October 21, 2005 | Volume 2, Issue 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
News Thank you to our sponsors of this issue: |
Introduction Editorial
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Introduction Per tradition, rAVe hands out our annual rAVe CEDIA Awards where we point out the good, the bad, and the ugly at the show. Enjoy!
Editorial
News Industry News
1. Suits Slam Big Players These suits don’t involve any of the divisions that play in our market, but the companies do so it’s worth mentioning them. For more, go to http://crime.about.com/b/a/210294.htm Apple, too, may end up under the scope, if they were involved in securing lower prices in order to sell iPods at low costs. “South Korea’s anti-trust regulator reportedly said on Friday that questions about Apple Computer and Samsung engaging in unfair trading practices could be investigated by his organization,” reported MacWorld. For more, go to http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/10/07/appleftc/index.php Meanwhile, Toshiba was ordered to pay $465.4 million to Lexar Media for sharing trade secrets with a competitor of Lexar’s. Toshiba has vowed to continue to fight this suit. For more, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051015/tc_nm/lexar_toshiba_dc_2
2. Goodbye, Good Guys After 30 years in business, electronics retailer Good Guys shut the doors. Parent company CompUSA, which bought Good Guys two years ago, shut down 45 of the 46 stores, which were located in the Western U.S. CompUSA told the LA Times they want to provide stores with broader selections. CompUSA plans to offer most of the Good Guys products in their retail stores – Hum, that sounds like a Best Buy… For more information, go to http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-goodguys6oct06,1,7893158.story?coll=la-headlines-business
3. NBC, TV Guide and Paramount to Broadcast 3D Episode of "Medium" The November 21 episode of “Medium” will be broadcast in 3D in a joint endeavor among NBC, TV Guide and Paramount Network Television. The required 3D glasses will be distributed in the November 21 issue of TV Guide, which hits newsstands November 17. “Medium” Executive Producer Glenn Gordon Caron said he’s long been interested in 3D and “Medium” was a good vehicle and that viewers will be surprised at the quality of the 3D. Here is how they describe the November 21 episode: “Allison (Patricia Arquette) comes to realize that there is an added dimension to the way she experiences art. It seems the act of creation is so intense that artists often leave an element of themselves behind in their work…an element that is evident only to Allison. Ever wonder why the Mona Lisa is smiling? Or what's bothering the subject of "The Scream"? When Allison encounters the work of one artist, disturbing, 3-dimensional images emerge that lead her to believe that the man behind these alarming canvasses may have a deadly secret.” For more information, go to http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=191&itemid=79344. CEDIA Attendees Total More Than 26,000 CEDIA attendance topped 26,000 this year, breaking all records by more than 1,000 attendees. The September 7-11 show at the Indiana Convention Center, RCA Dome, and Indianapolis Marriott Downtown also hosted more than 500 exhibitors. CEDIA EXPO 2006 will be held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver September 14-17 with EXPO Education running September 13-17. For more information, go to http://www.cedia.net/press_media/2005_attendance.php
This seems unrelated to HomeAV, but it will directly impact us. The speeds that Verizon can provide their network will impact “on-demand” programming as well as streaming video offerings. Watch this growth carefully. The bandwidth we have in our homes will impact how quickly that we see digital video servers and players catch on – ultimately, potentially, replacing DVD players and DVD-by-mail services. Fairfax County, Virginia supervisors voted to allow Verizon to offer fiber-optic powered FiOS TV service, allowing cable competition in the county. Fairfax is not the first, but it’s the largest territory to grant Verizon a cable franchise. Verizon already has a number of such contracts– the Verizon offering in Keller, Texas, for example, is all digital with more than 330 channels with more in the works. The Fairfax County deal gives Verizon a 15-year contract. FiOS TV is designed to compete with cable and satellite and it is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises network. Verizon says it delivers sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming. Verizon's fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed Internet Service at download speeds of up to 30 mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 5 mbps. For more information, go to http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-28-2005/0004133908&EDATE= 6. Toshiba Develops 30GB Dual Layer HD DVD-R Toshiba got a step ahead in the DVD format race this week with the demonstration of a dual-layer HD DVD-R recordable disc that holds 30 gigabytes. The new disc was approved as Version 1.9 at the September meeting of the DVD Forum's Steering Committee and its technical information will be made available as the Version 1.9 specifications. Toshiba targets completion of Version 2.0 of the specifications book by the DVD Forum within this year, and plans to have an HD DVD recorder to support the disc by the end of the year. The DVD Forum approved a 15GB single-layer HD DVD-R discs as Version 1.0 of a write-once HD DVD disc in February 2005. The dual-layer HD DVD-R disc is based on the same disc structure as current DVD discs, HD DVD-ROM discs (read-only), and HD DVD-RW discs (rewritable): back-to-back bonding of two 0.6 millimeter-thick substrates. The new disc also shares key manufacturing processes with DVD-R: use of an organic dye as the data storage medium; and a spin-coating process for depositing the dye. As a result, say those behind this technology, disc manufacturers can minimize their investment in disc production equipment for dual-layer HD DVD-R by using already installed DVD-R manufacturing lines for mass production. