CompUSA to Close Over Half Its Stores

As part of a broad restructuring CompUSA said today that it will close 126 of its 229 U.S. stores in the next 2-3 months, including all but 8 in California. All 4 stores in San Diego, where I live, will soon close, as they apparently were among the poor-perfomers. As part of the restructuring, CompUSA will receive a $440 million cash infusion, which may strike some as throwing good money after bad.

Some of you are probably wondering what this has to do with HDTV since CompUSA is mostly a computers/networking shop. And therein lies part of the problem. About three years ago the retailer made a move to enter the consumer electronics market, stocking its stores with plasma TVs and the like in an effort to better compete with Best Buy, Circuit City and Fry's.

That effort has been a dismal failure. I don't know anyone who's ever bought an HDTV at CompUSA; indeed with the name of the store, most people wouldn't even think to look there. The CE and PC retail market segments are so competitive that this company is going to have to seriously rethink its strategy if it has any hopes of keeping the remaining 103 stores open for any length of time.

CNET Not Sold on New Pioneer Blu-ray Disc Player

CNET reviews Pioneer's new BDP-HD1 Blu-ray Disc player and concludes that while the Blu-ray image quality is very high, the machine's DVD unconversion is inferior when compared to competing models. The lack of a CD player and a high price tag of $1,500 also contribute to a rather modest 6.5 out of 10 rating.

Sony Intros Second Blu-ray Disc Player

Sony, looking to extend Blu-ray's reach into the mass market, said this morning that its second BD player will make its debut this summer at a suggested retail price of $600. Among other features including 1080p upscaling for HDTVs that support that resolution, the "new BD unit incorporates BRAVIA Theater Sync utilizing HDMI connectivity, which integrates the operation of the player with a compatible BRAVIA flat-panel LCD television or audio/video receiver. With the touch of a button, you can automatically turn on and switch inputs matching connected devices."

Sony Integrates Component Video, Digital Cameras

As part of a broad series of HD-related announcements today, Sony said its new line of digital cameras will feature a high-def component video cable for easy connection to an HDTV. The cameras can also be used with the new Sony CSS-HD1 high-definition Cyber-shot Station, which comes with the component cable and allows users to to connect the cameras to the station just one time. It will also work as a charger.

Sony's New Internet Video Link to Sell for $300

Sony execs said today that its Bravia Internet video link will retail for $300 when it goes on sale in July. According to the company, "when attached to a compatible Sony television, the module will enable access to Internet video programming, including high-definition content, from providers like AOL, Yahoo! and Grouper, as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music."

Sony compatible televisions include the recently announced BRAVIA HDTV line including the S-series flat-panel LCD line (KDL- 46S3000, KDL-40S3000, KDL-32S3000 and KDL-26S3000) and the new KDF-37E3000 micro-display, which ship this spring. Other new BRAVIA models supporting the module include the new V-series and XBR flat-panel LCD line (KDL-46V3000, KDL-40V3000 and KDL-32XBR4) and the E-series micro-display line (KDF-50E3000 and KDF-46E3000), shipping this summer.

Sony Unveils New Slimmer Rear-Projection HDTVs

Sony announced today that its new line of LCD microdisplay rear-projection HDTVs will carry the Bravia moniker and will be 22 percent skinnier than the company's old Grand Wega models. At between 12 and 13 inches deep, the 1080p resolution units will be available this summer at as of yet undisclosed price points.

Marriott Installing LCD HDTVs in All Guest Rooms

Marriott International said today that its Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts brands will feature 32-inch LCD HDTVs in all guest rooms by 2009, with approximately a quarter of those installed by the end of this year. In addition to the LCD display, guests will also have access to a digital connectivity panel that will enable them to plug in their iPods, notebook computers, PDAs and other devices into the LCD display.

Among the initial hotels to receive the upgrade are San Francisco Moscone Center; the New York Marriott Marquis; the Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square; the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.; the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center; the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, Phoenix; the Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Scottsdale; the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel in New Orleans; and the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter.

In the hyper-competitive hotel business, this is a great move by Marriott to distinguish itself from its rivals. As a traveler, would offering an HDTV in your room influence where you stay?

New Canon Digital Camera Records in HD

Canon has intro'd a new $499 digital camera that is capable of recording 720p video. As a sign that the video feature isn't merely for show, the camera can be rotated and used vertically for video or in the traditional horizontal manner for still photos. It will also record what Canon calls CD-quality audio when it goes on sale next month.

More from TWICE.

TV Sales Up Big for Super Bowl

The NPD Group has released point-of-sale data showing that the Super Bowl earlier this month had a dramatically positive impact on TV sales.

TV sales increases in the week before the Super Bowl from previous week
Direct-view CRT - sales up 61%
LCD - sales up 40%
Projection - sales up 25%
Plasma - sales up 23%

Plasma retained the highest average selling price at $1,726. Projection was next at $1,467 followed by LCD at $1,072 and direct-view CRT at $183.

Keep in mind that these figures include both HD and standard TVs.

LG, Samsung Duking It Out Over OLED

The Korea Times ran a piece yesterday detailing how the rivalry between Samsung and LG has extended to OLED manufacturing. While OLED has yet to show up in commercialized television displays, it is expected by some to eventually eclipse LCD and plasma in flat-screen display popularity. Today the technology is mostly seen in smaller devices such as cell phones, MP3 players and car stereos.

ESPN Beefs Up HD Programming

ESPN plans to telecast full seasons of seven different sports in HD for airing on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, the media giant said today. All Monday Night Football games, college football games, Major League Baseball games, NBA games, NASCAR races, Major League Soccer matches and NHRA races that air on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will be shown in high-def thanks to a greater number of remote production trucks that are now available.

More from Multichannel News.

Sharp Boasts Industry's First Blu-ray Recorder

While there's been a decent amount of activity in the continuing battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray players, one area that hasn't seen much action is in allowing consumers to record HD content to a disc in addition to playing pre-recorded content. Sharp on Friday announced plans to change that through the March introduction of its $1,200 BD-HP1 in Japan that will enable consumers to record TV programming to 25 GB Blu-ray discs - about two hours' worth of HD content. The device will hit U.S. store shelves later this spring.

If you're thinking that the $1,200 price tag maybe isn't as big as you might expect for that kind of functionality, there's a catch: the Sharp Blu-ray Disc recorder will only work with Sharp Aquos TVs!

That's right, you have to get Sharp's version of the combo meal to make the BD-HP1 work. The reason is that it relies on the tuner built into the Aquos LCD TV or an Aquos HD Recorder to eliminate the need for a second tuner in the Blu-ray Disc recorder. That cuts costs, which is good for consumers, but it forces you to buy an Aquos LCD TV with built-in tuner -- not a bad TV to be sure, but a bit limiting if you prefer plasma displays, DLP TVs or Sony's LCDs.

Look for a plethora of package deals combining an Aquos TV with the BD-HP1 to crop up once this thing's available in the U.S. It'll be interesting to see if this helps Sharp capture LCD market share from industry leaders Sony and Samsung or whether it's a mere blip as consumers wait for the format war to resolve itself.

More from TechNewsWorld.

More on the LCD Price War

BusinessWeek runs a piece today further examining the sharp declines in LCD prices brought on by no-name manufacturers who in many cases aren't even really manufacturing anything. You may remember that the NY Times ran a similar piece earlier in the week; the BW article adds some interesting data from market researcher iSuppli. Among the nuggets is the fact that LCD prices are falling 3% to 5% a month and some analysts expect 40-inch LCD flat-panel displays could be had for under $1,000 by Christmas (from an average of $1,600 today).

It is absolutely astounding that there are more than 100 HDTV brands on store shelves today, with the bulk of them selling LCDs. It is getting so simple for a start-up company to assemble a group of suppliers, contract for the manufacturing, and with virtually no overhead or marketing expenses, get their products on store shelves at a substantial discount to the name-brand manufacturers like Sony and Samsung.

As I've previously written in this space, this is a pretty positive trend for consumers, at least from the perspective of their wallets. Less clear is the impact on LCD quality -- the less well-known brands say that their products are every bit as reliable as the big guys, but of course the larger companies disagree. When you read reviews on CNET and other sites, the evidence seems to lean towards the name-brand companies' positions that the more expensive components they use combined with their own technology (the "secret sauce," if you will) is worth the higher prices they charge.

If you have experience with the quality/reliability of lesser-known brands like Westinghouse, Maxent or Vizio, let us hear about it!

Cable One Planning HD Tier

Cable One, a mid-size cable company serving about 700,000 customers around the country, is in negotiations to distribute the HD feeds of a number of networks with plans to group them into a high-def tier similar to ones offered by Time Warner Cable, Charter, Bright House and others. On tap are A&E HD, Discovery HD Theater, Food Network HD, HGTV HD and National Geographic Channel HD. The cabler already offers various local broadcast channels in high-def, as well as ESPN HD, HBO HD, Showtime HD, TNT HD and Universal HD.

According to Multichannel News, Cable One has been installing 5,000 HD-DVRs a month and has about 70,000 total deployed in customer homes.

Sony Overtakes Samsung in LCD Sales

Market researcher DisplaySearch released a report this week showing that Sony was the market leader in LCD revenue sales in the fourth quarter of '06 while Samsung led in units sold. Sony overtook Samsung from the third quarter by increasing its revenue market share from 15.1 percent to 17.4 percent, while Samsung declined slightly from 15.5 percent to 15.0 percent.

