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China's DVD challenge falters
China's plans to replace DVDs with a "home-developed" next-generation disc format called EVD (enhanced versatile disc) don't appear to be going too well.
"Players powered by EVD technology are expected to offer as much as five times the quality of image definition compared with DVD players that dominate the market at present, and that is EVD's biggest advantage over DVD technology," said a Xinhua News Agency report last November.
EVDs could challenge Blu Ray disc technology from founded by Sony Corp, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Philips Electronics NV and seven other major electronics companies, it said.
Blu ray is reported to have caught the eye of the US Department of Justice.
And soon after the first 1,000 EVD players went on the market, users are reporting video quality isn't good as they thought it would be, and the costly discs are hard to find.
EVD players not selling as expected in China
People's Daily
Beijing resident Xiao Li loves listening to music and watching movies.
About one week ago, he bought an enhanced versatile disc (EVD) player, which is said to have a picture quality five times clearer than digital video disc (DVD) players and was developed in China. He paid 1,998 yuan (US$241), which is about two times higher than an ordinary DVD player.
Excited about his purchase, he slipped in a disc but was disappointed that there was little improvement in picture quality. Then he was told that he needed to buy a digital TV set to see the real difference, which is also twice more expensive than analog TV sets now dominant on the market. What was even more frustrating was that after he finished watching the four free movie discs provided with the EVD player, he found there were few discs on the market."
Fan Wenjian, a spokesman with Shinco, a major force in the nine-member EVD industrial alliance, said more than 1,000 EVD players, including 500 in Beijing, were sold in the past week across the country following the national product launch on January 1.
But the company has shipped 100,000 units to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets.
SVA, the other of the two companies now providing EVD products, said it would push EVD player sales over the weekend and expected to sell 2,000 units in the first week.
The EVD industrial alliance aims to promote the new digital disc technology in China and has submitted the technology patent to the Ministry of Information Industry and the International Standardization Organization.
The EVD standard is expected to expand research and development of this technology in China so that the heavy royalties paid to foreign DVD patent owners will be avoided.
It is reported that Chinese manufacturers need to pay US$13.8 in royalties for every DVD player they make.
The Gome Electronic Appliance store, the biggest home appliances chain in Beijing, already received a shipment of EVD players on January 2, but the store was apprehensive about putting them on the shelves for fear of lack of response from customers.
Bottlenecks
The reasons for the low market response to EVD players are simple.
According to a poll conducted by the website CCDINet.com, one of the biggest information technology websites, 63 per cent of 1,940 people polled say the lack of EVD discs is the biggest obstacle to the popularization of EVD players and 20 per cent complained that the price of EVD players is too expensive.
Although Shinco's Fan says the EVD alliance has already received support from some entertainment content providers such as Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios and 21st Century Fox in addition to the fact that there will about 1,600 titles available this year, it is hard to say if buyers"enthusiasm will last that long and if they will be able to afford an EVD movie disc, twice the cost of a DVD disc.
What is embarrassing to manufacturers is that, due to low market reception during the initial stage, EVD players have to be compatible with DVD players, so EVD makers may still need to pay the US$13.8 in royalties, in addition to US$2 in royalties related to the EVD standard.
All these factors lead to the higher price of EVD players over DVD players.
If the cost of buying a new digital TV set is added on, EVD players become even more disadvantaged.
However, the future may not be that discouraging.
China has been pushing for its own standards for digital TVs, audio and visual compression and EVDs, so the success of one component will greatly promote the others.
As well, the government's determination will have a considerable influence on foreign manufacturers and content providers because no company can afford to ignore a market with 1.3 billion people where more than half of the world's DVD players are produced.
Report: EVD Faces Hurdles
Date Monday, February 02 @ 16:19:15
Topic Latest News
China's newly developed advanced DVD standard - Enhanced DVD or EVD - faces obstacles such as competition from rival technologies, according to a new report from market research firm iSuppli.
Several Chinese companies are making products based on so-called Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) technology, a format developed in China, iSuppli analyst Daniel Yang said in a report released Thursday. These products include 100,000 EVD players made early this year by Chinese company Jiangsu Shinco Electronic Group, Yang said.
He cautioned that the emerging EVD industry confronts serious challenges, including competition from the Blu-ray and HD-DVD disc formats designed to succeed today's DVD technology. Blu-ray is backed by Sony, Philips Electronics and other companies, while Toshiba and NEC are behind HD-DVD.
"It is still not clear if the EVD market can grow, as expected," Yang said.
The China-developed EVD standard is among several projects the government supports in its drive to reduce license fee payments and "shake off dependence on foreign technologies in production," according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
The efforts with EVD echo China's moves with respect to advanced cell phones and wireless data communication. For example, the country recently announced a new policy that requires all companies that import and sell Wi-Fi equipment to use an encryption standard, called Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure, which China developed and is not used anywhere else.
China aims to reduce payments of patent royalties with the EVD standard, Yang said. In the case of DVD players, Chinese manufacturers pay "substantial fees" to the international owners of the main intellectual property patents, Yang said.
Yang said nine Chinese electronics manufacturers formed an EVD industry alliance last year to develop and promote EVD players. EVD decoder products have been made by Beijing Homaa Microelectronics Technology and Beijing E-world Technology, in cooperation with United States-based LSI Logic, Yang said.
In addition to facing competition from other advanced DVD formats, EVD technology "lacks a substantial library of software, i.e. films," Yang said.
Another potential problem is how well EVD products will work with the emerging technology of high-definition televisions, Yang said. "If the EVD players are not compatible with HD-TVs, their advantage in HD formats will be wasted," he said.
Story source: news.com.
This article comes from DVD Recordable
http://www.dvd-recordable.org/
The URL for this story is:
http://www.dvd-recordable.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1105
SGI--sale of its Alias graphics application software
From the Yahoo board... just pure speculation on a possible company that ONT may be looking at... JUST PURE SPECULATION.
But a company like this would definitely increase the value of our company. JMHO
SGI in Talks to Sell Alias Software Business
Wednesday February 11, 4:04 pm ET
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SGI (NYSE: SGI - News) today announced that it is considering the sale of its Alias graphics application software business and is in exclusive negotiations for such a sale to a private equity investment firm.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alias, which generated approximately $65.1 million in revenues and an operating profit of approximately $5.7 million for the year ended June 27, 2003, would operate as an independent company if the transaction is completed as presently anticipated. In the three and six month periods ended December 26, 2003, Alias generated approximately $18.4 million and $34.2 million in revenues and an operating profit of approximately $2.7 million and $3.1 million, respectively. Sales of the entire Alias product suite will continue uninterrupted, and there will be no changes to the management team or structure, service and support or product availability as a result of the negotiations or the sale of the business.
"The sale of Alias will allow both companies to focus on their core marketplaces, while providing additional liquidity to SGI," said Bob Bishop, Chairman and CEO, Silicon Graphics. "Alias has been very successful in the 3D entertainment and industrial design sectors, primarily in recent years targeted at the PC market. This sale will allow SGI to concentrate our investments on growth opportunities in our core business."
The sale of Alias is consistent with SGI's previously-stated strategy to focus on high-performance computing, storage and advanced visualization, with a particular emphasis on the fast-growing Linux® portion of the marketplace. SGI offers workstations and advanced graphics systems on the IRIX® operating system as well as scalable servers and storage solutions on both IRIX and Linux®.
SGI will conduct a conference call today at 2 p.m. PT to provide additional details. The webcast is available at ( http://www.sgi.com/company_info/investors/events.html ). The dial-in number is 800-946-0786 or 719-457-2662 for participants outside of North America. An audio replay of this call will be available after 5 p.m. PT today at 888-203-1112 (passcode: 100214) or 719-457-0820 (passcode: 100214) and will be available for seven days. All links to the archived Webcast and audio replay are available through SGI's Web site at ( www.sgi.com/company_info/investors/ ).
