Home Electronics Industry News -- JUNE 2001

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from June 2001 - 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.

06/30/01
Signature 800 Series Marks B&W Loudspeakers' 35th Anniversary
Just a few years ago, B&W introduced its Nautilus series loudspeakers, reaching new heights in listening technology. Now, in celebration of its 35th anniversary, B&W introduces its Signature 800 Series, which should create a stir in the loudspeaker industry.

06/29/01
Philips, HP, Thomson DVD+RW Products Slated
Affordable DVD recording is on the way as Philips, HP, and Thomson announce DVD+RW standalone recorders and PC drive will be arriving in stores later this year.

06/28/01
Inprimis And iDVDBox Announce Production Of i2DVD Player
As DVD begins to dominate in homes around the world, the next evolution in DVD players is about to emerge with the introduction of the i2DVD player, which combines the traditional DVD player, Internet access, CD and MP3 music playback, and other interactive functions.

06/27/01
Phantom Adds Fuel To Fantastic Finish
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace finally makes it to DVD this fall. Did George Lucas succumb to fan pressure, or is it just means to promot the next installment? Whatever the reason, this may just be the most awaited DVD release ever.

06/26/01
Zenith Exhibits 60- And 40-Inch Ultra-Thin HDTV And EDTV Plasma Display Panel Monitors
As Plasma TV becomes a more accepted option for both business and consumer applications, Zenith strengthens its committment to Plasma technology by introducing two new models.

06/25/01
Sony to Boost Output of DVD Players
With a 25% worldwide market share in DVD players sold, SONY announces it will boost its production even more to stay ahead of the competition.

06/24/01
Car Sound & Performance Teams with DTS
Car Sound & Performance Magazine signs on to an aggressive marketing campaign to promote DTS products for the car audio market.

06/23/01
NARM: DVD spins past VHS
DVD has reached another milestone as DVD movie revenues have surpassed that of VHS videos for the first time.

06/22/01
Good Guys Loss Widens in Fiscal Q1
Despite its belt-tightening and empahsis on higher-end, higher-margin product offerings, Good Guys loss continues to widen in the first quarter of '01.

06/21/01
Sales Of DVD Players, Camcorders Post Gains During May
Sales of DVD players and Camcorders continue to rise in May, along with DTV products.

06/20/01
PLUS® Introduces World's Smallest And Lightest Home Theatre Projector
Well known for its mobile video projectors, PLUS® introduces its new HE-3100 compact DLP projector specifically designed for home theater use.

06/19/01
Circuit City Fiscal Q1 Sales Drop 23%, Comps Off 25%
Circuit City may be falling on hard times, if last quarter's sales figures are any indication.

06/18/01
DVD's Emerging Picture: Pan-and-Scan Gaining
As DVD becomes more mainstream, the average consumer demand is for more Pan-and-Scan or Full Screen versions of film, rather than widescreen versions preferred by film buffs. As a result MGM Home Entertainment will be releasing future DVDs with both Widescreen and Pan-and-Scan versions on the same disc.

06/17/01
DVD Records Keep Falling
DVD continues its increasing popularity as the release of Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon and Castaway break sales records.

06/16/01
FujiFilm’s New Finepix 6900 Produces 6 Megapixel Image
Fuji's new 6-megapixel digital camera raises the bar for performance, at an affordable price.

06/15/01
Kenwood Is First Major Audio Company To Introduce Entertainment Hub
Kenwood and Open Globe introduces ENTRE, a new component that serves as an access terminal for internet music files and radio, as well as playing CDs, and functioning as controller for other home theater components.

06/14/01
CES Registration Begins July 1
For those that attend the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, you will be able to register for the 2002 edition, which is only about 6 months away, beginning on July 1st. If you haven't been to one, this is THE event of the year for consumer electronics fanatics and those in the industry. I hope to be there (I'm still getting over the last one!).

06/13/01
Kenwood And Boston Acoustics In First Collaboration Offer “Unity” All-In-One DVD Home Theatre System
Kenwood and Boston Acoustics continue a rising trend for company co-branded products by annoucing their joint venture DVD home-theater-in-a-box system, featuring Kenwood components and Boston Acoustics Loudspeakers.

06/12/01
Sales Slump For Specialty, Mass Chains In Quarter
It looks like the combination of aggressive price competition, overexpansion, and a declining economy is starting to hit the major CE chains in the pocket book.

06/10/01
New Casio Camera Wrist Watch
Casio introduces its newest generation of digital camera/wristwatch combinations.

06/09/01
Sony's New Cyber-shot Digicam Hits 4 Megapixels
SONY continues its successful foray into the digital camcorder market with the new DSC-S85, 4-megapixel unit with Carl Zeiss lens, for $800.

06/08/01
Best Buy Sales Soared With Musicland
The Best Buy juggernaut marches on as its newly-acquired Musicland division accounted for 19% of its total quarterly sales.

06/07/01
Martin Scorsese Teams With Philips To Launch Consumer Education Campaign On Widescreen Television Viewing
In an effort to educate the public on the artistic benefits of 16X9 Televisions prestigious director Martin Scorsese is teaming up with Royal Philips Electronics for an advertising campaign to invite the public to "See what you've been missing" when viewing widescreen movies on 16X9 vs traditional TVs.

06/06/01
HY-V (high five) for Home Theater!
Ambiance Acoustics, an independent loudspeaker company based in San Diego, CA, well-known for its unique "cube-style" loudspeakers, introduces its latest home theater loudspeaker system. For all the details, read the above press release.

APERION AUDIO EXPANDS HOME THEATER SPEAKER LINE WITH NEW 8-INCH POWERED SUBWOOFER
Formerly Edge Audio, internet sales-direct Aperion Audio introduces its latest home theater subwoofer. For all the details and product photo, check out the above press release from Aperion.

06/05/01
Tweeter To Acquire Sound Advice
Despite the mixed economy, Tweeter continues its spend spree by adding another CE retailer to its growing "empire". After acquiring DOW Stereo and Big Screen City in California, Tweeter has just closed a deal to absorb Florida-based high-end audio dealer, Sound Advice.

06/04/01
Polk Aiming To Hold On To Step-up Customers, Expand Base
In an aggressive move, Polk Audio recently unveiled a new company logo and thirteen new products, including a new complete home theater package with AV Receiver.

06/03/01
EchoStar Seeks Partners For Hughes Bid
Havin trouble dealing with your competition? The solution: Buy them! It appears that EchoStar (DISH Network) is seeking partners to assist them in buying rival DirecTV.

06/02/01
Regional Coding Draws Legal Scrutiny Overseas
Have the U.S. movie studios gone to far in their region coding practices for DVD software and players? Australia and the European Union are beginning to scrutinize this practice for potential anti-trust violations.

06/01/01
Sensory Science Slates 2nd DVD/VCR
Based on the success of its DVR-5000 DVD/VCR combo of last year, Sensory Science rolls out a second unit, the DVR-4000. To be marketed under its Go-Video subsidiary, one key feature if this unit is that it includes RF outputs, a feature lacking in most DVD players.

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