Acer Laboratories Inc (揚智), which designs chips for DVD players, said it turned to a profit in the first quarter as sales to
customers in China and South Korea rose.
The company posted a net income of NT$95 million (US$2.7 million), or NT$0.67 a share, compared with a loss of NT$139 million, or NT$0.95, a year ago, according to an official in the company's finance department who declined to be identified.
Sales rose to NT$1.5 billion from NT$892 million a year earlier, he said.
Acer Laboratories and rivals such as MediaTek Inc (聯發), whose profit doubled last year, benefited as consumers spent more on home entertainment following the Sept. 11 attacks in the US. The company said net income this year will rise to NT$542 million from NT$15 million last year as sales increase to NT$7.7 billion from NT$5.4 billion.
"Demand for DVD players in the second quarter is still strong," the official said. Most of the company's sales are in China, he said.
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