Home Electronics Industry News -- December 2000

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from December 2000 - 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.

12/31/00
Top Government Officials To Attend 2001 International CES
With technologies such as HDTV, home networking, and mobile communications, becoming more and more a part of our lives, the US and State Governments are taking notice. What is their role, should they be involved, and to what degree? To address these issues and more, many prominent Government officials will be attending this year's CES.

12/30/00
The Best Of British Audio At Alexis Park
Several major British audio component companies will show off their product lines at the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas during next week's CES . The companies include Arcam, Acoustic Energy, DCS, Nottingham Analogue.

12/29/00
Montgomery Ward Going Out Of Business
An American retail icon begins to close its doors. Not much to say, except that Montegomery Ward has etched itself into a signifigant place in American retail history as the first mail-order catalog retailer in the late nineteenth century, then as a brick-and-mortar retail giant throughout most of the twentieth century.

12/28/00
Multi-Play Spec Finalized
The confusion over compatibility of CD-Rs, RW's, and CD-Video with current CD and DVD players, may soon be clarified with a new "Multi-Play" labeling standard.

12/27/00
NAB Warns MPAA About Encryption Proposal
Will the ability to record TV programs become a thing of the past? If the Motion Picture Association Of America has its way, it could be.

12/25/00
Panasonic Ships New DIRECTV HDTV Receivers To Retailers
Panasonic finally brings its long-awaited multi-purpose HDTV/Satellite receiver to market, allowing economical intregation of analog, cable, satellite, and DTV signal sources to the new generation of HD-Ready TVs.

12/23/00
2,500 Playstation 2's Smuggled Into UK
The British Grey Market comes to the rescue of consumers in the UK thirsting for Playstation 2's, by successfully bypassing SONY and importing several thousand into the UK from "secret" sources.

12/22/00
Harman Kardon To Develop TV-Based Convergence Box
Harman Kardon takes an innovative approach to set-top box clutter with its announcement that it is developing a set-top box that will include a DVD Player/30GB Hard Drive for video and audio media storage/Web Browser and more.

12/21/00
Looking Ahead For 2001: What To Expect At Retail
Retail sales trends may be on a downward path, but that's not stopping the flood of new products.

12/20/00
Zenith Announces HDTV PVR & NET TV With Free Service
Zenith continues its comeback with the announcement of several new products for the coming year, including, an HDTV PVR, LCD TVs, a TV with built-in internet capability, and more.

12/19/00
Aiwa Unveils CES Lineup
Aiwa, the innovative "step-child" of SONY, promotes its new product line in advance of the upcoming CES. New products include a DVD Home-Theater-In-A-Box System, MP3-capable CD players, and more.

12/18/00
Pioneer Shares DVD, DVD-RW, Plasma Plans
As a prelude to the upcoming CES in Las Vegas, Pioneer unveils is aggressive strategy for recordable DVD for the coming year.

Will Best Buy's Big Buy Fly?
With the economy and retail in the beginning of a slow down, has Best Buy made the right decision on its recent aquisitions and aggressive plans for Canadian expansion?

12/17/00
Digital Cinema "Bounces" Into NY Theater
Is the era of film projection in movie theaters slowly coming to an end? Well, if the proponents of Digital Cinema have their way, you won't have to suffer through film scratches or breaks any more.

12/16/00
Digital Set-Top Box Market Still In Infancy
With the continued conversion from analog to digital TV broadcasting, the need for set-top converter boxes will continue to rise as the 2006 analog-cutoff date approaches.

12/15/00
DVD Player Sales Surpass Six Million Dollar Mark
DVD marches on as it recently passed the six-million-players-sold mark. In other news, Digital Camcorders recently reached a 25% market share in total camcorders sold. It looks like digital is in!

12/14/00
Panasonic Does SD, MP3, DVD-Camcorder
With CES approaching in a few weeks, Panasonic unveils several new products, including a DVD-RAM camcorder.

12/13/00
Onkyo's Envision Theater Combines A DVD/CD Receiver And 5.1 Speaker System....
Onkyo unveils its own Home-Theater-In-A-Box concept with its "Envision Theater". This unit combines a DVD/CD player, a 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS receiver with 30 watt-per-channel amplifier, AM/FM Tuner, and speaker/subwoofer setup. Projected price is $1,195.

12/12/00
CEDIA Seeks Qualified Instructors For CEDIA EXPO 2001
Are you a home electronics or home theater expert? If so, way not apply to be an instructor at next year's CEDIA (The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) EXPO?

12/11/00
DVD-Audio To Establish Broader Market Position In 2001
As more DVD-Audio hardware hits the market and is sold to consumers, more software should become available.

12/10/00
Go Video DVR-5000 Integrated DVD+VCR Is A Sellout Success
Sensory Science (Go Video), the inventor of the Dual-Deck VCR, is claiming a sellout success with its latest twist on the dual deck concept, the DVD/VCR Combo unit.

12/09/00
From Sharp Minds Come Flat TVs
Sharp introduces a new line of LCD Flat Panel Displays with built-in TV tuners. However, with prices on the high-end, will consumers "bite"?

12/08/00
Best Buy Grabs Musicland, Magnolia HiFi
In a virtual retail-acquisition coupe, Best Buy, quadruples its size overnight with the purchase of Musicland (which includes Sam Goody and Suncoast Video stores) and Magnolia HiFi (A high-end audio retailer in the Northwest). In addition, Best Buy has plans for international expansion, with the first stores slated for Canada.

Circuit City Sales Sink In 3rd Quarter
Citing store remodeling, low pricing, and more consumer bargain hunting, Circuit City sales dip 7% in 3rd quarter. However, Circuit City's loss is other competitors' gain.

Good Guys Reports Higher 4Q Comps, Net Sales
Rising from a potential retail-oblivion, Good Guys is on the rise, with increase sales volume and lower net income loss that last year.

12/07/00
New Thomson TVs To Offer Free Web Access For European Market
Thomson (parent of RCA) has launched a line of interactive TV products, including TVs with built-in modems. Microsoft is providing software support for the new concept, which includes free Internet access.

12/06/00
DVD Hears Cheers For Strong Launch But ...
DVD might just be the greatest thing since "sliced bread" for the consumer electronics industry, but the stalwart VCR has just passed the 200 million sales mark in North America, with over 600 million VHS VCRs still in use Worldwide. This means that despite the emergence of DVD, HDTV, and other digital entertainment technologies, the VCR will still be with us for many years to come.

12/05/00
Consumer Interest In Buying Digital Television On The Rise
Despite political and corporate confusion over the implementation of DTV/HDTV, consumer interest is there, if products are priced resonably and programming is available.

12/04/00
Lack Of Final Standards Is Obstacle To Cable Compatible DTV -- CEA Urges FCC Action
One of the factors impeding the implementation of DTV/HDTV in a timely fashion is lack of progress in the Cable TV industry.

12/03/00
The State Of HDTV Programming
Since WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC began broadcasting in HDTV in 1997, HDTV has been embroiled in controversy over standards and implementation deadlines.

12/02/00
Matsushita Annouces 3-Yr Plan To Reinvent Itself
In an effort to respond to the rapidly changing consumer electronics market, Matsushita (Parent of Panasonic), is undertaking an ambitious restructing, emphasizing Digital AV products and mobile communications.

12/01/00
Dolby Surround Has A New Sound, Even In Stereo
THX Surround-EX and DTS-ES aren't the only new surround sound options coming to market this year, Dolby Labs has even more up its sleeve with Pro-Logic II.

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