Sony also led the microdisplay market with a 42 percent share, followed by Samsung and Mitsubishi.

Panasonic remained the plasma industry leader, followed by LG Electronics and Samsung.

Interestingly, 35 percent of all TVs sold in Q4 were HD, up from 27 percent in Q3. Samsung was both the HDTV and overall TV industry leader.

More 3D Display Action

A San Diego company Neurok Optics has partnered with a Taiwanese-based company called Chi Mei Optoelectronics to begin manufacturing 3D LCD displays. According to TWICE, "the company’s first product will be a 22W-inch LCD monitor capable of displaying 3D images into and out-of-screen when viewed with passive polarized glasses." It is intended to be used with a PC and will retail for $999 when it begins shipping in May.

Even though this is a PC monitor rather than an HDTV, it's only a matter of time before you start to see these in your friends' living rooms, particularly with the related story reported here earlier in the week about the NBA experimenting with 3D viewing for the All-Star Game festivities in Las Vegas next weekend.

Tweeter: We're in the Calm Before the Pricing Storm

Electronics specialty retailer Tweeter said in its latest quarterly earnings call that it expects flat-panel HDTV prices to hold relatively stable in the first half of this year until 1080p plasma models from Panasonic and Pioneer hit the shelves, at which time a liquidation of sorts will take place on the older 768p models. At that point, plasma will be more competitive with LCD, which could lead to price wars in the 1080p product lines.

In its rear-projection business, company execs say that consumers are no longer interested in 50-inch 720p DLP and LCoS models, with most demanding larger screen sizes in the 60- to 70-inch range and 1080p resolution.

HD in 3-D

The NBA is using its All-Star Game festivities in Las Vegas Feb. 17-18 to showcase new 3-D HDTV viewing from Pace Technologies, a company that manufacturers HD cameras. It marks the first time the new technology will be used at a live event. According to Multichannel News, images from two 3-D HD cameras are combined to create a lifelike 3-D viewing experience through the use of relatively stylish 3-D glasses. The idea is to bring the technology to consumers' homes in the "near future"; the NBA will also deploy the technology during some playoff games later this spring.

Old Enemies Working Together on DTV Transition

We're almost exactly two years from the day your analog TV as you know it will not work. On Feb. 17, 2009 the switchover from analog to digital broadcasting will occur whether we're ready for it or not, but there is a somewhat disturbing lack of educating being done to prepare consumers for the switch. The federal government has allocated $5 million for DTV consumer education, money that will be spent by trade groups representing the cable companies, broadcasters and HDTV manufacturers. At present, however, the only plans are for a website. (It should be pointed out that $5 million would buy you a pretty spiffy website.)

The government plans to offer consumers two $40 vouchers to use to purchase digital-to-analog converters that will allow their analog TVs to continue to work after the DTV transition. The trick is that consumers of course will need to know about these. That is why the FCC and Congress are leaning on the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics Associations -- groups that have historically not played very nicely with each other. Will this be the issue that brings them all together?

Olevia Rises from Nowhere to Gain Market Share

UPDATE: It turns out that Olevia's normal pricing isn't quite as aggressive as initially reported. The company's 32-inch LCD goes for $600 on CircuitCity.com, compared to $1,000 for a comparable LG model or $1,300 for a Sony. Still a great price, but they should make a few bucks on it. Hence my revised commentary...
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The New York Times runs a piece on Olevia parent Syntax-Brillian today, crediting/blaming the company for the dramatic drop in LCD prices industry-wide. As The Times points out, the price reductions have been great for consumers but terrible for manufacturers that are in many cases taking a loss on the HDTVs they sell. Syntax-Brillian has in fact at times sold their 32-inch Olevia LCD for less than what they pay their suppliers for the LCD panel.

As the article points out, as Olevia's competitors drop their own prices to stay competitive, the difference in price between a Sony or Sharp and Olevia will eventually become smaller, leading many consumers to spend a little more to buy the brand they know.

151 Million Worldwide HD Homes by 2011?

A U.K.-based research firm called Informa Telecoms and Media has released a report forecasting that there will be 151 million global households with HDTVs in 2011, up from 48 million at the end of last year. Currently, 58 percent of all HDTV households are in the U.S. with another 20 percent in Japan.

NBC's Nightly News in HD Debuting Next Month

It's taken the broadcast and cable news networks awhile to come around to the idea, but NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" will become the first major news program to make the switch to HD, with the changeover occuring sometime in March. The field reports will still be shown in standard-def for at least another year, but this is a good start. NBC's "Today Show" made its HD debut last fall and you would have thought that it would have been easy enough to use some of the same equipment for the evening news program shortly thereafter, but better late than never.

How long will it take ABC and CBS to follow suit, and will this development cause CNN to hasten its well-known plans for an HD feed?

Thanks to TV Week for the story.

Dell to Sell Sony HDTVs Online

In the first major product-related move since Michael Dell returned as CEO to the company he founded two decades ago, Dell is now selling Sony LCD flat-panel TVs on its website alongside Dell's own LCD TVs. Dell said that it will sell other brands as well although further details were not released.

An analyst quoted in the AP story pointed out that Dell's biggest obstacle to selling a large volume of HDTVs is that it has no retail presence to speak of, and unlike with PCs or notebook computers, consumers actually like to see their HDTVs in person before they buy them. It's one thing to shop in a store to figure out which TV you want and then buy it online to save a few (hundred) bucks. But if you can never see Dell's HDTVs in the first place, how would you know how the picture quality, contrast ratios, black levels, etc. stack up vis-a-vis the competition?

I'd never heard particularly favorable reviews for Dell's LCD or plasma displays anyway so maybe reselling high-quality Sony Bravia LCDs is in fact the best way for them to go.

Flat Panel TV Sales Short-Circuit #2 U.S. Retailer

Circuit City, in an attempt to shore up its financials following sluggish flat-panel TV sales last year, announced today that it will close a number of stores and shake up its merchandising team. According to TWICE, "the first phase includes the closing of seven U.S. stores this month; a distribution center in Louisville, Ky.; 62 The Source by Circuit City stores in Canada; and Rapid Satellite, an online seller of DirecTV services that was acquired in 2005 and had since been put on sale."

Suffice it to say that Circuit effectively bet the farm on flat-panel TVs to try and retake market share from industry leader Best Buy (and others). But rapidly falling flat-panel prices have taken their toll on retailers' margins, particularly those that were so weighted towards HDTVs. It seems likely that Circuit will now have to place a greater emphasis on accessories and installation services if it is to have any chance of catching Best Buy.

JVC For Sale

The Victor Co. of Japan, parent company of JVC of America, is on the auction block. Estimates are that the 52 percent controlling interest in the company will fetch nearly $700 million for current owner Matsushita Industrial Electric, parent of Panasonic. Three private equity firms -- one based in the U.S. -- are bidding in the auction, which may conclude its second round by tomorrow.

JVC is one of those old consumer electronics companies that kind of flies under the radar. It makes good products, particularly of the LCD and LCoS flavor, but it definitely doesn't have the brand recognition of longtime Japanese rivals like Sony and Panasonic or even upstart Korean competitors like Samsung and LG. It will be interesting to watch whether the private equity firm that wins this auction can reinvigorate the brand for the long-term or if the plan is to fix it up quickly and sell it off again.

Top 10 Channels Not in HD That Should Be

There are a number of HD channels that are offered to a limited number of viewers (HGTV, Golf Channel, Versus, etc.) that I'd really like to see on my cable system. However, there are a lot of other channels that are not yet even simulcast in high-def that should be -- and here's my Top 10 list (some of these are in development but aren't yet available).

1. Travel Channel
2. FX
3. Comedy Central
4. Fine Living
5. TLC
6. CNN
7. Fox News Channel
8. ESPNU
9. CSTV: College Sports Television
10. History Channel

Judge Orders DIRECTV to Pull HD Ads

A federal judge in Manhattan yesterday ordered DIRECTV to pull ads it had been airing starring Jessica Simpson and William Shatner claiming that its high-definition service was higher quality than that of Time Warner Cable. The dispute revolved around the tagline "For an HD picture that can’t be beat, you’ve got to get DIRECTV," which the company is now prohibited from using.

Time Warner successfully argued that since both its and DIRECTV's HD services are broadcast in 1080i, they are effectively of the same quality. Interestingly, the judge ruled that DIRECTV may continue to run ads stating that its overall picture quality is better than Time Warner Cable's since the satcaster broadcasts every channel digitally, unlike the cable company. Additionally, DIRECTV does not have to run any mea culpa ads correcting the language that the judge struck down, which Time Warner had requested.

Thanks to numerous sources for this story, including Multichannel News.

Hitachi Reports Drop in Plasma Sales

Hitachi said in its latest quarterly earnings report that the division that includes plasma TVs and DVD recorders lost $160 million, leading to an overall 77 percent decline in net income for the company. Hitachi attributed the drop in plasma display sales to falling prices in the wake of intense competition with other plasma makers as well as LCD rivals.

On a positive note, Hitachi also said that it began production of plasma display panels at a new manufacturing plant operated by Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display Ltd., which according to the company helped to lower the costs of producing the plasma panels.

