The most innovative of Panasonic’s green products is likely the home fuel cell technology that it’s developing, Earth911 said in a study of the green products and initiatives of the “top five global exhibitors” at CES. Panasonic’s home fuel system uses natural gas to generate electricity and heat, and consists of a battery that can store the energy that is generated, the online provider of recycling information said. The product is expected to be available to consumers in one to four years, the report said, quoting a Panasonic official. Earth911 looked at factors relating to corporate social responsibility, recycling and green products of Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and LG.

TORONTO -- Less than eight months before Canada’s DTV transition is to occur, it looks as if many Canadian homes may lose TV service because their local over-the-air stations will go dark, they won’t have digital sets or set-top boxes equipped to receive DTV signals, or they just won’t know what’s happening.

LAS VEGAS -- The home automation industry is still looking for the compelling benefit that will drive mass-market adoption, but the proliferation of connected devices is a step in that direction, Will West, founder of Control4, said on a connected home panel at CES sponsored by his company. In its fifth year, Control4 “is just getting out of the gate,” West said.

Despite great fanfare, color e-readers armed with E-Ink Holdings’ electrophoretic displays will be a small part of the 30 million units expected to be sold this year, E-Ink Chief Marketing Officer Sriram Perumvemba told us.

LAS VEGAS -- Summit Semiconductor is targeting the top 40 percent of the home theater market this year with its Summit Wireless SoC technology, positioned as an audio/video receiver replacement. Summit Wireless, which debuted in the fall at CEDIA in speakers from Aperion Audio, is under development in 21 projects, according to the company, and will appear at the $1,000 hi-fi level before going mainstream in 2012 in flat-panel TVs and $500-level home-theater-in-a-box systems.

LAS VEGAS -- Mad Catz Interactive, Nyko Technologies and Sunflex USA, a newcomer to the U.S. market, were among videogame accessory makers that bowed new products at CES last week.

"The U.S. economy still remains in flux and it’s hampered” Audiovox sales, “primarily at retail,” CEO Patrick Lavelle said on a Tuesday earnings call. The manufacturer’s CE and accessory business was “where we continue to feel weakness most,” he said. The company reported profit for Q3 ended Nov. 30 tumbled to $3.9 million, 17 cents a share, from $12.6 million, 55 cents.

Best Buy formed a customer insight unit to cull responses from store employees and help make product and strategic decisions, said Bill Hoffman, senior vice president for customer insights, Tuesday at the National Retail Federation show in New York.

The top 16 LCD TV brands have scaled back planned production by nearly 3 million units total, from 18.3 million in November 2010 to 15.4 million in March 2011, according to DisplaySearch. Q1 LCD production is forecast to be 46.3 million units, down 12 percent from Q4 of 2010, according to the latest DisplaySearch LCD “Industry Dynamics” report, which points to an “unstable market environment” creating “uncertainty regarding TV demand.” Despite the caution of the top TV brands, LCD TV OEMs and ODMs are increasing monthly shipments from December 2010 to March 2011, indicating that TV brands are increasing outsourcing manufacturing because of cost management, logistics, manufacturing scale and “in some cases, access to panel supply,” DisplaySearch said.

Systemax will install Tiger Connect sections to all CompUSA/TigerDirect stores, seeking to expand sales of mobile devices with cellphone services for the first time, said Lonny Paul, vice president of marketing and strategic initiatives.