[opendtv] 20040915 Twang's (almost) Tuesday Tribune (Mark's Monday Memo)
- From: Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Multiple Addresses Suppressed <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 00:32:32 -0400
- Follow-ups:
- Free DTT/DTH (DBS) boxes in Sweden - In response to the Canal
Digital move, rival DTH/premium-channel operator Modern Times
Group/ViaSat encrypted its free-to-air DTT (DTV) channels TV3, TV8 and
ZTV on the Senda/Boxer platform, causing loss of hockey finals for many
viewers. These URLs are in Swedish, but a reliable source says they
carry the story:
<http://www.boxer.se>
<http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/naringsliv/did_8070091.asp>
Those who want the free signals need to get a card from Boxer.
This story is in English:
<http://www.advanced-television.com/2004/news_archive_2004/Aug31_Sep3.htm#mtg>
- Off-air-viewers inquiry - In reply comments to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA) emphasized that TVs unconnected to cable or satellite are not
necessarily used for off-air reception and may simply be used for video
games or VCR/DVD movies (75% of unconnected TVs). CEA also said there
needs to be education and promotion of DTT (they call it "DTV," a term
they also apply to sets with no DTT-reception capability), but they
oppose any mandatory labeling:
<http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=10549>
Here are the reply comments of the Association for Maximum Service
Television (MSTV) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).
They emphasize over 20 million unconnected homes (and 73 million TV sets):
<http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/Filings/OTAReplies9704.pdf>
- Broadcast flag - A story in the San Jose Mercury News says that
TiVo and ReplayTV have agreed to limit storage time for pay-per-view
programming:
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/9616558.htm?1c>
- The FCC's 2nd periodic review of its DTT rules - I reported the
gist when the rules came out in August. The complete report and order
has now been released (September 7):
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-192A1.pdf>
- DTT children's programming - The FCC has ruled that the
three-hour-per-week requirement for broadcasters applies separately to
each multicast program stream. If a station carries six simultaneous
free-to-view programs (as does WCPX-DT in Chicago), it needs to do 18
hours per week of children's programming:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251972A1.pdf>
- Public-safety communications in the 700 MHz band - The issue is
heating up, again, probably due to all the fear-mongering associated
with the Presidential election:
<http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2004/0906/web-spectrum-09-09-04.asp>
Here's FCC-chair Michael Powell's comments on the subject to the
Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251993A1.pdf>
Here's Broadcasting & Cable's take on it:
<http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA451695?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP>
- Low-power U.S. DTT - The FCC finally issued an order Wednesday
affecting LPTV, Class A, and translators. It's very similar to the
full-power rules. Multicasting, for example, is permitted, and stations
can apply for second channels during the transition, though no dates for
second-channel application-filing windows have yet been set.
Here's the news release:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251978A1.pdf>
Here's Broadcasting & Cable's take:
<http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA451883?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP>
- Voom - In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
Cablevision reported adding just 3700 subscribers in July and August to
end with 28,700 (although 1200 are awaiting installation). Three of ten
subscribers who signed up since October have dumped the service. A
survey of those who left indicates that "poor reception of local
signals is a significant cause of our higher-than-anticipated churn
rate." Furthermore, "We have a large number of installed customers who
have never made any payments to us or who are otherwise not current in
their payments to us." "Unless we are able to reverse this trend and
grow our customer base quickly and significantly, we are unlikely to
have a successful business." I haven't found the filing on their site
yet, but here are some news stories about it:
<http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt.jsp?cat=USMARKET&src=704&feed=dji§ion=news&news_id=dji-00088420040910&date=20040910&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw>
<http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzvoom103961488sep10,0,3090414.story?coll=ny-business-headlines>
<http://www.cedmagazine.com/cedailydirect/2004/0904/cedaily040910.htm#1>
- Other satellite H/DTV -
- Voom will soon face major competition. With four new
satellites being launched in pairs in 2005 and 2007, DirecTV says it
will be able to carry 1500 local DTT broadcasters (not quite the full
number, and just 500 with the first pair of satellites) in addition to
150 national HD channels. The new satellites are in the
higher-frequency (and, thus, more rain-sensitive) Ka-band instead of the
existing Ku. They will reportedly be able to deliver this programming
"to every U.S. household," which will be a good trick for north-facing
apartment dwellers like me with taller buildings behind them:
<http://www.twice.com/article/CA452092?display=Breaking+News>
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=televisionNews&storyID=6188735>
- EchoStar, meanwhile, told the FCC not to impose DTT
must-carry because it's "infeasible":
<http://www.skyreport.com/viewskyreport.cfm?ReleaseID=1480#Story2>
- July 1 -
- This week I've listed 104 advertised TVs 36-inch or larger
(no non-H/DTV 36-inch ads this week). Of those, 24 (23%) have
integrated DTT-reception capability. That's a little better than last
week but nowhere near the FCC's mandated 50%.
- See also the ads section for inexpensive non-integrated sets
that are HD and/or widescreen.
- TV sets that would require DTT-reception circuitry starting 2005:
- Sharp 25C340 25-inch TV @ Best Buy $159.99
- Sylvania 6427TE 27-inch TV @ Ultimate $168.95
- Devices that would require DTT-reception circuitry in 2007:
- ESA ET419E 19-inch TV @ Circuit City $89.99
- Toshiba 19A24 19-inch TV @ Best Buy $119.99
- Mystery brand DVD500D DVD/VCR combo @ Circuit City $89.99
- LiteOn DVD+/-R/RW recorder @ CompUSA $249.99 after rebate
- Panasonic DMR-E55S DVD-R/RAM recorder @ Best Buy $284.99
- Philips DVDR615/17 DVD+R/RW recorder @ Good Guys $299.99
- Devices that would require dual DTT-reception circuitry in 2007:
- Toshiba MV13P2 13-inch TV/VCR combo @ Best Buy $119.99
- Devices not covered by the mandate but using analog TV broadcasts:
- Casio TV-980 2.3-inch LCD TV @ Best Buy $74.99
- Memorex MT0050 5.5-inch TV/AM/FM @ Osco/Sav-on Drugs $19.99
- Sony DNF400PS CD/AM/FM/TV/weather portable @ Best Buy $79.99
- Sony ICF-CD73V AM/FM/TV/Weather/CD shower radio @ J&R $79.99
- May 1 - Neither the FCC nor the NAB updated their lists this
week. According to Doug Lung's RF Report, as of September 12, the FCC's
CDBS database listed just 608 licensed U.S. DTT stations:
<http://www.tvtechnology.com/dlrf/one.php?id=566>
- Part of FCC-chair Powell's comments to the Senate Commerce Committee
indicated that neither he nor the commission is likely to grant
multicast must-carry:
<http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA451665?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP>
- The seven non-dwarfs (the major Hollywood studios) are extending the
life of Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) for another year:
<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000623280>
- News from the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam:
- Crown Castle plans to use the DVB-H standard for transmissions to
mobile devices in the U.S. following a trial in Pittsburgh:
<http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=47204237>
- Korean broadcasters and manufacturers introduced yet another
mobile system called T-DMB:
<http://www.commsdesign.com/news/tech_beat/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=47204232>
- ARRI's D20 digital-cinematography camera was shown in production
models.
- There was extensive discussion of whether the European
Broadcasting Union (EBU) is recommending progressive scanning for HD.