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Intel decided to join the HD DVD camp (the other camp is Blu-Ray). The HD DVD steering committee includes Toshiba, Hitachi, Ltd., IBM Corporation, Industrial and Technology Research Institute, Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, NEC Corporation, PIONEER CORPORATION, Royal Philips Electronics, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., SHARP CORPORATION, Sony Corporation, THOMSON, Time Warner Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Limited, and Walt Disney Pictures and Television according to the Toshiba website. For more information, go to http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2005_09/pr2102.htm
7. China Predicted to Produce 24 Percent of Electronics by 2009 Before reading this market survey, I thought China already had a bigger impact than 24 percent, but apparently they don’t, yet. But, their impact has already been felt with the all-new pricing and margins we enjoy (or don’t enjoy). So, imagine when they double their production?!? Amazing. Research and Markets new World Electronic Industry: European Market and Production 2004 – 2009 research report indicates China, which currently produces 20 percent of the world’s electronics, will produce 24 percent by 2009. Automotive and consumer electronics will lead the overall industry growth with an annual growth of respectively 7.3 and 6.7 percent. By 2009 audio-video will represent 14.5 percent of the total electronics industry, data processing 23 percent, telecommunications 24 percent, aerospace and defense 6,5 percent, automotive 9 percent, and industrial and medical electronics 16 percent. For more information, go to http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c25144
8. CEA, NARDA Release Dealer Cost of Doing Business Study CEA and NARDA released a “Cost of Doing Business” study for and about audio/video dealers. The study was conducted among a sample of U.S. appliance dealers, consumer electronics dealers, service dealers, and dealers with mixed sales. The research focused on benchmarking key income statement and balance sheet metrics and provides a picture of dealer profitability, liquidity, operations management, and balance sheet management. The results also show the average participant reported a gross profit margin of nearly 32 percent. In contrast, high profit dealers, those in the upper quartile, reported a gross profit margin of about 36 percent. Moreover, high profit dealers succeed with fewer employee hours, suggesting a combination of possibly higher employee productivity or a different business model. The Cost of Doing Business Study provides comparative information that dealers can use to assess the financial health of their business, identify strengths and areas that need improvement, and develop strategies for growth. "Cost of Doing Business Report" is available free of charge to all those who participated in the survey. The Report is available to PARA and NARDA members for $250 and to nonmembers for $299. To order the Report, contact CEA's PARA Division at 703.907.7655 or NARDA at 800.621.0298. For more information, go to http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=10847 9. Twentieth Century Fox to Deliver Digital Movies to Christie/AIX The move saves film companies production costs and the commitments by these studios help progress the adoption of digital projection systems by theaters. Reuters reported that Christie/AIX’s goal is to get projectors and required computer systems into upwards of 4,000 theaters over the next few years. For more of the story, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051018/media_nm/media_fox_dc_2
10. Vidikron Adds HD Projector to Line Vidikron says, because this display can exceed ISF industry standards for video fidelity, installers can calibrate the projector on a wide range of screen types and room conditions. Installers can also access advanced white balance and color gamut range controls. The projector is available with any of four lenses and has electronic horizontal and vertical shift, multiple discrete inputs, IntelliWide video processing, multiple aspect ratio control, two DVI HDCP compliant inputs, three IR triggers and an RS-232 interface. The projector, with MSRP of $19,995, is available in Vidikron's Classic White or Graphite Gray cabinet. For more information, go to http://www.vidikron.com/vm90.html
11. Samsung Shows Large Displays During Company Road Show Samsung Electronics showed the company’s 102-inch plasma, an 82-inch LCD and a 40-inch OLED display at the company's 2005 Global Road Show in New York. The 82" TFT LCD TV is specified at less than 8 ms response time, 8000:1 contrast ratio, 1920 x 1080 resolution and supports 1080 progressive scanning. Samsung says they are the first to develop the single-sheet, 40-inch active matrix OLED for emissive flat panel TV applications. The high-definition-compatible OLED prototype is specified at 1280 x 800 (WXGA) resolution, 5000:1 contrast ratio, and a color gamut of 80 percent. It looks amazing! For more details on the road show, go to http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20050928_0000194151
