General News
September 20, 2009
Why you can't even GIVE AWAY your tube TV
The Washington Post has a great write-up about the evolution from the tube TV to the flatscreen--and why you can't even give away your tube TV once you upgrade.
Carroll offered his TV free on Craigslist and got some interest, but no solid taker. If nothing clicks for Carroll and Johnson, their options include the dump, which neither prefers, and Goodwill, which still accepts donations of TVs if they are digital-ready. Goodwill no longer takes models lacking a coaxial cable connection. And there is recycling. In Montgomery, where Johnson lives, the government pays e-Structors, an Elkridge company, 7.2 cents a pound to pick up clunker TVs and strip them for parts. The recession has driven commodity prices so low that the material inside the TV is worth less than the cost of recycling it.
Read
August 15, 2009
720p plasma HDTVs prove popular in Q2 2009
I have to admit: the direction of the HDTV market is tough to predict. In the first quarter of 2009, HDTV sales grew despite the worst global economy in decades. Now, as the second quarter reports begin to appear, research firm Quixel Research says that plasma TV sales were the fastest-growing. This despite reports and predictions of the demise of plasma for a couple of years now.
This wasn't a small amount of growth either. Plasma TV sales in Q2 were up 31% in volume and 35% in value from Q1, just south of $1 billion in sales. The key takeaway from the report though was more significant. The real plasma growth was in the 42-inch 720p class of plasma HDTVs, more of a value proposition than newer, larger and higher-resolution models.
The growth in plasma does seem to stem from its relative value to LCD models in this quarter alone. Or maybe it has something to do with the 'load of crap' LCD specification revelation. In all seriousness, these plasma numbers may seem counterintuitive because they are. A dynamic of pricing in one quarter alone rather than an indication of a longer-term trend.
You can check out the report here (PDF).
July 22, 2009
The average American household has 2.86 TVs but only 2.5 people. Hmm?
How many televisions do you have in your home? I'll admit I have 2 and only 2 people live here (though my wife is pregnant and it will be 3 soon!). It's funny though because I think some of the best content available is actually found on the internet. A recent survey by research group Nielsen revealed that the average home in the United States has 2.86 homes and only 2.5 people. Doesn't make much sense, does it? In 1975 the average American had 1.57 TVs. That number grew to 2.43 in 2000 and despite the prevalence of web TV continues to grow.
Read
July 9, 2009
Best Buy and TiVo partner up for promotional scheme
Best Buy and TiVo are forming a partnership that will result in heavy TiVo promotion in all 1100 Best Buy stores in the United States.
As part of the deal, TiVo will develop a custom version of its digital video recorder for Best Buy that will allow the electronics chain to advertise its products and services to TiVo subscribers on their TVs. Subscribers will also be able to purchase items and receive tips and advice. Best Buy will finance a move to bring TiVo's search tools and software to its own brand of home theater products, Insignia, as well.
TiVo hopes the partnership will help people realize that the set-top is more than a way to rewind and record television shows. Newer TiVo boxes have broadband connections allowing subscribers to do things like order pizzas and Netflix movies, and buy tickets for movies and events. But TiVo has had a tough time educating consumers about the new features; not a good thing considering most cable companies now offer their own DVRs.
Read
April 7, 2009
Blockbuster's time on death row is nearly up
Blockbuster has, in my opinion, been on death row for some time now. Opinion is one thing, but we haven't seen any facts supporting my opinion...up until this week. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing this week, Blockbuster revealed that a credit extension granted a couple of weeks ago may not work out after all. The lenders may not fund the loan unless Blockbuster meets conditions it may not be able to. If it can't, Blockbuster said there is "substantial doubt" about its business future.
Blockbuster has spent the last year playing catch-up to rivals like Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon Video on Demand. But it's too little to late I think.
Read
January 12, 2009
LG Display signs 5 year, LCD panel supply contract with Apple
LG Display already supplies 70% of Apple's notebook screens and monitors, but it appears that the company which also produces displays for HDTV's has secured Apple for the long term. Reuters is reporting that LG Display has signed a deal to supply Apple with LCD displays for 5 years. The financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, but LG did state it would receive a $500 million advance this month.
Via ZDNet
October 1, 2008
Matsushita Officially Changes Name To Panasonic
Matsushita, formerly known as the parent company of the Panasonic brand familiar to us, has officially changed its name to Panasonic. In some form or another the company has had the Matsushita name since 1918 so this is just cause for celebration. So, this morning Yoshi Yamada, CEO of Panasonic North America, rang the bell on the New York Stock Exchange and the behemoth 150-inch Panasonic plasma TV first unveiled at CES this year, will get its first public viewing outside the Exchange. Hmm, I wonder if this will have any effect on the company's stock price? By the way, if you're an investor you'll be looking for PC rather than MC from now on!
PR
September 28, 2008
Is Watching Television Making You Mean?