This press release contains forward looking statements relating to the possible sale of SGI's Alias graphics application software business and the benefits of the potential proceeds from such a transaction. SGI has not entered into any definitive agreements related to this transaction, and the transaction may not occur or may occur on terms substantially different from those described in this press release. For a discussion of risk factors confronting SGI's business, please refer to SGI's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including SGI's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 26, 2003. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether changes occur as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SILICON GRAPHICS / The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM)
SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at www.sgi.com.
SGI Japan Becomes Sole Distributor for On2 Technologies' Products to Provide Codec Technology and Solutions in the Japanese Digital Media Market that Achieve High Quality Visual Transmission at Low Bandwidth
< back
New Agreement Drives SGI Japan to Expand Media Broadband Business
TOKYO, and NEW YORK, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SGI Japan, Ltd.
today announced that SGI Japan will be granted sole distributorship of On2
Technologies' products within the Japanese market.
The agreement will drive SGI Japan to aggressively promote marketing and
sales of On2 Technologies' software products based on the TrueMotion video
codec technology that achieves the industry's highest levels of efficiency in
transmitting high-quality images at low-bandwidth or low-bit rates.
SGI Japan, as a sole distributor for On2 Technologies, plans to provide a
wide variety of solutions in various fields, such as video content delivery
for telecommunications & broadcasting areas, video chat for retailers and
financial industries, video manuals and video mails for manufacturing,
in-house broadcasting for hotels and hospitals, e-learning systems for the
education field, and surveillance systems for the public facilities.
Until today, Media Cruise Solutions, which was founded by SGI Japan, NEC,
and others, has served as both sole importer and sole distributor for On2's
products in Japan. Under the new agreement, MCS will remain the sole importer
and provide technical support for On2's products, while SGI Japan will be the
sole distributor of On2's products in the Japanese market. With joint sales
and marketing efforts with MCS, SGI Japan will drive and expand its sales and
marketing activities for On2's products.
On2 Technologies is a leading provider of encoding software that
compresses visual content efficiently. The company also develops solutions
for delivery and playback of streaming media content. With the new lines of
digital multimedia products from On2 added to SGI Japan's existing wide
variety of solutions for encoding, delivery, reception, and replay of visual
data, SGI Japan will be able to meet the diverse needs of its customers more
flexibly.
SGI Japan, as a system integrator, suggests and provides the best breed of
solutions for each customer from a broad range of products centering on its
core competencies -- scalability, visualization, media broadband, and data
management.
The acquisition of the sole distributorship for On2 Technologies is part
of SGI Japan's business strategy as a system integrator. This distributorship
will enable SGI Japan to aggressively promote its media broadband business,
taking advantage of one of its core competencies.
On2 Technologies provides software codec technology and products adaptable
even to home electronic appliances and devices. Their products include the
Professional Encoder compression software for video and audio, TrueCast Server
for delivery of encoded data via servers, and the TrueCast Player software to
receive and replay the data.
These products support On2's VP5 and VP6 codecs, the next-generation video
compression technology that On2 has uniquely developed, offering up to
DVD-quality video at low datarate of 1Mbps, even on PCs with slower processor
such as the Intel(R) Pentium(R) 2. In addition, the fact that VP5 and VP6
video consumes less network bandwidth allows users to save network and
hardware resources.
SGI Japan is now promoting "SGI Japan e-Learning Solutions" to entirely
support customers' needs from video lecture content creation to content
delivery and archive, as a basis of their comprehensive content services, not
only with Video-on-Demand (VOD) for e-Learning, but also with delivery and
management capabilities including Content Delivery Network (CDN)
functionalities.
About On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation
On2 Technologies (Amex: ONT) is a leading technology firm at the forefront
of video compression. The Company revolutionized video encoding with the
creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen, video compression and
streaming technology (TrueMotion(R) VP4/VP5/VP6). On2 licenses its high
quality video codecs for use in set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices
and wireless applications. In addition, On2 offers a suite of products and
services, including high-level video encoding, customized technical support,
and consulting/integration services. Located in New York City, the Company
has an office in Clifton Park, NY, and operations in Cambridge, UK. On2 may
be reached at 21 Corporate Drive, Suite 103, Clifton Park, NY 12065 or
info@on2.com or sales@on2.com.
are you suggesting that we have a postman make a special delivery on Monday if no PR by end of tomorrow??
Digital television technology set to become must-have
By CHRIS WALSH, Scripps Howard News Service
January 22, 2004
Add another acronym to the growing list of new technologies that promise to change the way Americans watch TV.
High-definition television, or HDTV, has been touted as the "next big thing" in the TV world, offering eye-popping pictures that make traditional TV images look like home videos.
It will do for television what FM did for radio, what DVD players did for videos, what broadband is doing for the Internet, analysts say.
While it still must clear several hurdles — including consumer confusion — HDTV penetration in the United States is growing, and it's expected to become a must-have technology in the next few years.
"It's here, and it's here to stay, no ands, ifs or buts about it," said Pete Seel, a journalism and technical communications professor at Colorado State University who co-authored a book on HDTV.
So what's all the hype about?
High-definition television offers a picture that's two to 10 times sharper than traditional TV. Viewers see much more detail, such as a quarterback's eyes as he scrambles during a play or Cameron Diaz's facial blemishes.
HDTV offers 2 million pixels of resolution, while the typical TV has about 210,000 pixels. In addition to greater detail, there's also more to see.
Traditional TVs cut out significant portions of images to make them fit on the screen. HDTV sets typically are wider, so there's more picture.
High-definition signals also reduce flicker and background noise, and many HDTV programs are in Dolby Digital sound, creating an experience that consumers say puts them in the center of the action.
"It's like being in the luxury box in a stadium, like you're looking at an event through a glass window," Seel said.
High-definition television has been touted for several years. The technology initially found a market with techies and avid consumers who wanted to watch DVDs in high-definition.
But it has been slow to catch on with the masses because of high prices and minimal programming options.
HDTV gathered steam last year as digital-TV-set prices fell and cable- and satellite-TV companies boosted HDTV programming.
More than 2.4 million HDTV sets were sold in the United States from September 2002 to September 2003 — a 50 percent increase over the previous year, according to the New York-based sales and marketing research firm NPD Group Inc.
The surge can be attributed to several developments.
The FCC has mandated that over-the-air broadcasters make the transition from analog to digital signals by 2006, although analysts say that likely will be pushed back several years.
HDTV is basically the highest quality of digital TV, although not all digital TV is high-definition. The mandate has forced broadcasters to invest in the networks and technology to broadcast digitally, giving consumers more programming options for HDTV.
And many consumers began buying digital TVs in anticipation of the switch, although the more common analog TVs still will work with a special decoder.
Analysts also point to the battle between cable- and satellite-TV providers for subscribers as a catalyst for HDTV growth.
Both sides have pumped millions of dollars into providing HDTV programming, and analysts see high-definition as a key competitive technology.
Satellite providers began offering HDTV programming as early as 1999. Cable companies didn't really jump on HDTV until last year.
Cable operators may have an advantage over satellite because they can offer a higher number of local HDTV programming and can add other high-definition channels more easily down the road, analysts say.
"Satellite can't really do that," said Josh Bernoff, an analyst at the Cambridge, Mass.-based technology research firm Forrester Research. "As the number of high-definition households jumps up to more than 10 percent in the next couple years, that will be a big advantage for cable if satellite doesn't find a solution."
In addition, HDTV service through cable typically is cheaper.
Still, HDTV still has a ways to go before it becomes as common as color TV in U.S. households.
While HDTV prices have plummeted and subscribers have been growing rapidly, the technology faces some hurdles.
Consumers need several components — a capable TV set, HDTV programming and an antenna, decoder or set-top box — to receive high definition.
Add to that the fact that TV-set manufacturers and cable and satellite companies make different technologies that are not always compatible together, and confusion abounds.
