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Retail Report: Blu-ray Gets a Standard
27 Feb 2009 - 18:48 by soullezz    Industry News |

It's not every day that you get to write something like "the Blu-ray Disc standard has been standardized," but as it turns out today is one of those days.

Earlier this week a consortium of consumer electronics companies including Sony, Philips and Panasonic announced plans to establish a streamlined licensing process for new Blu-ray devices in an effort to, and here's that word again, "standardize" the licensing process. As a bonus, the new approach should also be cheaper and easier for companies to navigate, theoretically increasing the Blu-ray presence on the market and helping to cut down on costs.

For those that are interested, the new licenses will cost $9.50 for a Blu-ray player, $14 for a BD recorder and just 11 cents for a read-only Blu-ray disc. Licensees also won't have to approach Blu-ray, DVD and CD rights holders individually and pay separate royalties, potentially cutting royalty costs by up to 40 percent.

So why does this matter to the CE market? Because, as dry and boring as licensing issues can be, this move is just another indication of Blu-ray's shift into the mainstream. No longer is the high-def standard an outlier in the home entertainment space; it's now officially part of the CD/DVD ecosystem.

That's doesn't necessarily mean it will survive the competition from HD VOD (I'm guessing that it won't) but at least now we know where CE is placing its bets. Expect to see a lot more Blu-ray at much lower price points in the very near future.

HARDWARE: Iomega and Pace; Panasonic and DivX
27 Feb 2009 - 18:46 by soullezz    Industry News |

Iomega on Thursday announced that its DVR Expander drive -- which can add 500GB of hard disc storage space to a digital video recorder -- had been certified to work with Pace America's line of cable set-top boxes and DVRs. The device, which connects to the eSATA port on the back of the box, can also be used to enable certain Pace STBs without an internal hard drive to function as a full featured DVR --- Panasonic has introduced its first line of DivX certified HDTVs, including the Viera Z1, V10 and G15 series. The sets, which are currently available in Europe, enable users to play back Divx encoded video directly on the TV via the SD/SDHC memory card slot.

2008 a Record Year for Iridium
27 Feb 2009 - 18:44 by soullezz    Industry News |

Iridium Satellite on Thursday reported record revenues of $320.9 million for the full year 2008, driven by growth in the company's commercial services, government services and subscriber equipment businesses. The figure represents a 23 percent increase versus 2007 revenues.

In the fourth quarter, Iridium reported $76.8 million in revenues, up 14 percent year-to-year for the period. Net income for the quarter, however, plunged 83 percent to $1.5 million after expenses associated with the company's new satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT, and one-time costs related to the GHQ buyout were taken out. For the year, Iridium posted $53.9 million in net income, up 23 percent over 2007.

On the subscriber front, Iridium ended 2008 with about 320,000 subscribers worldwide, up about 37 percent over the 2007 total.



Multiplatform Viewership Still on the Rise, Study Finds
24 Feb 2009 - 22:45 by soullezz    Industry News |

While the global economy may be on its way down, down, down; video viewing on television, the internet and mobile devices has been on the way up recently, according to a report released Monday by Nielsen.

Based on the firm's numbers, the average American currently watches an all time high of more than 151 hours of TV per month (up from 145 this time last year) and another three hours of online video. Folks who watch on their mobile devices add nearly another four hours to that monthly tally.

Premium Entertainment Proves Sticky Despite Economy
19 Feb 2009 - 14:11 by soullezz    Industry News |

Nearly 40 percent of U.S. internet-enabled households subscribe to premium entertainment services that offer DVD delivery, music downloads or video games on demand, according to a report released Wednesday by market research firm The NPD Group.

And that's despite the sad state of the U.S. economy.

The reason, according to NPD Group analyst Russ Crupnick, is that consumers today are looking for value. “For just a few dollars a month consumers can get a vastly expanded library of movies, music or gaming options," Crupnick said, "and that represents real value, especially as many consumers are economizing by spending more time at home.”

The firm found that 18 percent of web households subscriber to a DVD delivery service like Netflix, while six percent subscriber to an online music service like Rhapsody or eMusic. Satellite radio claims 12 percent of such households, while premium gaming offerings like Xbox Live attract 12 percent as well.

Media Servers Get Built-in Hulu Support
19 Feb 2009 - 14:10 by soullezz    Industry News |

Hulu.com, the online video collaboration between NBCU and News Corp, has done a lot to bring network web video into the mainstream since it was launched in 2007.