12. What Are the Odds? Sharp Develops LCD With Million to One Contrast For more information, go to http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/051003.html
13. LG Incorporates Seagate Drives Into HDTVs The plasmas with hard drives are available in 50- and 60-inch models in LG's PY2DR series. These include 160GB HD DVRs and can store up to 14 hours of digital high-definition programming or 62 hours of digital standard-definition programming. They include an automatic time-shift feature, which continuously records in one-hour intervals. Other features include slow motion rewind and forward capabilities and instant replay. They also allow set up for repeat recordings of specific shows, like TiVo’s Season Pass. For more information, go to http://www.seagate.com/cda/newsinfo/newsroom/releases/article/0,1121,2822,00.html
14. Gateway Offering Affordable, Upgraded 21-Inch LCD TV The display has a four-port powered USB 2.0 hub and PIP. Gateway expects this to appeall to commercial and educational buyers as well as consumers. For more details, go to http://www.gateway.com/home/products/ret/ret_fpd2185w.shtml Integrator Solutions 15. Sling Media Incorporates HomePlug ICs Into Network Adapter Line With SlingLink adapters, every outlet in a home can have the same broadband connection available. This is especially important, the company points out, where the TV or cable connection is not located in the same room as the customers' home Internet connection. For more information, go to http://www.slingmedia.com/press/pressreleases-9.27.05.php The company says placing this size LCD television cabinet at the foot of the bed is the physical and cinematic equivalent of watching a 65-inch screen, mounted 15 feet away. The hand-crafted cabinet features a choice of hardwoods, finishes and designs. The unit includes the lift, proprietary mounting brackets, surge protector, optional castors (they also offer in-home installation and set-up when the television set is purchased directly from Nexus 21). The unit is plug-and-play ready upon delivery. Wow, now the furniture industry is even using the term plug-and-play. For more information, go to www.nexus21.com 17. ProMounts Offering Vertical and Horizontal Adjusting Mount The UF-PRO is available in either a black or silver finish, with only three main parts needed for installation. All necessary hardware is included for different wall types. Mounting hardware and theft-resistant security fasteners are included. MSRP is $199. For more information, go to http://www.promounts.com/component/option,com_hotproperty/task,view/id,1/Itemid,0/ 18. Free Webinar: Improving Business Processes With D-Tools Attendees get a $500 voucher – Good for any D-Tools System Integrator software and $300 towards a personalized D-Tools training session. For more information on the webinar, go to http://64.151.114.228/DToolsHome/D-Tools/email/20051017.html To register, go to http://64.151.114.228/DToolsHome/D-Tools/registration/gb.asp Players The silver PocketDISH is available in three models: two portable media recorders and a portable media player. Consumers can choose among 2.2-inch, 4-inch or 7-inch LCD screens. The units can download or record content from DVD players, camcorders and VCRs, as well as a PC or Mac. DISH Network customers get ultra-fast video transfer speeds when attaching PocketDISH to select DISH Network digital video recorders (DVRs) via a USB 2.0 connection, says the company. For instance, an hour of DISH Network programming can be transferred to the PocketDISH hard drive in about five minutes. Every PocketDISH comes complete with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to four hours of video and 12 hours of music playback. Stereo headphones, USB cables, adapter cable, A/V cables, an AC/DC power adapter and a carrying case are standard. For more information, go to http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=dish&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=766251 20. Pepper Pad Available at BestBuy.com The Pepper Pad is a 2.3-pound, Wi-Fi-enabled device, with a 20-gigabyte hard disk, built-in speakers and a thumb keypad. It has an 8.4-inch SVGA display and uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and infrared for controlling devices around the home. The system is based on a 624-MHz Intel PXA270 application processor, Intel 2700G media processor and 256 MB of SDRAM. It also features built-in stereo speakers and microphone, jacks for headphones, external microphone and external video display, plus a direction-pad and scroll wheel for navigation and game playing. It has two options for easy and reliable text entry: a built-in lighted thumb-style QWERTY keypad or a separate optional wireless keyboard. BestBuy.com lists it for $849.99. For more information, go to http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7528641&type=product&id=1127507990127 Although this seems to be totally a consumer announcement — watch out. Apple has officially staked a claim in the streaming video market. And, they WILL dominate it like they do the streaming and downloadable music market. This will have an impact on HomeAV and ProAV applications. It will mean there is a major player making servers that stream up music and videos. And as soon as they add all video content (which I expect will happen within two years) then they attempt to control the video, TV