Home Theater Gear

The Home Theater Gear Blog has been redesigned and moved to a new location. You'll get even more tech articles, industry news and info about the latest home theater gear, from projectors and speakers, to TVs, gadgets and remote controls. Don't miss it!

Home Theater Gear's new design gives you more space for great info and content from all around the home theater and automation world. It's online now, but will be completely rolled out by October 31, 2010. 

Come see it now, click on the link - Home Theater Gear Hope to see you soon!

Posted by 1touch at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

D&M Holdings, the parent company to Denon and Marantz, among others, has killed two of the most storied companies in the custom installation industry; Escient and Snell.

Escient was formed back in the 1990's by industry veteran Tom Doherty to make (at the time) innovative CD changer controllers with a slick GUI so that people could find their favorite CDs among the hundreds thy owned. It was a great concept at the time, and I installed more than a few of them myself. Eventually evolved into a music server business, and more. D&M has indicated that Escient will continue to support and issue software updates for current products.

Snell was a home THX pioneer, and had made a name for itself creating high performance theater and in-wall speakers, in addition to traditional free standing loudspeakers. They were combined with Boston Acoustics, and eventually caught up in the corporate think that has little place for passionate, innovative companies that used to make up the core of the audio industry.

Such small, focused companies have no place in a large corporate infrastructure, yet can barely survive without  their resources in tough economic times. If history is any indicator, Snell and Escient won't be the last A/V companies to come up with a great idea and run with it. I only hope that these future companies don't run too far, too fast, and one day run out of breath.

RIP Escient and Snell.

Posted by 1touch at 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to several sources Blockbuster Video, a staple of home theater content for decades, may soon be going the way of the Dodo. Their recent statements about the questionable future of the company sent both stock and bond prices tumbling. The declining popularity of actually going to a video store to rent movies, competition from home delivery pioneer Netflix and video download services, competition from Redbox kiosks, and the sour economy are to blame. Even more troubling for the movie rental giant may be that it owes a tremendous amount of money.

Blockbuster is about $1 billion in debt, and losing more every month. Despite revenues of over $4 billion, they have found it difficult to stem the losses, which last year amounted to over $350million. That's a pile of cash in any situation, but it may be even worse for Blockbuster, because they have a $300 million of notes due in September, 2012. That's a big check to write.

Noteholders are fearing the worst (Block buster may not be able to repay them in 2012) and have recently tried to arrange a debt for equity swap. That begs the question of the desirability of owning equity in a rapidly sinking organization, but presumably these folks know something the rest of us don't. They may figure that it is better to have ownership in something, and try to profit from a turnaround, than to face the very real possibility that they'll receive nothing in 2012. People fear Blockbuster may have having trouble making interest payments on these notes as well.

In their quest to right the ship, Blockbuster has been fairly aggressive in closing many of their stores. You may have noticed how few have been shuttered in your neighborhood. Blockbuster has also been trying to introduce new ways of delivering content that are more consistent with the 21^st century. They recently announced a mobile movie service for T-Mobile's new HTC HD2 smart phone, and will soon have a similar service for Android and Windows powered smart phones too. They beat everyone else to market with that move, which may mean all is not lost for Blockbuster yet, even though the expected near term revenue from mobile amounts to a drop in the bucket, compared to their overall financial picture.

They have been attacking DVD kiosk giant Redbox, with their NCR partnership that plans to have 10,000 new, Blockbuster Express kiosks by mid summer. One asset blockbuster does have is tremendous brand equity. The name is synonymous with video rental, and that alone could help get their kiosk business of to a very fast start.

They have also penned a deal with Warner Brothers studios to get exclusive rental rights for roughly 30 days before Netflix and Redbox get to rent them. That is a definite coup for the beleaguered blue and yellow.

Will Blockbuster figure into the content picture for your home theater in the future? Who can tell, but they definitely have some tough times ahead.

Posted by 1touch at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Comcast scooped DirecTV with yesterday's announcement that they would be the first to show a major sporting event in 3D, in this case, the Master's Golf Champion at Augusta.

Does that mean you'll be able to watch Tiger Woods strut around the fairway, resplendent in 3D glory? Well, that depends on weather he will play the event or not. Comcast's Derek Harrar posted on his blog yesterday: “This event will mark a series of industry firsts - the first live next-generation 3D broadcast of a major sporting event on TV, the first live simulcast of a next-gen 3D event online, and the industry's first live multi-camera next-gen 3D production “

DirecTV was thought to have beaten Comcast to the 3D punch with their announcement last month that they would be launching 3 new, dedicated 3D channels in June of this year. You can see those sweating execs sitting around the boardroom table now...