Retailers Give In, Slash HDTV Prices for Big Game

Even though they said they would focus on attractive financing deals rather than price cuts to move their HDTV inventories, TWICE reports today that most retailers wound up cutting prices anyway in the days leading up to last night's Super Bowl. Some of the more interesting deals offered to consumers were Sony's 1080p 50-inch SXRD rear-projection HDTV for $1,800 (BestBuy.com) and Samsung's 40-inch LCD flat-panel for under $1,500 (numerous retailers).

If you got a smokin' deal on an HDTV in the week before the Big Game, comment here and let us know about it!

LG's Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Now Available

The LG BH100, the first combination Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD player that was unveiled at last month's CES, is now available at such retail establishments as Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA, the company announced today. The product was honored by numerous groups at CES, receiving CNN's Best of CES, CNET's Best in Show and the Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award.

In addition to displaying content in 1080p, the BH100 also upconverts standard DVDs to 1080i resolution.

My bet is that this device will sell very well and stores may sell out of their initial allocations quickly.

HDTV: Too Many Choices?

USA Today ran a piece this morning asking the question of whether consumers are overwhelmed by the choices in size, technology and brand when they are shopping for HDTVs.

To me, that's like asking if there are too many choices when you're buying a car or a cell phone. It's true that it makes consumers do more research initially if you want to avoid buyers' remorse, but the wide array of choices leads to lower prices and better features. Even if the average consumer doesn't want or need all of the funtionality many HDTVs offer, you will need some of it and you might find that a year or two down the road you need more of it than you initially thought (an HDMI connection for a PS3 or Blu-ray player, for example).

So if I could offer some advice, it would be to do your homework before you go down to your local electronics store to educate yourself as much as possible on what's available. You wouldn't rely on a car salesman for objective advice, so apply that same mentality to your HDTV purchase and you'll be fine.

Panasonic Parent Reports Strong Plasma Sales

It's funny how the outlook of a particular market can change from one day to the next based on news from its major players. To wit, yesterday some pundits were starting to author obituaries for plasma displays based on disappointing sales figures from Pioneer Electronics that led the company to put on hold expansion plans for a new plasma manufacturing plant in Japan.

Today, Panasonic parent company Matsushita, the industry leader in plasma, reported that its plasma sales were strong in the last quarter of 2006, contributing to a nice bump in net profit for the company, and that the first phase of its new $2.3 billion plasma plant will be up and running this summer. The plant, incidentally, will be the largest plasma display factory in the world, according to TWICE.

It just goes to show how relying on the fortunes of one company to benchmark an entire industry probably isn't the wisest form of analysis...

DISH Adds A&E HD; Now Offers 31 HD Channels

DISH Network said yesterday that it has become the latest service provider to add A&E HD to its high-def lineup, joining Time Warner Cable, Cox and AT&T U-verse as companies offering the channel in some or all of their markets.

DISH now offers 31 HD channels counting the VOOM 15 suite of networks owned by Rainbow Media. In addition to the standard HD channels like Discovery HD Theater and ESPN HD, DISH Network is one of the few providers to offer Food Network HD, HGTV HD and National Geographic HD.

Pioneer Puts Expansion On Hold After Plasma Sales Drop

Pioneer Electronics said in its earnings report yesterday that plasma sales were off 10 percent in the quarter thanks mostly to a "substantial drop" in OEM sales, and as a result, the company is putting on hold plans to open a new plasma production plant west of Tokyo. Plasma displays represent nearly half of the company's home electronics sales, so while Pioneer would like to increase capacity, particularly on newly announced 1080p models, instead it will spend less money manufacturing PDPs and more on marketing them. Tighter supplies are expected due to the capacity restraints imposed by their current plant operations, which in a time of declining flat-panel prices industry-wide, will make it tough for the company to grow its position in the market.

The interesting part of this is that market research firm DisplaySearch released data earlier in the week that suggested Pioneer was actually doing pretty well based on the number of plasma panels shipped and the rate of growth. Apparently the holiday season was not particularly good for the company.

Canon Intros Second HD Camcorder

For those of you who want to get all of those important family moments in high-def on your big screen, Canon's trying to help you out. The company said yesterday that it has launched its Canon HV20 HD Camcorder, which includes a 10x HD video zoom lens with Super Range Optical Image Stabilization and a Canon True HD 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image Sensor for 1080 image recording. According to Canon, the HV20 HD Camcorder "also features an HDMI terminal for quick and easy one-cable transport of the High Definition video signal to a HDTV."

The HV20 will hit retail shelves in April at a list price of $1,099. It joins several competing high-def camcorders from Sony, Sanyo and other manufacturers.

My question is how long it will take YouTube to support HD video. It's a great site but the video quality is nothing short of horrendous...

AT&T U-verse TV Inks Deal to Carry A&E HD

AT&T has signed a carriage deal to add A&E HD to the stable of high-def channels it offers customers of its U-verse TV service, inking the agreement with A&E for the HD feed as well as various linear channels (A&E, Biography, History Channel, Military History Channel, etc.) and a VOD offering.

U-verse is currently available in parts of Connecticut, Houston, Indianapolis, San Antonio and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Overall Plasma Shipments Declined in Q4

Market research firm DisplaySearch has released data showing that plasma panel shipments in the fourth quarter of '06 were down 4 percent from the third quarter and up just 3 percent from Q4 '05, despite a dramatic decline in prices. The firm attributes the rather meager growth rate to a loss of market share to LCD competitors.

However, plasma market leader Panasonic/Matsushita saw its panel shipments grow 27 percent in the quarter and Pioneer experienced a whopping 73 percent growth rate. The overall declines came at the expense of Korean companies like LG Electronics and Samsung, both of which registered a sizeable drop in shipments and market share.

It should be pointed out that Panasonic and Pioneer would be considered by most in the industry to be manufacturers of higher-quality plasma panels and displays than companies like LGE and Samsung. Thus I doubt it's coincidence that these two Japanese companies are faring better in the plasma market than their Korean rivals.

Toshiba Pushing HDTVs with $200 Rebate

If you're trying to get your HD system set up before the big game on Sunday, Toshiba would like to help by giving a little back. The manufacturer is offering a $200 instant rebate on any HDTV 42" or larger with just one catch: you also have to buy a Toshiba HD DVD player, although they'll also throw in 3 free HD DVD discs.

The promotion runs through Monday and is available at Best Buy, Fry’s, Video Only, American, Conn’s, P.C. Richard & Son, Crutchfield, hhgregg and ABC Warehouse.

1080p Plasmas Hitting the Market

While nearly every LCD maker offers an impressive lineup of 1080p displays, plasma enthusiasts haven't many options when it comes to screen resolution. That's beginning to change and CNET profiles four 1080p plasmas now on the market, two each from Panasonic and Pioneer.

Is 1080p worth the extra money? If you plan to have the TV for 20 years, then probably so. But I'll let you in on a little secret: at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Panasonic had a display set up where you could compare the same image on a 768p and a 1080p plasma side-by-side. The difference was negligible at best. Even one of the Panasonic engineers there told me that he could really only see a significant improvement via 1080p on just one of the images they were showing.

Smithsonian to Launch HD Network This Year

The Smithsonian Institution is developing a 24-hour HD channel that it plans to launch sometime later this year, according to the executive in charge of the project. Multichannel News reports that the Smithsonian is also working on a video on demand initiative with Showtime that will debut this spring and feature "more than 60 programs produced by some of the industry’s top nonfiction-production companies. The programming will feature documentaries, events and short-subject exploration of the major scientific, cultural and historical events of the day."

No distribution deals with cable, satellite or telco providers yet for Smithsonian/Showtime on either the HD or VOD front, but active negotiations are currently underway.

Retailers Promote Financing, Not More Price Cuts

In advance of Super Bowl XLI, retailers are preparing for the 2.5 million expected HDTV purchases by extending interest-free financing deals in lieu of additional price reductions. TWICE reports that Best Buy is offering 36 months free financing on home theater purchases of $999 and up; rival Circuit City is promoting 24 interest-free months on TV purchases of $499 and up.

From a retail perspective, holding the line on prices by focusing on the financing makes sense given the dramatic decline in HDTV prices over the last year. However, I'd really like to know how many consumers actually take advantage of these interest-free offers, which entail signing up for a line of credit and going through the ensuing credit approval process.

If you feel like it, comment here and let me know if these kinds of deals entice you enough to buy a TV or if you view them as gimmicky and not worth much.

LG: Flat-Panels Hurting Profits

LG Electronics said yesterday that its most recent quarterly profits were down 85 percent from the previous year, due mostly to a 29 percent dropoff in sales from the prior quarter in its digital display group that includes flat-panel TVs. The company does expect sales to pick up as more 40+ inch LCDs are introduced, although price declines will continue to put heavy pressure on margins.

If companies like LG can't make money selling HDTVs now, how can they expect the situation to improve as prices continue to fall? I suppose they're banking on their costs falling quicker than retail prices, but to me it's unclear whether that will really occur, even with all of the new plants in Korea, Japan and China coming online.

What kind of world do we live in if you can't make money selling a $2,000 TV???

Democracy in HD

As has been the case for the last few years, the major broadcast networks and HDNet presented President George W. Bush's State of the Union address to Congress in high-definition, a plus to some of our lawmakers and other government officials (Nancy Pelosi and Laura Bush both look good in HD, although the first female speaker of the House made funny faces during most of Bush's speech) but a drawback for others (Ted Kennedy can't really look like that, can he?).