A study conducted in the UK will add to the controversy surrounding the link between onscreen and real-life violence. A group of British women were shown one of three clips-either a knife fight from Kill Bill, bitchy bullies from Mean Girls, or a calming seance scene from What Lies Beneath. Afterwards the women were told they'd be competing in an online game where the loser is greeted by a loud blast of noise and then faced with a rude job applicant looking for a reference. In both tests, women who watched aggressive scenes in Kill Bill or Mean Girls were meaner than those that had watched What Lies Beneath. While studies like this don't bode well for the younger crowd who have worried parents monitoring their television consumption, it gives us adults a perfectly reasonable excuse for our anti-social behaviour!
Via Telegraph
September 1, 2008
TVSnob Monthly Roundup For August 2008
Blu-ray
DVD Players/Recorders
Digital TV Transition 2009
General News
HDTV
HTPC
LCD TV
Media Center
Media Streamers
Plasma
TV Biz
Televisions
Web TV
August 20, 2008
Theaters, Hollywood Studio's Close To $1 Billion 3D Deal
According to Bloomberg, the Digital Cinema Integration Partners and Hollywood studios' are close to a huge $1 billion deal that would see 14, 000 theater screens owned by Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., and Cinemark Holdings Inc., equipped with 3D display technology. Agreements with all of Hollywood's major studios should be reached in a "relatively short period of time", and those close to the deal say the plan is to recoup the funding through higher ticket prices for 3D shows. All 14, 000 screens in question are located in the United States and Canada, so we can look forward to a life-like theater experience in the near future by the looks of it.
Via Bloomberg
May 24, 2008
Cable Costs Jump Twice The Rate Of Inflation, But Web TV's Just Too Much Of A Pain To Stop The Cable Juggernaut
While the internet and television industry ever-so-slowly merge, people continue to flock to traditional cable subscriptions even though prices have risen 77% since 1996, roughly twice the rate of inflation. And despite the fact you're paying more, an average of $60 per month in fact, you're probably only watching 13% of what you pay for. So why has the digital revolution brought down prices of every knick-knack available, but hasn't broken tradtional cable? One reason is that channels are available in bundles thanks to an understanding between cable companies and Hollywood producers, making it tough to subscribe to channels you watch individually. Cable companies justify bundles by saying that revenues shared by Hollywood thanks to bundled channels keep cable prices from rising even more. They also say that better image quality, on-demand services and bundled phone and internet packages mean viewers are getting better value for their dollar relative to inflation.
Another reason is that broadband speeds in many cases are not fast enough yet to stream and download video in a timely manner. This is changing fast though, but one problem still remains. Not a whole lot of us like to sit for hours watching video at our uncomfortable computer chairs. We want to see content on our big screens. Although, tons of companies are coming out with set-top boxes that will stream video from your computer to your TV, many of us just don't want the inconvenience of going online to find content, hooking up a middleman set-top and then streaming it to our TV's. It's easier to just push a remote button, sit back, and relax with a cable subscription.
When it really comes down to it, it looks like cable will be around for a long while. Not because the technology isn't there, but because moving web video to our home theater's is so far, just an inconvenient pain in the ass.
Via New York Times
May 21, 2008
Which Pay TV Company Offers The Best Customer Service?
You should know the answer to the above question by now, because for the 8th year in a row DIRECTV is number one according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. It was a close call though as DIRECTV's overall score of 68 only beat the overall cable and satellite industry score of 64 by a small margin. Reflecting customer survey results of perceived quality, value, and expectations prior to subscribing, the number one ranking according to the executive VP of Operations at DIRECTV Mike Palkovic is a direct result of "the hard work and dedication of all DIRECTV employees and customer service representatives".
Via BusinessWire
May 19, 2008
Spanish Dominated American TV In April...Really Dominated
KMEX-Univision 34, the main TV station of Univision Communications, was the number 1 station in the United States among adults aged 18-49 for the month of April, in any language. Now comes the amazing part. KMEX is actually a Spanish language station! Regularly the number one station in Los Angeles thanks to the cities large Spanish-speaking population, KMEX dominated the entire US in April. And we're talking dominated. The station was number one in all the primetime slots including primetime, total day, early local news, and late local news.
KMEX says that April's numbers from the Nielsen Station Index speak volumes about the Hispanic populations' influence on the media now and in the future.
Via BusinessWire
Best Buy About To Buy Netflix?
Rumor has it that Best Buy may be buying Netflix for $44/share! This after Netflix's share price closed up 6% Friday on higher-than-normal trading volume. The infamous Henry Blodget thinks this would make sense given Netflix is number one in the digital download and mail-order subscription businesses. Best Buy could leverage this by selling Netflix subscriptions to those who purchase DVD players or HDTV's, Netflix would reduce its marketing costs, and the two combined would have alot of pull when negotiating partnerships/deals with other companies. Just remember, Blodget is rather famous for making such assumptions. I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.
Via Silicon Alley Insider
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