Home Theater and Consumer Electronics News - January 2004

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from January 2004 - 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.

01/31/04
China's Next-Generation DVD Faces Hurdles
Although China dominates current DVD player production, its ambitious goal of dominating future of DVD technology development, by way of its recently developed EVD (Enhanced Video Disc) format, is running into significant obstacles. For additional perspective on the immediate future of DVD, check out my article DVD Players and Recorders - What's Ahead For DVD In 2004.

01/30/04
Hughes Cuts Jobs, Boosts DirecTV Prices
DirecTV, now under the control of NewsCorp, is undergoing a restructuring program that will eliminate and transfer some management personnel, as well as raising subscription rates for some of its satellite TV packages. For more details on how these changes will affect DirecTV subscribers, check out the report from TWICE.

01/29/04
That New HDTV Won't Work For...Super Bowl If You're A Comcast Subscriber
In what can only be termed as bureaucratic blundering, owners of HDTVs that are also Comcast Cable subscribers apparently won't have access to the CBS HDTV feed through their cable systems in cities where the local CBS affiliate is owned by The Sinclair Group. The reason; it seems that Comcast and Sinclair have yet to reach an agreement concerning HDTV cable feeds for local network affiliates owned by Sinclair.

01/28/04
Big Bang In Universal DVD Players
Once relegated strictly to the high-end DVD player market, SACD and DVD-Audio playback capability is now being incorporated into DVD players in all price ranges and configurations.

01/27/04
CBS Primed for Super Bowl In HD
CBS has developed a strategy that will provide the best viewing experience for both HDTV and non-HDTV viewers this year.

01/26/04
Add-on Kit Boosts TiVo Storage
TIVO owners can now increase the storage capacity of their TIVO units with a new third-party do-it-yourself hard drive upgrade kit from a company called Weaknees.

01/25/04
Discovery HD Offering HD Programing for Non Football Fan This Superbowl Sunday
Contrary to popular belief, not everybody will be watching the Superbowl this coming Sunday, nor will all persons that own HDTVs be necessarily watching the sweat running down players' foreheads in glorious HD. As an alternative, Discovery HD will present a showcase of its best HD nature programs on Superbowl Sunday. For more details on Discovery HD's Superbowl Sunday schedule, check out the report from Audio Revolution

01/24/04
Movie Industry Group Backs Off DVD Encryption Lawsuit
In somewhat of a surprise, the DVD Copy Control Association (an arm of the movie studios), has requested that a court case involving the rampant posting of the DVD copy decryption code (DeCSS) on the internet (which enables primarily PC users to unscramble DVD copyguard), be dismissed. This comes as the movie industry has recently lost a similar court case in Norway involving the case of the teenager who actually cracked the DVD anti-copy code and revealed DeCSS in 1999.

01/23/04
DVD-Audio/CD Flip Disc Will Be In Stores in 30 Days
In the "I'll believe it, when I see it" category, music industry officials indicate that the first DVD-Audio/CD hybrid discs will appear in CD bins at music retailers within the next month. With SACD enjoying slightly increased sales with its hybrid CD/SACD releases, it is hoped that DVD-Audio sales will finally take off with the arrival of the new CD/DVD-Audio hybrid discs. Consumers will be able to play the same disc in standard CD players for traditional stereo listening, but also get the full 5.1 surround capabilities of DVD-Audio when the discs are played in DVD-Audio compatible DVD players. For more details and perspective, check out the report from Audio Revolution.

01/22/04
Klipsch Files Lawsuit Against Multiple Internet Sales Violators
Klipsch, prominent loudspeaker manufacturer, puts the heat on unauthorized dealers in a legal campaign that includes severing contracts with any authorized dealers that are found shipping large quanities of its products to third parties for unauthorized sales. For all the details, and names of some of the unauthorized dealers being targeted by Klipsch, check out the report posted by Klipsch via Audioholics.

01/21/04
LG Plasma TVs Appear At Sundance
Building on momentum created at the Consumer Electronics Show, LG delivers on its committment to make an impact on the U.S. Plasma and LCD TV market by making a strong presence at the Sundance Film Festival as one of its official sponsors.