First HD Service Launches in Southeast Asia

Singapore's StarHub became the first pay TV service provider in Southeast Asia to launch HD service today, enabling that country to join Japan and Korea as the only ones on the Asian continent to offer HD service. National Geographic HD and Discovery HD are the first two channels that are being broadcast.

LCD Maker Westinghouse Lures Biz Clients

In the ultra-competitive LCD flat-panel display business, it's not easy for smaller companies to survive among the likes of Sony, Sharp, Samsung and other big name manufacturers. CNET profiles how Westinghouse Digital Electronics, a Los Angeles-based company that imports most of the guts of its LCD displays from China, is going after the high-end corporate customer with products like an 82-inch screen that is actually an electronic sign.

Cox Adds ESPN2 HD in All Markets

Cox Cable has inked a deal to offer ESPN2 HD on the high-def tier in all the markets where it didn't already, including San Diego and Cleveland. Among major HD service providers, ESPN2 HD now has carriage agreements with DIRECTV, DISH, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable (in certain areas), Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse. Still left to negotiate are Cablevision, Charter, Bright House and Time Warner in certain markets.

HD Porn: Too Much Definition

An article in The NY Times today calls to light how the porn industry is handling HDTV. Porn has traditionally been an early adopter of new technologies and can even claim some amount of credit for helping VCRs and DVDs take hold. With HD, however, stars in the San Fernando Valley are finding that like their Hollywood counterparts, there can be such a thing as being too close to the action. Sony, the lead company behind Blu-ray, has even gone so far as refusing to mass-produce porn in its new high-definition DVD standard, although others certainly will.

Only Half of HDTV Owners Have HD Service

The Cable & Telecom Association for Marketing released results of a survey today showing that just 52 percent of HDTV owners subscribe to a high-def service that enables them to watch HD content. 34 percent of those folks were not aware that they needed to set up HD service while 61 percent thought that HD quality is the same as a DVD.

Longtime readers of this blog know that this particular issue is one about which I write frequently, and is one that gets me pretty fired up. These survey results don't speak to how many of the 48 percent of non-HD subscribers use an over-the-air antenna to capture local HD broadcast signals at no charge, but other data indicates it is not a majority. The problem here is simple, the solution not so much. Here's the deal:

Right now, when you buy an HDTV at your local electronics store, the focus is on the TV itself. When it comes to HD service, certain stores carry DIRECTV, others offer DISH, some might have a brochure for the local cable company's digital cable product. The issue, however, is that no retailer I know of offers a comprehensive selection of HD service options, both cable and satellite. So let's say you buy your HDTV at a retailer that only carries DIRECTV but you already use Comcast cable. You take no action on HD service at the store and when you get home, you plug your TV in and naturally assume that you're watching HD content. The truth is that unless you already ordered an HD cable box and have the installers waiting to hook it up, you're really just watching standard analog or digital cable on an HDTV set.

Additionally, the sales guys at most big box electronics stores are generally poorly trained on the technology behind HDTV, and even worse on HD service. All too often after they've sold you your new DLP, LCD or plasma, they don't even mention the service options.

As you can see, the problem is fairly easy to understand. Solutions, however, have been difficult to come by. The cable and consumer electronics industries have long been at odds, and it was due in large measure to CE retailers' embrace of DIRECTV and DISH in the mid-90s that those two companies were able to rise as legitimate competitors to cable. Cable and CE have tried partnerships here and there but there has been no concerted effort on either of their parts to make signing up for HD service a mandatory part of the HDTV buying process.

My position is that when you buy an HDTV, you should have to leave the store having either ordered an HD cable box, purchased an HD satellite dish and box, or bought an over-the-air antenna. However, I won't hold by breath waiting for that development to occur.

Tweeter to Focus Retail Efforts on High-End Market

Tweeter, the Boston-based electronics retailer that has recently announced lower revenue and employee layoffs, has decided to focus on the high-end segment of the HDTV market after determining that it simply cannot compete with the likes of Best Buy and Circuit City on price. More from the Eagle-Tribune.

This is a smart, if overdue, move by Joe McGuire, Tweeter's CEO. The only retailers who can legitimately compete on price with the big box guys like BB and Circuit are other big boxes like Wal-Mart and Home Depot. A niche 154-store outfit like Tweeter cannot effectively serve the low-end and the high-end customer and has seen its profit margins plunge trying. In fact, I've read reports that some retailers aren't even really making any money selling HDTVs anymore; it's the accessories and installation services that are now fattening their wallets. That being the case, this move from Tweeter makes all the more sense.

HD Cable Boxes Undergoing Vast Transformation

One interesting development in the industry over the last couple of years has been the evolution of the cable box, formerly the set-top box -- although as this New York Times article points out, it's not really set on the top of anything anymore. At this year's CES, there were companies exhibiting advanced HD cable boxes than you could shake a remote at, including Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta (Cisco), TiVo, AT&T, Digeo, Akimbo and others.

The biggest shift in the cable box landscape is that you will soon be able to buy them in retail rather than leasing them from your cable provider. Whether you will think this is a good use of $800 to $1,000 remains to be seen, but several companies like those mentioned above are betting that you will. The way it will work is that you will buy the box at Circuit City, Best Buy or wherever, take it home and order a CableCard from your cable company. If you ever move or want to switch to a different provider, you don't need a new box, just a new CableCard. The cable companies charge a buck or two a month to lease these little devices.

The problem with the current generation of CableCards is that they are uni-directional, meaning that they only receive data from the cable headend rather than being able to also send data to it. Thus, advanced features like video on demand don't work. The next generation of bi-directional CableCards is being held up due to disputes between the cable companies and the consumer electronics industry. However, the federal government has mandated that by this July 1st, all cable providers must make their services interoperate with boxes from outside vendors like TiVo or Digeo, so that should hasten the process.

DISH Strategy: Free HD-DVR, Lower Prices

While DIRECTV made a splash at CES by announcing some of the 100 new HD channels it plans to add this year, DISH Network decided to focus on what it calls its new Digital Home Advantage Package. The new offer begins Feb. 1st and includes a free ViP 622 HD-DVR with a commitment to a certain level of programming including the $20 per month HD package.

No word from DISH on how or whether it intends to compete with DIRECTV's soon-to-be vastly expanded HD channel lineup. Through its acquisition of the old VOOM satellite Rainbow-1 a couple years back, DISH should have bandwidth capacity for additional channels, although it's unclear how many. It is also worth pointing out that while DIRECTV's announcement overshadwed DISH's, DIRECTV has not yet even launched the two new satellites that will give it the capacity to actually offer the 100 new high-def channels.

As the cable companies continue to migrate to all-digital networks through the digital simulcast transition, they too will begin adding more HD channels, putting more pressure on the satcasters to increase their high-def offerings. Throw in what telcos like AT&T and Verizon are doing with their new fiber networks and IPTV, and it all adds up to a win-win for consumers who should have access to a lot more HD content within 6-12 months.

Samsung Working on Wireless Plasma

A Samsung Electronics exec said this week that his company will intro a plasma display later this year that uses 802.11(n) technology to transmit data wirelessly between the TV and the set-top box or PC. The company also is looking at incorporating wireless HDMI into the plasma, technology that was shown off at CES by Amimon and others.

Some of you may remember that Sharp came out with an LCD display a couple of years back that was cordless, using a rechargeable battery for power. I don't recall exactly how it received an HDTV signal (I believe via a regular digital tuner with an over-the-air antenna) but reviews were pretty mixed on its performance. This wireless plasma from Samsung definitely ups the ante for everyone who's sick of the rat's nest of wires behind their TV, and even though it will still need to be plugged into the wall for power, should represent a promising development.

Another Setback for SED

Canon is buying out Toshiba's 50 percent stake in their SED flat-panel venture, a move made necessary by a lawsuit from a Texas-based company that claimed its deal to license certain technology to Canon didn't extend to Toshiba.

This is yet another setback for the surface-conduction electron-emitter display rollout, which was already dealt a blow when the two companies decided not to display a previously-announced 55-inch SED at CES because it apparently wasn't ready for primetime. Canon has been saying for years that SED will quickly pick up flat-panel market share because of its price and performance advantages over LCD and plasma, but it seems to me that everyone will already own an HDTV by the time this thing ever gets to market...

19 Million Flat-Panels to be Sold in '07: CEA

The Consumer Electronics Association forecasts that 19 million LCD flat-panel and plasma displays will be sold this year. Overall, display technologies will account for $26 billion in 2007 sales.

The CEA also released results of a study showing that watching sports in high-definition is a key driver of HDTV sales. The study concluded that nearly 50 percent of sports fans purchased a HDTV for the purpose of watching a specific sporting event. Among the top sporting events driving HDTV purchases: the Super Bowl (13 percent), the Daytona 500 (7 percent), the NBA Finals (6 percent) and the college bowl games (5 percent).

Giant New Crop of HD Channels Coming This Year

Between CES and the Television Critics Association event, there was no shortage of HD-related content developments this week. DIRECTV, which last year announced plans to launch 100 national HD channels in '07, said at CES that it has inked carriage deals with 70 cable networks for their high-def feeds, including Cartoon Network, CNN, FX, History Channel, NFL Network, Sci-Fi, Speed and USA, the majority of which will launch in Q3. Interestingly, most of these channels had not yet officially announced their HD plans, although CNN and FX were widely rumored to be getting close to a launch.

