#149581 - 21/03/2003 08:12
Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
|
member
Registered: 29/10/2001
Posts: 137
Loc: Toronto, Ontario Canada
|
What does this mean for our kick ass Empeg team. Hopefully they don't get sucked up into the parent company of Denon Ltd. and Marantz Japan Inc.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/030321/tech_sonicblue_2.html
_________________________
Ben
Rio Car 10GB + 60GB Toshiba ([green]Green[/green]) - Serial # 30102833
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149582 - 21/03/2003 08:18
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
|
Not good.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli 80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149583 - 21/03/2003 08:31
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
|
That sucks! Will Pearl or the new OEM car product see the light of day?
_________________________
~ John
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149584 - 21/03/2003 08:45
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
|
I don't get it. They're filing for reorganization, but are selling off all of their product lines (Rio, ReplayTV, and GoVideo). What do they plan to reorganize once they're done? Their moribund Diamond line?
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149585 - 21/03/2003 08:58
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
|
Wow. It was extremely hard to see this one coming... With SonicBlue's* legendary marketing, customer service, and order fulfillment practices, I figured they'd be around forever.........
Let's hope whatever new company is in charge of the Cambridge shop has a better clue as to how to serve customers and market their products.
Goodbye, SonicBlue, we hardly knew ye.
* "SonicBlue" and "customer service" above refer to the service from the parent company, and should not be construed as criticism of the customer service which came directly from the Cambridge team.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149586 - 21/03/2003 09:10
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
|
Well, I'll give them this. Denon and Marantz are "high-end" consumer audio brands that have much broader market penetration than SonicBlue products were ever able to get. I'll bet that this could put our favorite empeg software into Denon-manufactured hardware, resulting in quality products at reasonable prices.
I just hope they can get another release of 2.0 software out before there's a chance for anybody to pull the plug.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149587 - 21/03/2003 09:13
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: robricc]
|
old hand
Registered: 28/01/2002
Posts: 970
Loc: Manassas VA
|
I'm wondering if I should start buying stuff, does anyone know if the "go video" line of products was/is any good? I need a surround sound setup and don't want to shell out an arm and a leg (but would like it to be decent)
_________________________
Brett
60Gb MK2a with Led's
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149589 - 21/03/2003 09:49
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: lopan]
|
addict
Registered: 20/11/2001
Posts: 455
Loc: Texas
|
I looked at some of the GoVideo stuff and it is really lightly constructed. Judge for yourself but it doesn't seem to have much metal in the frame, etc. Probably be OK but I backed off of buying a combo DVD/VCR when I picked it up.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149590 - 21/03/2003 09:52
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: blitz]
|
old hand
Registered: 28/01/2002
Posts: 970
Loc: Manassas VA
|
I basically want it for the speakers... I need a new set of surround sound stuff.....
_________________________
Brett
60Gb MK2a with Led's
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149591 - 21/03/2003 09:57
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: lopan]
|
enthusiast
Registered: 10/09/2002
Posts: 285
Loc: DFW Area, Texas, US
|
I don't know how much you are looking to spend, but these take a lot of beating for the price
_________________________
Mark.
[blue]MKI, MKII & MKIIa, all Blue, and all Mine![/blue]
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149592 - 21/03/2003 10:06
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: DWallach]
|
addict
Registered: 20/11/2001
Posts: 455
Loc: Texas
|
I have been watching their stock price over the last several months. They were due on a note payment on March 17, 2003. Guess they couldn't make it ... so Ch 11.
Actually, what I had been calculating was the value of the "Empeg" company purchased by SonicBlue based on original purchase price of $1.9MM and relative stock prices from the date of the purchase to present. Based solely on that criteria, with SonicBlue trading at 9.82 in Novmber 2000 and the current price of ~ 0.07 the value of that business unit is $13,543... give or take.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149593 - 21/03/2003 10:09
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
|
Hopefully they don't get sucked up into the parent company of Denon Ltd. and Marantz Japan Inc.
Well, better to get sucked up somewhere rather than nowhere....and better, I'm thinking (for The Guys anyway), to actually have a Chapter 11 buyer than disappear in some other Chapter (like 7?).
Not sure that Denon/Marantz would shell out 50 million if they didn't see some of the products/code/people continuing. Let's cross our fingers.
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149594 - 21/03/2003 10:10
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
|
Given Rob's recent upbeat posts about pearl, were the team rather blindsided by this or no?
-Zeke
_________________________
WWFSMD?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149595 - 21/03/2003 10:14
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: blitz]
|
enthusiast
Registered: 18/01/2002
Posts: 270
Loc: Arizona USA
|
Hell, I have most of that in my bank account. I'll buy it! Pearl WILL see the light of day.