TV giants Panasonic and Samsung recently debuted their 1st generation 3D TV's to the public. With the runaway success of feature films like Avatar, the recent announcement of a codified 3D spec for Blu-Ray discs, HDMI 1.4, and now, major sporting events being broadcast in 3D, there might be enough imputus for 3D to really take off.

Posted by 1touch at 06:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

^{DirecTV today released the movie Pirate Radio on it's DirecTV Cinema pay per view service. The movie doesn't get released on DVD until April 13th, so DirecTV customers will get more than a month head start on everyone else.  According to Sarah Lyons, DirecTV's VP of Marketing:}

“DIRECTV Cinema strives to deliver the highest-quality movie experience by offering unique content that is above-and-beyond what consumers find on the usual pay-per-view platform, DIRECTV is thrilled to continue raising the bar with Pirate Radio, by offering it to our customers more than a month before the film’s DVD release. We will continue to deliver an unmatched in-home movie experience that can only be found on DIRECTV.”

The traditional release date s for films could get muddled, as studios and other content providers cut special deals with service providers. It is another revenue stream for the studios, as they can command additional revenue for the privilege of  allowing an exclusive early release. This trend will continue.

Posted by 1touch at 07:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The latest iteration of the HDMI spec, this one version 1.4a, was released today by the HDMI consortium.

Their press release is as follows:

 "

HDMI LICENSING, LLC RELEASES HDMI SPECIFICATION VERSION 1.4A

Latest Version Specifies Mandatory 3D Formats For Broadcast Content

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 4, 2010 – HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI®) specification, today announced, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, the release of HDMI Specification Version 1.4a featuring key enhancements for 3D applications including the addition of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content as well as the addition of the 3D format referred to as Top-and-Bottom. The complete HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, along with the 1.4a version of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS), is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.

An extraction of the 3D portion of Specification Version 1.4a is available for public download on the HDMI Web site at http://www.hdmi.org. The purpose of the extraction document is to provide public access to the 3D portion of the HDMI Specification for those companies and organizations that are not HDMI Adopters but require access to this portion of the Specification.

"We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content," said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. "When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs."

The latest HDMI Specification adds key enhancements to support the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into the home:

1. The addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification.
2. The addition of two mandatory formats for broadcast content:
   • Side-by-Side Horizontal
   • Top-and-Bottom

With the addition of these two mandatory formats, the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a provides a level of interoperability for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection. The mandatory 3D formats are:

3D Mandatory Formats

• For movie content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
• For game content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
• For broadcast content:
  • Side-by-Side Horizontal
    
    • 1080i @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
  • Top-and-Bottom
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
    • 1080p @ 23.97/24Hz

Implementing the mandatory formats of the HDMI Specification facilitates interoperability among devices, allowing devices to speak a common 3D language when transmitting and receiving 3D content. The mandatory requirements for devices implementing 3D formats are:

• Displays – must support all mandatory formats.
• Sources – must support at least one mandatory format.
• Repeaters - must be able to pass through all mandatory formats.

HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the Specification Version 1.4a to build and sell products that are compliant with 1.4a as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a. This also applies to legacy set-top boxes that may have upgraded to use Specification Version 1.4 signaling.

For more information about the HDMI specification please visit http://www.hdmi.org.

About HDMI Licensing, LLC

HDMI Licensing, LLC is the agent responsible for licensing the HDMI specification, promoting the HDMI standard and providing education on the benefits of the HDMI specification to Adopters, retailers and consumers. The HDMI specification was developed by Hitachi, Ltd.; Panasonic Corporation; Philips Consumer Electronics International, B.V.; Silicon Image, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Technicolor S.A. (formerly Thomson S.A.) and Toshiba Corporation as the all-digital interface standard for the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. The HDMI specification combines uncompressed high-definition video, multi-channel audio, and data in a single digital interface to provide crystal-clear digital quality over a single cable. HDMI Licensing, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Image, Inc. For more information about the HDMI specification, please visit www.hdmi.org.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the market need for broadcast 3D content, the ability of the latest version of the HDMI specification to address this perceived market need and the current and anticipated features, functionality and benefits of the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the mandatory 3D formats included in the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a will not address the perceived market need for broadcast 3D content as well as the risks and uncertainties described from time to time in Silicon Image’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners in the Unites States and/or other countries.

# # #"

Posted by 1touch at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Retail giant Walmart, as part of their push into different revenue streams within the consumer elelectronics space, announced today they had signed a deal to buy streaming media provider Vudu. On a personal level, I wonder how that affects my Vudu account, which I have enjoyed for almost 3 years now, since before the spiffy, little Vudu download terminals found themselves on store shelves.

Here is the release from WM, dated today:

"Walmart announced today a definitive agreement to acquire VUDU, Inc., a leading provider of digital technologies and services that enable the delivery of entertainment content directly to broadband high-definition TVs and Blu-ray players. The deal is expected to close within the next few weeks.
VUDU is a revolutionary service, built into a growing number of broadband-ready TVs and Blu-ray players, that delivers instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows directly through the television. Customers with broadband Internet access and an Internet-ready TV or Blu-ray player can rent or purchase movies, typically in high-definition, without needing a connected computer or cable/satellite service. New movies and features will be added continually, enabling customers to enjoy a product that continues to become more robust long after they have left the store.
"The real winner here is the customer," said Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman for Walmart. "Combining VUDU's unique digital technology and service with Walmart's retail expertise and scale will provide customers with unprecedented access to home entertainment options as they migrate to a digital environment."
VUDU has licensing agreements with almost every major movie studio and dozens of independent and international distributors to offer approximately 16,000 movies, including the largest 1080p library of video on-demand movies available anywhere. Via their broadband Internet connection, users have the ability to rent or buy titles and begin viewing them instantly."

We can only watch to see what Walmart will do next in the CE space, and to see how the acquisition affects Vudu going forward.

Posted by 1touch at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Harman America's Performance AV group, home to Revel, Mark Levinson, JBL Synthesis, and Lexicon, is now a brand short, having sold long time custom distributed audio/video manufacturer AudioAccess to California CE manufacturer Amplifier Technologies Inc. It's not the first acquisition for ATI, who has picked up Theta Digital and BGW in the last few years.

ATI, who designs and manufacturers surround processors under it's own name, and OEMs them for other companies, including leading control systems manufacturer Crestron. Audioaccess has been one of the oldest pure custom oriented brands, having been founded by industry pioneer Chris Stevens way back in 1987 (hey, that's a heck of a long time ago in the custom installation industry).

AudioAccess was sold by Stevens to Harman in 1993. After being acquired by Harman, Stevens was made president of Harman America. In 2003 Harman transferred design, engineering, and product management of AudioAccess to JBL.

AudioAccess was an early leader in easy to use, keypad controlled multi-room, multi-zone distributed audio systems for the custom installation industry, with (for the time) cutting edge products, such as the PX-4, PX-6, MRX, and PX-600. The hallmark of their system was a very easy to use, 8 button keypads, that any homeowner could master with ease. They became known by custom installers as a system that would make customers happy and perhaps more important, not break.

After leading the industry for years, AudioAccess didn't change to accommodate new sources such as hard drive based music servers. This, and increasing competition in the multi-zone audio space from companies such as Crestron, Russound, Xantech, and Elan caused their fall from the top of the heap. In recent years, AudioAccess has tried to climb back to the top, releasing more advanced control interfaces, such as touch screens, more advanced controllers, and even an iPOD dock (a must have in the industry today, as consumers can't seem to get enough of trading sound quality for convenience)

ATI will keep AudioAccess as an entirely separate division, as it has with Theta. They did not release any information on their future plans for the AudioAccess line. The new addition is highly complementary to ATI's existing products, however.

Posted by 1touch at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by 1touch at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Soon, there will be none left. MyerEmco, a mainstay of the east coast HiFi and then audio video market, will be permentantly shutting it's doors after 55 years in business. According to company president Jon Meyer, they just could not stand up to the recession any longer and would have to close their 7 remaining stores.

The other problem was the eroding profit margins in consumer electronics. It is no secret that profit margins, especially on video products, have been squeezed to the point where many businesses no longer make enough profit selling them to justify doing so.

What will end up happening is that, in seeking ever lower prices, American consumers will be forced to shop for complex products in the places that are the least equipped to ensure said products are properly selected and set up. It is a shame, but there is a price to be paid for always seeking the absolute lowest price. In reality it isn't always the lowest. There is a cost to be paid. The experience you end up getting may well be commensurate with the price.