TBS is also scheduled to come online this year in HD, according to parent company Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner. CNN, another Time Warner company, will launch its high-def simulcast in September, while Cartoon Network -- yet another channel owned by Time Warner -- will launch sometime in the second half of the year.

More on this from TV Week. They also report that DIRECTV may be interested in buying the VOOM HD suite of channels from parent company Cablevision.

HDTVs Supersized at CES

There were a handful of monster HDTVs shown off at CES that I saw: an 82-inch Bravia LCD from Sony, a 100-inch LG LCD, LG's 102-inch plasma, a 103-inch plasma from Panasonic and Sharp's 108-inch Aquos LCD. All are 1080p but I believe that only the Panasonic is actually available for sale today (at a rather hefty $70,000).

LG also announced that it has slashed the price of its smaller but much more affordable 71-inch plasma to a nickel below $15,000, an 80% reduction from its price when launched a year ago.

This one-upsmanship in oversized HDTVs has become the equivalent of the nuclear arms race. No one's actually going to buy these things except maybe a few pro athletes or Hollywood stars, but the manufacturers feel the need to at least prototype them so they can brag about their size. They're pretty incredible to see in person but I doubt we'll being seeing them in local retail showrooms anytime soon.

I'll try to upload some pics I took with my Treo later today.

Warner Scores Total HD Retail Victory

On the heels of its Total HD announcement last week, Warner Bros. said yesterday that key retailers Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon.com will stock the combination next-gen DVD format that puts both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats on one disc. No word yet on whether other movie studios will hop on board, but Warner is getting some criticism from some in the biz for intro-ing yet another horse in this race.

I say whatever hastens the adoption of high-def DVD players, which will in turn increase adoption of HDTVs, sounds like a sound strategy to me.

More from Reuters.

HDTV All Over CES

I just got back from this year's annual geekfest, the Consumer Electronics Show, and it was quite the spectacle. I'll highlight some of the more signficant developments in HDTV in separate posts, but wanted to say a few words about CES itself.

I think it's gotten to be too much.

I know people who didn't make the pilgrimage to Vegas this year because with 150,000 attendees and almost 3,000 exhibitors, it's simply grown too large. The lines for taxis and shuttles can be as long as an hour. It took my shuttle over an hour to get from the convention center to the Venetian yesterday afternoon -- a distance of five blocks (it was so bad that I got off the bus halfway through and walked the rest of the way because it was quicker).

It's nearly impossible to get a restaurant table. Hotels that normally cost $100 a night get marked up to $400.

And as for the show itself, it's incredibly chaotic. Six separate convention venues make it a nightmare to get around (three convention halls plus the Hilton, the Sands and this year meeting rooms in the Venetian for the first time). If you're in the north hall and have a meeting in the south hall, you'd better allow a good 20 minutes to get there unless you want to be dripping sweat when you arrive. There are so many different little conferences going on within the main convention that it's nearly impossible to keep track of what's what, and where you need to be. And for whatever reason, the amount of swag and other freebies has declined considerably over the last few years to the point where I came home virtually empty-handed other than product marketing packets (which did have the positive effect of making my suitcase lighter).

That said, it's still the place to see everything and everyone in this industry. Company executives often help man their own booths and I even bumped into the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Kevin Martin, at the Digeo booth. For HDTV afficionados, there are more LCDs, plasmas, DLPs and prototypes than you will ever see in your life. There is so much to see and do at CES that it does make the utter hassle of it all mostly worth it.

I just don't have to like it.

First Compromises in Blu-ray vs. HD DVD Skirmish

Two fairly significant developments occurred yesterday in the ongoing battle between backers of the competing Blu-ray and HD DVD standards. First, LG Electronics announced that at CES next week it will be showing off its new next-gen DVD player that will be able to play both formats. We've been hearing rumors about certain manufacturers attempting a dual-format player for the last year, but this is the first actual product anyone's announced. Should be exciting.

Second, movie studio Warner Bros. said that it will actively promote a new DVD standard called Total HD that will work in both Blu-ray and HD DVD players. Over the last couple of years, the Hollywood studios have all lined up behind one of the major formats (although a few are supporting both); this alternative standard would seem to bridge that gap, although it still would need to be adopted by the other studios to gain any real traction.

Why the compromises? In a word, dollars. No one's buying HD DVD or Blu-ray players yet (2006 sales only amounted to a third of expectations) because nobody wants some obsolete piece of junk sitting in their home theater rack for which they shelled out a grand, only to see the other format ultimately win out (my dad's old Betamax VCR comes to mind). Also expected at CES are announcements of significant price drops for players on both sides, although even that may not help sales if consumers see that a dual-format player is on the horizon.

More on these stories from TWICE and CNET.

The Little Guys Are Growing Fast

Everyone knows the HDTV market leaders. Companies like Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Philips have been around forever, and newer U.S. entrants like Samsung and LG have all kinds of history in Asia. However, upstarts like Vizio and Syntax-Brillian are making good headway in gaining market share, even better than much more established and well-positioned rivals like Dell and HP.

CNET has the full story, with good share data from DisplaySearch.

Previewing CES 2007

CNET offers a couple of sneak peaks for this year's Consumer Electronics Show that starts next week in Las Vegas. Among the expected highlights: new flat-panel entrant LED, HDMI 1.3, better LCD refresh rates and of course, even larger and cheaper plasma displays.

This is my 400th post on this blog -- thanks to everyone who keeps reading!

HDNet Showing Gerald Ford Funeral in High-Def

HDNet right now is airing the funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford in high-definition, the only network to do so. It looks quite a bit more regal and befitting the occasion in HD -- nice work, Mr. Cuban.

Panasonic and Sony in Advertising Battle

They've been rivals for as long as anyone can remember. Now Panasonic and Sony are taking the fight to Madison Ave. with competing ads trying to convince consumers that their products are superior to the other's, specifically in the ongoing battle royale between plasma and LCD. It started with Sony ran an ad in which it asked consumers to take the "HD Challenge," with the conclusion of course being that they should buy Sony LCD displays. Panasonic fired back with its own ads that list all the reasons why its plasmas are the only way to go.

Keep in mind that Panasonic also sells LCDs, although it seems to do so with about as much enthusiasm as Sony did with its plasmas prior to ditching them a couple years back.

More from the NY Times.

New HDTV for Christmas? Buy More Insurance

When you add an expensive item to your house, it's always a good idea to update your homeowner's insurance, and a new HDTV is no exception. Imagine if the new plasma, LCD or DLP you just bought went up in flames and you didn't have enough personal property insurance (generally a rider on your homeowner's policy) to cover its replacement.

So remember, after you call your cable or satellite guy, make sure to call your insurance guy (or gal).

Thanks to WLWT.com for the tip.

FSN HD: Where You At?

From the "should this really be necessary?" file comes word that Fox Sports Net is planning a multimedia consumer education campaign to help people figure out how to find it. Literally. As in, "Here in San Francisco, FSN HD can be found on Comcast cable channel 720." (Which is where it really is.)

Apparently FSN is fed up with cable companies that keep shuffling their channel lineups, leaving viewers befuddled as to how to find certain HD programming. Consolidation in the cable industry certainly hasn't helped matters.

Thanks to TV Week for the story.

No SED at CES

For those of you looking forward to getting a peak at the new SED display jointly produced by a Toshiba-Canon venture at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the companies have this to say: No dice. Without revealing why, Toshiba sent a note of cancellation to people who had appointments to see the 55-inch surface conduction electron emitter display that the manufacturers tell us will blow the doors off of plasma and LCD in terms of both price and performance.

This project has been fraught with delays since its beginning in 1999, leaving me to wonder if it will ever really get off the ground. Maybe SED will prove to be better than plasma and LCD, but by the time it's available for purchase, will everyone already have bought something else?

More from CNET.

Sony, Panasonic Still #1 in LCD, Plasma

My old employer Current Analysis reports that Sony kept its position as the leading LCD manufacturer by retail shelf-share, while rival Panasonic is still tops among plasma makers. In November, Sony boasted nearly 16 percent of available retail shelf-share for LCD TV, up 23 percent from October. Panasonic's share of the plasma shelf space was over 23 percent, up 3 percent from the prior month. Philips and Samsung are the #2 and #3 plasma manufacturers by this measure, respectively, while Magnavox and Samsung hold those positions in LCD. Magnavox leapfrogged Sharp, which dropped 4 percent from October.

More from TWICE.

Sony (Finally) Shipping Blu-ray Disc Player

TWICE reports that Sony is now shipping its much-anticipated $999 Blu-ray disc player (model BDP-S1). As part of a PR push, NFL stars Peyton Manning and Donnie Edwards will be among the first to receive the new Blu-ray machines.

MHD Plans 'Gorillaz: Live in Harlem' Concert

MTV announced today that its high-def channel MHD will celebrate the New Year with the exclusive premiere of "Gorillaz: Live in Harlem," shot at Harlem's Apollo Theater in high-definition. The concert will premiere on Sunday, December 31st at 9pm ET/PT and re-air at midnight. According to MTV, Gorillaz is considered the first virtual hip-hop act and the group's "Feel Good Inc." was the first high-definition music video to ever play on MHD.