"If you ask the average citizen, 'What is HDTV?,' there's going to be confusion. HDTV technology is not really well understood," said Boyd Peterson, a vice president at the Boston-based consumer research firm Yankee Group.
"Customer education is absolutely critical for people to throw down $1,000 for a new set monitor. That's going to have to be cleared up."
Before the
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of:
Implementation of Section 304 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices
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)
)
)
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)
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CS Docket No. 97-80
FURTHER NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING
AND DECLARATORY RULING
Adopted: September 14, 2000
Released: September 18, 2000
Comment Date: November 15, 2000
Reply Comment Date: December 18, 2000
By the Commission: Commissioner Tristani issuing a statement.
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Table of Contents
[Added by EFF]
Notice & Ruling
Introduction
Further NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING
Declaratory Ruling
BACKGROUND
POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES
DISCUSSION
Procedural Matters
ORDERING CLAUSES
Footnotes for Notice & Ruling
APPENDIX A: INITIAL REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS
Footnotes for Appendix
SEPARATE STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GLORIA TRISTANI
Footnotes for Tristani Statement
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Introduction
This Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("Notice") and Declaratory Ruling ("Order") addresses two separate, but related, matters regarding the Commission's navigation devices rules.1 The navigation devices rules were adopted to implement Section 629 of the Communications Act. They are designed to assure the commercial availability from retail outlets of equipment used to access service from multichannel video programming systems. In adopting these rules, the Commission indicated that it would monitor the development of the commercial availability of navigation devices and on reconsideration stated that it would commence a proceeding in the year 2000 to review the effectiveness of the rules and consider any necessary changes. In this proceeding, we undertake that review. In addition, questions have been raised as to whether certain of the mechanisms being developed by the cable television industry relating to the copying of digital video programming comply with the existing rules. We address those issues in the form of a declaratory ruling in this proceeding.
Further NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING
Section 629 of the Communications Act requires that the Commission adopt regulations to assure the commercial availability of navigation devices.2 The purpose of Section 629 and the rules adopted thereunder is to assure consumers the opportunity to purchase navigation
[1]
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devices from sources other than their MVPD service provider. Section 629 of the Communications Act instructs the Commission to:
adopt regulations to assure the commercial availability, to consumers . . . of . . . equipment used . . . to access, multichannel video programming and other services offered over multichannel video programming systems, from manufacturers, retailers, and other vendors not affiliated with any multichannel video programming distributor.3
In addition, Section 629 provides that the Commission "shall not prescribe regulations . . . which would jeopardize security of . . . services offered over multichannel video programming systems, or impede the legal rights of a provider of such services to prevent theft of service."4
In Implementation of Section 304 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices, Report and Order ("Navigation Devices Order"),5 the Commission adopted rules to implement Section 629. In the Navigation Devices Order and the Reconsideration Order, the Commission expressed its intention to monitor developments to evaluate whether progress was being made toward the goals of Section 629, and, if necessary, to take further action to ensure a competitive marketplace and consumer choice in navigation devices.6 The Commission expressed its intention to undertake a review of the navigation devices rules in the year 2000. In this Notice, we seek comment regarding market developments to determine if the objectives of Section 629 are being fulfilled or whether further Commission action is warranted.
The decisions made and rules adopted in the Navigation Devices Order include the following:
(1) Section 629 covers not just equipment used to receive video programming, but also equipment used to access other services offered over multichannel video programming systems. Such equipment includes televisions, VCRs, cable set-top boxes, personal computers, program guide equipment, and cable modems;
(2) Subscribers have the right to attach any compatible navigation device to a multichannel video programming system;
(3) Service providers are prohibited from taking actions which would prevent navigation devices that do not perform conditional access functions from being made available by retailers, manufacturers, or other unaffiliated vendors;
(4) MVPDs must separate out conditional access or security functions from other functions by July 1, 2000 and make available modular security components, also called PODs;
(5) After January 1, 2005, MVPDs shall not provide new navigation devices that have security and non-security functions combined;
(6) MVPDs must provide information sufficient to permit the manufacture, retail sale, and operation of devices for their systems; and
(7) MVPDs can take the actions necessary to protect their operations from technical harm and theft of service.7
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Subsequently, on reconsideration, the Commission determined that deferring application of the separate security requirement for equipment employing only an analog security mechanism would more expeditiously achieve the goals of Section 629.8 In the Reconsideration Order, the Commission indicated that it would assess the state of the market in the year 2000 once separate security modules were available. The Commission's navigation devices rules were recently upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.9
Section 76.1204 required MVPDs to make available by July 1, 2000 conditional access or security devices separated out from other functions of the navigation devices used with their distribution systems. These modular security components, also called point of deployment modules ("PODs"), permit MVPDs to retain conditional access functions under their own control while permitting other functions to be incorporated into devices available for retail purchase.10
The separation of security functions from the other functions required the development of an interface specification between host devices and PODs. The cable industry, through CableLabs, made a commitment to undertake this development through the OpenCable project. The intention was that the results of OpenCable should lead to standardization, design, and production of PODs and permit the design, production, and distribution of the associated host devices for retail sale.11 The eight cable operators involved in the CableLabs project were required to submit semiannual progress reports to the Commission detailing their efforts and the efforts of CableLabs to assure the commercial availability, to consumers of equipment used to access MVPD programming and other services offered by such systems.
Reports were submitted on July 7, 1999, January 7, 2000 and July 7, 2000. The July 2000 Report stated that cable operators met the July 1, 2000 deadline to have digital separate security modules available for customers, and also made available "build-to" specifications that would allow manufacturers of retailer-supplied boxes to manufacture and market host devices.7 The Status Report also noted that no retailer has placed an order for digital set-top boxes that will accommodate the digital modules.13 In response, the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition ("CERC") states that by focusing only on its obligation to produce PODs, the cable industry failed to provide technical specifications for interactive and non-interactive OpenCable host devices in time to support competitive entry by July 1, 2000.14
In response, NCTA states that it has published technical specifications for interactive and non-interactive host devices.15 NCTA contends that, for reasons unrelated to technical
3
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specifications, retailers have refused to place orders for navigation devices compatible with digital PODs.16 NCTA asserts that retailers are attempting to extract a portion of cable operators' revenues from subscribers' use of retailer-supplied navigation devices to access cable operators' services.17
Development of OpenCable Specifications. The Commission observed that the rules implemented to achieve the goals of Section 629 were "premised on the assumption that commercial interests, fueled by consumer demand, will agree on specifications for digital navigation devices to be submitted to standard-setting organizations, or that common interfaces will emerge that become widely accepted."18 The Commission expressed concern that a voluntary standards development encompassing the goals of Section 629, such as OpenCable, must provide an opportunity for a range of interests to participate.19 We seek comment on whether the efforts of CableLabs to develop an interface standard have achieved the desired result, and whether entities outside of the membership of CableLabs have been able to effectively participate in the process. We seek comment on whether the specifications provided by CableLabs allow consumer electronics manufacturers to build a navigation device that provides consumers a viable alternative to the equipment provided by their service provider. In addition, we also seek comment on whether there are further steps the Commission should undertake to ensure compliance with Section 629 and achieve the statutory objective of commercial availability of navigation devices.