Posted by 1touch at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From 2010 CES in Las Vegas -

Discovery Communications, Sony Corporation and IMAX Corporation formally announced Jan. 5 that
they are forming a joint venture to create a 24-hour 3D television network in the U.S. to supply
programming for the many new 3D HD sets that have been announced recently.

Stay tuned for more info soon.

 

Posted by 1touch at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Harman America has announced they are revamping their distribution strategy. Their new strategy will, ironically enough, not include distributors. For the past decade or so many smaller, independent dealers and custom installers have purchased their Harman (Harman Kardon, JBL, Infinity) products primarily through a network of distributors.

This has now changed and as such, many of these dealers will not have access to Harman products unless they are approved to become direct dealers. As explained by a Harman exec:

“This new strategy will assist Harman to build its world-class brand portfolio and reputation for quality audio products,” said James Foster, general manager of Harman Consumer Division Americas Region. “It will dramatically shape our retail footprint so that consumers are delivered a world-class shopping experience and our retail partners realize improved business results.”

Last year, Harman restructured it's manufacture's reps, pulling representation from some long time reps and giving Harman product representation to different rep firms. 

Posted by 1touch at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What do Danica Patrick and CEDIA both have in common? They'll both be at Indy in 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately for Patrick fans, she'll be there in May, and the CEDIA Expo returns there in September. Danica probably will not be in attendance.

Posted by 1touch at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recognize any of these venerable audio video company names: Tweeter, Sound Advice, HiFi Buys, Dow Stereo, Showcase Entertainment, United Audio, Douglas TV, Big Screen City, Bryn Mawr, Home Entertainment Audio Video Systems, Now Audio Video,and Hillcrest Audio Video?

The companies and associated brands were all purchased by now defunct Tweeter as part of its acquisition spree. The good news is that if you have the capital or financiers, they can all be yours. Tweeter declared bankruptcy and closed the doors on the last of its stores almost a year ago.

The firm Apto Solutions will be running the auction, scheduled for some time in mid-December.  

Posted by 1touch at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently Microsoft has a way to determine if people have hacked their X-box 360 consoles to play pirated games and they've had just about enough. In a move reminiscent of cable and satellite providers turning off pirated boxes an hour before the Superbowl, Microsoft has rendered about 600,000 X-box 360 consoles impossible to connect to X-box live. In addition to the inability to X-Box Live, the zapped game consoles will no longer receive software updates or content downloads.

Live is the software giant's online gaming service, which is the preferred way to play games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The new game is expected to be one of the most popular in history. It's been long awaited by gamers and heavily promoted by the gaming industry. The game's release, timed for the eve of the holiday shopping season has been anxiously awaited by the gaming community.

If you hacked your console, and were expecting to play COD:MW2 in your home theater this Christmas Morning, you should be thankful that new X-Box 360s are now under $200. You'll need a new one to hack now, or you could just play the old fashioned way.

Microsoft's position on the situation was articulated in a statement released earlier today:

"All consumers should know that piracy is illegal, and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs, violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live,"

Posted by 1touch at 05:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are the first of many movies out on Kingston USB thumb drives. Kingston just released these two blockbusters on the memory format, which you just plg into the USB 2.0 drive on the side of your PC and play.

You can't just off load the movie to your hard drive however, and use the USB drive for other things. No, Kingston says that you can save a copy of the movie to your hard drive as a backup, it's keyed to the USB drive on which it was purchased, and that same drive must stay inserted for the movie to play.

In the not too distant future, Kingston has promised movies will also be available on SD cards.

Speaking of SD card movies, digital on demand solution provider MOD Systems, in a partnership with Toshiba, is ready to roll out digital delivery, touch-screen kiosks in a couple of weeks that will let you just insert your SD card and fill it with the movies and music of your choice; for a fee, of course. Originally they'll be in a few Pacific Northwest locations. If the concept proves viable they will expand to additional locations.

MOD Systems has approximately 4,000 movie titles available, and almost 5-1/2 million music tracks.  They got this content through relationships with several major studios such as Warner and Paramount, although no title listing appears on their website at this time. MOD Mentions GreenPlay compatibility on their website, but information on GreenPlay is scarce. It seems MOD is using CPRM copy protection, as used on SDHC cards.

Posted by 1touch at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, it really is the beginning of the end! Walmart announced today they are going to be getting into the custom installation business. One knows not weather that will entail full blown home theater systems or merely hanging your flat panel on a tilt mount for you. Will they program up a universal remote, hide all the wires, calibrate the audio and video, and explain to the customer how to properly use their new pride and joy?

Time will tell.

