Home Electronics Industry News - March 2003

NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from March 2003 - 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.

03/31/03
Copyproof CDs moving to market?
With plummeting sales and concerns over napster-like services, Arista records is poised to market "copyproof" CDs. However, there are also concens about incompatibility or damage when played on some CD players. For more details, check out the out the above report from CNET.

03/30/03
Universal Music Group To Support DVD-Audio With 20 Titles This Fall
Although Univseral Music Group has been previously supportive of SACD, they are also announcing the upcoming release of several titles in the DVD-Audio format. For more details, check out the above report from Audio Revoliution.

03/29/03
ESPN-HD Announces Cable Affiliates
HDTV gets a big boost and ESPN-HD signs on several cable systems to carry its new 24/7 high defintiion sports simulcasts. The service expects to begin broadcasting on March 30th.

03/28/03
Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Shifting Gears To Boost PVR Sales
Despite strong customer satisfaction amongest owners, PVR hard disk basic video recording technology has continued to be a slow mover in the consumer marketplace. However, that may change as manufacturers and programming providers lay out plans to market PVRs more effectively.

03/27/03
Jan. DTV Sales Up 36%
Despite agruments over standards and deadlines, sales of digital TVs continue at a steady pace.

03/26/03
Analog Projection Sets Doomed?
Analog projection TVs have been a great bargain for consumers in recent years, howeve, the next crop of projection TVs coming from manufacturers are expected to be all-digital. For more specifics, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

03/25/03
McCollough Bullish On Non-Comm Strategy
Circuit City sent shockwaves through the CE retail industry by eliminating its commissioned sales force.

03/24/03
DVD Recorder Sales Will Pass DVD Players Within Three Years
DVD Recorders are still a little expensive for most consumers, but according to a recent analysis, as prices for the units come donw, they will pass up DVD player sales within the next three years.

03/23/03
1,000,000 DVD-Audio Players Sold To Date
DVD-Audio equipped DVD players have caught up to the number of SACD equipped players in terms of hardware sales, with each format reaching 1 million units sold. The question is: Are consumers utitilizing these components to play DVD-Audio and SACD discs? For a perspective, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.

03/22/03
SONICblue Plans Chapter 11
SONICblue, after only a short time, is spinning off its subsidiaries (GoVideo, Rio, and ReplayTV), which will result in a Chapter 11 filing. Rio and ReplayTV will be purchased by D&M holdling, owners of Denon and Marantz, while GoVideo will be absorbed by Opta Systems.

03/21/03
DVDs Top VHS For First Time
VHS has long been a staple of the video rental business, but now DVD's have finally surpassed the aged format and changed the video rental landscape.

03/20/03
DVD Players, Beach Chairs, Stuffed Toys Among The Gear Marines Take To War
High tech weapons aren't the only things U.S. military personnel are taking to war.

03/19/03
DTS Entertainment To Release...More On DVD-Audio This April.
DTS bring DVD-Audio/DTS surround discs to the mainstream with several new titles to be released in April, from such groups as Megadeth, Insane Clown Posse, and Queen. For additional information, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.

03/18/03
Sharp To Drop LCD TV Pricing
An LCD TV may be in your future as prices for the increasingly popular flat panel option is increasing -- and Sharp is leading the way...

03/17/03
Cable Companies Under Fire
Although some cable TV systems are offering digital and HDTV service to its subscribers, the slow pace of implementation across all cable systems is causing concern in Washington. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

03/16/03
Sirius Gets A Boost
Despite popularity with its current subscribers and a increasing subscriber base, satellite radio services, Sirius and XM, are still in a tenuous financial position. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile.

03/15/03
Oscar Films Out On DVD
With Oscar night quickly approaching, catch up on many of the nominated films beforehand on your DVD player. For more details, check out the above report from CNN.

03/14/03
Ultimate Electronics Fiscal Q4 Sales Rise 13%
Despite lower sales and profits from most consumer electronics retailers due to the lackluster economy, Denver-based Ultimate Electronics is enjoying healthy sales growth.

03/13/03
Thomson Introduces RCA DVD Recorder Targeting Broad Consumer Base
Thomson/RCA jumps on the DVD recorder bandwagon with an attractively priced unit employing the DVD+R/+RW format. The DRC8000N is priced at $599.

03/12/03
DTV Transition Reaches ‘Beginning Of The End’
Its 2003 and the transition towards total DTV broadcasting is at the halfway point...or is it?

03/11/03
Best Buy, Circuit City Battle Tough Quarter
Being bigger isn't always better as both Best Buy and Circuit City battle each other and a shrinking economy.

03/10/03
Sony’s ’03 Line Illustrates Audio's Evolution
From 6.1 channel AV receivers starting at $299, to micro audio systems starting at $99, Sony announces its complete lineup of new audio products for 2003.

Film Flops Flourish On DVD, VHS
Just because a movie "bombs" at the boxoffice, doesn't mean it won't make any money. DVD and VHS continue to give failing hollywood movies a second life through the video rental and sales market. For more detials on this phenomena, check out the above report from CNN.

03/08/03
CBS To Use 42 HD Cameras For The Masters This April
The Masters is not only a major sports tradition, but, since 2000 is an annual visual feast for HDTV owners. For details on HDTV coverage of this year's Master's golf tournament, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.

03/07/03
Korean DTV Exports Up 300%
While North Korea is threatening the world with nuclear weapons, South Korea appears to be conquering the world with its digital television exports. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

03/06/03
Video Without Boundaries & Lafayette Electronics Team To Launch New Line of Interactive Consumer Electronics
Lafayette Electronics, a popular brand name in the 60's and 70's is back in business with a whole line of home theater, audio/video, and (teaming up with Video Without Boundries) interactive television components. For more information, check out the above press release from Video Without Boundries.

03/05/03
Sony To Ship Blu-ray Recorder In Japan
In a surprising move, Sony will begin marketing its Blu-ray High Definition DVD recorder in Japan next month. However, don't get too excited just yet. At a price equivalent to 3,800 U.S. dollars, the unit is out of reach for the average consumer. There is also no word as to when Sony might release a U.S. version. For more details, check out the above report from TWICE.

03/04/03
Marantz Endorses D-VHS Format
We haven't seen the last of videotape quite yet as Marantz lends its support to JVC's D-VHS/D-Theater high definition videotape format, with the introduction of its MV8300 D-VHS VCR. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

03/03/03
DigiCams Ride High Into PMA
Just as sales of DVD players are passing up sales of VCRs, it is predicted that sales of Digital cameras may overtake sales of film cameras in 2003.

03/02/03
Sony Announces 400 Disc SACD Changer
Sony pursues its committment to both DVD and SACD with the introduction of its new DVP-CX985V 400-Disc DVD/SACD changer. For more details on features, price, and availability, check out the above report from High Fidelity Review.

03/01/03
Sony Develops Silicon Crystal Reflective Display Technology for Full HD Video Applications
Mover over Plasma, LCD, and LCOS - Sony has just announced its new Silicon Crystal technology that promises to display a smoother, more film-like image for High Definition sources than previous systems. For more details, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.

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