and potentially the movie markets, too. Watch out, as Apple knows how to simplify this sort of thing, and Apple is the ultimate cool-image, simple user interface design company. The new iPod has a 2.5-inch color screen. It holds up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or more than 150 hours of video. It is available with 30GB ($299) and 60GB ($399). The video selections aren’t like with TiVo or ARCHOS. These are selected videos, TV shows and short films available for purchase using the same sort of interface and purchasing process as buying songs with iTunes and playing and syncing them on iPods. If they ARE able to add anything and everything in the next few years, then iPod stays the de facto standard for sure. Even now, though at first thought the limited offerings seem, well, limited, it’s still grabbing a space no one else has. If you miss Desperate Housewives on Sunday, you’re going to have to wait until the summer reruns to catch it. This fixes that. And, if your friend missed it? Heck, for $1.99 you can send it to them as a gift. So now we’re into a whole new paradigm of sharing videos. The new iPods will begin shipping next week through the Apple store at http://www.apple.com as well as Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. All iPod models include earbud headphones, USB 2.0 cable, case, dock insert and a CD with iTunes for Mac and Windows computers. Optional accessories designed for the new iPod include: Universal Dock, $39, for syncing, IR support to work with the Apple Remote and a variable line out and S-video connections for integration within the living room; Apple Remote, $29, for wireless integration to the Universal Dock and access to controls from across the room; Apple iPod AV cable, $19, for viewing video on any full screen, iPod Camera Connector, $29, and Apple Socks, $29, six color socks to dress up and protect the iPod. For more information, go to http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/oct/12ipod.html
22. iPort Introduces Five Free Standing iPod Music Systems iPort introduced five new free standing iPort music systems for streaming iPod audio and photos to home entertainment systems. They can also sync with iTunes. Systems start at just $150. All iPort FS models charge the iPod when it's docked and users can switch between streaming and syncing with the touch of a button. Integrated IR in the higher end models lets users control their iPod from across the room. iPort will offer a remote control, but all iPod or programmable remote controls can also operate the iPort. Variable audio output allows the iPod to connect directly to an amplifier or powered speakers, with volume controlled from the iPort itself. For more details, go to http://www.iportmusic.com/
Media Distribution and Recording 23. Inteset Announces Media Center With Zones The Denzel media library has up to two terabytes of protected (RAID) storage and is securely situated on a separate channel from the operating system, making it mire resistant to data loss problems. The VANA VA6420-SD, Inteset's media extender device, can play back any material stored on the Denzel, including HD content. The VANA can also act as an independent system, having its own SDTV and FM tuners, along with a large hard drive. Available via home-theater installers, MSRP of the Denzel is $5,995.The VANA lists for $2,395. For more information, go to http://www.inteset.com/cnsmr/Company/press/News_10-10-05.htm Mobile 24. D-Link Offering 3G Compatible Camera The D-Link Wireless Internet Camera with 3G compatibility is a fixed lens camera supporting resolutions up to 640×480 with user selectable JPEG or MPEG-4 compression rates. The camera supports a wireless interface for attachment to any existing 802.11g or 802.11b wireless LAN as well as a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for direct attachment to a wired network. In addition to cell phone monitoring, compatible formats also allow for playback on a network attached computer or media player. The camera is also viewable from any Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) compatible device and offers support for RealPlayer 10.5 and QuickTime 6.5 viewing. For more information, go to http://presslink.dlink.com/pr/?prid=245
25. Kodak Ships Wi-Fi Consumer Digital Camera EASYSHARE-ONE camera purchasers receive a free, camera-specific trial service in conjunction with major hotspot providers. Current preferred service providers include T-Mobile USA, with more than 6,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations across the United States; T-Mobile International, with over 5,000 hotspot locations in Germany (in conjunction with T-Com) and more than 800 hotspot locations in the United Kingdom; and Telstra, with over 850 Telstra Wireless Hotspot locations in Australia. Kodak is also working with other providers to expand broadband hotspot coverage in Europe and Asia, enhancing the thousands of public freespots available in venues such as airports, parks, business centers, and municipalities. MSRP is US$599. For more information, go to http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2709&pq-locale=en_US&gpcid=0900688a803e062b | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks for reading, and tell your friends by clicking on the “forward” button at the top of the newsletter or sending them to Copyright 2005 – Kayye Consulting – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact us at Kayye Consulting, Inc. Editorial: dharrison@kayye.com Gary Kayye's rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |