Home Electronics Industry News -- January 2002

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from January 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.

01/31/02
Four Studios Announce HD D-VHS Plans
While DVD provides excellent video quality, videotape may not be dead just yet as several movie studios announce support for JVC's D-VHS format, which provides the capability of playing pre-recorded High Definition video programming on a VCR format that is still backwards compatible with current VHS technology.

01/30/02
Samsung, Texas Instruments Announce Agreement To Introduce New Generation Of Large-Screen TVs Using DLP Technology
The popularity of DLP (Digital Light Processing) for home theater applications is on the rise. Samsung has seen the writing on the wall as they ink a deal with Texas Instruments to bring several new DLP projection sets to market.

01/29/02
Apex Digital Expands Into Direct View, Projection TV
APEX, the major force behind inexpensive but innovative DVD players, is now intent on doing the same in the TV field, with introduction of a whole line of flat-tube direct view TVs with a line of rear projection HDTVs to follow.

01/28/02
Blockbuster Pursuing CE Market Without RadioShack
After initial market testing, Blockbuster decides to further delve into the CE arena, however, its partnership with Radio Shack is being terminated.

01/27/02
Sony Q3 Electronics Sales Drop 2.8%
Despite strong sales in key areas, such as projection TVs, computers, and digital cameras, Sony still experienced an overall sales decline in the third quarter.

01/26/02
Columbia Picks "Pocket DVD" For Metropolis
DVD takes yet another form as Columbia Tri-Star plans to release a 3-inch "pocket" DVD with supplementary material to accompamy the upcoming release of its first Anime DVD release "Metropolis".

01/25/02
XM Expects 350K New Subscribers During '02
The battle of over satellite pay radio has begun as XM pushes itself into the market and upstart Sirius begins its service in February.

01/24/02
DVD Players No Longer Go It Alone
As DVD continues its amazing success, new combinations of products, such as game consoles, hardisk recorders, and media controllers, are incorporating DVD functions.

01/23/02
When You're Hot You're Hot
Who would have predicted five years ago that a device that played shiny little discs with movies on it would become the most successful consumer electronics product ever? The growth of DVD has surpassed all expectations. For more details, check out the above report by Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

01/22/02
2001 Video Product Sales Highlight Digital Revolution
The digital revolution has taken a firm hold in the U.S. marketplace, according to latest sales figures of DVD players and DTV products.

01/21/02
Fox Will Do Superbowl in 480p
Despite the fact that last year's Superbowl was broadcast in High Definition 1080i, FOX plans to broadcast this year's championship contest in a 16x9 480p EDTV format. This, despite the fact that more people own HDTVs than last year. To find out all the details on this seemingly "backward" move, check out the above report by Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

01/20/02
Tweeter Q1 Revenue Soars 55%, Comps Off 1.6%
Due to aggressive expansion, Tweeter has shown remarkable revenue growth this past year, despite some encomic uncertainty.

01/19/02
Two Suppliers Cut Back On VHS Catalog
The continued growing popularity of DVD is causing Columbia Tri-Star and Anchor Bay to discontinue VHS releases of old films, while other studios, such as Warner Home Video are still claiming to support continued VHS releases of catalogue film titles.

01/18/02
CD Creator Burns Copy-Protection Efforts
When is a CD not a CD? According to Philips, the inventor of the CD, the new anti-copy encryption schemes on new CD releases are transforming the traditional CD into a warped derivative that veers away from its original specifications, which interferes with playback compatibility on both CD-Rom drives and some CD players.

01/17/02
Pioneer Electronics Introduces New, Redesigned A/V Receivers
Pioneer breaks both the price and performance barriers with the introduction of four new AV Receivers, one of which (VSX-D811S) includes 6.1 channel Dolby Digital EX/DTS-ES Discrete, fully powered rear-center channel, and component video inputs for the low price of $475.

01/16/02
SLS Speakers Selected By Digidesign, NARAS, For Demonstrations At NAMM
SLS, makers of a unique type of ribbon driver loudspeakers, have been chosen for use in audio events at this year's NAMM (The International Music Products Association) convention in Anaheim on January 17-20.

01/15/02
Thomson To Build EchoStar Receivers
As the main proponent and producer of DirecTV receivers, Thomson and Echostar have reached a suprise agreement allowing Thomson to manufacture and sell Dish Network receivers. On second thought, in light of the proposed merger between DirecTV and Dish Network, this announcement may not be so suprising after all.

