e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tenderloin]

Tatung

PortalPlayer, Microsoft and HP connected. They have new PVP/jukebox (photo jukebox) coming out this summer as well as portable media player due about same time.

Tatung introduces second-brand for promoting digital home products, aims at revenues of NT$120 billion in 2004

Taiwan-based IT product maker Tatung yesterday introduced its second-brand, the elio, as a means to help expand sales of its digital home products. The company had marketed its products solely under the Tatung-brand for the past 85 years.

While introducing the new brand, company president WS Lin also unveiled its first elio-branded MP3 player, the elio PJ, for sale initially in Taiwan.

The elio PJ is a portable multimedia player featuring a 2.2-inch color display and a 20GB hard disc. It supports music downloads, audio recording and video display. The elio PJ will be available in June domestically and could be available for overseas sales by year-end.

Photo Jukebox

Tatung was also giving a first showing to the Photo Jukebox, a palm-size storage enclosure utilizing a 1.8-inch hard drive. This device can store digital still images, and play them as a slideshow, with the unit connected to a TV. This player-jukebox can also store and playback MP3 and WMA files. This product will be launched this first quarter, with capacities of either 20 GB or 40 GB. It is expected to retail for under US$300.

Tatung was also giving an initial showing to a portable (palm-size) MPEG4 video player. This is scheduled to be launched in a

June/July 2004 timeframe.

Senior manager Rebecca Hsiao commented that Tatung is now attempting brand operations, even though previously the company has focused almost exclusively on OEM/ODM. With careful channel management, Hsiao believes conflicts with customers or potential customers can be avoided: "We think the market is big enough."Tatung aims to reach NT$120 billion in revenues in 2004, a 43.5% increase over the NT$83.64 billion it generated in 2003, Lin said.

LCD and PDP (plasma display panel) TVs will continue to be the key drivers of the company’s revenue growth, Lin said.

The company will start marketing a 32-inch LCD TV in Taiwan in the second quarter, in addition to existing 17-, 20-, 23-, 27- and 30-inch models. Tatung also plans to bring 46- and 50-inch PDP TVs into the market in the second half.

Combined shipments of LCD and PDP TVs are expected to reach a million units this year, Lin said.

http://www.etmag.com/publication/magazine/2004-01/62.htm

http://www.tatung.com/news/cebit2004.htm

http://www.tweakers.net/reviews/487/5

http://www.portalplayer.com/news-and-events/photo_jukebox.htm





Related stories:

Four Taiwan vendors join Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 partnership program (Apr 7)

Tatung receives PDP and LCD TV orders from Wal-Mart, says paper (Mar 22)

Tatung to set up production base in Czech Republic this May (Mar 18)

Brief: Taiwan’s Tatung sells 200 million CPT shares at just 3% discount in GDR issue (Mar 9)

Tatung aims to ship 500,000-600,000 LCD TVs in 2004 (Feb 25)

Tatung to ship 42-inch PDP TVs to HP (Feb 18)