Integrated Boxes. In the Navigation Devices Order, the Commission concluded that MVPDs' continued ability to provide integrated equipment combining both security and non-security functions would likely interfere with the statutory mandate of commercial availability.20 Accordingly, the Commission adopted Section 76.1204(a)(1), which prohibits MVPDs from selling or leasing new integrated equipment after January 1, 2005.21 That date was chosen to minimize the economic impact of the prohibition on manufacturers and MVPDs by allowing them sufficient time to respond to equipment modifications and a changed market.22
On reconsideration, in response to requests that an earlier date be established, the Commission declined to change the 2005 date, stating however that it would review the mechanics of the phase-out of integrated boxes as part of its review of the state of the consumer retail market to be undertaken in the year 2000.23 In particular, the Commission stated it would consider whether acceleration of the phase-out date is appropriate.24 One option that the Commission specifically
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mentioned was moving the date from the year 2005 to 2003.25 Accordingly, we seek comment on the extent of the effect operator provision of integrated equipment has had on achieving a competitive market for commercially available navigation devices. We seek comment on whether the 2005 date for the phase-out of integrated boxes remains appropriate. Alternatively, we seek comment on whether it would it be satisfactory to permit MVPD or retail distribution of integrated boxes after January 1, 2005 if integrated boxes are also commercially available or for other reasons necessary to further the objectives of Section 629. In addition, we seek comment on the considerations that factor into a decision regarding the date of the phase-out of integrated boxes. For example, would an earlier or later date create incentives for the development of a commercial market for navigation devices? We also seek comment on the economic impact an earlier or later date would have on manufacturers and on MVPDs. In this regard, we believe the following information would be beneficial to the Commission's analysis: (1) the number of integrated boxes that MVPDs have deployed to customers to date; (2) the number of integrated boxes MVPDs expect to be deployed in 2003; (3) the number of orders MVPDs and retailers have made for non-integrated equipment; and (4) the number of orders for integrated boxes MVPDs have placed since the release of the Reconsideration Order and (5) the total cost differential (including manufacturing, marketing, research and development, and distribution costs), if any, between an integrated box and a host/POD combination.
Obstacles to Commercial Availability. CERC asserts that there are currently no host devices available at retail. In contrast, we note that a retail26 market for cable modems is developing in certain regions of the country.27 We seek comment on this apparent disparity. Circuit City also contends that, without significant changes, incentives for development of a retail market do not exist. We seek comment on any obstacles or barriers preventing or deterring the development of a retail market for navigation devices. We note that cable systems are in development that utilize technology outside that of traditional cable architecture. We seek comment on the impact of such systems on the commercial availability of navigation devices.
Other Factors. In addition to the specific requests for comments set forth above, we also request comments regarding other factors that commenters believe may be impeding or affecting achievement of the goals of Section 629. For example, recent articles indicate that retail availability of equipment has been slowed by market participants' failure to achieve mutually beneficial business arrangements.28 We seek comment as to what additional actions, if any, the Commission should initiate to achieve the statutory objective of competition in the navigation devices market.
Declaratory Ruling
BACKGROUND
In various proceedings before the Commission parties have raised concerns regarding alleged violations by cable operators of the existing navigation devices rules. The claimed violation, most fundamentally, is that whereas the rules require a separation of conditional access or security
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functions from other functions performed by navigation devices, cable operators are insisting on inclusion of copy protection encryption and decryption in both separated security modules and in the associated host devices that perform the other navigation functions. These concerns have been raised in response to our Compatibility Between Cable Systems and Consumer Electronics Equipment, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,29 in response to the cable industry's status reports in this Docket,30 and in response to a number of navigation devices waiver requests filed by cable operators.31 Because it is important that the uncertainty regarding this issue be resolved so that progress in the development of a retail market for navigation devices continue, we address these questions, on our own motion, in the form of a declaratory ruling.32
As the transition from analog-based technology to digital-based technology continues, equipment manufactures and retailers, programming creators and distributors, and consumers will benefit from the myriad advantages offered by digital content. Arriving in tandem with these digital advantages, however, are significant questions related to access to, and appropriate use of, digital content. The Commission, pursuant to Section 629, has addressed a number of the questions associated with access to digital content in the Navigation Devices Order and the rules implemented thereunder. Another issue, adequate protection against unauthorized use of digital content, gives rise to this declaratory ruling. Unlike the analog context, digital technology affords users the ability to make an unlimited number of virtually perfect copies of digital content. Also unlike the analog context, copyright holders of digital content possess the ability to prevent misuse of copy protected material through methods not previously available. Through the use of contractual licensing requiring consumer electronics manufacturers to install certain copy protection technology in their equipment in exchange for access to desirable digital content, copyright holders will be able to control, through the insertion of coded instructions in the digital stream, whether such equipment will allow consumers to make one copy, unlimited copies, or prohibit copying altogether of digital content received from an MVPD. It is the first generation of this licensing and technology and its relation to the Commission's navigation devices rules that we address here.
In enacting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,33 Congress prohibited the act of
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circumventing a technological protection measure put in place by a copyright holder to control access to a copyrighted work.34 It is through the "Dynamic Feedback Arrangement Scrambling Technique" ("DFAST") license and other copy protection licensing efforts that content providers are attempting to incorporate such technological protection measures in consumer electronic equipment, such as commercially available navigation devices. To date, various industry segments have been unable to reach resolution on key issues. Without resolution of these issues, manufacturers cannot produce digital consumer electronic equipment such as digital cable-ready television sets, VCRs, and commercially available cable set-top boxes that will access high quality digital content. It is important that these issues be resolved in a timely manner or the transition to digital-based technology could be delayed.
The issue arises here because of the intellectual property rights that the developer of a "host device" (e.g., a consumer television receiver or set-top box) must acquire before proceeding to manufacture and sell these devices. The concerns raised focus on the DFAST license35 pursuant to which equipment manufacturers acquire rights from Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. ("CableLabs").36 We note that DFAST is by no means the only copy protection technology that has been developed or is in development. For example, Sony, Matsushita, Intel, Toshiba and Hitachi developed the Digital Transmission Content Protection Specification (the "5C technology") which affords a high degree of protection for copyrighted commercial entertainment content transmitted over high-speed bi-directional digital interfaces.37 Although it is possible to obtain a 5C license and various entities have done so, there are issues associated with 5C that remain unresolved. Without a 5C license, high quality digital content cannot exit a digital component, such as a cable set-top box for transmission to a digital television receiver or digital VCR. Of relevance to this proceeding is the fact that the draft DFAST license mandates, in addition to the DFAST technology, the use of the 5C technology.
POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES
Circuit City and other commenters assert that the draft DFAST license, in purporting to impose copy protection constraints on consumer electronics ("CE") and information technology
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("IT") host devices directly violates Sections 76.1204(c) and 76.1202 of the Commission's navigation devices rules.38 Circuit City argues that if the DFAST copy protection functions performed by OpenCable host devices are determined to serve "conditional access" or "security" functions, the OpenCable specification would clearly violate the Commission's navigation devices rules.39 Circuit City contends that the purpose of the Commission's regulations was to allow POD modules to provide authorization for, and enable receipt of service, while prohibiting host devices from doing so.
