JVC concerns for future

[Adam Letch]

just read an article on another site. Carl can you shed light on this, it's a little concerning.

[Jemore Santos]

I read the same thing, well I hope matsushita thinks about that one, btw I wouldn't post that link or you'll get fried (it's a competitors' site), it happened to me last time.

[Paolo Ciccone]

This is hardly news in the world of big corporations. The unfortunate practice of having multiple diivisions with overlapping products is a characteristic of big conglomerates like Matsushita.
JVC has been around for long enough and it's pervasive enough that "pulling the plug" would be really bad form for any company and would have repercussions that are not easy to prodict. What I see as possible scenarios for this are:

a) Matsushita reorganizes the offering of its companies and removes the overlaps. The sucess of the HD100 and its future offsprings is one case.
b) JVC gets sold to another group.
c) Big layoff time. Restructuring and rationalization of JVC's offering and its company's layout. Removal of unsuccessful products and consequent reduction of personell. This will bring costs down and profit up. Of course, since this is a Japanese company, this can be a little tricky :)
d) All the above.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Jemore Santos

I wouldn't post that link or you'll get fried (it's a competitors' site), it happened to me last time.

We try not to "fry" our members (personally I prefer them broiled with lemon sauce :-) But instead of linking to that other site, why not just read the news story from Reuters which it was based on?

http://today.reuters.com/business/ne...MATSUSHITA.xml

Nakamura has consistently supported JVC, but Ohtsubo acknowledged earlier this year that the JVC relationship was complicated in the sense that the unit was both a partner and a rival in key products such as camcorders and flat TVs.

[Adam Letch]

but I don't read the financial sites, i read video sites, thus the link, and hopefully competitor site or not, people would find it of interest. Carl,is there any official statement from JVC regarding this article?
And true, if a company is sold off, it means usually cutting toes(i don't know if this is only an Australian saying, but in means firing people to cut costs) and smarter restructuring. Which will hopefully pass on savings to the masses.
I suppose my worst case scenario concern, was it meant no more JVC period, and their technologies being hocked off to whoever wants it.
It could very well just be speculation, it may only be consumer products, and not prosumer/professional, which by and large won't effect this forum. Just wanted to give the heads up. And maybe have more precision lighting thrown on the subject ....

[K. Forman]

Live or die, I don't rightly care... as long as I get my HD100 first.

[Daniel Epstein]

Well you might not want a camera which has no manufacturer support no matter how much you like the camera. Service and parts for the life of the unit do become an issue as well as format support by other suppliers like editing systems and lens manufacturers. It wouldn't be the first time that a company went out of business while creating an interesting product line.

[K. Forman]

The way I see it, most of the time you can't get support anyways, so what's the difference?

[Jonathan Ames]

Has no one heard about the new company and seen the prototype camera? Someone actually sent a picture around and I can't believe I'm the only one who's seen it.

[Adam Letch]

We always take what you post seriously. Are you saying that JVC has already indicated it's launching as a new entity, and the camera your referring to, is not the HD200/250 right????

Or you just having a lend of us???

[Jonathan Ames]

And I would never lead you astray or joke with any of you lest I tell you in a subsequent posting, immediately, that I was jesting. Contrary to popular belief, some of us over 30 and yes, 40, still have a great sense of humor. In the case at hand, I received a picture yesterday afternoon and gave it to Mario Genestra to look at because I can't tell if it's real of not. But he as a retired govenrnment secret service agency employee in counterfeiting and now in special EFX (imagine that!) would know. I'll hear from him this morning at 8 when he gets in but a second picture appeared this morning with an inappropriate tagline beneath which leads me to believe it's a hoax. I'll let you know. I almost posted the picture yesterday but pulled it immediately until I know if it's real or not. JVC has enough issues on its hands without fighting this one. And though your obvious question is a good one, it was 9 pm in New Jersey last night when I received the first shot or I would have called them.

I'll post the results later.

[Zack Birlew]

What if Matsushita groups Panasonic and JVC together? More workers for Panasonic = :)

[Jonathan Ames]

A hoax, alas. Great picture and idea but no such camera is planned nor exists even in prototype.

[Paolo Ciccone]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Ames

A hoax, alas. Great picture and idea but no such camera is planned nor exists even in prototype.

Well, you can always send it to me via email, I can use a laugh :)

[William Hohauser]

Originally Posted by Paolo Ciccone

a) Matsushita reorganizes the offering of its companies and removes the overlaps. The sucess of the HD100 and its future offsprings is one case.
b) JVC gets sold to another group.
c) Big layoff time. Restructuring and rationalization of JVC's offering and its company's layout. Removal of unsuccessful products and consequent reduction of personell. This will bring costs down and profit up. Of course, since this is a Japanese company, this can be a little tricky :)
d) All the above.

The article is talking about JVC as an entire company. JVC has lost a lot of it's market share in consumer electronics especially since it seems to have been based on older technologies (CRTs and traditional stereo equipment). In the pro arena JVC was always fighting an uphill battle but recently has made a big splash with the HD-100. This is comparable to how Panasonic, after years of languishing, became a respected player in the pro market with the DVX100. Unlike Panasonic or Sony, JVC does not have a healthy consumer division at this point and what this means for the professional division is uncertain especially since this news report doesn't breakdown the performances of the various divisions within JVC.

If the pro division is showing vitality it's very unlikely that Matsushita would discontinue the HDV line or the other professional lines. The pro division could certainly be spun off and exist independently (or still under the Matsushita umbrella) as JVC Professional while the consumer divisions are shut down or absorbed into the larger Matsushita structure.