. Canada Posts: 5,776	This may be in antisipation to Toshiba's SRT DVD players coming out in Q4 2008. __________________ Toshiba Regza 46" HDTV (46RF350U) LCD 1080p/24p Toshiba HD-A35 / HD-A3 / XD-E500 LG GGC-H20L Super Multi / PC Drive Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 TrueHD/DTS HD MA Precision Acoustics™ 8Ch. Hi Def Loudspeaker Series DVD's = 200 = 130 = 10

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08-05-2008, 09:00 PM	#28
kamspy Esteban Moderatoro Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati,OH Good Posts: 12 Posts: 13,048	Wow. I just paid $89 for a Pioneer BD drive for my new PC. Couple that with these new SoCs and BD players are going to get cheap.