Be prepared for price hikes!

The audio-video market is now really sluggish. Why? Because the fasting month is here now and Muslims, that make up the majority of the community, allocate their money mostly for daily necessities. Besides, following the average 106% increase in fuel prices, principals must surely raise their prices. This, obviously, is causing the market to become depressed.

Prices have indeed moved upwards. Interestingly, though, the prices of a small number of products have instead gone down. This market anomaly is the result of either stiffer competition or the basic prices being set at too high a level while the products, such as Plasma/LCD TVs, have reached their break-even point.

The market shows that Sony has just lowered the price of its KF-WE42AI (42 inch) Plasma TV from Rp 32,460,000 to Rp 25,859,000, while its KF-WS60 (60 inch) has just been cut from Rp 64,900,000 to Rp 58,300,000! Meanwhile, Hitachi's 42PD3000TA Plasma TV (42 inch) is being sold for just Rp 22,500,000 and Samsung's Projection TV (SP-43R2HE, 43 inch) is available at Rp 12,500,000. Another player in the big screen TV market -- Sony -- has just launched its big screen CRT television for home theater use, namely the KV-DA32M66 (wide screen, 32 inch) selling for Rp 13,300,000!

In the Mini Home Theater or Home Theater in Box (HtiB) market, Sony DAV-SC8 has just lowered its price from Rp 6,829,000 to Rp 5,780,000, while Philips' product, the LX8500W, has been discounted from Rp 7,550,000 to Rp 4,000,000! These two HtiB products are of the premium class because the speakers are of the standing type, a highly suitable element for any interior decoration.

Meanwhile, the price of the Pioneer Minicompo DVDEV66DVD has also been cut by Rp 200,000 and is available now for Rp 3,200,000. A similar product by Aiwa, the BMZK7D, has been lowered in price from Rp 4,729,000 to Rp 3,700,000, while the Panasonic SC-VK71 has been discounted by Rp 200,000 and is now being sold for Rp 3,000,000. Not bad, eh?

If you are looking for a premium class DVD player, there are three models that are attractive. They are Harman/Kardon, which has just been cut in price by Rp 200,000 and is available for Rp 2 million, the Pioneer DV-686A, in fact a new product and sold at Rp 1,800,000, and the latest DVD recorder by Sony, the RDR-GX310, which is being offered at the competitive price of Rp 4,200,000. If you are interested in a portable DVD player, you can buy one made by Coby with a 7-inch LCD screen for Rp 1,550,000!

In the premium handycam market, Panasonic is offering its NV- GS400 at the competitive price of Rp 10,800,000, after a discount of Rp 750,000, while Sony has come out with its DCR-PC55, whose price has just been lowered by Rp 750,000 to Rp 6,450,000.

Finally, Sharp offers its flat CRT TV 29H-FG1F (AV stereo), which has just been slashed in price from Rp 3,075,000 to Rp 2,950,000. But, mind you, the 1-year guarantee given comes from a black market importer. Interested? Go for it.

-- Doharto J. Simatupang