Now the site is moving into the living room thanks to a new firmware update for ReQuest's Intelligent Media Client that adds Hulu.com support to its line of home media servers. The upgrade will allow users to stream television and movie content directly from Hulu to their home theater system.

According to ReQuest, Hulu support is included on all of their new IMC shipments and will be available as a free upgrade to all existing customers.

Should video providers be worried about this development, or is it just another example of the evolution of TV?

INDUSTRY: Business School Coming to EHX; CEDIA Postpones Forum
17 Feb 2009 - 13:52 by soullezz    Industry News |

Need more proof that the custom electronics industry is in a tight spot? How this? The Electronic Home Expo (EHX) this year is offering not only free training programs but also seminars on business survival and commercial growth in this economy.

Yikes.

The free sessions are being sponsored by CE Pro magazine and will include "Answering Your HDMI Questions" and Migrating Into Commercial," in addition to the "Business Survival Guide" program. CE Pro is also offering attendees a free survival guide kit including a series of articles and analysis pieces that it will be handing out on flash drive at the show. EHX Spring 2009 will be held March 11-15 at the Long Beach Convention Center --- CEDIA over the weekend postponed its 2009 Electronic Lifestyles Forum and announced that it is in talks with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) about potentially co-locating the Forum with NAHB's Custom Home Builders' Symposium/Design Institute later in the year.

Ericsson Enters Home Gateway Market
17 Feb 2009 - 13:51 by soullezz    Industry News |

Mobile developer Ericsson will introduce its new Connected Home Gateway software platform at the Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona with a package of enabled devices designed to allow users to interact with their home systems via a mobile device. According to Ericsson, the Connected Home Gateway can also serve as a single point of home entry for IPTV and multimedia telephone service, providing a secure connection between the home network and the service provider.

Besides the "cool" factor of being able to program your DVR from your Blackberry (sooo 2008), Ericsson is touting its Connected Home Gateway as a way for users to access their video collections on the go while allowing providers a quick and easy way to add enriched services to their product offerings without specialized equipment or software.

More Bad News About Iridium Satellite Crash
17 Feb 2009 - 13:50 by soullezz    Industry News |

Speaking to reporters about last week's collision over Siberia of a defunct Russian military satellite and a communications bird operated by Iridium Satellite, space consultant James Oberg described the event as "catastrophic," adding that the incident will likely result in a large, ever-expanding debris cloud.

"At physical contact at orbital speeds, a hypersonic shock wave bursts outwards through the structures," Oberg told the AP. "It literally shreds the material into confetti and detonates any fuels."

According to some estimates, the debris cloud could orbit the Earth for upward of 10,000 years before breaking up, endangering other satellites all the while.

In addition to the debris, Iridium last week said that its satellite phone customers may experience brief service outages related to the collision but that it is moving a replacement satellite into position in the next few weeks. Until then, the rest of the company's 65-satellite network is routing calls around the affected area.

HARDWARE: Vizio Out of the Plasma Business; Sony Intros Blu-ray/PS3 Discs
12 Feb 2009 - 17:04 by soullezz    Industry News |

According to reports, Vizio has stopped manufacturing plasma HDTVs and plans to focus its efforts on LCD sets going forward. The company said it will sell through its remaining plasma inventory but won't make any more, citing slow plasma sales in the decision --- Sony on Wednesday announced plans to begin selling combo Playstation 3/Blu-ray discs later this year, further emphasizing the game system's high-def "entertainment hub" street cred. No pricing or launch date information was available.


Sirius XM Stars on the Block?
12 Feb 2009 - 17:04 by soullezz    Industry News |

Satellite radio provider Sirius XM has been making waves lately -- receiving debt "help" from EchoStar, rebuffing takeover advances from Charlie Ergen -- but its latest brush with the business pages may be its biggest yet.

According to reports on Wednesday, the company has hired advisers including bankruptcy lawyers Joseph Bondi and Mark Thompson to help it prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing. If it happens, the $5 billion company would rank as the second-largest bankruptcy filing of 2009.

On the one hand, Chapter 11 would be a disappointment after the much-ballyhooed merger of XM and Sirius last spring. But, on the other, the company's recent string of sub-10 cent stock prices (plus its staggering $3.25 billion in debt) would seem to indicate that bankruptcy protection might not be such a bad idea after all.

