Posted by asj on 01/16/38 11:46

Some tough talk from Panasonic. I think Toshiba is done for.

http://news.digitaltrends.com/article10170.html

In comments to Reuters, Kazuhiro Tsuga, an executive at Japan's
Matsushita, has stated next-generation Blu-ray and HD DVD formats will
never merge. "We are not talking and will not talk," he said. "The
market will decide the winner."

Matsushita is the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturer and
is a strong supporter of Sony's Blu-ray next-generation DVD technology.

Tsuga speculated that, while Toshiba is the first to market with HD DVD
systems, the company would not be able to sustain selling HD DVD
players at prices as low as $499. He estimated Toshiba is taking a loss
on each unit sold. Matsushita's Panasonic-branded Blu-ray DVD players
are likely to hit the U.S. market mid-year at prices in excess of
$1,000. "It's now a test of physical strength," he said, indicating
Matsushita was working hard to lower production costs and see a
per-unit profit on Blu-ray player sales from the start.

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