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Philips and Magnavox brands licensed to Funai

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 6:58PM


If you were a bit confused as to how Funai planned on boosting its Q4 numbers with sales of Blu-ray players, maybe this will clear things up. Effective January 1, 2009, Philips Consumer Lifestyles will "license its Philips and Magnavox brands to Funai for Blu-ray Disc players, DVD players, DVD recorders and home cinema products in the US." With the onset of the new year, Funai will take responsibility for the "manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales activities" for all of the above mentioned items, and of course, Philips will receive royalty payments in exchange. The agreement is set to last for three years with a possibility of extension, and once the transformation takes place, Philips Consumer Lifestyles' "On The Go" portable wares will be the only ones it exclusively offers without any assistance from Funai.

Magnavox Blu-ray player to be $128 at Walmart on Black Friday

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 3:26PM


We casually mentioned this here deal a few days back upon spying Walmart's leaked Black Friday list, but just in case you missed it, there will be at least one Blu-ray player out there for well under $150. The Magnavox NB500MG9 (which is really a Funai NB500 underneath the logo) will be offered for just a buck twenty-eight on the day after Thanksgiving here in the US, and while it's far from the most highly acclaimed BD deck in existence, there's no denying that the price is right. Our hopes and dreams? That five other players undercut it.

[Via DVICE]

Funai's NB500 Blu-ray player sliding into Wal-Mart for $298

by Darren Murph, posted May 12th 2008 at 1:30PM


It's funny, in a sad sort of way -- in January of this year, we reckoned that a no-name Profile 1.1 player hitting in Q2 at $300 would seem grossly overpriced. Sadly, it still seems like a fairly decent deal. As BD players refuse to fall in price, Funai's NB500 (which is being spotted in Magnavox and Sylvania attire) has found its way into a number of Wal-Marts. Judging by the picture snapped above, you can bring home the somewhat outdated deck for a mere $298. Unfortunately, we aren't entirely sure how the unit performs, but if anyone's man / woman enough to take the leap and check it out, please toss out your impressions in comments below.

[Thanks, Fernando]

Verizon runs into short supply on Sharp LCD offer

by Steven Kim, posted Mar 5th 2008 at 8:56AM

Verizon runs into short supply on Sharp LCD offerGood news / bad news here, folks. First, the good: HD is seeing some impressive uptake amongst everyday consumers. Now the bad: there are isolated shortages of the associated gear. Verizon's FiOS has already been bitten by set-top box shortages, and now is a victim of its own successful promotional offer that promised 19-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TVs to new "triple-play" (internet, video and phone) subscribers. Those LCD TVs are a little short in supply, so affected customers can choose to either wait an additional five weeks for their TV, substitute a Magnavox (used in later promotions) set or take a $200 Best Buy gift card. Our advice -- wait on the Sharp. Meanwhile, let's hope that there's some way Verizon can coordinate the set-top box and TV shortages -- nothing is more frustrating than having new HD service but being stuck with an old SD set!

[Image courtesy GreatLittleBox]

Wal-Mart gets dirt cheap on digital-to-analog TV converters

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Feb 11th 2008 at 10:05AM


Attention Wal-Mart shoppers -- you're about to get a sweet deal on a digital-to-analog TV converter box. According to an excited press release from the company, your local stores are now stocked from floor to ceiling with an ultra-cheap Magnavox converter, selling for the shockingly low price of $49.87. Of course, since households across the US are about to get those succulent $40 coupons for converters, this little puppy won't cost much more than about two gallons of gas. We kid, we kid. But seriously, they're pretty cheap.

Philips DTV converter boxes get approved, pictured

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 19th 2007 at 3:33PM


Up until now, we've heard a whole lot about what these things will do, where you can eventually pick one up and how to apply for your government-issued coupon, but outside of a stray Zenith, we really haven't seen what many DTV converter boxes will actually look like. Now, Philips has announced that three of its digital-to-analog converters have been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the trio will be sold under the Magnavox / Philco brand names. Reportedly, the Magnavox TB-100MW9 (pictured above), Philco TB-100HH9 and Philco TB-150HH9 (pictured after the jump) will be "available through large retail stores beginning in early 2008" for those in need, and yes, your handy coupon will indeed apply to any of the (admittedly unsightly) three.

Continue reading Philips DTV converter boxes get approved, pictured

Funai to produce inexpensive Blu-ray players

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted May 22nd 2007 at 7:07AM

HD DVD vs Blu-rayThe key to success of any new technology in this country is to drive the price down so much that it becomes affordable for everyone to own, and while Blu-ray still has a long way to go to hit that level, it looks like they might be on their way. Recently in a financial report from Funai, -- a Chinese manufacturer who brings us value products like Sylvania, Emerson, and Magnavox -- they announced plans to launch a Blu-ray player. While the details were left out for the most part, we'd expect to see them within the next year. Either way we will have to wait and see if these show up next to Fuh Yuan's HD DVD players at a Wal-Mart near you.




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