Funai's future Blu-ray player?
Is this a production model? A concept or tech demo? We don't know just yet but we can tell you that Funai is the Japanese company responsible for Wal-Mart's Duraband. In addition, they manufacturer products for Emerson, Sylvania, Symphonic, Best Buy's Insignia brand and
Filed under: Blu-ray
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Omoplata @ Aug 31st 2007 8:56PM
Looks like this is the player they announced a while back in the Japanese papers with an estimated MSRP of USD $499.
Britboyj27 @ Aug 31st 2007 9:24PM
Actually, Best Buy changed the manufacturer on most Insignia products about 6 months ago, whilst a good deal of the components of some products are made by Funai, most of the parts and the actual manufacturing is done by LG now.
Andrew @ Aug 31st 2007 10:00PM
"Is this a production model? A concept or tech demo? We don't know"
You would if you actually read the AVS thread you linked to...
Tim @ Aug 31st 2007 10:23PM
It seems kind of odd that they would show a blu-ray player design if they have no plans of making a blu-ray player. That is probably just their way of saying no comment. I did see a bit of mis information in the AVS thread because the iLo boxes clearly say see our site: www.funai-corp.com and the Magnavox DVD players are marked manufactured by the Funai Corporation. If they do release a blu-ray player, they would be best off to label it as Magnavox.
Dave @ Aug 31st 2007 10:33PM
Sure. Low-cost Blu-Ray players are coming! They're just around the corner! Don't buy anything yet! They're coming and they're BD-Live compatible! They're coming out at an estimated MSRP of $27! Just hold on!!! Allllmmoooosssttt there...
;)
julian @ Aug 31st 2007 11:41PM
its likely a prduction modle(looks like shit by the way) if u read funiais like out line on poage 11 of there pdf says they plane to relase this by end of the year.. just what we need a cheap player
Dave @ Sep 1st 2007 2:51AM
With all those players and industry support hd dvd will fade in the end of 2007 or in the middle of 2008. If they dont pay another studio maybe earlier...
:D
Mike @ Sep 1st 2007 6:25AM
Dave,
Why won't you cheer for competition instead of acting like a shill for HD-DVD. Competition benefits us all.
Mike
Mak @ Sep 1st 2007 8:49AM
Nice, I don't see anything Toshiba/Microsoft can do about the slew of Blu-Ray units hitting right now.
I think Paramount are kicking themselves right now...
cseabrooks @ Sep 1st 2007 9:29AM
Just had the Misses look at it. She is German and the words on the left of the sign say "A Trial Product". So it isn't a production model, per se, but a demo. so we could be loooking at a model that WILL make it to market and when it does.....oh boy, look out. I bought a Durabrand DVD player about 5 years ago for $29 from Sam's Club. So if Funai get's a hold on to HD DVD or Blueray, it's over for the bigs and there over-priced machines. Thank God!!!!
Andrew @ Sep 1st 2007 9:42AM
The contents of the first post of the thread linked to by the "Read" link:
" Funai: no BD player any time soon
I was at the Funai area at IFA about 10 minutes ago, and saw their prototype BD player. It looks far from complete, as it runs off what looks like a PC power supply.
I asked the rep when it'd be coming out and at what price. He said that there's still nothing solid, because it wasn't clear which format would win. I asked him, "So Funai will only jump in when it's clear that one format has won?" - to which he said yes."
Count Westwest @ Sep 1st 2007 1:42PM
"Ein Versuchprodukt" means a trial or experimental product.
Bill @ Sep 1st 2007 2:48PM
So let me get this straight. A Venturer BOX shows up at a show in apr., and no matter what a HDDVD venturer player was coming. Which it did, BTW. But because a poster on AVS SAYS he talked to a guy at the booth, and he said that this won't happen unless BD "wins", Funai isn't maknig a BD player? Even though the company themselves posted in Jan/Feb that they were making a BD player, then confirmed it in June in a press releases for the end of this year; and now they have a running demo advertised as a BD player at IFA, they arent making a BD player?