Don't worry though, it won't be your friendly Walmart sales associate hopping in the install van and heading out to run the cables and make sure everything works. Walmart has partnered with NEW's nationwide installation network, so their installers didn't fall off the turnup truck yesterday. New contracts with existing custom installers and currently has about 11,000 installers under contract. They will also be doing a similar installation service for Sam's Club.

Walmart has indicated they will have the services up and going in time for Black Friday.

Posted by 1touch at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Want a new, 52" 1080p LCD and have to have it RIGHT NOW!! Well then, you'll be pleased to discover that CE retail giant Best Buy has announced they'll accomodate your wishes by opening their new Union Square store in Manhattan 24/7. Even their Geek Squad of "Custom" installers will be available 'round the clock. Now New York is really the city the never sleeps.

Posted by 1touch at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nintendo announced today that they would lower the price of the Wii video game console to under $200 beginning Sunday, Sept. 27th.

The new $199.99 Wii price point delivers the full iconic Wii gaming experience, including the motion-sensing Wii Remote^™ controller, Nunchuk^™ controller and Wii Sports^™ software, and "furthers Nintendo’s mission to expand the gaming universe by making video games accessible to more and more consumers." Really!  Considering a year ago they still couldn't even keep them in stock, the Wii bundle at only $199 seems like a great addition to your media room.

Posted by 1touch at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The 2009 CEDIA Expo is in the can for 2009. Although attendance was down about 12% for this year over last, exhibitors and attendees alike reported a very successful show. The CEDIA Expo will be back in Atlanta on September 22-26 of 2010. Hope to see you there.

Posted by 1touch at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pioneer is unveiling a new concept piece they are calling the future of home entertainment. Is Pioneer's new toy the future of home entertainment, or is it marketing hyperbole?

What is Pioneer's Project ET? They have brought us a network entertainment concept player, which they've code named "Project ET,"

What does Preject ET do?
According to Pioneer, Project ET "encompasses high quality audio and video playback, Internet access and home theater control capabilities all within a single set-top device. Pioneer® differentiates its technology concept from existing players in the market by letting consumers combine their personal music, movies and photo collections with access to a choice of online content services, social networking applications and online purchasing sites. Pioneer’s concept incorporates the convenience of a unified remote control which users can also use to easily add and remove services based on their entertainment needs and preferences.

“For years Pioneer has developed products with its exclusive Home Media Gallery function that networks DLNA-compliant products within the home theater. Now that broadband speeds have increased to a level that lets users access high definition quality content from the Internet, we are able to consider a network platform like Project ET, which is based on a unique home theater approach to delivering networked content and services into the living room,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president for home entertainment business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

Emerging Internet Content at Your Fingertips

Pioneer’s concept lets consumers download and stream music, video and photos directly from a networked PC to a home theater for viewing on a large screen television. With the opportunity to directly access new, unique content from multiple free and paid online content providers, including YouTube, Netflix and Picasa among many others, Project ET provides a new means for users to seek and enjoy new entertainment.

While retailers may be able to configure a Project ET device for out-of-the box access to specific applications and services, consumers could further customize the device with preferred applications for music and movie streaming, photo storage and playback, as well as additional control capabilities. Pioneer has developed a dedicated web portal for Project ET owners to easily add and remove content services with a simple click of a button. Project ET incorporates its proprietary video processing technologies that ensure superior playback of high definition as well as lower resolution content.

Pioneer is demonstrating the network concept with one terabyte of hard disk drive storage space for uncompressed and compressed audio file storage and playback. The device is Ethernet-equipped and has built-in WiFi to maximize connectivity. At CEDIA, the Project ET device will include a built-in internal Blu-ray Disc®/DVD/CD player.

Living Room Control Capabilities Enhance User Experiences

Primarily envisioned as an entertainment network device, Project ET also provides a host of custom installation tools with built-in Control4 IQ technology. A Zigbee 2-Way remote control and high definition graphic user interface allows end users to intuitively navigate their stored digital content or online media while simultaneously controlling home theater room lighting, temperature and other connected home automated products.