01/20/04
RadioShack Ends RCA Pact, Refines Assortment
Retail survival in the digital age depends on how quickly consumer electronics dealers can change in order to meet market conditions. With this in mind, Radio Shack is undergoing another metamorphosis by ending its partnership with RCA and refocusing its product mix and layout of its stores.

01/19/04
A Chat With the Communications Chief
Will analog TV be turned off in 2006? What is the future of radio in the digital age? Do government regulators even understand the rapid changes in consumer electronics technology? These and other topics were discussed at a public forum at the recent CES 2004 by FCC chairman Michael Powell and Consumer Electronics Association President, Gary Shapiro.

01/18/04
A Sound Idea? - The Pros and Cons Of DVD-Audio
The DVD-Audio format has been with us for a couple of years now and, despite the fact that DVD-Audo provides an amazing listening experience, it still hasn't quite taken off. Some analysts blame marketing to the wrong demographics, others blame poor placement of products in retail stores, and some blame the shortage of original material.

01/17/04
Record HTiB Sales Attract New Suppliers, Designs
To the possible "chagrin" of home theater "purists", sales of home theater-in-a-box systems continue to experience large growth. Seeing the potential in offering the consumer an all-in-one solution to home theater, more manufacturers are entering the HTIB market with new concepts and designs that can appeal to both budget-minded customers and higher-end home theater enthusiasts.

01/16/04
Women Are Now Buying Most Consumer Electronics
With women becoming a larger majority in terms of population, it is only natural that they are also becoming the majority of shoppers, even in consumer electronics. According to latest figures, more DVD players were sold to women than men. Although a portion of DVD player sales may be attributed to women purchasing gifts for their gadget-hungry mates, the increasing popularity of DVD amongest women is a more significant factor. In addition, women are also a large factor in portable audio and digital camera sales. However, despite the impact of the female customer on consumer electronics sales, retailers are being criticized for not treating female customers with more respect and manufacturers are being critized for not taking a more feminine approach to product design and advertising.

01/15/04
Saving Home Movies For Generations
What to do with all those old VHS tapes? Just transfer them to DVD, of course!

01/14/04
CES News - THX Announces "Games Mode" at CES 2004
With an increasing number of consumers integrating video game consoles into their home theater systems, consistency of audio performance of game systems with other components is becoming more important. As a result, THX, well known for its DVD software and home theater component hardware certification programs, is introducing a new certification program for video game console audio performance. For more details, check out the report from Audioholics.

01/13/04
Hitachi Announces Two New DVD Camcorders
DVD continues to make inroads into the camcorder market as Hitachi announces two new affordable models: The DZ-MV550 ($799) and DZ-MV580A ($899). For additional information, check out the report from Camcorder Info

01/12/04
News From CES - International Consumer Electronics Show Breaks All Records...
The numbers are in and this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) was the largest in history, with over 125,000 attendees from 110 countries. In addition, the upbeat tone of this year's show shows confidence in the new technology products introduced and of the world economy.

01/11/04
News From CES - Kleisterlee Says, ‘Keep It Simple’ At CEA Dinner
With the digital age, there are more choices for consumers than ever before. However, with the rapid introduction of new technologies and products, it is difficult for the average person to not only keep up with increased options, but more and more, consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to understand and operate new devices. As a result, Royal Philips Consumer Electronics CEO Gerard Kleisterlee, addressing a dinner meeting at CES, indicated that CE companies have a special obligation to make sure consumers understand both the benefits and how to operate new digital products.

01/10/04
News From CES - Home Theater Components Got It Going On
The AV receiver has truly evolved into the control center for both audio and video aspects of home theater systems. This year, at CES, major manufacturers, such as Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, Pioneer, and others unveiled more AV receivers equipped with upscale features such as, 7.1 channel setup, Dolby Pro-logic IIx processing, video up and downconversion capability (with inclusion of line doubling and Faroudja video processing in some cases), iLink connectivity for DVD-Audio/SACD, and more. In addition, Sherwood displayed a new 6.1 channel AV receiver for less than $200.

01/09/04
News From CES - LG Plans U.S. Plasma TV Conquest
The competitive landscape in U.S. consumer electronics undergoing major upheaval as computer retailers enter the U.S. retail side and the Chinese manufacturing invasion is upsetting the dominance of traditional Japanese brands, such as Sony and Panasonic. Now, to add more pressure in an already overcrowded maket, LG electronics (formerly Goldstar; and a major investor in Zenith), bolstered by its success in the U.S. appliance and mobile phone market, is now aggressively pursuing the U.S. Plasma TV and DVD recorder markets.