The EBU's David Wood wrote a pro-progressive piece in the EBU Technical
Review:
<http://www.ebu.ch/trev_300-wood.pdf>
Sony's John Ive wrote a pro-interlace piece:
<http://www.ebu.ch/trev_299-ive.pdf>
Some reports indicated that the EBU had made a decision:
<http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds15637.html>
But at IBC it was reported that they hadn't:
<http://www.scri.com/sub/sc_newscur.html>
- Whether progressive or interlaced, HDTV is expanding in Europe:
- Germany's Premiere is planning to launch three HD channels
via satellite and cable next year:
<http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040909005494&ndmHsc=v2*A1094738400000*B1094846915000*C1094824800000*DgroupByDate*J1*N1000001&newsLang=en&beanID=1802668732&viewID=news_view>
- Pace introduced an HD decoder/PVR at IBC that can use MPEG-2
or MPEG-4 Part 10 (H.264):
<http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040910/105178_1.html>
- The BBC did its first HD broadcast Friday:
<http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds15753.html>
They plan to produce everything in HD by 2010:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3652402.stm>
- Other international H/DTV news:
- Canada's Shaw is also offering an HD/PVR set-top for C$798.88
($617) with C$159 ($123) in programming credits:
<http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=200409012224_BWR__BW5852>
- Sony is introducing in Japan the 1080i HDV camcorder they showed
at the NAB convention this spring. The HDR-FX1 weighs about 4 lbs. and
will be priced under 400,000 yen ($3646). The company is planning to
ship 5,000 a month, starting October 15:
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040907/tc_afp/japan_it_sony_company_040907103711>
<http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=product&id=751>
<http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=43523672>
- Spain is postponing its analog cutoff for two years to the start
of 2008:
<http://www.advanced-television.com/2004/news_archive_2004/Aug31_Sep3.htm#spaindelay>
- Prices of "digital televisions" have been falling rapidly in
Korea; a 30-inch LCD is three million won ($2622):
<http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20040909/300500000020040909100459E5.html>
- In Japan, prices are said to be too high. Matsushita is shooting
for 10,000 yen ($91) per diagonal inch:
<http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=feature&id=737>
- In Australia, there are arguments over how to increase DTT
penetration. One commercial network wants multicasting, another opposes
it, and a third thinks it should be allowed only for pay-TV. The pay-TV
industry would allow it, but only if they're allowed to carry sports.
Communications company Telstra thinks it will hurt broadband Internet.
There are yet other views. Advertisers say "There is no indication the
take-up of free-to-air digital TV is going to grow appreciably solely on
the basis of improved picture quality":
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10708300%5e15302%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html>
- UK communications regulator Ofcom now says analog cutoff will be
by the end of 2012:
<http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=582995&src=rss/uk/businessNews§ion=finance>
<http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=21759>
- News from the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association
(CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis:
- Here are photos:
<http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1645509,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532>
- Here are some reports:
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,117759,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp>
<http://www.twice.com/article/CA452585?display=Breaking+News>
- A correspondent wrote me that:
- LG confirmed it would ship 71-inch plasma panels before the
end of this year (Panasonic will deliver a 65-inch at under $20,000).
- LG's 5th-generation chips are to be in digital-cable-ready
integrated sets this year and in set-top boxes early next year.
- Pioneer introduced 3:3 film at 72 Hz:
<http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-10-2004/0002248054&EDATE=>
- The most exciting news I heard was that Silicon Optix has
squeezed Teranex's Xantus processor down to a single chip called Realta:
<http://siliconoptixlive.dimentians.com/about/news/pressReleases/realtapressrelease.cfm?CFID=&CFTOKEN=cdedcd9356d4e5e3-FFD2E7F0-7E90-E2A3-B23F2322A8B16A46>
- For what it's worth, I stayed at Le Meridien in Minneapolis on Labor
Day. Each room is equipped with a Zenith 16:9 plasma TV in the bedroom
(and a 4:3 LCD in the bathroom). Unfortunately, there is no
aspect-ratio control, and the plasma TV in my room was set to stretch.
- Based on figures from CEA, sales to U.S. dealers of non-H/DTV
television sets for the first 34 weeks of 2004 were down 3.3% from the
same period in 2003. My ten-week running average was down 8.9%.
Sales of so-called "Digital Television" for the 34th week were
123,793 units, for the first 34 weeks 2,382,080. There WERE revisions
made on September 3.
"Digital Televisions" (most of which are HDTV displays without
DTT-reception capability) accounted for 14.4% of the TVs (not counting
plasma or direct-view LCD) sold to U.S. dealers through the 34th week
this year. It may be worth noting here what that means. About 85% of
the non-plasma, non-direct-view-LCD TVs sold through the 34th week this
year were still plain non-H/DTV direct-view TVs with picture tubes.