Project ET New Media Highlights

At Pioneer’s CEDIA Booth #3009 attendees can view the Project ET network concept demonstration features:

    * Twitter Updates: With real-time updates to one’s Twitter messaging service, Project ET can “tweet” whatever entertainment content you are enjoying to followers with a hot-link to the movie title or music album
    * Buy It Now Button: Allows Twitter followers as well as Project ET users to directly purchase physical or digital copies of content based on the current media being played
    * Mobile Device Streaming: Provides users with remote access to local content from the home theater system and streams it to WiFi-connected portable devices or a PC, anywhere and anytime. The technology also place-shifts content, and it centralizes control of home theater components and home systems within a home theater room
    * iPhone Compatibility: Utilizing Wi-Fi, Project ET users can navigate, control and playback digital media as well as all home theater operations with an iPhone/iPod

Pioneer has not committed to a product release date or let any pricing news slip. They are considering various options for products based on this platform.

More cool stuff from CEDIA!

Posted by 1touch at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pioneer had a well deserved reputation for making great plasma TVs. After all Pioneer was the first manufacturer to bring to market a high definition plasma, back in 1997. The introduction of their Kuro line cemented the name Pioneer as the Go To brand for high end displays in the mind of many consumers. It was part of Pioneer's marketing strategy to move upmarket and deemphasize the less profitable lower end A/V products. As other manufacturers jumped all over themselves to win the so called “race to zero”, Pioneer was using their premium KURO plasma TVs to lift them to profitability; except for one thing. It didn't work.

The TVs were fantastic, delivering beautiful, lifelike images from their screens, and the Kuro brand had started to take hold in upper end consumer's minds. However, a combination of the softening world economy and the increased quality of Pioneer's lower end competitors (mostly in the LCD space) rendered the Kuro marketing plan not viable. As LCD TVs got better and cheaper, demand for the premium Pioneer displays fell to the point where Pioneer could no longer sell enough volume to make the venture profitable.

Pioneer's first strategy was to discontinue plasma panel production and outsource the glass to others, most notably Panasonic. In the end though, this strategy proved short lived, and never really got off the ground before Pioneer pulled the plug on Plasma altogether.

What will Pioneer do now that they won't be selling one of the high end's leading displays? According to a recent report in the journal TWICE, Pioneer has released their marketing strategy for moving forward in a world without plasma. Sure, plasma will be in the world, just not in Pioneer's. After March of next year they will be out of the TV business entirely.

Will Pioneer resort to a similar strategy to other manufacturer's, selling basic A/V electronics and something they've been doing for years, car audio gear? Not really. According to their recent statements, Pioneer will still try to stand out as premium purveyors of audio / video gear, leveraging their relationships with THX and London's Air Studios to stand out from the crowd. CEDIA attendees should notice the difference in Pioneers message. For one thing, we'lll not be treated to the wall of plasma displays with images of red roses on a black background eliciting “oohhs” and “ahhs”  ifrom show goers.

To grab consumer's minds Pioneer is kicking off a new ad campaign to remind shoppers about the advances in audio video Pioneer has made or contributed to over the past few decades. Pioneer will also backtrack on  the contracting  distribution strategy it had implemented during recent years, broadening their distribution channels and adding dealers.

Can Pioneer make the transition to a non-TV company, when so much of their focus has been on premium video throughout the last few years? That remains to be seen, although it seems foolish to bet against them.

Posted by 1touch at 06:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Is the CEDIA Expo shrinking? Of course it is, as are many trade shows in the current economic climate. What's stunning about CEDIA are the recent announcements that so many pillar manufacturers are not going to be at the show this year. Some have made noises about possibly having some off site presence, but they will not have booths on the show floor or have an official CEDIA presence. First the move from Denver to Atlanta, now this?

So, what manufacturers are playing hooky from the 2009 CEDIA expo? The following manufacturers have already officially announced they will not be there, or there are credible rumors to the effect: Denon, Marantz, McIntosh Laboratory, Boston Acoustics, Snell Acoustics, Escient, Elan, Sunfire, Planar, Runco, and Xantech. Those are some of the real leaders in the custom residential electronics installation industry, and it will not be the same without them, and their opulent booths on site.

Xantech, Sunfire, and Elan are part of the Linear Group. Linear also owns Linear, a leader in the security industry, who is also typically exhibiting at the CEDIA Expo, but the real shocker is the other Linear companies Niles Audio, and Speakercraft. Could they be absent from the show this year as well? That would mean the core of the custom installation industry would be eviscerated, with a solid number of key players choosing to sit it out for at least a year. Even with only the confirmed absences, the Expo won't have the same import as in years past.

If Speakercraft isn't there, who will replace Jeremy's incessant blathering over the venue's PA system? Hey, it's a custom A/V installation show. At least make sure the announcements aren't driven to the point of distortion and (for many attendees) pain.

Posted by 1touch at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)