HDTV Review for '06

It's the time of year when everyone starts thinking about the significance of 2006 and CNET has published a year-end retrospective of the developments in the world of HD. It's a good compiliation and worth a read.

Sports Coverage in HD Somewhat Lacking

The Wall Street Journal ran a piece last week that was picked up by other papers regarding the lack of regional sporting events in high-def. I've heard this complaint from others, particularly when it comes to CBS. The network's NFL broadcasts that are in HD look amazing (typically better than FOX, NBC or ESPN) but there are only a few games each week actually shown in high-def. We live in San Diego, home to the AFC's Chargers, which are almost always shown on CBS unless they're a part of the national game of the week as they were this week on Sunday Night Football. I haven't kept track each week, but it does seem like there have been almost as many weeks when the Chargers haven't been in HD as when they have.

I spoke with the head of ESPN HD about this issue awhile back and he told me that it all comes down to truck availability. The networks simply have not made the investment to upgrade all of their production trucks to HD yet -- not even close -- and trucks obviously have to drive between various venues. So if FOX shows a football game in Dallas on Thanksgiving in HD, it probably won't have enough time to make it to Philadelphia for a Sunday early afternoon game. The bottom line here is that once enough consumers have made the switch to HDTV, the networks will be forced to upgrade their entire infrastructures to support the superior technology. The question is, when will that be?

Vizio Plans Sub-$2,000 47" 1080p LCD

Vizio, a Southern California flat-panel display maker, plans to introduce a 47-inch LCD flat panel HDTV with 1080p resolution for under $2,000. It initially planned to make it available in time for the Super Bowl but now is hoping for a quicker year-end unveiling. The company is already known for its cut-rate prices on 42- and 50-inch plasma displays, which are available at retailers such as Costco, Sam's Club and Circuit City.

More from CNET.

DivX Looks to HDTV

Video compression software maker DivX has its sights set on HD technology, a CNET article reports. The company plans to display some of its HD solutions at this January's Consumer Electronics Show and is in talks with movie studios and producers in places like India and Eastern Europe to persuade them to incorporate DivX HD technology. The company has never been popular with U.S. studios, who resent its origins as a tool for video piracy.

This is a pretty cool San Diego-based company that just went public and is doing well right now. Worth keeping an eye on.

Comcast, Circuit City Hook Up for HD

Cable giant Comcast is in a deal with #2 retailer Circuit City to open a new electronics boutique called Connect that will showcase Comcast's HDTV offerings and help educate consumers about high-def technology. The idea seems to be that satellite TV companies have been well integrated into retail for years and while the cable industry often talks about partnering with retailers, little seems to ever actually happen. In this case, they're just opening one store for now, but it can only benefit consumers to have more ways to experience HD before buying.

However, it does seem a bit odd that Circuit would open a brand new store rather than figuring out a way to make Comcast a bigger part of its existing retail locations. And if consumers have to go to a legacy Circuit City to see what satellite offers and then to the new Connect to see Comcast cable HD, that doesn't seem very convenient or conducive for comparison shopping.

Best Buy Seeing Lower Profits from HDTVs

Best Buy said in its third quarter earnings report this week that average selling prices for LCD flat-panel displays were down 25 percent year-over-year and plasma ASPs were down 30 percent from last year, both of which combined with aggressive promotional pricing led to lower profits for the retail giant. TWICE has the full story, which is an interesting read if you're at all interested in the business of retail consumer electronics.

Sony Worried HDTV Prices Are Falling Too Quickly

Sony executives said last week that LCD TV prices will drop 25 to 30 percent this year, much more than they expected, a trend that could leave the LCD manufacturers with little incentive to invest in new technology. According to some estimates, there are more than 90 companies making LCD TVs today, causing price pressures that may bankrupt many of them. While consumers will benefit in the short term, the long-term outlook for technological advances may suffer. More from CNET.

Let's not panic too quickly here, fellas. If the market really is that competitive, then constant pressure from smaller upstarts will force the big guys to keep innovating to stay ahead, regardless of any price wars. While Sony may be forced to lower prices from time to time to keep pace with cut-rate manufacturers, it can continue to maintain its price premiums due to its technological and brand-name advantages.

And for those of us who spent $4,000 on an HDTV three years ago that now sells for less than half that amount, you'll have to forgive us if our eyes don't well with tears for companies like Sony. I hope that my $4K was well-spent...

LCD Price-Fixing Probe Gathers Steam in Japan

Samsung, LG.Philips LCD and Sharp are all under investigation by the Japanese Fair Trading Commission into whether they conspired to fix LCD prices during 2003-2004. CNET has the story.

Sony's Secret Sale

CNET has the story of Sony offering substantial discounts on some of its HDTVs during the Black Friday weekend after Thanksgiving. What's that, you say? How is an HDTV sale newsworthy when all the retailers and manufacturers have been slashing prices? Well in this case, Sony for whatever reason didn't advertise the sale; rather, they just discounted prices in both retail stores and online for consumers who happened to be shopping for the particular models that Sony wanted to move quickly. A strange strategy to be sure, as price discounts are typically intended to spur interest in products rather than simply to reward customers who happened to stumble upon them...

Don't Forget the Audio

So you just plunked down $2,500 on a new HDTV. I bet you're feeling pretty proud of yourself -- and you should. What's your next move? If you plan on using either the TV's built-in speakers or a cheapo $250 home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) for audio, you're insulting the new TV you plan to make the centerpiece of your living room.

Don't get me wrong, there are decent HTIB systems. But as with most things in life, there is a strong correlation between price and performance. The New York Times today offers some audio buying tips.

And don't forget the HD programming service either...

Small LCD Maker Marketing Style, Not Technology

In a great example of just how hyper-competitive the LCD flat-panel display market has become, a small Taiwanese manufacturer called Hannspree has decided to focus on style rather than technology to outpace its larger rivals, offering displays that look like fruit, baseballs or animals, among others. And it's setting up shop in pricey areas like Beverly Hills and San Francisco to show off its wares. More from the San Jose Mercury-News.

Panasonic Takes the Lead in Removing Lead

Panasonic officials are trumpeting engineering advances that have led to the elimination of lead oxide glass in the company's plasma displays. A 37-inch plasma that previously contained about 70 grams of lead now contains zero, an environmental victory that Panasonic says will save about 300 metric tons of lead from winding up in global landfills.

According to a company exec, "with this achievement, we believe that Panasonic plasma displays have outpaced our flat panel TV competitors in an important area of environmental performance: the elimination of hazardous heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury — commonly used in backlit LCD TVs and in projection TV lamps.”

TWICE has the full story.

AT&T Intros HD in San Antonio

AT&T formally announced the launch of high-definition TV over its U-verse IPTV service in San Antonio this morning, boasting of more than 25 HD channels at a price of $10 per month (first two months are free). In addition to four local broadcast networks and standard high-def fare like Discovery HD Theater, ESPN HD, HBO HD and Showtime HD, other less-carried networks such as WealthTV HD, Food Network HD, HGTV HD, A&E HD and two regional Fox Sports Nets in HD are also offered.

DIRECTV Turns On Local HD in 4 More Markets

Green Bay, Wisc., Greensboro, N.C., Grand Rapids, Mich. and Providence, R.I. are the newest areas to be given the capability to subscribe to high-def local broadcast channels through DIRECTV, bringing the total number nationwide to 49, representing 65% of U.S. TV households. Eight more markets will get HD locals by the end of this year.

Customers can receive local HD channels by purchasing an H20 HD receiver or the new HR20 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and satellite dish. Existing HD customers can upgrade their HD receiver and dish for $99 per receiver. New customers can take advantage of a $100 mail-in rebate on all DIRECTV HD and HD-DVR receivers.

Plasma Market Ripe for Consolidation?

A number of signs point to LCD flat-panel TVs overtaking plasmas in sizes over 40 inches in the coming years, Reuters reports today, citing a number of industry analysts who believe that global investment in LCD will enable functionality to improve relative to plasma while the large number of LCD manufacturers will slash prices to stay competitive. One expert believes that this is the last year that buying a 42" plasma instead of a comparably sized LCD will make sense, given that prices for the two should be similar next year while LCD will offer "true" 1080p HD, something that cannot yet be matched in a sub-50 inch plasma display. Plasma makers may be forced to merge to stay competitive, according to some analysts.

This seems a little doom-and-gloom to me, particularly since plasma manufacturers are already adept at producing displays of 58-, 60- and 65-inches. Much as 37-inch plasmas are difficult to find today, 42-inch models will also fall out of favor fairly soon, with 50-inch units becoming the de facto standard. Prices will fall on newly released 50+ inch plasma displays that do boast 1080p resolution and then LCD makers will be forced to figure out how to cut 60-inch panels in an efficient manner. But I don't see plasmas going away anytime soon.

HD Programming Failing to Excite Consumers

Frank N. Magid Associates released a study showing that just 47 percent of people who bought an HDTV in the last year did so in anticipation of the HD programming they'd be able to watch on their new purchase. That's a pretty large decline from the 63 percent who looked forward to the HD television content two years ago. USA Today has the full story.

The drop in interest for high-def TV programming seems to have come as more consumers are saying they plan to use their HDTVs for gaming and DVD watching. Magid also did a survey in September of HD consumers showing that on a scale of 1 to 10, a majority rated the HD programming available as 7 or worse. Reasons cited included having to find the HD channels that are often in the 700s or 800s and confusion over having to lease an HD cable or satellite receiver box.