To qualify as a "Digital Television," a display need only be
capable of dealing with at least 480p; it need not be capable of either
receiving digital signals or displaying them. Devices actually capable
of receiving DTT signals were still a small fraction of those numbers.
- Ads for set-top DTT receivers: I am aware of only the LG and Samsung
at Best Buy and the Samsung at Circuit City.
- The ads - Rather than using asterisks and the like, this week, I'm
going to start to use abbreviations to reflect common price conditions.
Thus, AR will mean "after rebate," GC will mean "gift card," etc. If
you have any comments on the change, please let me know.
Best Buy's DTT set-top boxes were offered discounted when purchased
with certain displays. They advertised the Samsung TX-P2670 thus:
"Features built-in ATSC (off-air only).
Harvey listed Sony's integrated KDL32XBR950 as "HD-Ready."
- Best Buy (appropriate disclaimers):
- [Advent] HT2751A 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $399.99
- GE D52GW12 52-inch 16:9 projection TV $999.99
- Insignia I-LC26Q1 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1335.99 AR
- LG LST-3510 DVD player/ATSC receiver $399.99
- Mitsubishi WD-52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $3599.99
- Mitsubishi WD-62525 62-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $4049.99
- Mitsubishi WS-48515 48-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $1879.99
- Mitsubishi WS55315 55-inch 16:9 projection TV w/$200 GC $1785.99
- Mystery brand plasma TV $1999.99
- Panasonic PT-50LC14 50-inch LCD projection TV $2579.99
- Panasonic TC-26LX20 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $2349.99
- Philips 42PF9966 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $4949.99
- Samsung HL-P4663W 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $2751.99
- Samsung HL-P5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3009.99
- Samsung SIR-TS360 DirecTV receiver/decoder $299.99
- Samsung SP-P4251 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3068.99
- Samsung TX-P2670WH 26-inch 16:9 integrated direct-view CRT DTV $664.99
- Sharp LC32G4U 32-inch LCD direct-view TV $3599.99
- Sony KE42XS910 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV (part of a package)
- Sony KV34HS420 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $1503.99
- Toshiba 32HF73 32-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $854.99
- Toshiba 42HP83P 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3599.99
- Toshiba 46H84 46-inch 16:9 projection TV $1329.99
- Toshiba 51H84 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1597.99
- Toshiba 57H84 57-inch 16:9 CRT projection TV $1785.99
AR - price after mail-in rebate
GC - price includes gift card of the noted value
- Circuit City (appropriate disclaimers):
- ESA PDP4294LV 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2299.99
- Hitachi 50V500 50-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $3099.99 BS
- Hitachi 51F510 51-inch 16:9 CRT projection TV $1699.99 BS
- Magnavox 27MS5402 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $489.99
- Magnavox 51MP392H 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1079.99
- Panasonic CT32HXC14 32-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $799.99 BS
- Panasonic CT34WX54 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $1399.99 BS
- Panasonic PT50LC14 50-inch LCD projection TV $2999.99 BS
- Panasonic TC14LA2 14-inch 4:3 LCD TV $549.99
- Panasonic TH42PD25U 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2999.99 BS
- Panasonic TH42PX25U 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $5499.99 BS
- RCA D52W20 52-inch 16:9 projection TV $1499.99 BS
- Samsung HLP5085W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $4199.99 BS
- Samsung SIRTS360 DirecTV receiver/decoder
- Sharp LC13B4US 13-inch 4:3 LCD direct-view TV $429.99
- Sharp LC26GA4U 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $2499.99 BS
- Sony KDL32XBR950 32-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV $5499.99
- Sony KLV21SG2 21-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499.99 BS
- Sony KV27HS420 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $749.99 BS
BS - price "before savings"
- Dell (no disclaimer):
- Dell 17-inch widescreen LCD TV $649
- Dell 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1649
- Fry's (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- "Major Name Brand" 51-inch widescreen projection TV $1199
- "Major Name Brand" 55-inch widescreen projection TV $1299
- Mitsubishi 62-inch widescreen DLP projection TV $4199
- Mitsubishi 65-inch widescreen integr. projection DTV $2699
- Mitsubishi WS-65513 65-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $2199
- Mystery brand 27-inch widescreen LCD TV $1397
- Mystery brand 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499
- Onkyo 65-inch widescreen TV (part of $2999 package)
- Panasonic 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV
- Samsung 17-inch widescreen LCD TV $499.99
- Sony 60-inch widescreen LCD projection TV
- Good Guys (Los Angeles Times, appropriate disclaimer):
- "Famous Brand" 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $1999.99
- JVC HD52Z575 52-inch widescreen D-ILA projection TV $3499.99
