On aw.net a few days ago, was topic saying something about $200 Dell computers to be sold in supermarkets. Can't find it, but i think the very same thing can Genesi do.

Look at this:
-If efika is sold at $100, that means that the production costs (in say ~20.000 units) can't be more than $50.
-Put some cheap gfx card with TV out- $15 max
-Instead of pico psu, build them for $4
-Put those small dvd drives, the same as in laptop - $20
-Some fancy case - $10
-Instead of HD, make some very small (ie 1GB) SDD - $10
-No keyboard, only small sized remote control - $3
Man work will be included later.

Now, fill it with MOS, Mplayer, Valiant vision and mp3 player. It would be perfect home video center where you could watch DVD movies, listen MP3, and if you would attach camera, you could see who is ringing at doors. Imagine that sort of presentation at your local supermarket. You watch TV and if someone rings, movie is interapted with image of your guest from camera.
MP3 playing; the program would recognize insterted CD and autoload the playlist for that specific CD. Just like MUIcd_player is doing but only for CDDA.

As it would contain SDD, no sound would be ever made so it could be on forever.

Now, the price of it:
$112 for h/w at MAX. Add $8 for assembing it and it costs $120. Sell them to supermarket at ie $200, and split that $80. Let say that only $40 goes to genesi.

Now, as this device would be excelent DVD player like you have, but with way more possibilities, at least 50.000 units could be easily sold. But; let say that even a nuke war has started, so lower it at 20.000 units.

20.000 x $40 =$800.000

Give ie $200.000 for TV ads and $200.000 for mos team, valiant and mplayer coders. You still have at least $400.000.

Now, the way i calculated these things:
-I bought my NEO dvd, 2 years ago for $50. With case, cables... Like every regular dvd player. I believe that with taxes and customs included, that device can't cost more than $30. Just for efika (no drive, no case) i used $50, way more than it should really cost.

My friend is importing mobile phone chargers from china at $3 for charger and airplane transport.

Universal RC in local shop here (Serbia) costs $6.

Even $15 for gfx card is too much. My radeon 9550 cost less than $20 when importing it in Serbia.

So $120 is very much more that it should really cost. If Bulgarians can build NEO dvd and sell it here for $40 (now it costs that much), the whole video center can't cost more than $70, reallisticly speaken.

The box would have 1 usb more to connect to other efika/pegasos, sold at regular prices ($99, $499...) etc...

As there are always geeks trying to fix things not broken, they might get interested in MOS. Much larger user base would be made compared to the present one.

What do you think? Believe me, the prices i made are realistic...

The Efika 2 is coming. It will be an enabler...

@ srbin
-Put some cheap gfx card with TV out- $15 max

I really like it. I'd like to see it. I think building a gfx chip in instead of adding an external one would would make the price even lower.

Quote:

that's exactly about the Efika2. It features a PowerVR core to handle GFX. It should be available in a near future.


[ Edited by SoundSquare on 2007/12/16 0:16 ]

IMHO the PowerVR is to weak to satisfy my needs like 1280x1024x32 resolution and the 3D acceleration could be better.
But it depends on what you wan't to use that device for.

I like the idea that the Efika could be the perfekt Home-Media-Center, but it must be able to play movies in at least 720p and DVD/Blueray.

I know a few coffe bar owners that would like to have cheap and simple DVD and MP3 player, but with that playlist recognizing. This way, the barman just put dvd and is bored to skip songs or put in some better way.

I know that i would like to have something like that, to replace my dvd player. And with that camera input.... boy... No more boring friends

I would buy this one with no doubt... :)

Quote:
I run a PowerVR in just this resolution, 3D accel is pretty decent, comparable with the ATI X1050 on my machine here.

Well IMO it would have to be a lot more powerfull than current Efika is. We already can go and buy a Xbox for that kind of mediacenter use for a lot less.

It would need to be able to handle 1080p video. That could be possible if it used a readeon HD2xxx core for GFX. Then we wouldn't have the need for a much faster processor and the price could still be very low.

Painkiller:
Where will you get drivers for HD2xxx from?

:) it would have to be coded and that is another obstacle to overcome...

Quote:

This is why you give $200.000 to coders of MOS, Valiant Vision, Mplayer.... It is written above.