01/14/02
Denon Launches New Surround Sound Receiver At CES 2002
Denon presented a new AV receiver at CES that can only be described as the most feature-packed AV receiver to date. Awarded THX Ultra2 Certification, the AVR-5803 has features such as Dolby Headphone surround technology, 8-channel amplifier, High Bandwidth component video inputs to accommodate progressive scan and HDTV signals, and more. For all the details, check out the above report from Home Theater Magazine.

01/13/02
DVD Recorders Closer On A Standard Spec
In an effort to clear up the confusion over incompatible recordable DVD formats, the Recordable DVD Council announced at CES 2002 that it is establishing a new standard: DVD-multi, which encompasses DVD-R, DVD-RAM, and DVD-RW. Hopefully, hardware will be produced that will encompass all three formats. The only outsider at this point is DVD+RW and DVD+R. which is supported by Philips.

01/12/02
HTiBs Get DVD-Audio
The home theater-in-a-box concept continues to impact the consumer market as more and more features are including in HTIB packages. On the heels of Sony's release of HTIB's that are SACD compatible, Panasonic and Yamaha unveil several HTIB systems with DVD-Audio capability.

01/11/02
Stereo Flame Alive At CES In Components, Systems
Depsite the emphasis on multi-channel audio and digital audio components, basic two-channel stereo and vacuum tube components still have a presence at this year's CES.

01/10/02
More Companies Demo Home Networking At CES
Home Networking is a key buzzword at this year's CES as a variety of companies introduce wireless and home server products for both entertainment and environmental management.

SRS Adds Speakers, Bows 6.1 Recoding
Dolby and DTS aren't the only game in town when it comes to surround sound as SRS unveils its Circle Surround II audio recoding/decoding format and also introduces its own line of loudspeakers at this year's CES.

01/09/02
Runco To Unveil Lower Prices For High End Video Products
Runco, long known for its high-end home theater projectors, is introducing a new 42" Plasma Display for under $10,000 and a HD capable DLP projector for under $6,000 at this week's CES.

01/08/02
Portables Will Draw A Crowd At Annual Gadget Trade Show
From Palm Decices to Digital Audio Players to portable Karaoke, the latest in portable gadgets will displayed at this year's CES.

01/07/02
Entertainment Wires Cross At CES Show
Home entertainment, gaming, and multimedia converge as a host of companies present the latest in home entertainment convergence products at this year's CES.

01/06/02
2002 Brings Largest International CES Ever
Despite recent events and slightly downward economy, CES presses on with the largest consumer electronics trade show ever in the U.S., which begins on officially on January 8, 2002 and runs through January 11. In addition to more exhibit space this year, new innovations in mobile communications, home theater, dgital television, and more will highlight this year's show. For more details, check out the above press release issued by CES.

01/05/02
Canton Shines At CES 2002 With 22 New Loudspeakers
Canton Electronics, Germany's largest loudpeaker and home theater component maker, plans to make a huge impact at CES this coming week with introduction of an extensive line of speakers and subwoofers.

01/04/02
Blockbuster Brings Out The Hardware
Blockbuster, the international video rental chain, enters into the highly-competitive video hardware market with DVD players, satellite systems, and accessories in some of its stores, are game consoles next?

01/03/02
Lightware And PLUS Corporation Unveil The World's First Two-Pound DLP Projectors
Bulky CRT projectors may becoming the thing of the past as DLP technology is enabling cost-effective, high performance, light weight projectors for both commercial and home use.

01/02/02
DVD Forum Publishes Digital Interface Specs for DVD-Audio/Video
Up until now, the only way the DVD-Audio format could transfer its 5.1 channel audio output to a Receiver was through dedicated 6-channel analog outputs on the DVD-Audio player and corresponding inputs on the Receiver. Now, at last, the DVD Forum has approved a digital interface system utilizing the Firewire (IEEE-1394, iLink) protocol. This same digital interface can also be employed to carry DVD-Video information as well.

01/01/02
Federal Aid for NYC Broadcasters
Local TV broadcasters that had transmission towers on top of the now-gone World Trade Center in NYC will be getting 8-million dollars in Federal aid to rebuild their transmission towers in a new location. For more details on this, check out the above report by Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

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