Home Electronics Industry News -- October 2001

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

10/31/01
U.S. Economy Takes Toll On Japanese CE Firms
The uncertain state of the U.S. economy has resulted in decreasing sales and profits for Japanese electronics makers, including, Sony, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Panasonic.

10/30/01
EchoStar, Hughes Agree To Merger
After much delay and controversy, DirecTV and Dish Network are about to become one as Hughes and Echostar put the finishing touches on a merger agreement. This will result in all DBS programming and services in the U.S. being controlled by one entity.

10/29/01
"Snow White" DVD Hits Snag With XP
Whether due to a lack of oversight, lack of communication, or just plain incompetence, Disney's long-awaited DVD release of Snow White is unplayable on computer DVD drives installed with the Windows XP operating system.

10/28/01
First Week For Phantom Sets Record
Sales of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace on DVD set a new 1st week sales record with 45 million dollars and 2.2 million copies. Although total sales haven't reached the all-time record set by the Gladiator DVD, it should shortly.

10/27/01
CEA Working Group Announces New Logos and Terminology for Products with 1394 Interface
To make the use of the IEEE-1394 "firewire" interface on new digital TV and other home theater products easier for the consumer to understand, the Consumer Electronics Association is in the process of adopting simple, standard labeling on DTV products utilizing this connection.

10/26/01
TiVo Wins Emmy Award For Outstanding Achievement
Although Digital Video Recorders have yet to capture the consumer market like DVD has, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is award TIVO a special technical Emmy award for its innovative video recording technology.

10/25/01
Matsushita's 100GB Optical Disc
Research into the capabilities of the DVD format continue as Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) unveils its prototupe 100GB capacity re-writable DVD disc. For all the details on this exciting development, check out the above report by Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.

10/24/01
New Dual-Deck VCRs Strip Out TV Commercials
SonicBlue announces the latest versions of its Go-Video Dual Deck VCRs. The new units can mark all commercials during the recording process and automatically make a commercial free copy using its dual-deck capabilities. In addition, SonicBlue also announces its latest generation DVD/VCR combo unit.

10/23/01
New Compact PLUS Home Theatre Projector Makes Widescreen Viewing Affordable<
High performance home theater for the masses gets a boost as Plus introduces its new Piano HE-3100 DLP projector for $2,999.

10/22/01
PVR Category Hit By Price Wars
The pressure to increase subscription revenue by PVR providers, such as TIVO, is creating a new consumer electronics price-war.

10/21/01
UK Government Plans To Promote Digital TV
To insure that DTV takes firm hold in the UK, the British Government is embarking on an aggressive campaign to promote Digital TV products and services.

10/20/01
Sony Takes Home Three Emmy Awards For Technical Achievement
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is bestowing three technical Emmys to Sony for the development of the Flat Tube TV, advancing the developement of minaturized consumer camcorders, and the developement of 24p high definition video production technology widely used in the film industry.

10/19/01
InFocus Announces Entry Into Home Entertainment Market...
In partnership with Japanese TV maker Toshiba, InFocus, leaders in the field of industrial digital projection products, will the enter consumer market.

10/18/01
DTV, DVD Sales Continue to Flourish in August and September
Acceptance in the consumer market for DVD, DTV, and other digital-based consumer electronics products continue to increase. DVD player sales have finally eclipsed VCR sales for the first time since the DVD format was introduced.

10/17/01
Onkyo Debuts MB-S1 Digital Music Library (Music Server)
Onkyo adds its entry in the growing home music server category with its MB-S1. This unit combines a high-performance CD player with a 20-GB hard drive that enables the user to compile hundreds of hours of music for access at any time. Sounds like a great holiday gift idea.

10/16/01
New York Retailer: DVD or Bust
In a bold move, one major video rental dealer in New York is quitting the VHS business altogether, in favor of DVD.

10/15/01
Experts Say Holiday Sales Outlook Looks Tough For Holiday Season
There is a lot of uncertainty in the consumer electronics retail outlook for this holiday season.

10/14/01
Sony Shows New A/V PC
Sony takes the PC to a new level with its new Vaio MX, this monster seems to have it all: DVD-RW, 40watt speaker system, memory stick slot, minidisc player, FM receiver, and S-Video inputs and outputs (in addition to its iLink ports).

10/13/01
Matsushita Raises Loss Forecast
Matsushita, the parent of Panasonic, and the largest consumer electronics manufacturer in the world, announces larger than expected losses for the year.

10/12/01
Forecast: DVD In Half Of U.S. Homes By '03
With the average price of a new DVD player sold in the U.S. down to $178, it is predicted that half of U.S. homes will have at least one DVD player by 2003.

10/11/01
DVD Patent Problem To Be Solved Within One Year
China is a signifigant force in both DVD production (due to its low labor and other manufacturing costs)and consumption (China is the second largest DVD market in the world, behind the U.S.). However, there are some patent fee concerns being expressed by several Japanese manufacturers that may affect the price of Chinese-made DVD players in the future.

10/10/01
Pioneer Elite DVD Recorder To Launch In U.S.
Capitalizing on the success of its previous generation of DVD recorders in Japan and the worldwide success of its DVD-R/RW computer drives, Pioneer is now marketing its DVR-7000 DVD recorder in the U.S. under its Elite brand name.

10/09/01
Warranty Biz Sees Silver Lining
The effects of recent events and the general downturn of the economy may be a boon to insurers and retailers that sell extended service plans for consumer eletronics products.

10/08/01
EchoStar's Ergen Pressures DTV Stragglers
Dish Network puts pressure on local broadcast affiliates lagging in providing over-the-air DTV programming by requesting that the FCC authorize it (DISH Network) to provide satellite downloads of network DTV feeds into areas not yet served by over-the-air DTV programming.

10/07/01
Sampo DVD Player with Compact Flash Card
DVD players take on a new wrinkle as SAMPO introduces its new DVE-631CF. The unit includes a compact flash card slot which allows the viewing of digital camera photos on TV.

10/06/01
Outlaw Audio Launches ICBM
The Outlaw ICBM has finally arrived. No, its not a guided missle aimed at terrorists, but an Integrated Controlled Bass Manager for SACD and DVD-Audio players.

10/05/01
Annual DVD Sales On Pace For 13M
It seems that nothing can stop the onslaught of DVD as sales of the trendy home entertainment device is expected to reach 13 million by year's end -- double that of last year.

10/04/01
B&W Introduces Nautilus 800
In a effort to bring its high-end speaker designs to wider consumer base, B&W debuts a "budget" version ($16,000 a pair) of its famous Signature 800 series (with the same acoustical properties). How did they do it?

10/03/01
Sharp Flattens LCD TV Prices
As a result of lower production costs and consumer acceptance, Sharp has decreased the prices of its LCD TV line. Although still expensive ($999 for a 10-inch LCD TV), downward price trends should continue. In addition, Sharp will market Plasma Screen TVs in conjunction with Pioneer.

10/02/01
Europe Online To Take On TiVo With Satellite Service
TIVO, the PVR maker, has been marketing its tapeless video recorder in the U.K. for about a year, but now Europe Online, a satellite internet service provider is about to challenge TIVO with its own PVR concept.

10/01/01
Compromise For CD Copying Is In The Works
Are the days of being able to burn copies of your favorite CD really coming to an end?

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