- JVC LT23X475 23-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1499.99
- LG KU17WDVD 17-inch widescreen LCD TV w/DVD player $1199.99
- LG RU52SZ61D 52-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3299.99 DVD
- Mitsubishi 65-inch 16:9 projection TV $2199.99 BS
- Mitsubishi PD5030 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $6999.99 BS
- Pioneer PRO1110HD 50-inch 16:9 integr. plasma DTV $8999.99 AR
- Samsung HLP4663X 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3199.99 BS
- Samsung LTP1795WX 17-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $999.99
- Sharp LC26GD6U 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $2999.99 BS
- Sony KDF60XBR950 60-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $5499.99 BS
- Sony KE42TS2 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3999.99
- Zenith P42W46X 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499.99 DVD
AR - price after mail-in rebate
BS - price "before in-store savings"
DVD - price includes "upconverting" DVD player
- Harvey (New York Times, no disclaimer):
- Fujitsu P42HHA30WS 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $6999
- Fujitsu P50XHA30WS 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $8999
- LG KU17WDVD 17-inch widescreen LCD TV w/DVD player $1199
- LG RU20LA61 20-inch direct-view LCD TV $999
- LG RU23LZ21 23-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1999
- Pioneer PRO910HD 43-inch 16:9 plasma TV $7499
- Samsung HLN467 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3299
- Samsung HLN567 56-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3999
- Samsung HLP6163 61-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $4499
- Samsung SPP4251 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2699
- SharpVision LC26GD4U 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $2999
- SharpVision LC30HV4U 30-inch 16:9 LCD direct-view TV $2999
- SharpVision LC32GD4U 32-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV $4499
- SharpVision LC37GD4U 37-inch 16:9 LCD direct-view TV $5999
- SharpVision LC45GX6U 37-inch 16:9 LCD direct-view TV $7999
- Sony KDE42XBR950 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $7999
- Sony KDE50XBR950 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $9999
- Sony KDF60XBR950 60-inch 16:9 integrated LCD projection DTV $5499
- Sony KDF70XBR950 70-inch 16:9 integrated LCD projection DTV $6999
- Sony KDL32XBR950 32-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV $5499
- Sony KLV26HG2 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $2999
- J&R (New York Times, no disclaimer):
- GoVideo T1730 15-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $499.99
- Humax L3040 30-inch 5:3 LCD TV $1499.99
- JVC AV-30W475 30-inch widescreen CRT TV $499.99
- JVC LT-23X475 23-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1299.99
- JVC PD-42WX84 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3599.99
- LG RU-42PZ90 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499.99
- Panasonic PT-50DL54 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV
- Panasonic TC-32LX20 32-inch widescreen LCD TV
- Panasonic TH-37PD25U/P 37-inch integrated 16:9 plasma DTV
- Panasonic TH-42PX25U/P 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Panasonic TH-50PX25U 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Philips 30PF9975 30-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $2299.99
- Philips 42PF9936 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2999.99
- Sony KF-60WE610 60-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV
- Leigh Adams (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- LG RU42PZ90 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499
- Mitsubishi 62-inch DLP projection TV
- Mitsubishi WD52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated DLP projection DTV
- Magnolia (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Mitsubishi WT-42315 42-inch 16:9 CRT projection TV $1499.98 BS
- Panasonic PT50DL54 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3999.98 BS
- Panasonic TH-42PD25U 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2999.98
- Samsung HLP4663 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3199.98 BS
BS - price "before savings"
- PC Mall (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Mystery brand 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $1999
- ViewSonic 30-inch widescreen LCD TV $1699
- Star Club (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- JVC 52-inch widescreen D-ILA projection TV
- JVC 61-inch widescreen D-ILA projection TV
- "Major Name Brand" 32-inch widescreen LCD TV $2949
- Mystery brand 30-inch widescreen LCD TV
- Mystery brand 37-inch widescreen LCD TV
- Mystery brand 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $4695
- NEC 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2687
- Panasonic 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3777
- Panasonic [TH]50PX20 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $5989
- Pioneer 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $5295
- Sharp LC-37G4U 37-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV
- Sony 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $4249
- Sony 61-inch 16:9 plasma TV?