I have been reading this page for a while now and I must say; this is the most desperate attempted at FUD that I have seen yet by a BD fan or an HDDVD fan.
These Funai players are what some BD fans have been trying to get through to some people that just won't listen. Wal-Marts biggest supplier of DVD players/recorders will be making BD players for this holiday season. They also supply Target, and CC apparently.
HDDVD got a shot in the arm by Paramounts "decision". However, Beta lasted for 10 years or so, while it was "dead". HDDVD is the beta of these times. BD is already mainstream, and will only gain in popularity as BD content prices drop and more and more BD players descend on us. Look at Loewe and Daewoo, it's over for HDDVD, it's fine if you want to support HDDVD for 10 years, just don't expect the majority to bite on. I'm mean come on people, there were supposed to be 2 million HDDVD players out there by x-mas this year. Now Tosh is predicting 400k. Regardless of how well the Ps3 is selling, HDDVD is on life support, and the Ps3 has done enough damage to let the cheaper BD players swoop in and finish everything off.
Sure HDDVD players might have BD players by $100-$150. But ask people who actually lived through the Beta/VHS times, they know how much that matters, there was even a good article on the net about two months ago regarding this. Beta players were cheaper than VHS players in the end anyway, thats how they tried to win the war. I mean ask someone that was actually into electronics in the late 70s early 80s, if you can find one that is.
If your 15-35 dont get mad at my post, I have never really posted here before, Im just trying to add my wisdom to the subject as I was actually in my twenties in the early 80s and into CE. Im trying to save some people, that want to listen, some money, thats about it. Anyway, if your 15-35 dont just pretend that you know that VHS was cheaper, and act like you know thats how they won the war. Go out and do some serious research; storage and Content were the two big factors off the start. Then it was just a matter of 3-4 different CE VHS players to a SONY Beta player sitting on store shelves, sure Beta was cheaper, but only a fool didnt see why.
CEs has officially backed BD adding 3 more CE companies to HDDVDs one. A Chinese government backed BD company is producing BD in China (way bigger than C-hddvd, if you know about Chinese business you will understand why). The computer market is flooded with BD burners already(compaired to HDDVD ones) and with BD burner manufactures receiving tons of orders from CPU makers, what do you think will happen next?
Just look into it a little, instead of being so emotionally invested into a product, thats all Im saying. Sometimes the best technology doesnt always win, and thats whats harsh about being a Beta/HDDVD fan.
HDTVFanAtic @ Sep 1st 2007 6:36PM
You are "curious about the Wireless Uncompressed HDTV sign"????
Have you not been keeping up with the amimon's WHDI, of which Motorola has made a big investment?
http://www.amimon.com/technology.shtml
http://www.amimon.com/applications.shtml
David Mackenzie @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:13AM
Hey, I took that picture at IFA yesterday. Surprised that it's
spread.
The Funai rep told me that they will NOT be manufacturing or releasing this player until it's clear whether HD DVD or BD wins. So, it's far from being finished. If you look at the back, it actually runs off a PC power supply.
-David Mackenzie
DVDTimes.co.uk
hothotdisco @ Sep 2nd 2007 4:06PM
And this is the reason why HD-DVD will lose eventually. This thing will most likely cost under $300....maybe even much less because its made by Funai. Once this sucker comes out its pretty much over for HD-DVD.
wysiwyg @ Sep 3rd 2007 7:04PM
if it ever comes out. well, maybe holidays 2008 with specs still not finalized, and in which hd dvd will probably have a sub-$100 hd dvd player available.
hothotdisco @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:30PM
Well there's already a 200 dollar blu-ray drive for the PC courtesy of BenQ. Im pretty sure that HD-DVD players will probably end up below 150 bucks but so what? Blu-ray has everything going for it except for the price; once that problem is solved, it doesn't matter how cheap HD-DVD is because blu-ray is there to get cheap as well.