Majority of consumers believe VHS tapes will preserve family memories for lifetime, unaware that analog videotapes can degrade “to a point where they are unwatchable in as little as 15 years.” So said results of DVD consumer study commissioned by Pioneer to promote sales of DVR-7000 DVD-RW recorder just arriving at retail at $1,800. Pioneer said DVR-7000 and DVR-A03 DVD-RW burner for PCs provide “a reliable way to archive home videos that are playable on most DVD players, just in time for the holidays.”
“The PVR will fundamentally change how consumers use television, especially considering how time pressed people are, and how much or premium we put on our free time,” said Gemstar COO Peter Boylan at CTAM’s Pre-Western Show panel in Anaheim: “I've had lots of conversations with various partner service providers of ours and there seems to be a conventional wisdom that cable does not have a choice,” but to aggressively deploy VOD (video on demand) and SVOD (subscription VOD), which “is kind of a silver bullet that satellite cannot answer because satellite will never have the bandwidth resources to truly offer on-demand content.
NEC Technologies dropped price of 61W plasma display panel to $19,995 from $27,995, potentially setting stage for similar cuts by OEM customers Marantz and Runco. NEC, which started production of 61W in Japan in July, cut price in reaction to market demand, Visual Systems Product Line Mgr. Michael Piehl said. “We felt a responsibility to make our 61W affordable to a wider group of customers,” he said. “Typically, the largest obstacle [to expanding market] has been price and by bringing the 61W to under $20,000, a huge psychological barrier has now been overcome.”
Sharp plans to start full-scale production next month of laser driver ICs that support CD-R and CD-RW write speeds up to 40X. Chips also will support 2X DVD-R and DVD-RW burners. Production of 1 million ICs per month is planned.
Trading of MGI Software shares was halted on Toronto Stock Exchange Wed. after company confirmed it was in discussions with unidentified 3rd party about “potential business combination.” Details haven’t been finalized, company said. If deal is completed, it’s likely be at 69?-75? per share, up from MGI’s 90- day trading average of 57?. MGI has gained high profile at retail via its PhotoSuite composition and editing software that also has been packaged with digital cameras and camcorders, PCs and printers. It signed licensing agreements in Oct. with Dixons, Gateway, Intel, Samsung and Sony, among others. MGI also sells VideoWave video editing software and Pure Diva MPEG-2 software codec that it acquired from Zoran in 1999. MGI also included Pure Diva software in PC/personal video recorder that it marketed with Dixons.
Nyko Technologies said it received U.S. patent on its Worm Light accessory for Game Boy.
Sony said it would issue its own credit cards in spring targeted at customers who will use them mainly for e-commerce transactions. Cards will be issued by Sony Finance International as means of acquiring consumer data and providing services tailored to needs of specific customers. Sony at present issues credit cards in promotional tie-ins with major credit companies and it’s expected to team with Visa to issue Sony card for use outside Japan.
SonicBlue plans to launch retail and e-tail sales of controversial ReplayTV personal video recorder (PVR) despite lawsuit filed by major TV networks alleging copyright infringement (CED Nov 28 p4).
KVH Industries unveiled mobile server that allows DirectPC Internet access in moving vehicle. System allows Internet downloads at speeds up to 400 kbps using KVH’s 18” and 24” DVB- compatible antenna anywhere in continental U.S. and up to 100 miles offshore for marine subscribers. Company will target marine, RV, motorcoach and trucking industries with first version, but is developing 3” low-profile antenna for SUVs, minivans or autos, KVH spokesman Chris Watson said. With new antenna, he said, “emerging telematic industry will be able to use Internet-based data to provide valuable information to travelers, such as weather and real-time traffic maps, and consumers will have the ability to communicate via the Web and use the complete full-featured Internet.” KVH antenna receives Internet content from high-powered version of DirectPC service from Canadian satellite operator Bell Express Vu under license from Hughes Network Systems. KVH is sole distributor of Bell’s high-power service in U.S. Stronger signal gives company more leeway on antenna technology compared with fixed domestic version of DirectPC, Watson said. Aiming of antenna is fully automatic and system is preloaded with satellite location information and “dish is stabilized in motion and compatible with satellite TV services such as DirecTV or the Dish Network,” he said. Heart of system is TracNet mobile Internet server that includes electronics and “high-volume hard drive” used to cache contents of popular Web sites. Caching of content also provides continuity for gaps in satellite signal “if blocked by a bridge, for example,” he said. Use of hard drive also allows offline browsing of cached content when system is used to receive digital TV signals instead of Internet access. TracNet can be used for only one function at a time, due to the different locations of the satellites, Watson said. Uplink back to Internet is accomplished in one of 3 ways: ordinary phone line if vehicle is parked or vessel is docked, or if underway, through cellular modem or satellite telephone modem. System automatically picks best technology in real time. Mobile server connects to user PC through Ethernet link or 802.11b wireless LAN connection and can serve multiple users. TracNet service is not for casual mobile surfer -- base hardware costs $5,995 -- although sum is trivial addition to RV, motorcoach or yacht that costs $200,000 or more. Operating costs are base subscription price of $79 per month, which includes bundle of satellite Internet access, and cellular and satellite uplink accounts, and 79-cent-per-min. usage charge. KVH says operating cost for 400 kbps connection is low compared with Globalstar 9.6 kbps or Iridium 4.8 kbps connection, both with higher per-min. costs. “Internet download of 1 Mb file would typically cost 26 cents to download via TracNet vs. $3.70 using [14.4 kbps] cellular modem, $18 via GlobalStar or almost $42 using Iridium,” KNH vp-Satellite Sales Ian Palmer said.
Buy.com founder Scott Blum has won shareholder approval to repurchase e-tailer for $23.6 million. As result of acquisition, Buy.com will cease being publicly traded and become subsidiary of Del.-based SB Acquisition. Blum, who founded Buy.com in mid- 1990s, has been seeking way of returning to e-tail business and had considered purchasing Egghead.com, which is in process of liquidating its assets, sources said.