- Sony 70-inch widescreen LCD projection TV
- Sony [KE]42[XS]910 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV
- Toshiba 46-inch widescreen DLP projection TV
- Toshiba 52-inch widescreen DLP projection TV
- Ultimate Electronics (Minneapolis Star Tribune, appropriate disclaimer):
- Epson Powerlite Home 10+ projector w/80-inch screen $1299.95
- JVC HD52Z575 52-inch widescreen D-ILA projection TV $3149.95
- Magnavox 51MP392H 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1199.95
- Mitsubishi WD52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $3599.95
- Mitsubishi WS55513 55-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $1799.95
- Panasonic CT34WX54 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $1329.95
- Panasonic PT43LC14 43-inch LCD projection TV $2249.95
- Panasonic TC20LA2 20-inch 4:3 LCD TV $739.95
- Panasonic TC22LH1 22-inch 16:9 LCD TV $1849.95
- Panasonic TH37PD25 37-inch integrated 16:9 plasma DTV $2312.95
- Panasonic TH42PD25 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2774.95
- Panasonic TH42PX25 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $5087.95
- Panasonic TH50PX25 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $6937.95
- Philips 32PT8320 32-inch 4:3 CRT direct-view TV $699.95
- Philips 55PL9774 55-inch 16:9 LCoS projection TV $3999.95 BS
- Pioneer PRO910HDI 43-inch 16:9 plasma TV $7499.95 BS
- Sharp LC37GD6U 37-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV $5549.95
- Sony KF50WE610 50-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $2969.95
- Sony KLV26HG2 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $2311.95
- Sony KP51WS510 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1529.95
- Sony KV32HS420 32-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $949.95
AR - price after mail-in rebate
BS - price "before savings"
- Unitek (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Planar PDP-42BK 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2099
- Sony PFM42V1/B 42-inch plasma TV $2399
- Sony PFM-50C1 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $5499
- Sony SDM-593/B 17-inch 4:3 LCD TV $569
- The FCC's annual satellite report says that, of over 400 commercial
satellites worldwide, 58% are U.S. licensees and 59% serve U.S. customers:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251940A1.pdf>
- DVD news:
- According to CEA, sales of DVD players to U.S. dealers for the
first 34 weeks of 2004 were down 2.5% from the same period in 2003. My
ten-week running average was down 5%. VCR sales were down 62.6%.
- Prof. Masud Mansuripur of University of Arizona keynote address
at Media-Tech Expo noted available technology for a terabyte of storage
on a DVD-sized disk with a 1 GB transfer rate. He also noted that there
were still more advanced technologies coming:
<http://www.media-tech.net/conference2004/pdf/02/2004_keynote_mansuripur.pdf>
- PVR news: According to a survey of 588 PVR users conducted by
Forrester Research:
- Four out of five said the technology had improved their lives.
- "Another 19%" used the word "love."
- They said they skipped 92% of recorded ads; 30% said they watch
no commercials (of course, neither do I, and I don't own a PVR).
- They spend 60% of their time watching recorded or delayed
programs; real-time viewing dropped by 60%.
- Fewer than 2% have stopped using them.
<http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/Sep/1071316.htm>
- According to the FCC's latest broadband report:
- Two-way subscribers to greater than 200 kbps went from 5.9
million in June 2001 to 20.3 million in December 2003.
- One-way went from 9.6 million to 28.2 million.
- For "advanced-service" lines, cable went from 56% to 75.3%; ADSL
went from 16.8 to 14.9%. For all lines, cable was 58% and ADSL 34%.
