Home Electronics Industry News -- November 2002
NOTE: This page is an archive for previously posted news stories from November 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.
11/30/02
Coming Soon: Self-Destructing DVDs
Rent a DVD, watch it, then throw it away after it self-destructs. This could be the future of DVD rentals.
11/29/02
Samsung Debuts Large LCD Panels
As production costs go down and become more efficient, LCD monitors keep getting cheaper and larger. Samsung is cashing in on this trend with the announcement of a new 46" LCD flat-screen monitor. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
11/28/02
Study: HDTV in Third of US Homes by 2008
According to a recent study, the growth of HDTV is slower than expected, but is continuing at a steady pace, with an anticipated 33% of U.S. homes having at least one HD-capable TV by 2008. For additional findings, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
11/27/02
Flat-Panel TVs Drive Tweeter Q4 Sales
As a followup to yesterday's headline, Tweeter seems to have capitalized on the Flat Panel TV craze as a good portion of its increased sales in the fourth quarter can be directly attributed to the increased purchased of flat panel TV by mainstream consumers. This, despite an uneven economy. For more specifics, check out the above report from TWICE.
11/26/02
A $10,000 Television?
Despite the sluggish economy and conerns regarding World events, many consumers are reaching into their pocket books for the latest Plasma and LCD TV techology.
11/25/02
AOL Movies Introduces DVD Previews...
AOL subscribers can now do more than just buy DVDs on line, they can also take advantage of AOL's new feature "Inside The DVD". This new feature allows AOL subscribers to get all the details on the latest DVD releases and also preview bonus materials from the DVDs themselves. For more details, check out the above report from DVDinsider.
11/24/02
SRS Labs' New 5.1 Circle Surround® Technology Used on ESPN NFL and NBA Telecasts
Dolby isn't the only game in town when it comes to surround sound. ESPN will be utilizing the SRS Circle Surround system in its NFL and NBA telecasts. Able to be encoded and mixed into any two-channel stereo broadcast signal, this option is more cost effective than the use of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS for broadcasters. For more details on this, check out the above report from Audio World.
11/23/02
2.5 Million Digital Cameras Shipped In Q3
Home theater isn't the only hot trend in consumer electronics these days. Shipments and sales of digital cameras are reaching record levels, making them the must-have gift for this holiday season.
11/22/02
Panasonic Leads The Pack In The Recordable DVD Market
Recordable DVD is finally reaching into the average consumers' pocketbooks as Panasonic takes an early lead in DVD recorder sales with a 50% market share with its DMR-E30 and DMR-HS2. For details, check out the above report from DVDinsider.
11/21/02
Philips Upbeat On U.S. CE Operations
With increased sales growth in its U.S. consumer electronics division this past year, Philips has renewed confidence in its U.S. consumer operations. Philips had previously indicated, according to unoffical sources, a possible pullout of the U.S. consumer electronics market if the U.S. division did not experience a positive turnaround in sales.
11/20/02
DVD-Audio Going Hybrid?
Taking a cue from SACD, the DVD Forum is considering a standard for DVD-Audio hybrid discs. This would add a standard CD layer on future DVD-Audio releases so that those that don't have DVD-Audio compatible players would still be able to play a standard CD version on any CD or DVD player. This would eliminate the need for releases in both separate CD and DVD-Audio formats as well as allowing consumers to access the high-resolution audio tracks on the discs once they purchase a DVD-Audio compatible player without having to buy new copies of music they already have. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile.
11/19/02
DTV October Sales Set Monthly Record
Sales of Digital TVs continue to climb as consumers warm-up to new digital TV products. Future sales of DTV/HDTV products are expected to climb steadily for the next several years.
11/18/02
Toshiba Licenses TIVO Technology
The U.S. subsidiary of Toshiba has taken out a license from TIVO to include its DVR (hard-disk video recording) technology in future products, beginning sometime late in 2003. Current licensees of TIVO technology include Sony and Philips. For more details on this, check out the above report from CNET.
11/17/02
Color Coding: A Solution To New Audio Format Consumer Confusion
The proliferation of digital music formats in creating confusion for both retailers and consumers, as SACD, DVD-Audio, and DVD-Video/Music are not correctly filed in store bins and retail staff is not being trained on what their differences are. For more specifics and a possible solution, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.
