Vasr
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So far, MiniDSP is selling products cheaper than USD 1500 like the SHD power amp. If what you say is true, then they will have eventually to create a new line of high end products as opposed to DIY DSP on the other lines. But if MiniDSP can’t sell it, then it is also a problem for DIRAC.
Dirac's current pricing model is not beneficial to boutique, low volume, low price vendors because of the disproportionate licensing costs. People complain about HDMI licensing costs making it bad for small manufacturers. This is orders of magnitude more. Sure, you can say that Dirac is a big selling point but unless miniDSP can leverage that into a much higher volume product (they just don't have the marketing resources/channels for it) or raise the prices significantly, their RoI will be way too low because of the licensing costs. So they will remain a niche, low return company. Which might not be bad at all for segments of consumers. SHD is a great niche and satisfies many users.
DLBC as a separate license makes it much worse for miniDSP and so I don't see how that can make it into current miniDSP products.
Dirac's business model doesn't depend primarily on the miniDSPs. It is getting the big brand deals - NAD, Arcam, etc., that have the pricing power for high-end products and have more total volume of Dirac units sold that makes Dirac's business model strong. If miniDSP were to compete with comparable high-end products at lower prices and with Dirac, it would make it difficult for Dirac to command a good price with the high-end brands. So, it is better for Dirac (from their perspective) for miniDSP to stay a low volume, niche player to not disrupt their bread and butter. Of course, this would not be their public narrative for obvious reasons.