Commenters taking a contrary view urge the Commission to take no action that would preclude the use of digital POD modules and host devices to facilitate the implementation of copyright protection technologies.40 NCTA asserts that DFAST technology will serve a copy protection and control function and is not subject to the "separation" requirements of the Commission's navigation device rules.41 Commenters note that the copy protection and security provisions at issue are critical to ensuring that content providers will supply high quality programming necessary to further the digital transition.42 Commenters assert that it is essential that copy protection technology be required in both the digital POD and the digital POD module interface in host devices.43
Time Warner states that the Commission's authority to permit copy protection is consistent with Section 76.1204(c) of the Commission's rules, which does not prohibit the use of
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contracts, agreements, patent rights, or intellectual property rights to prevent the retail availability of navigation devices that would override copy protection instructions.44 Time Warner also argues that the language of Section 629(b) of the Communications Act expressly allows DFAST licenses to be located in host devices.45 Time Warner asserts that if the Commission were to restrict any requirement that host devices manufactured to work with digital PODS must comply with copy protection protocols, the Commission would be impeding the rights of MVPDs to prevent theft of service.46 It maintains that Section 76.1209 of the Commission's rules provides additional support for content providers seeking protection against unauthorized copying.47
Circuit City further asserts that the right to make such devices available includes the right of consumers to attach and use them on the network, except, according to Section 76.1201, ". . . where electronic or physical harm would be caused by the attachment or operation of such devices or such devices may be used to assist or are intended or designed to assist in the unauthorized reception of service."48 In addition, Circuit City argues that Section 76.1203 spells out the limits on contractual constraints, even when they involve instances of harm to the network or security.49 Circuit City cites language in the Navigation Devices Order that states that "[t]hese standards shall . . . not [be used] as a means to unreasonably restrict the use of navigation devices obtained from a source other than the MVPD."50
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Commenters note that the law has recognized that copy protection should not prevent consumers from making fair use of certain content through limited copying, or viewing such content as it is delivered.51 They note that copy protection, which allows a fair use exception, is distinct from conditional access, which does not.52 Conversely, other commenters contend that the Betamax decision concerned only certain limited-purpose, private home recordings of free, unencrypted, over-the-air broadcast television programs in an analog environment.53 They argue that the facts of the Betamax decision bear no resemblance to today's marketplace or to the damage of unconstrained digital copying.54 Time Warner notes that copy protection is not synonymous with an outright ban on copying, but rather merely allows the content provider to limit authorized copying in the digital context.55
As support for the position that the DFAST license does not violate the navigation devices rules, commenters cite language from the Navigation Devices Order which states that "copy protection systems and devices that impose a limited measure of data encryption control over the types of devices that may record (or receive) video content would not be subject to the [security] separation requirement."56 NCTA contends that if there were no copy control requirements placed on the host, once the signal is descrambled in the POD, it would be available for unauthorized copying or retransmission to unauthorized viewers.57 Commenters note that the Commission acknowledged as much in its Navigation Devices Order, where it stated, "f digital content passes across an interface--whether between a television receiver and a set top box, a POD security module and a host device (e.g., a set top box or a television receiver), or some other interface--that content is susceptible to copying if the interface is unprotected."58
Circuit City asserts that NCTA misconstrues the copy protection language from the Navigation Devices Order by not reading it in its entirety.59 Circuit City maintains that the entire
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discussion draws a delineation between the types of conditional access that are reserved to the POD device, and may be protected through restrictions on the host, and the forms of copy protection, which rely on milder encryption and authentication techniques, which do not implicate system security and may thus be incorporated into the host.60 The Commission, Circuit City argues, has given approval only to imposition of contractual limitations necessary to protect system security and subscriber authentication, and not to other measures.
DISCUSSION
We address the narrow question of whether the inclusion of some measure of copy protection within a host device violates the separation requirement of the Commission's navigation devices rules. As discussed below, we find that it does not. Circuit City contends that the navigation devices rules preclude any copy protection encryption system located within a host device. Further, Circuit City argues that to the extent some copy protection might be permitted, that the DFAST license terms were adopted without appropriate input from equipment manufacturers and retailers and, as imposed, exceed whatever restrictions on fair use copying that might reasonably be permitted.
Section 76.1201 of the Commission's rules creates a right to connect navigation devices to multichannel video programming distribution systems.61 This right, however, does not include the right to attach devices that would cause electronic or physical harm or where "such devices may be used to assist or are intended or designed to assist in the unauthorized receipt of service."62 Operating in parallel with this provision, Section 76.1203 indicates that a service provider may restrict the attachment or use of navigation devices intended to assist in the unauthorized receipt of service. MVPDs utilizing devices to perform conditional access functions are required to make available equipment "that incorporates only the conditional access functions of such devices."63 Conditional access devices made available pursuant to this section shall incorporate a commonly used interface within the industry or an interface that conforms to appropriate
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technical standards promulgated by a national standards organization.64 Further, no MVPD shall "by contract, agreement, patent, intellectual property right or otherwise preclude the addition of features or functions to the equipment made available pursuant to this section that are not designed, intended or function to defeat the conditional access controls of such devices or to provide unauthorized access to service."65
Copy protection for digital video content in its current formulations and in a very broad sense, involves techniques of encoding content as it crosses interfaces and of establishing two-way communications paths and protocols across these interfaces so that video content is only released after the receiving device is queried by the sending device and confirms that it is an eligible content recipient. Navigation devices can be manufactured, sold, and connected to MVPDs that do not support copy-protected product. However, a host device, not part of the copyright protection system, could not "navigate" through the full complement of cable content to the extent digital cable content is itself subject to copy protection requirements as a consequence of a contractual relationship between cable operators and suppliers of cable video content. If these devices are intended for reception of this type of product, the manufacturer must adhere to the copy protection protocols which involve in part obtaining access to certain intellectual property rights which are needed to make the copy protection system function and to which are appended certain contractual requirements. Most fundamentally the host device manufacturer must agree not to defeat or assist others in defeating the copyright protection systems. The contractual provisions are intended to ensure that the reception device in question does not defeat the copy protection system and is manufactured in a sufficiently robust fashion so that others cannot easily defeat the system. In the cable television context, these rights are available from CableLabs. The CableLabs designed interface includes an encryption and copy protection control system on the output side of the interface, which makes use of the DFAST scrambling technology. It is the restrictions attached to a preliminary version of the DFAST license agreement about which Circuit City has raised concerns.
Section 629 of the Communications Act requires that the Commission's navigation devices rules accomplish two goals: (1) to assure the commercial availability of navigation devices; and (2) to adequately safeguard the cable operators' signal security. Our decision today is consistent with both of these goals. In the Navigation Devices Order, the Commission noted that a number of different types of security, access control, or data encryption systems were involved and specifically stated that "[c]opy protection systems and devices that impose a limited measure of data encryption control over the types of devices that may record (or receive) video content would not be subject to the separation requirement."66 As the Navigation Devices Order specifically states, including some copy protection technology in both the POD module and host device to bridge a gap where digital data would otherwise be available "in the clear" and accessible for digital copying would not necessarily violate the rules. Some measure of anti-copying encryption is, we believe, consistent with the intent of the rules, notwithstanding that the rules would otherwise require that all conditional access controls take place in the security control module. In this regard, the record indicates that content providers are seeking copy protection licensing terms that limit consumers to
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making a single copy of some high quality digital content, that is not otherwise subject to additional restrictions (such as is the case with pay-per-view or video-on-demand programming).67 We note that commenters assert that consumers have certain settled expectations regarding home copying of both broadcast and cable programming that would be undercut by these licenses.68 Based on the record in this proceeding, no evidence has been presented that the evolving copy protection licenses and technology discussed herein would preclude reasonable home recording of such content.69 It should be noted, however, that our ruling is not based on this aspect of the record; we cite such evidence simply to rebut the notion that our ruling will lead to inevitable restrictions on consumers' ability to copy digital material.
We decline to resolve the question of the nature and scope of any copy protection systems or rights. Circuit City and others have raised the concern that the draft agreement, governing the DFAST Specification, at least in its preliminary form, exceeds the allowable limits. For example, it is suggested that the host device manufacturer could be precluded from facilitating even that degree of copying that comes within copyright law "fair use" copying allowances.70 Other examples of suggested overreaching include a provision in the license that "The Licensed Product [host device] not output POD-CP Data, or pass POD-CP Data to any output, in High Definition Analog Form unless the output shall be constrained to no more than 600 lines of vertical resolution." At this time, we take no position on the specific terms contained in the draft DFAST license. While our ruling herein clarifies that the inclusion of some amount of copy protection within a host device does not automatically violate the separation requirement of the navigation devices rules, we do not intend this declaratory ruling to signal that any terms or technology associated with such licenses and designated as necessary for copy protection purposes are consistent with our rules. We believe, however, that such issues are best resolved if specific concerns involving finalized licenses that implicate our navigation devices rules are presented to the Commission.71
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Circuit City also expresses concern that the DFAST license and technology does not impact MSO devices, which are permitted to integrate security within the host device until 2005.72 As such, Circuit City maintains that use of the DFAST license to impose copy protection constraints would apply to CE and IT, but not MSO devices. Circuit City submits that any action taken by the Commission regarding copy protection should apply to all navigation devices. In the alternative, Circuit City argues that, if the Commission decides to allow the DFAST license, it should delay the effectiveness of such license until January 1, 2002 and accelerate the date on which MSOs are prohibited from deploying integrated navigation devices to January 1, 2002.73
The record in this proceeding is insufficient to enable us to make any conclusions regarding Circuit City's assertions. Anecdotal evidence supplied to the Commission suggests that at least some content providers require the same level of copy protection, or will require the same level of copy protection upon the termination of existing licenses, with regard to MSO-provided devices as they do commercially available devices.74 Should additional evidence indicate that content providers are requiring disparate measures of copy protection from different industry segments, the Commission will take appropriate action. We, therefore, decline Circuit City's request to defer the effectiveness of the DFAST licenses. We seek comment on the advisability of accelerating the 2005 integrated equipment deadline in the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking set forth above.