Does anyone have $10.00 to spare for an initial production run?
_________________________
Elvis
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149596 - 21/03/2003 10:21
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
veteran
Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
|
Crap. You'd think with kick-ass products like the Empeg, the original mp3 players and ReplayTV they would be doing ok. I bought the original PNP300 32mb player from Rio back when it came out, and later the Rio branded MKII. They have always seemed to be on top of the curve and trying to deliver what people actually want, not what the industry dictates. Remember the hububb over the original PNP300? It almost wasn't released over FUD!
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149597 - 21/03/2003 10:31
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Ezekiel]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
|
Given Rob's recent upbeat posts about pearl, were the team rather blindsided by this or no?
There was a public announcement in January that buyers were being sought. We didn't know who it would be until today, but Marantz and Denon are both great audio brands. I'd love to get a staff discount on some of their separates!
Development here is continuing as normal. All sorts of official processes have to be gone through before anyone can talk about the future, but we're up beat.
Rob
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149598 - 21/03/2003 10:47
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: rob]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
|
I'd love to get a staff discount on some of their separates!
Really! Jim *like* Denon.
If y'all are upbeat, I'm upbeat.
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149599 - 21/03/2003 10:50
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: cushman]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
|
Could it have been driven by RePlayTV's legal costs?
_________________________
Brad B.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149600 - 21/03/2003 10:52
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: rob]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
|
Hope you guys weren't being paid in stock options..
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149601 - 21/03/2003 10:54
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
|
veteran
Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
|
True, true. I tend to look at things more from a "solid product" standpoint and sometimes don't think about the hidden business costs behind the curtain.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149602 - 21/03/2003 11:24
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
|
Assuming that the buyers keep the empeg development team then this could be a good thing - Denon are established in the car audio market.
I would hope that this sale doesn't kill the Visteon deal, and also that the Visteon deal isn't exclusive. It would be great to see competing empeg-technology-based car players on the market.
_________________________
Mk2a 60GB Blue. Serial 030102962
sig.mp3: File Format not Valid.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149603 - 21/03/2003 12:07
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: jimhogan]
|
member
Registered: 29/10/2001
Posts: 137
Loc: Toronto, Ontario Canada
|
What I meant by "sucked up into the parent company" was, they stop development on our beloved player and future products. I know the company who bought them make high-end stuff (I'm a NAD person myself).. hehe.
So hopefully good things happen the original team! Maybe Empeg II ?? or Rio Car II??
FYI - My Original Empeg player is now 1 year and 5 months old (Paid $699us for it) Best money I've ever spent. And far better then the NEO 35 which only worked for 8 months. Thanks for the great player, and best wishes on the future!
Edited by Fastrack (21/03/2003 12:08)
_________________________
Ben
Rio Car 10GB + 60GB Toshiba ([green]Green[/green]) - Serial # 30102833
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149604 - 21/03/2003 12:19
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: Fastrack]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
|
What I meant by "sucked up into the parent company" was, they stop development on our beloved player and future products.
Oh, I know what you meant and I agree that there is uncertainty as a result of the shift. I just guess that, as someone who is about 6 days away from *not* getting sucked up into any parent company, I am more inclined to look on the bright side WRT Denon/Marantz!!
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149605 - 21/03/2003 12:27
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: tonyc]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
|
Hope you guys weren't being paid in stock options..
My empeg options were due to vest in a couple of months. Guess I won't be buying that Porsche now
Rob
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149606 - 21/03/2003 12:31
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: rob]
|
veteran
Registered: 19/06/2000
Posts: 1495
Loc: US: CA
|
My empeg options were due to vest in a couple of months. Guess I won't be buying that Porsche now
That blows, everyone deserves a Porsche.
_________________________
Donato MkII/080000565 MkIIa/010101253 ricin.us
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149607 - 21/03/2003 12:32
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: genixia]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
|
I notice that D&M also own McIntosh.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149608 - 21/03/2003 13:06
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: DWallach]
|
journeyman
Registered: 02/04/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Las Vegas
|
For whatever it's worth, Marantz does know how to deal with expensive, very limited market, highly complex (for the user) hardware products. They still sell home-theater remote controls related to the Phililps Pronto series. Great devices, I have two.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#149609 - 21/03/2003 13:58
Re: Bad news! SonicBlue to file for Chapter 11
[Re: rob]
|
addict
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 443
Loc: Raleigh, NC
|
Don't options vest immedietly when the company is bought or goes IPO??
Edit: Rather, check to see if they do.. Stock option agreements are never standard.
Edited by Yang (21/03/2003 14:02)
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|