I've said for years that the CE and cable industries do a horendously poor job of educating consumers about HD. Despite a number of industry-backed HD/DTV educational initiatives, many people still don't realize they need to procure a source of high-def programming after they get their beautiful new HDTV home from the store. Look, you can't buy a cell phone without cell service (for the most part). You can't buy a satellite radio without service from Sirius or XM. Why haven't cable/satellite and CE done a better job of promoting -- or even pushing -- HD service offerings in retail? Mostly it's because they don't like each other. But that's not really a good enough reason.

Someone needs to start incentivizing retail sales people to teach consumers about the HD service options available and what makes the most sense for them. Until then, we'll continue to see studies like this one that prove that too many folks in the HD industry are dropping the ball.

CompUSA Releases HDTV Deals for Black Friday

CompUSA released its Black Friday HDTV shopping specials:

-- Olevia 26" LCD Flat-panel 720p HD-Ready TV for $429.99, a $270 savings
-- Sony 32" LCD Flat-panel 720p HDTV for $999.99, a $300 savings
-- LG 42" LCD Flat-panel 720p HDTV for $1,699.99, a $300 savings
-- LG 42" Plasma Flat-panel 720p HDTV for $1,599.99, a $200 savings
-- Zenith 50" Plasma Flat-panel 720p HDTV, $1,799.99, a $400 savings

CompUSA stores are open on Friday from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a special 7-hour sale from 5 a.m. to noon.

Disney, Comcast Reach Deal to Include HD VOD

Comcast and The Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement yesterday that included an extension of the cable provider's carriage of ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD as well as HD video on demand (VOD). Beginning with the Fall 2007 season, on-demand episodes of Desperate Housewives and Lost will be available in HD for Comcast customers with HD service in the markets where Disney owns the local ABC affiliate, including New York (WABC), Philadelphia (WPVI), Chicago (WLS), San Francisco (KGO), Houston (KTRK), Fresno, CA (KFSN), and Flint, MI (WJRT).

It remains to be seen whether the deal will be expanded to include markets in which Disney does not own the local ABC station. Also up in the air is whether anyone will actually be watching Lost by then, as this season -- which just inexplicably concluded for the next couple of months -- has been far less interesting and watchable than the previous two.

Philips Intros 2 New Flat Panel Displays

Philips has introduced two new flat panel displays for the holiday season: a 47-inch 1080p LCD that retails for $2,999 and a 63-inch 768p plasma retailing for $5,999. According to TWICE, "Both sets include Philips’ PixelPlus 3HD video processing circuitry that enhances signals, including high-definition and DVDs. Pixels of an incoming picture are altered to match surrounding pixels in a scene. The effect is said to deliver natural looking skin tones, colors and details."

LCD Makers Looking to Cut Down on Blur

LCD manufacturers led by Samsung Electronics are beginning to employ a technology called motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) to increase the refresh rates of the picture to decrease the amount of blur that shows up on screen. MCFI doubles the refresh rate from 60 hertz (times per second) to 100-120 hertz, creating composites of the images that came before and after in an effort to help the human eye predict what the missing image would have looked like had it actually been inserted in the film.

JVC has already begun selling LCD flat panel displays with the interpolation, while Samsung and Sharp plan to next year.

More from CNET.

Telcos Getting Closer to MPEG-4 HDTV over IPTV

Telephony Online has the story of how delays in the production of HD-capable MPEG-4 set-top boxes have complicated HDTV over IPTV rollouts for telcos including AT&T. It now appears that these new boxes will be ready for mass deployment by the end of the year, or the first quarter of next year at the latest.

AT&T is planning to launch its HD service in Houston sometime this month and has said it will roll out its U-verse IPTV service in 15 markets by the end of this year. Dozens of smaller telcos are deploying IPTV utilizing similar network architecture, while Verizon is using a RF overlay network offering fiber to the home rather than fiber to the curb.

Qwest Providing Network Services for DIRECTV HD

Qwest said today that DIRECTV has selected it to provide networking services supporting the delivery of the satellite provider's local HD content. This agreement stems from Qwest's recent acquisition of OnFiber.

According to the companies, Qwest will provide its state-of-the-art metro optical wavelength services, or QWave, to upgrade DIRECTV's network infrastructure. With this upgrade, DIRECTV will be able to distribute and transport HDTV content to millions of its customers. Qwest will be a major network services provider for DIRECTV, offering the company access to Qwest's network to transfer television and movie content.

Comcast to Debut New HD Channel in January

Comcast said today that it will launch a sports HD channel in January that will combine programming from Versus (formerly Outdoor Life Network) from noon to 7:00 pm and the Golf Channel from 7:00 pm to noon. Comcast will make the new channel available free to cable companies that currently carry both Versus and the Golf Channel. When it debuts in January, the new channel (Versus HD?) will be available on all Comcast systems nationwide as well as DIRECTV and will show National Hockey League games, PGA Tour events and the Lance Armstrong-less Tour de France in high-def.

Vizio Announces Sub-$1,000 42" Plasma

Flat-panel HDTV maker Vizio today released price cuts on its line of plasma and LCD displays, including a 42" plasma and a 37" LCD that each retail for $999.99. The new pricing is for "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving which is the official beginning of the holiday shopping season. Vizio also sells a 50" plasma for $1,699.99 and a 46" LCD for $1,649.99. Most of Vizio's models are available at Costco, Sam's and BJ's, while the 50" plasma is also sold at Circuit City, although that retailer has not yet released its pricing.

MHD to Premier a New Concert Each Week

MTV's MHD announced yesterday that it will show a new concert each week through the end of the year, with performances by Snow Patrol, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire, Jet, Lindsey Buckingham, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Little Big Town. According to the company, MHD is already in half of the U.S. homes that have high-definition capability and is distributed through deals with Comcast, Cox Cable, Charter, Insight and Verizon FiOS.

The Big Game in HD -- Or Not

Imagine that you're a huge Ohio State Buckeyes fan living in Columbus (there are a few of them). The Game against rival Michigan is this Saturday and is the first time the storied programs have ever met when they were the two top ranked teams in college football. It's the game of the year, possibly the game of the century, and the entire sports world can't wait until kickoff at 3:30 pm EST.

Except that you can't see the game in HD because your local cable company, Time Warner Cable, and the local ABC network affiliate, owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, are locked in a fight over payment for transmission carriage.

TV critic Molly Willow of the Columbus Dispatch has the full story. She places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Sinclair, as she believes corporate greed is depriving Buckeye fans in Columbus (my hometown) of the ability to see their beloved team in high-def. Meanwhile, out here in San Diego, I'll be enjoying every minute of the game in glorious HD (as long as the cable doesn't go out).

I'm inclined to agree with her to a point. However, it's worth noting that Time Warner Cable picks fights like this literally every year...right now, it's also in a battle with the NFL Network over how much it should pay The League to carry the 8 live games that start on Thanksgiving Day that will likely mean Time Warner customers around the country won't get those games at all. It also engages in a perennial skirmish with ESPN, the latest iteration of which concerns the sports network giant's newest offering, ESPNU (a college sports channel). Time Warner was the last major cable company to reach a carriage agreement for ESPN HD a couple of years ago and still does not offer ESPN2 HD in many of its markets. All of these disputes are due to disagreements over how much Time Warner should pay to carry these channels.

So Molly is right that Sinclair is greedy. No question. But Time Warner shares some culpability as well given that it seems to relish these frequent battles over carriage terms, all of which end with it ultimately carrying these channels anyway. The real loser, as always, is Joe Consumer, in this case represented by dozens of my own family and friends who won't be able to watch Ohio State and Michigan battle in HD thanks to a far less interesting fight between a couple of corporations who can't find a way to put their customers first.

Comcast Teams with GalleryPlayer for HD Art

Comcast is in a partnership with GalleryPlayer to offer digital HD cable customers a variety of artwork paired with music to create what the company calls "a digital canvas." Pieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and National Geographic are among those you can display on your HDTV, which is sure to impress your dinner guests.

Extended Warranty: To Buy Or Not To Buy?

That is the question you will hear when buying your new HDTV. Consumer Reports, for one, thinks the answer you should give is a firm "no thanks," with a few exceptions. Their main rationale centers around the fact that flat-panel TVs in particular have a fairly low repair rate, although they single out microdisplay HDTVs as products that warrant a longer warranty. Apparently DLP and LCOS models have a fairly high repair rate and the repairs tend to be pretty pricey. And according to the experts at CR, even when your LCD or plasma does need fixed, the repair tends to be cheaper than what the warranty would have cost you.

Normally I'd agree with these guys. Nothing's more annoying than when you're buying some piece of electronics gear in a big box retailer and the sales guy tries to sell you an extended warranty because he says this particular product tends to have problems after the manufacturer's warranty runs out. This after he just got done selling you on how great this product is to begin with.

My personal experience, however, led me to spring for the extended warranty on my Panasonic plasma three months ago. I previously had an LG plasma that came with a two-year manufacturer's warranty and on which I did not add the extended version at my expense. The thing needed major repairs twice in those two years, both of which were fortunately covered under the original warranty but the second of which required the repair shop to put in an entirely new plasma panel (the lousy thing was in the shop for six weeks). But since it was under manufacturer's warranty, why should I have bought the extended? Simple - nobody offers a standard two-year warranty anymore. At least no manufacturer I know of. Had that been a standard one-year warranty, I would have had to pay out of pocket for the brand new panel, which would have cost at least twice what an extended warranty would have.