While our decision today will not resolve all of the copy protection issues that will arise in the transition to digital-based technology, we intend the guidance imparted herein to resolve the basic controversy regarding the permissibility, under our navigation devices rules, of the incorporation of copy protection measures into commercially available navigation devices. With this controversy resolved, we expect industry participants to promptly finalize negotiations in order to bring to fruition the goals established by Congress in Section 629. Accordingly, we request the eight multiple system operators that are involved in CableLabs, or CableLabs on their behalf, to submit within 30 days of release of this Order a report on the status of the DFAST license, including a final version of a completed DFAST license agreement.
Procedural Matters
Ex Parte Status of Proceeding. Subject to the provisions of 47 C.F.R. Section 1.1203 concerning "Sunshine Period" prohibitions, this proceeding is exempt from ex parte restraints and disclosure requirements, pursuant to 47 C.F.R. Section 1.1204(b)(1).
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA),75 the Commission has prepared an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), contained in
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Appendix A, of the possible significant economic impact on small entities by the policies and rules proposed in this Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Written public comments are requested on this IRFA. Comments must be identified as responses to the IRFA and must be filed in accordance with the same filing deadlines as comments on the rest of the Notice.
Initial Paperwork Reduction Act Analysis. This Notice contains either a proposed or modified information collection. As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, we invite the general public and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take this opportunity to comment on the information collections contained in this Notice, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Public and agency comments are due at the same time as other comments on this Notice; OMB comments are due 60 days from date of publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. Comments should address: (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Filing of Comments and Reply Comments. Pursuant to Sections 1.415, 1.419, and 1.430 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. Sections 1.415, 1.419, 1.430, interested parties may file comments on or before November 15, 2000, and reply comments on or before December 18, 2000. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24,121 (1998).
Comments filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet tohttp://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket number. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and should include the following words in the body of the message, "get form <your e-mail address>." A sample form and directions will be sent in reply.
Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. All filings must be sent to the Commission's Secretary, Magalie Roman Salas, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room TW-A325, Washington, D.C. 20554.
Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their comments on diskette. These diskettes should be submitted to: Thomas Horan, Cable Services Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, The Portals, 445 Twelfth Street, S.W., Room 4-A817, Washington, D.C. 20554. Such a submission should be on a 3.5-inch diskette formatted in an IBM-compatible format using Word for Windows or compatible software. The diskette should be accompanied by a cover letter and should be submitted in "read only" mode. The diskette should be clearly labeled with the commenter's name, proceeding (including the docket number, in this case CS Docket No. 97-80, type of pleading (comment or reply comment), date of submission, and the name of the electronic file on the diskette. The label should also include the following phrase, "Disk Copy -- Not an Original." Each diskette should contain only one party's pleadings, preferably in a single electronic file. In addition, commenters must send diskette copies to the Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Service, Inc., 1231 20th street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
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Comments and reply comments will be available for public inspection during regular business hours in the Reference Information Center (Room CY-A257) of the Federal Communications Commission, The Portals, 445 Twelfth Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. Copies of comments and reply comments will also be available through the Commission's duplicating contractor, International Transcription Service, Inc. (ITS, Inc.), 1231 20th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 857-3800, TTY (202) 293-8810.
Alternative formats (computer diskette, large print, audiocassette and Braille) are available to persons with disabilities by contacting the Consumer Information Bureau, Consumer Education Office, at (202) 418-2514, TTY (202) 418-2555, or at fccinfo@fcc.gov. The Notice can also be downloaded at www.fcc.gov/dtf/.
ORDERING CLAUSES
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that pursuant to Sections 4(i) and 4(j) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 C.F.R. Sections 154(i) and 154(j), Section 5(d) of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. Section 554(e), and Section 1.2 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. Section 1.2, this declaratory ruling of the Commission's navigation devices rules IS ADOPTED and the Commission's navigation devices rules ARE CLARIFIED to the extent set forth herein.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to Sections 4(i), 303(r), and 629 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. Sections 154(i), 303(r), and 549, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the proposals described in this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Commission's Consumer Information Bureau, Reference Information Center, SHALL SEND a copy of this Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, including the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Magalie Roman Salas
Secretary
[end]
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Footnotes for Notice & Ruling
Section 76.1201(c) defines navigation devices as "converter boxes, interactive equipment, and other equipment used by consumers within their premises to receive multichannel video programming and other services offered over multichannel video programming systems." 47 C.F.R. Section 76.1201(c). [Back]
47 U.S.C. Section 549. [Back]
47 U.S.C. Section 549(a). [Back]
47 U.S.C. Section 549(b). [Back]
13 FCC Rcd 14775 (1998). [Back]
Id. at 14782. [Back]
Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14778-79. [Back]
Implementation of Section 304 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices, Order on Reconsideration, 14 FCC Rcd 7596 (1999) ("Reconsideration Order"). [Back]
See General Instrument Corporation v. FCC, 213 F.3d 724 (D.C. Cir. 2000). [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1204. [Back]
Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14806. [Back]
July 7, 2000 Status Report at 7. [Back]
Id. [Back]
CERC Response to Status Report at 2. CERC states that as of August 2, 2000 there is still no interactive specification available. Id. at 5. [Back]
Letter dated August 15, 2000 from Robert Sachs to the Hon. William J. Tauzin at 1. [Back]
Id. at 2. [Back]
Id.; see Paul Davidson, Bickering Delays Retail Debut of Set-Top Cable Boxes, USA TODAY, July 25, 2000, at B1. [Back]
Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14781. [Back]
Id. at 14823. [Back]
Id. at 14799. [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section76.1204(a)(1) provides, "Commencing on January 1, 2005, no multichannel video programming distributor . . . shall place into service new navigation devices for sale, lease, or use that perform both conditional access and other functions in a single integrated device." [Back]
Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14803. [Back]
Reconsideration Order, 14 FCC Rcd at 7612. [Back]
Id. [Back]
Id. [Back]
Response of the Consumer Electronic Retailers Coalition to the July 7, 2000 Cable Industry Status Report at 1-2. [Back]
See Bringing Broadband to Retail, Cable Modem Information Network (December 1999) (www.cable-modem.net/features/dec99/story1.html). [Back]
See supra n. 17 and accompanying text (discussing delay in retail market of host devices). [Back]
15 FCC Rcd 8776, 8784 (2000)("Compatibility NPRM"). In the Compatibility NPRM, the Commission sought comment on whether there were any unresolved POD technology licensing issues related to copy protection. The Compatibility NPRM noted concerns raised by Circuit City that the draft CableLabs license for utilization of DFAST scrambling technology in POD modules imposes certain obligations on the competitive host device that, according to Circuit City, should be imposed only on the POD module itself. Compatibility NPRM, 15 FCC Rcd at 8754. We sought comment on whether the terms of the draft license are consistent with our rules and on appropriate regulatory action, if any, with respect to copy protection technology licensing. Id. at 8787-85. We incorporate into the record in this proceeding the comments and reply comments submitted in the Compatibility NPRM proceeding. [Back]
Response of Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition to the July 7, 2000 Cable Industry Status Report in CS Docket 97-80, August 2, 2000; Circuit City ex parte filings of July 30, 1999 and February 2, 2000 in CS Docket 97-80. [Back]
See e.g., Opposition of Circuit City Stores, Inc. in CSR 5558-Z (Application of Insight Communications Requesting Relief from 47 C.F.R. Section76.1204(a)(1)). [Back]
See 47 C.F.R. Section 1.2. [Back]
The World Intellectual Property Treaty ("WIPO Treaty") provides that contracting states "shall provide adequate legal protection and effective legal remedies against the circumvention of effective technological measures that are used by authors in connection with the exercise of their rights under this Treaty . . . ." Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes, 2000 WL 1160678 (S.D.N.Y. 2000). Adoption of the WIPO Treaty necessitated that Congress adapt the law of copyright to the digital age. Id. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") was the culmination of this effort. [Back]
See DMCA, 17 U.S.C. Section 1201(a)(1). [Back]
DFAST technology is used in conjunction with the POD and host device to provide security and to facilitate copy protection of high quality content. An encrypted digital signal is transmitted through a cable system to the host device using propriety conditional access techniques. NCTA Comments at 17. The signal goes from the host to the POD across the interface in encrypted form. The POD will decrypt the signal using its proprietary conditional access technique and send the signal back across the interface to the host. To ensure that the decrypted signal cannot be intercepted as it crosses the interface between the POD and the host, the signal is reencrypted in the POD before being sent back to the host. Part of this reencryption process involves use of DFAST technology. Once in the host, the signal is decrypted. The decryption process also involves DFAST technology. As a result, DFAST technology resides in both the POD and host device. Id. [Back]
We note that, while it primarily focuses on issues raised with respect to the DFAST license, our analysis is applicable to other forms of copy protection licensing and technology. [Back]
5C License Administrator Comments at 2. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 16; Phillips Comments at 8; Thomson Comments at 7-8 CEA Comments at 16; 5C Digital Transmission License Administrator Comments ("5C") at 9 ("tends to agree" with Circuit City); Home Recording Rights Coalition ("HRCC") Comments at 17. Section 76.1204(c) of the CommissionÕs rules provides that:
No multichannel video programming distributor shall by contract, agreement, patent, intellectual property right or otherwise preclude the addition of features or functions to the equipment made available pursuant to this section that are not designed, intended or function to defeat the conditional access controls of such devices or to provide unauthorized access to service.
