Home Electronics Industry News -- April 2002

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from April 2002 - Since most of the links are now inactive, they have been removed. However, the headlines and summaries are still posted to historically document the news headlines from the dates listed.

04/30/02
Wal-Mart Test Marketing XM and Sirius
The satellite radio war is really heating up as Sirius and XM expand their marketing strategies beyond CE retailers, such as Best Buy, to include distribution through Wal Mart stores.

04/29/02
Prices Falling On DVD Recordable<
DVD recorders may finally hit the mainstream this Summer as Philips introduces its DVDR985 for $999 and Panasonic lowers the price of the DMR-E20 to $799. In conjunction with aggressive pricing retailers, such as Good Guys, are setting up prominent displays of these products in their stores.

04/28/02
DVD To Hit One-Billion Milestone...
Believe it or not, after just five years, one billion DVDs have pressed worldwide. This is far faster than any previous audio or video format.

04/27/02
Record Surge In DVD Rentals
The success of DVD continues surpass all expectations as the DVD movie rental market continues to encroach on VHS rentals. DVD movie rentals now account for almost 30% of the total video rental market.

04/26/02
DVD Copier Wants Legal Clearance
There is a brewing court battle looming over whether or not consumers have the freedom to backup copies of DVD movies at home, without infringing on copyright protections.

04/25/02
Discovery HD Theater
HDTV gets another boost as the Discovery Channel is scheduled to launch full time HD broadcasting on a new channel. To find out more, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

04/24/02
RadioShack Q1 Sales Down 9%, Yet Net Rises 11%
With a little "tweaking" here and a little "re-merchandising" there, Radio Shack appears to have the formula for increasing its profits despite a decrease in overall sales volume.

04/23/02
Best Buy To Open First Manhattan Store
The Best Buy juggernaut continues to roll on as the Nation's largest CE Retailer expects to open 60 new stores this year, including its first one in York City's Manhattan Island.

04/22/02
FCC Again Delays EchoStar Deal Review
The FCC continues to delay final approval for the controversial merger bewteen DirecTV and Echostar (Dish Network).

04/21/02
Two Tiers To Fox's DVD Strategy
DVD marketing takes on another twist as Fox decides to use a two layer strategy in which some films will be released first as a full-featured "collector's editiion" with lots of extra features, followed months later by a more stripped-down bargain version.

04/20/02
XM Claims Superiority
In the latest shot fired in the new Satellite Radio War between XM and Sirius, XM touts that its audio-encoding system provides better sound quality.

04/19/02
SLS Live Sound Speaker Awarded
SLS International, noted for its innovative ribbon driver technology, has won the award for "Best Live Speaker" by EQ Magazine.

04/18/02
Samsung Plans Slate Of DTV Set-top Boxes To Fill Demand
With the growing number of consumers purchasing HD-Upgradable sets, Samsung is introducing several new set-top boxes starting as low as $399.

04/17/02
Matsushita's "Sound Window"
Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) announces a new technology in loudspeaker design that utilizes flat-transparent surfaces. Although still in early design stages, this technology may revolutionize loudspeaker application and decor. For all the specifics, check out the above report from Stereophile.

04/16/02
Best Buy Sets Stock Split
Despite the uneven state of the retail industry, Best Buy continues to forge ahead with expansion and an overall positive sales outlook. To boltster this trend, Best Buy has offered a 3-for-2 stock split to its investors.

04/15/02
CEA Responds To FCC Chairman Powell's Letter Regarding HDTV Transition
Issues surrounding the implementation of Digital TV broadcasting are still in discussion as the CEA responds to the plan put forth by Michael Powell last week.

04/14/02
BBC Tech Chief Blasts U.S. High-Definition TV
International criticism of the U.S. is not just limited to foreign policy and the war on terrorism as the BBC's Chief of Technology, Philip Langsdale, takes aim at U.S. HDTV strategy, in an address to the NAB (National Association Of Broadcasters) convention in Las Vegas. Reported by EE Times.

04/13/02
Sirius Deployed In 11 States
The satellite radio war continues on as Sirius claims that its service now encompasses 11 states, mostly in the Midwest and South.

04/12/02
Best Buy Seeks Copy Protection
Despite the fact that Best Buys sells a plethora of CD burners, CD, and other music recording devices, they are jumping on board in support of CD copy-protection technology.

04/11/02
Microsoft Backs Rewritable DVD Format
In what could mark the turning point in the standardization of recordable DVD, Microsoft has announced its support for the DVD+R and DVD+RW format for its upcoming additions to the windows operating system.

04/10/02
Rental Dollar Days At Wherehous
Despite the competition from Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, Wherehouse is re-emphasizing video rentals at some of its locations with a 1-Dollar nitely rental fee for both DVD and VHS titles.

04/09/02
Crash, Don't Burn
If you are a Celine Dion fan, you might think twice before buying her latest CD release. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile.

04/08/02
Home Entertainment 2002
If CES wasn't enough, check out the Home Entertainment 2002 show in New York City later this Spring, featuring the latest in home theater technology and products. For more info, including dates, location, and admission information, check out the the official Home Entertainment Show Website.

04/07/02
Digital Radio IC Makers Wrestle With Rival Standards
As digital radio attempts to break into the marketplace, the battle over standards and competing formats is not making it easy for the manufacturers that supply the core IC chips. For more details, check out the above report from EE Times.

04/06/02
FCC's Powell Pushes DTV Transition Plan
In another effort to jump-start the transition to DTV, FCC Chairman Michael Powell is putting forth a plan that will the enlist the aid of the four major TV networks, as well as HBO and Showtime, to provide more DTV programming in their weekly schedules.

04/05/02
Tweeter Comps Fall; Company Reorganizes<
After a couple of years of rapid expansion and sales growth, the brakes may be on for Tweeter.

04/04/02
DIRECTV Boosts Security With New Cards
DirecTV will be sending out new access cards to all of its subscribers that will insure greater protection of its transmissions against illegal reception.

04/03/02
SONICblue Introduces New Dual-Deck DVD/VCRs
The popularity of DVD/VCR combination units seems to be holding its own as SONICblue introduces two new jammed-packed DVD/VCR combo units starting at an incredibly low price of $199!

04/02/02
XM Signs Up 76,000 Subscribers
Satellite pay radio appears to be taking hold as XM exceeds market projections on its subscriber base.

04/01/02
Hollings Launches Hardware Bill
Big Brother may be about to be turned loose as the government seems intent on continuing its invasion of your privacy, with regards to your TV viewing and computer download habits. For some chilling news and commentary on what may lie ahead for the citizenry, check out the above report from Stereophile.

For additional News Stories check out my Home Electronics Industry News Archives.