Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[marketmaven]

Taiwanese are really ramping DVD chip production... see this EE report from last summer

Chip sets seen lowering DVD recorder costs
By Mike Clendenin EE Times July 29, 2002 (2:32 AM EDT)
http://www.eetimes.com/semi/news/OEG20020726S0043

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Cheaper DVD recorders may not be under the tree this Christmas, but Taiwan chip makers hope to make the consumer machines the stocking stuffer of choice by next winter. Aiming to sharply lower the cost of DVD recorders, the island's top two optical chip makers are preparing chip sets that should make the machines more attractive to consumers by the second half of next year as greater competition and higher volumes drive IC prices down. "After that, there won't be any reason for recordables to be so expensive," said Chin Wu, president of ALi Corp., formerly known as Acer Laboratories Inc. Currently, DVD recorders from Panasonic and Philips sell for between $600 and $1,000 at places like Circuit City. Once the Taiwanese enter the market, Wu believes that can come down to under $300 by the end of next year.