11/16/02
Analysts Concerned Over Recent Satellite Radio Reports
Despite claims of increased subscribers and customer satifaction with satellite radio, both Sirius and XM may not be giving the public the whole story about the success of their operations.
11/15/02
Sharp Cuts LCD TV Prices, Plans Ad Campaign
Although LCD TVs are still very expensive, Sharp, the leading LCD screen manufacturer, has been aggressively reducing prices for its flat screen LCD TVs for past several years, providing consumers with an alternative to traditional small screen TVs. Now Sharp is launching an adverstising campaign to increase its market share in this product area.
11/14/02
Cerwin-Vega's New Owners Plan Home, Car Turnaround
Fans of Cerwin-Vega loudspeakers need not worry about the company's new ownership. Now owned by the Stanton Group, which deals mostly with professional oriented audio products, the new Cerwin-Vega ownership firms up its committment to both the mobile and home audio market segments.
11/13/02
Crooked Path Ahead for Digital TV
Now that the mid-term elections are over and the Republicans are in charge, will the progress towards HDTV continue or stall? For a perspective on this, check out the above report from Wired.
11/12/02
DVD Burners Get Hot
Computer makers are aggressively marketing DVD burners and video editing software in both Laptop and Desktop computers, thus enabling anyone to become a "Steven Spielberg". For a detailed report on this trend, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
11/11/02
Forum Sets Course For Blue-Laser DVD Standard
A single standard for High Definition DVD recording and playback gets closer as the DVD Forum adopts the Toshiba-NEC Blue Laser system. At the same time the Blu-Ray consortium, made up of Hitach, Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Thomson gets snubbed.
11/10/02
Ultra-High Resolution DVDs Are Unprotected
The latest Super-Bit DVD releases from Columbia Tri-Star, which provide the highest resolution images available on DVD, are digitally copy-protected to prevent pirating through PC methods, but it appears that analog copying still possible through standard AV connections. To find out why, check out the above report from New Scientist.
11/09/02
Women Prefer HDTV Over Diamonds, Says New CEA Survey
Women are exerting more influence in the consumer electronics marketplace. According to a new studing by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), many women indicated that they would prefer owning a high definition television over a diamond ring.
11/08/02
Classé Debuts New $2,000 CD Player
With companies such as Sony, Philips, Panasonic, and others battling over whether SACD or DVD-Audio will replace the traditional CD, Classe' of Canada seems to feel that there is still room in the high-market for a $2,000 standard CD player. For more details, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.
11/07/02
Blockbuster Revamping
DVD continues to change the video landscape as Blockbuster puts forth a plan to put more empahsis on DVD movie purchasing, rather than renting. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
11/06/02
Circuit City Takes Hit On Slow Sales
Ever since the DIVX fiasco, Circuit City has certainly had its ups and downs. For more details on their latest misfortune, check out the above report from CBS Marketwatch.
11/05/02
Gateway's $3k Plasma TV
Gateway enters the Plasma TV frenzy with a "budget-priced" 42-inch unit for under $3,000. The unit is supposed to be available through Gateway stores beginning today. For more details, check out the above report from Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
11/04/02
Zenith Launches HDTVs with Digital Closed Captioning Capability
Video and Audio aren't the only things changing with the conversion to digital TV. New advances in closed captioning capabilities are evident as well. For more details, check out the above report from Secrets Of Home Theater And High Fidelity.
11/03/02
Spidey Wraps Up New DVD Record
Spiderman swings into DVD and VHS with a record one day shipment of 26-million units.
11/02/02
DOJ Blocks EchoStar/Hughes Electronics Deal
The DirecTV/Dish Network merger seems all but dead now as the Department of Justice ways in with a lawsuit against the two satellite program providers. For more details, check out the above report from TWICE.
11/01/02
New $1,600 1,000 Watt Subwoofer from B&W
B&W introduces its "ultimate" Subwoofer. The ASW-CDM features a 1,000 watt amplifier from Philips and 12-inch Kevlar-based driver capable of reproducing bass frequencies down to 15HZ. For additional details, check out the above report from Audio Revolution.
For additional News Stories check out my Home Electronics Industry News Archives.
