Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!info-high-audio-request
From: bilver!bill@uunet.UU.NET (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: DAT for $800 ?
Message-ID: <5988@uwm.edu>
Date: 28 Aug 90 13:03:09 GMT
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Lines: 34
Approved: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


In article <5961@uwm.edu> erich@inmet.inmet.com writes:
>
>Assuming the recording industry is not able to block foreign manufacturers...
>
>If the Japanese are allowed to flood the US market with DAT decks as they 
>did with so many other components, then industry experts expect the decks to 
>plummet in price, much the same as did VCRs. Take note, VCRs started several 
>years ago at approximately $1000 and now can be had for under $200.

VCRs actualy started out at about $1500.  Virtually every home in America
has a TV and can relate to a unit that will play or record pictures.  The
amount of homes who have anything more than a radio or cheap cassette
machine for ploying tapes is a much smaller figure.

Given that the VCR prices didn't really start falling until shipments in
excess of 1,000,000 per month became common about 3 years ago, and given
that the average person can't seem to tell the difference between a 6 hour
VHS tape and a 2 hour tape, it would indicate that the average person would
not need an audio system of DAT quality.  I don't suspect you will see
DAT's ever selling more than 10,000 units per month anytime in the next 5
years, if ever.   

Since well over 90% of homes in America have TV, over 50% have cable, there
is a large market for VCRs.  But how many have an audio system other than a
radio, or a cheap cassette system.  Virtually the same number of people I
know who have high quality video systems, eg S-VHS or ED-Beta have
high-quality audio.  The rest seem to have audio on a par with 6 hour vhs.



-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill
                      : bill@bilver.UUCP