Whatever happens, there will likely be little change in the short term for subscribers. But, big-ticket talent like Howard Stern and Martha Stewart had better watch out. The cost cutting axe could very easily fall on their multi-million dollar contracts in short order.

REGULATORY: DBS Must-Carry Bill Introduced in House
11 Feb 2009 - 18:24 by soullezz    Industry News |

Citing the upcoming DTV transition as his motivation, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) on Tuesday introduced the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, a bill that would force DBS providers to carry local broadcasts in every DMA, mirroring a similar regulation that already impacts cable providers. According to Stupak, satellite providers have taken advantage of this flexibility to focus on urban and suburban subscribers at the expense of rural viewers.

Arianespace Cleared for First Launch of 2009
11 Feb 2009 - 18:23 by soullezz    Industry News |

Arianespace on Tuesday got the go-ahead for its first Ariane 5 launch of the year, a planned Feb. 12 liftoff that will carry two communications satellites into orbit. The mission launch readiness review, which is conducted at the launch site in French Guiana, validates the readiness of the heavy-lift vehicle, its satellite payload, the Spaceport infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations.

Everything, as they say, is a go.

According to Arianespace, the payload for the flight will include Eutelsat's HOT BIRD 10 and SES NEW SKIES' NSS-9.

After Delay, Retailers Get Back Into DTV Prep Mode
11 Feb 2009 - 18:22 by soullezz    Industry News |

Now that the date of the digital TV transition has been settled (more or less), CE retailers are getting back into the swing of things with their DTV education plans. Aimed squarely at consumers, the goal this time around is to take advantage of the extra time to get everyone prepared.

For starters, Best Buy on Tuesday announced a new in-store effort entitled "Blackout Prevention" that will educate shoppers on the particulars of the transition. Using the display televisions in its TV department, Best Buy will play a looping PSA that demonstrates what will happen to an analog TV by June 12 (or Feb. 17, or May 4 ... who even knows anymore?). As if the videos weren't exciting enough, Best Buy said its usual blue shirted employees will wear special DTV Blackout Prevention t-shirts on Feb. 17. Wow!

But that's not to say that Best Buy is the only retailer left in the CE space (though it's getting a little close). RadioShack is also getting in on the fun with a new online DTV transition help site. The hour-long course, available in Spanish and English on the retailer's web site, leads users through a detailed program on understanding the transition and setting up the necessary hardware.

Data: Super Bowl Audience, Broadband Subs
5 Feb 2009 - 13:14 by soullezz    Industry News |

What would you say if I told you that this year's Super Bowl matchup was not only the most watched big game ever (including last year's blockbuster between the Patriots and Giants), it was the most watched event in history. I know; I didn't believe it either until the NFL reported on Wednesday that (according to Nielsen's estimates) 151.6 million people worldwide watched the game on TV and online --- Despite the down economy, ABI research this week forecast that fixed broadband subscriber growth will remain strong through 2009, growing some 7 percent in the next year.


Time Warner Cable Down, Not Out
5 Feb 2009 - 13:13 by soullezz    Industry News |

Wednesday was a rough day for Time Warner Cable.

Not only did the company report a $16 billion operating loss for the year after a $24.2 billion write-down, it announced plans to lay off some 1,250 employees amid low expectations for 2009. What's more, subscriber growth has slowed markedly, with video customers down by nearly 120,000 for the year.

But, according to Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett, that could end up being a good thing for the company. Slowing growth means less spending and, in this economy, any time you can hold onto cash it's a good thing.



Who Really Needs DTV Anyway?
5 Feb 2009 - 13:12 by soullezz    Industry News |

OK procrastinators, you got your wish.

On Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives voted 264 to 158 to approve a bill to delay the digital television transition date from Feb. 17 to June 12, mirroring a similar move that the U.S. Senate made last week. The bill now moves on to the White House for President Obama's signature.

So, the switch is on hold. What have we just done?

In a sense, not much. Instead of completely postponing the transition by about four months, the recently passed bills just delay the "hard switch" date. Broadcasters are still free to cut off their analog signals just about any time before June 12 provided the move won't cause any undo interference. The new law will, however, allow OTA viewers to reapply for NTIA converter box coupons if theirs have expired.

As for the broadcasters themselves, the FCC is reportedly hammering out the details of the new rules, including whether the requirement that stations give viewers at least 30 days notice before switching off their analog signals still applies.

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