WalMart is known for being able to majorly cut its prices thanks to mass production for a wide range of products. Now that I think of it, my first DVD player was from WalMart, purchased at a mere $30 CAD.
And now, rumour has it that WalMart plans the same type of move with HD-DVD players. If the source and translation is correct, Taiwan based manufacturer Fuh Yuan and TDK have been contracted by the retail giant to produce the blue laser drives for 2-million HD-DVD players. Broadcom will reportedly supply the system-on-a-chip decoder and China"s Great Wall Corporation will handle final assembly. The deal represents around USD $100 million and it is reported that a new manufacturing plant has already been opened to fulfill the order. Speculation suggests the players will arrive at retail in late 2007 and will be priced between $199-299 USD. Now, the end of the year is quite a ways away, so Blu-Ray has time to respond - either they"ll have to match it or come very close. Isn"t competition just lovely?