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1204(c). Section 76.1202 provides:
No multichannel video programming distributor shall by contract, agreement, patent right, intellectual property right or otherwise prevent navigation devices that do not perform conditional access or security functions from being made available to subscribers from retailers, manufacturers, or other vendors that are unaffiliated with such owner or operator, subject to Section 76.1209 [theft of service].
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1202. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 18. [Back]
Fox Comments at 5; MPAA Comments at 4. [Back]
NCTA Comments at 5; MPAA Comments at 7. [Back]
NCTA Comments at 14; Time Warner Comments at 10; Viacom Comments at 2; ABC, Inc., CBS, Broadcasting, Inc., News Corporation, and National Broadcasting Company, Inc. ("Networks") Comments at 1; MPAA Comments at 3; Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. Comments at 1. [Back]
NCTA Comments at 16-17; MPAA Comments at 6. [Back]
Time Warner Comments at 12. [Back]
Time Warner Comments at 10. Section 629(b) states:
The Commission shall not prescribe regulations under subsection (a) which would jeopardize security of multichannel video programming and other services offered over multichannel video programming systems, or impede the legal rights of a provider of such services to prevent theft of services.
47 U.S.C. Section 549 (emphasis Time Warner). [Back]
Time Warner Comments at 10. [Back]
Id. Section 76.1209 states that no provision of the rules shall be construed "to authorize or justify any use, manufacture or importation of equipment that would violate É any É provision of law intended to preclude the unauthorized reception of multichannel video programming service." 47 C.F.R. Section 1209. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 17, citing 47 C.F.R. Section 76.1201. [Back]
Section 76. 1203 provides that:
A multichannel video programming distributor may restrict the attachment or use of navigation devices with its system in those circumstances where electronic or physical harm would be caused by the attachment or operation of such devices or such devices that assist or are intended or designed to assist in the unauthorized receipt of service. Such restrictions may be accomplished by publishing and providing to subscribers standards and descriptions of devices that may not be used with or attached to its system. Such standards shall foreclose the attachment or use only of such devices as raise reasonable and legitimate concerns of electronic or physical harm or theft of serviceÉ"
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1203. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 17, citing Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14789. [Back]
HRCC Reply Comments, citing Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984)("Betamax")(Recording programs for later viewing in the privacy of the userÕs home is a noncommercial use permitted under the fair use doctrine). [Back]
HRCC Reply Comments at 5. [Back]
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. Reply Comments ("MPAA") at 10. [Back]
MPAA Reply Comments at 10. [Back]
Time Warner Reply Comments at 11. [Back]
NCTA Comments at 21, citing Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd. at 14800. See also Time Warner Comments at 14; Viacom Comments at 5-6; MPAA Comments at 7. [Back]
NCTA Comments at 21-22. [Back]
Viacom Comments at 6, Networks Comments at 2, NCTA Reply Comments at 17, citing Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14800. NCTA submits that even if the DFAST license terms were inconsistent with the CommissionÕs navigation device rules, the Commission should waive any navigation device rule inconsistent with the DFAST license. NCTA Comments at 23. [Back]
Circuit City Reply Comments at 8. In its entirety, the paragraph at issue provides:
As discussed above, many types of navigation devices are now being, or will in the future be, attached to multichannel video programming distribution systems. A number of different entities in the communications stream and a number of types of security, access control, or data encryption systems are involved. The security separation required by the rules adopted herein is applicable to access controls directly applied by the MVPD to authenticate subscribersÕ identification. It would not, for example, be applicable to encrypted telephone or internet data used to protect the privacy of the communications or to digital authentication of financial transactions regardless of the use of such devices with multichannel video programming distribution systems. Access controls included in hardware for the purpose of allowing subscribers to exclude communications would not be included even though they perform a type of conditional access function. "Copy protection" systems and devices that impose a limited measure of data encryption control over the types of devices that may record (or receive) video content would not be subject to the separation requirement. "Software" based encryption should generally be separable from the hardware that runs it and thus would not have to be changed based on the rules adopted. Equipment needed for specifically addressed communication, such as for example modems for the receipt of "internet protocol" telephony could retain integrated in the hardware sufficient address information to permit them to function.
Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd at 14800. [Back]
Circuit City Reply Comments at 8; HRCC Reply Comments at 3-4. [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1201. [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1203. [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1204(a)(1). [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1204(b). [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section 76.1204(c). [Back]
13 FCC Rcd at 14800 (internal quotation marks omitted). This language derives from Section 76.1209 which provides that no provision of the rules shall be construed "to authorize or justify any use, manufacture or importation of equipment that would violate . . . any . . . provision of law intended to preclude the unauthorized reception of multichannel video programming service." 47 C.F.R. Section 76.1209. [Back]
In this regard, we note that MPAA has stated that the 5C technology will not be used to prohibit most home recording.
Home recording of retransmitted broadcast programs and single copies of basic and extended basic programs and pay television will not be inhibited by [5C]. Home recording of pay-per-view and video-on-demand will be subject to the copyright ownerÕs permission.