Armed with a massive advertising campaign here at CES and supported by its large manufacturing infrastructive, including Plasma TV manufacturing facilities targeted to produce as much as 75,000 Plasma panels a month, LG announced at its CES press conference that it is ready to meet the challenge of the upscale Plasma TV market in the U.S., while still targeting its Zenith brand at the mainstream market.

Touting the slogan "Life's Good" (LG), the Korean-based company claims to be lining up the “right” dealers to sell its products. LG’s product line currently includes an extensive line of plasma TVs, including a 76-inch model, as well as an extensive line of LCD TVs and other digital products, including DVD and DVR recorders.

Stay tuned for more information on this and other hot CES news, including photos, at the conclusion of CES, later this week.

01/08/04
Press Preview Day At CES Reveals Hot Product Trends
The annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has arrived, bringing over 110,000 consumer electronics industry professionals and several thousand Press/Media representatives from around the World to Las Vegas this week. Several major CE manufacturers (including LG, Pioneer, Philips, Toshiba, and Sony) held press conferences on Wednesday, outlining their product strategies for the coming year. In reference to home theater-related products, the emphasis is definitely going towards Flat Panel (LCD/Plasma) televisions and DVD recording devices. In fact, very few direct-view CRT-based televisions are on display and the standard VHS VCR is no where to be found, except in DVD/VCR and TV/VCR combo products. Stay tuned for more reports on this and other trends announced at CES as the week progresses, with a complete photo gallery and reports at the conclusion of the show.

01/07/04
V Inc. Announces New Bravo HD DVD Player
Building on the success of its Bravo D1, the first DVD player with the ability to upscale standard DVD to either 720p or 1080i HD resolution through a DVI output, V-Inc rolls out its next generation DVD player, the Bravo D3. This new unit includes the same HD upscaling features as the D1, but also includes the ability to play DVD+R/+RW/-R/-RW discs as well as Mpeg4, Window Media 9, and HighMAT encoded discs. To find out more detailed specifications, pricing, and availability, check out the report from Film And Video Magazine.

01/06/04
High-res Discs Miss The Holidays...
Consumer electronics sales experienced strong sales growth in new technology areas such as digital cameras/camcorders, DVD, and HDTV. However, the two high-resolution audio formats, SACD and DVD-Audio, continued to "miss the boat" in terms of grabbing a significant increase in sales during this past holiday season. Does this mean that consumers don't accept these new formats, or is it that just a lack of marketing to the right consumer demographic? For some possible answers to the plight of SACD and DVD-Audio, check out the report from Audio Revolution

01/05/04
Digital TV Broadcasting Delay Becoming Costly (In Korea)
Despite the fact that South Korea faces a constant threat of invasion from North Korea's massive army, it seems that a more immediate threat may the controversial delay over DTV/HDTV implementation. It seems that local South Korean broadcasters favor the European Digital TV standard, while the Seoul government favors the U.S. Digital TV standard.

01/04/04
Canon, Toshiba Seed Venture For SED Flat TVs
Just as consumers are getting familiar with LCD and Plasma Flat-Panel televisions, Canon and Toshiba are teaming up to introduce a new type of flat panel television based on a technology invented by Canon that has similar performance characteristics of standard picture tube technology, but in a much thinner design.

01/03/04
Gadgets To Garbage
We are hooked on our electronic gadgets. In fact, we are so obsessed with having the latest "stuff" that we forget how our old, discarded, "e-waste" is taxing landfills around the World.

01/02/04
Sharp To Invest 841 Million Dollars To Boost LCD Production
With LCD TV sales expected to double in 2004 over 2003 figures, Sharp is not taking any chances of letting competitors eat into its market share.

01/01/04
HD Radio Goes Live
Television isn't the only thing going high-definition. Consumers will soon have the ability to "tune in" on HD Radio. Recently given the go-ahead by the FCC, iBiquity Digital is teaming up with major manufacturers to bring HD radio to the masses. The first products will debut at next week's Consumer Electronics Show. For additional details on HD radio technology and marketing, check out the report from Stereophile Magazine

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