Decide for yourself - it's largely a piece of mind issue. I sleep better at night knowing that I'm covered for the next few years no matter what happens. But CR did have a really good piece of advice: check to see if your credit card company will extend the original manufacturer's warranty at no additional charge to you. Many do - and that's the best deal of all.

Whither 1080p?

Many pundits, myself included, have debated what the coming of 1080p actually means for consumers. Should you hold out for the new 1080p models, hoping that they come down in price enough to justify the extra cash over a 768p or 1080i display? Or is going with a 1080p the best way to future-proof your purchase? I've seen solid arguments both ways, but the latest from CNET Reviews is among the best. They took five flat-panel displays, three of which offer 1080p resolution, and hooked them up to a Blu-ray disc player showing Mission Impossible III, which the CNET guys say is perhaps the best-looking Blu-ray title they've seen. Then they switched the movie to 1080i output to compare.

The bottom line? The differences in picture quality between the 1080p displays and the 768p Panasonic and Philips plasmas were tiny to the point of being barely discernable. CNET agrees with the Imaging Science Foundation, a standards group for the video industry that says screen resolution is only the fourth most important characteristic in a display. The three most crucial, in order, are contrast ratio, color saturation and color accuracy. Keep this in mind when shopping for your next HDTV.

LCD TV Shipments Double Year-Over-Year

Global LCD TV unit shipments increased 99% from Q3 '05 to Q3 of this year to a record high 10.8 million units, according to market research firm DisplaySearch. That figure represents just under one-quarter of the worldwide TV market and is a 15% jump from Q2 of this year. By comparison, plasma shipments increased 4% from last quarter. China led the way in LCD growth, up 66%, followed by North America at 35%. 1080p share of LCD TV shipments doubled from 2% in Q2 to 4% in Q3.

Samsung is the LCD market leader, with just over a 13% market share. Sharp is next at just under 13%, followed by Philips, Sony and LG Electronics. The top 5 LCD manufacturers account for 66% of the worldwide LCD market, compared to the top 5 plasma makers comprising 80% of the plasma market.

In perhaps the most interesting statistic DS released, Sony comes in fourth in LCD TV unit market share, at 11.1%. However, Sony is second in revenue share, with 15.2%. Apparently Sony is doing an impressive job convincing consumers that its LCD TVs are worth a price premium over its competitors.

Panasonic Still the Leading Plasma Brand

Research firm DisplaySearch released its quarterly TV report last week showing that Panasonic remains the industry leader in plasma displays with a 33% market share in Q3, up from 28% in Q2, a gain of 20%. LG Electronics is second followed by Samsung, Philips and Hitachi. Overall, worldwide plasma shipments rose 4% from Q2 and 45% from Q3 of last year, with most of the growth occurring in North America, which accounted for 70% of all plasmas 50 inches and above that were sold.

DisplaySearch expects plasma prices to reach record low levels for the coming holiday season, with sub-$1,000 42" and sub-$2,000 50" displays available from major brands.

Next-Gen DVDs Offer Space for Advertising

The New York Times ran a somewhat interesting piece last week describing how Blu-ray and HD DVD offer so much storage that Hollywood studios will be able to sell advertising to companies in a way that goes beyond mere product placement. In one example, the movie "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" was exhibited at a recent industry trade show in HD DVD format featuring a promotional stunt by Progressive auto insurance showing damage estimates for the various wreckage caused in the movie.

Is this useful or even desirable? It seems somewhat analagous to the attempts by advertisers that partner with "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central to create what I'll call "news-vertisements" by coming up with a trivia question or some other kind of spoof on the day's news in a manner that tries to be similar to the show. However, it is nearly never even half as funny or clever as what Jon Stewart and his writers have come up with and often just leaves the advertising company appear to be pandering to the show's famously young audience. It would seem that companies attempting to tie in with movies in this fashion would do so at a similar peril.

FSN to Double HD Coverage in '07

Executives at Fox Sports Net said last week that the programmer will double its coverage of live HD events in the next year by offering nearly 1,000 HD game telecasts and 2,500 hours of HD coverage. FSN broadcasts games from Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, NCAA football and basketball, and NHL hockey in high-def through its network of regional FSN networks around the country.

FSN also is building a new technical operations center in Houston that will open sometime next year and will make the wider HD coverage of live sporting events possible.

NASA to Broadcast Live in HD from Space

NASA, in cooperation with Discovery HD Theater and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will broadcast for the first time from space live in high-definition next Wednesday, November 15. Two live HDTV broadcasts will feature Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria on the International Space Station, with Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter serving as camera operator aboard the 220-mile-high laboratory. The broadcasts will be carried by Discovery HD Theater and NHK. Discovery HD Theater will carry the special broadcast live at 10:30 a.m. CST and will be shown at Discovery Channel stores.

I imagine that this could be some of the most spectacular footage you have ever seen in high-def. The shuttle launches that have been carried on HDNet recently have been absolutely outstanding.

Matsushita Unveils 1080i HD Camcorder

Beginning in January, Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) will begin selling a 1080i HD camera, the HDC-SD1, bundled with a 4GB SD flash card for about $1,500. Rival Sony began selling its own version in September using a hard disc and 3-inch DVD, and Sanyo also intro'd one earlier this summer. More from EETimes.com.

Understanding HDTV Connections

MSNBC today offers a useful primer on the various connections you need behind your HDTV, explaining the difference between HDMI, DVI, component, RCA, coax and a few others. If you've ever found yourself confused by the maze of wires, this is a good read.

Watching Something Just Because It's in High-Def

The Consumer Electronics Association did a study earlier this year showing that 22% of HD sports fans often watch sporting events they otherwise would not have just because it was in high-def. I'm actually surprised this number isn't higher, as most people I know would confess to this kind of behavior. I'm guessing that if you surveyed consumers of all kinds of TV programming, not just sports, that percentage would be well over half, probably approaching three-quarters of HDTV owners. Who among us hasn't turned on Discovery HD Theater or PBS HD or an NHL hockey game as we're flipping through the channels and begun watching a program we never would have pre-HD just because it was in high-def? Heck, I do this on a weekly basis...

INHD, INHD2 to be Merged and Renamed

In Demand has decided to merge INHD and INHD2 into one network beginning January 1 that will likely be rebranded as Mojo. INHD2 had shown some exclusive programming such as IMAX movies and concerts, content that will now shift to the main network, according to Multichannel News. As this blog has reported, certain cable companies such as Comcast have already begun dropping INHD2 from their high-def lineups.

The question now is whether INHD/Mojo will be made available to satellite and telco TV offerings or whether it will remain the exclusive province of cable...

Xbox, 1080p Style

Microsoft has added 1080p capabilities to its Xbox 360 via a free software update to its add-on HD DVD player for the game console that will become available later this month. For $199, consumers will also get support for 50hz HDTV display modes, providing viewers greater choice in how they watch DVD and HD DVD content, as well as a free "King Kong" HD DVD.

Wal-Mart Cuts HDTV Prices

Wal-Mart is slashing prices on many consumer electronics products in time for the holiday shopping season, HDTVs among them. Cited as a significant price drop were a 42" Panasonic HD plasma from $1,794 to $1,294 (a 28% cut) and a 37" Polaroid LCD from $1,297 to $997 (a 23% drop). More from CNN Money.

Comcast Adds to HD Lineup in Seattle

Comcast said late last week that it has added MHD and Universal HD to its high-def lineup in Seattle and western Washington state and will also show at least 35 Seattle Sonics NBA basketball games in high-def via FSN Northwest HD.

Comcast has already added MHD and Universal HD in many of its markets and in the process has been eliminating INHD2 from many of those same systems to make bandwidth available for other networks.

A&E to Show "The Sopranos" in HD

A&E Network will begin showing episodes of "The Sopranos" in syndication on its new A&E HD channel starting next January, Multichannel News reports. The first two seasons will run in 16x9 widescreen since they were not originally shot in high-def, while the other seasons will be shown in 1080i HD. A&E paid $2.5 million an episode for the hit mafia series, so it plans to syndicate them as much as possible through HD and video on demand platforms, according to the company.

A&E HD has just become available on select cable systems around the country, with more widespread carriage expected next year.

Group Forms to Develop Wireless HDTV

A group called WirelessHD has formed to develop and promote the transmission of HDTV signals wirelessly, hoping to eliminate the rat's nest of cords, cables and other wires that lurk behind most of today's home theater systems. WirelessHD is comprised of six leading HDTV manufacturers -- LG Electronics, Matsushita (parent of Panasonic), NEC, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba -- as well as SiBEAM, a start-up whose technology the group will use. The consortium has been operating informally until today and intends to standardize wireless HD signals sometime next year before bringing to market products that will be part of HDTVs and other CE components.

According to the companies, "WirelessHD, which intends to specify the unlicensed, globally available 60 GHz frequency band, will enable wireless uncompressed high-definition, high-quality video and data transmission and is first targeted to be built into HDTV's as well as a wide range of audio video (A/V) devices, both fixed location and portable."