- Broadband was not available in 6.8% of zip codes, down from 22.2%:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251959A1.pdf>
- The MPEG Industry Forum has a Logo Qualification Program:
<http://logo.mpegif.org/>
- Still awaiting your proposals for presentations at ***The Technology
Retreat*** at the end of January. Don't wait too long. Don't say you
haven't been warned.
- Upcoming Dates (DTV and non-DTV):
- Through September 14, RAI, Amsterdam, International Broadcasting
Convention <http://www.ibc.org>.
- September 16-19, Sony, Basingstoke, England, SMPTE Engineering
Committee meetings <http://www.fibush.net/smpte/Sept2004/Sept2004.htm>.
- *September 20, Hollywood Pacific Theater, digital screening of
"Collateral" <http://www.etcenter.org/Seminars.asp>.
- September 25, Plus8 Video Annex, Burbank, California,
Cinematography's Digital Revolution Workshop with Roy Wagner, ASC
<http://www.welchintegrated.com/asc/enews_ACmag_RHW04.html>.
- September 28, Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C., MSTV 18th
Annual Television Conference, "Broadcast Television: Meeting America's
Digital Demand," <http://mstv.org/evfall.html>.
- October 5-7, Des Moines Marriott, Iowa, Iowa DTV Symposium 2004
<http://www.iptv.org/dtv/2004/>.
- October 6-7, Washington (D.C.) Convention Center, Government
Video Technology Expo <http://www.GVExpo.com>.
- October 7-9, Embassy Suites Baltimore North, Hunt Valley,
Maryland, WEBE/SMPTE convention <
http://www.webe.org/pages/convention.html>.
- October 13-15, Hotel Washington, Washington, D.C., IEEE Broadcast
Symposium <http://www.ieee.org/organizations/society/bt/symposium.html>.
- October 18-19, Pasadena Convention Center, California, Global
Society for Asset Management G-SAM 2004
<http://www.g-sam.org/gsam2004/index.asp>.
- October 18-20, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CEA Industry Forum
<http://www.ce.org/events/event_info/default.asp?eventID=IF04>.
- October 19-20, Hudson Hotel, New York, 12th ETA Summit
<http://www.etaexpo.com/>.
- October 20-23, Pasadena Convention Center, California, SMPTE
Technical Conference and Exhibition
<http://www.smpte.org/conferences/146tech.cfm>.
- October 25-28, Orlando World Center Marriott, ShowEast
<http://www.showeast.com/filmgroup/showeast/index.jsp>.
- November 2, Laemmle's Monica, Digital Studio Conference
<http://www.ihollywoodforum.com/>.
- November 4, Los Angeles Center Studios, HD Expo
<http://www.hdexpo.net/>.
- November 4-7, Westin St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, Home
Entertainment 2004 West <http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com/>.
- November 15-18, Long Beach Convention Center, California,
Electronic House Expo <http://www.ehx2004.com/>.
- November 17-19, Makuhari Messe (Tokyo area), InterBEE
<http://bee.jesa.or.jp>.
- December 7, Radisson Barcello Hotel, Washington, D.C., ATSC ACAP
seminar <http://www.atsc.org/seminars/2004_ACAP/acap_04.htm>.
- January 3-6, Las Vegas, IEEE Consumer Communications and
Networking Conference <http://www.ieee-ccnc.org/>.
- January 6-9, Las Vegas, Consumer Electronics Show
<http://www.cesweb.org/>.
- January 8-12, Las Vegas Convention Center, International
Conference on Consumer Electronics <http://www.icce.org/>.
- ***January 26-28, Rancho Las Palmas Marriott, California, ***The
Technology Retreat*** <http://www.hpaonline.com>.
* - new or revised listing
TTFN,
Mark
PS Permission is granted to forward this or any other Monday Memo.
Next week's memo might be late.
Confused about something in the memo? Please first check out the second
post-script to the January 5 memo here:
<http://www.digitaltelevision.com/mondaymemo/mlist/frm02052.html>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] 20040915 Twang's (almost) Tuesday Tribune (Mark's Monday Memo)