MPAA Reply at 8. [Back]
HRRC Comments at 5-6. [Back]
MPAA states that there is no evidence "that content owners will restrict the copying of all content delivered through DFAST licensed devices and there are strong business and marketplace reasons" for not doing so. MPAA ex parte presentation 2 (Aug. 25, 2000). [Back]
Betamax, 464 U.S. 417 (1984); but see Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes, 2000 WL 1160678 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) (finding that Betamax decision involved a construction of the Copyright Act that was overruled by the later enactment of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") to the extent of any inconsistency between the Betamax decision and the DMCA). In this regard, HRRC states that "It is not unlawful and certainly not criminal for a consumer to make a copy of a copyrighted work in the privacy of his or her home. Fair use exists to address only unauthorized recordings. Unlike the entertainment industry, the law recognizes this distinction. The Commission should not criminalize such conduct." HRRC Reply at 5(footnote omitted). We note that nothing in our decision today is intended to alter "fair use" under copyright law. [Back]
Parties may present such concerns pursuant to Section 76.7 of the CommissionÕs rules, 47 C.F.R. Section 76.7. The Commission will review only those terms of DFAST licenses that a complainant alleges violate a specific navigation devices rule. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 19; HRCC Comments at 13. [Back]
Circuit City Comments at 20; CERC Reply Comments at 10. [Back]
See, e.g., Sony Pictures Entertainment August 21, 2000 ex parte presentation at 1-2; Time Warner Inc. August 22, 2000 ex parte presentation at 1-2. [Back]
See 5 U.S.C. Section 603. The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. Section 601 et. seq., has been amended by the Contract With America Advancement Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-121, 110 Stat. 847 (1996) (CWAAA). Title II of the CWAAA is the Small Business Regulatory [Back]
[end]
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APPENDIX A
INITIAL REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS
As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA),1 the Commission has prepared this present Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) of the possible significant economic impact on small entities by the policies and rules proposed in this Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("Notice"). Written public comments are requested on this IRFA. Comments must be identified as responses to the IRFA and must be filed in accordance with the same filing deadlines as comments on the rest of the Notice. The Commission will send a copy of the Notice, including this IRFA, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. See 5 U.S.C. Section 603(a). In addition, the Notice and IRFA (or summaries thereof) will be published in the Federal Register. See id.
Need for, and Objectives of, the Proposed Rules: The navigation devices rules were adopted to implement Section 629 of the Communications Act. They are designed to assure the commercial availability from retail outlets of equipment used to access service from multichannel video programming systems. In adopting these rules, the Commission indicated that it would monitor the development of the commercial availability of navigation devices and on reconsideration stated that it would commence a proceeding in the year 2000 to review the effectiveness of the rules and consider any necessary changes. In this proceeding, we undertake that review. This Notice is designed to seek comment on the Commission's navigation devices rules and to elicit comment on whether any changes to the current rules are necessary in order to promote commercial availability.
Legal Basis: Authority for this proposed rulemaking is contained in Sections 4(i), 303(r), and 629 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. Sections 154(i), 303(r), and 549.
Description and Estimate of Small Entities to Which the Proposed Rules Will Apply: The RFA directs agencies to provide a description of, and, where feasible, an estimate of the number of small entities that may be affected by the proposed rules, if adopted.2 The RFA generally defines the term "small entity" as having the same meaning as the terms "small business," "small organization," and "small governmental jurisdiction."3 In addition, the term "small business" has the same meaning as the term "small business concern" under the Small Business Act.4 A small business
1
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concern is one which: (1) is independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the Small Business Administration (SBA).5 A small business concern is one which: (1) is independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the SBA.6 Nationwide, as of 1992, there were approximately 275,801 small organizations.7
Rules adopted in this proceeding could apply to manufacturers of DTV equipment, including television receivers, set-top boxes and "point of deployment" modules. Distributors of this equipment, including retailers of consumer electronics equipment and, in the case of "point of deployment" modules, cable operators, would also be affected.
Cable Systems: The SBA has developed a definition of small entity for cable and other pay television services, which includes all such companies generating $11 million or less in revenue annually.8 This definition includes cable systems operators, closed circuit television services, direct broadcast satellite services, multipoint distribution systems, satellite master antenna systems and subscription television services. According to the Census Bureau, there were 1,323 such cable and other pay television services generating less than $11 million in revenue that were in operation for at least one year at the end of 1992.9
The Commission has developed its own definition of a small cable system operator for the purposes of rate regulation. Under the Commission's rules, a "small cable company," is one serving fewer than 400,000 subscribers nationwide.10 Based on our most recent information, we estimate that there were 1,439 cable operators that qualified as small cable system operators at the end of 1995.11 Since then, some of those companies may have grown to serve over 400,000 subscribers, and others may have been involved in transactions that caused them to be combined with other cable operators. Consequently, we estimate that there are fewer than 1,439 small entity cable system operators that may be affected by the decisions and rules proposed in this Notice.
The Communications Act also contains a definition of a small cable system operator, which is "a cable operator that, directly or through an affiliate, serves in the aggregate fewer than 1%
2
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of all subscribers in the United States and is not affiliated with any entity or entities whose gross annual revenues in the aggregate exceed $250,000,000."12 The Commission has determined that there are 66,690,000 subscribers in the United States. Therefore, we found that an operator serving fewer than 666,900 subscribers shall be deemed a small operator, if its annual revenues, when combined with the total annual revenues of all of its affiliates, do not exceed $250 million in the aggregate.13 Based on available data, we find that the number of cable operators serving 666,900 subscribers or less totals 1,450.14 Although it seems certain that some of these cable system operators are affiliated with entities whose gross annual revenues exceed $250,000,000, we are unable at this time to estimate with greater precision the number of cable system operators that would qualify as small cable operators under the definition in the Communications Act.
Small Manufacturers: The SBA has developed definitions of small entity for manufacturers of household audio and video equipment (SIC 3651) and for radio and television broadcasting and communications equipment (SIC 3663). In each case, the definition includes all such companies employing 750 or fewer employees.
Electronic Equipment Manufacturers: The Commission has not developed a definition of small entities applicable to manufacturers of electronic equipment.15 Therefore, we will utilize the SBA definition of manufacturers of Radio and Television Broadcasting and Communications Equipment. According to the SBA's regulations, a TV equipment manufacturer must have 750 or fewer employees in order to qualify as a small business concern.16 Census Bureau data indicates that there are 858 U.S. firms that manufacture radio and television broadcasting and communications equipment, and that 778 of these firms have fewer than 750 employees and would be classified as small entities.17 The Census Bureau category is very broad, and specific figures are not available as to how many of these firms are exclusive manufacturers of television equipment or how many are independently owned and operated. We conclude that there are approximately 778 small manufacturers of radio and television equipment.
Electronic Household/Consumer Equipment: The Commission has not developed a definition of small entities applicable to manufacturers of electronic equipment used by consumers, as compared to industrial use by television licensees and related businesses. Therefore, we will utilize the SBA definition applicable to manufacturers of Household Audio and Visual Equipment. According to
3
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the SBA's regulations, a household audio and visual equipment manufacturer must have 750 or fewer employees in order to qualify as a small business concern.18 Census Bureau data indicates that there are 410 U.S. firms that manufacture radio and television broadcasting and communications equipment, and that 386 of these firms have fewer than 500 employees and would be classified as small entities.19 The remaining 24 firms have 500 or more employees; however, we are unable to determine how many of those have fewer than 750 employees and therefore, also qualify as small entities under the SBA definition. Furthermore, the Census Bureau category is very broad, and specific figures are not available as to how many of these firms are exclusive manufacturers of television equipment for consumers or how many are independently owned and operated. We conclude that there are approximately 386 small manufacturers of television equipment for consumer/household use, but in any event, no more than 410 are small
entities.
Computer Manufacturers: The Commission has not developed a definition of small entities applicable to computer manufacturers. Therefore, we will utilize the SBA definition of Electronic Computers. According to SBA regulations, a computer manufacturer must have 1,000 or fewer employees in order to qualify as a small entity.20 Census Bureau data indicates that there are 716 firms that manufacture electronic computers and of those, 659 have fewer than 500 employees and qualify as small entities.21 The remaining 57 firms have 500 or more employees; however, we are unable to determine how many of those have fewer than 1,000 employees and therefore also qualify as small entities under the SBA definition. We conclude that there are approximately 659 small computer manufacturers.
Small Retailers: The Commission has not developed a definition of small entities applicable to retail sellers of navigation devices. Therefore, we will utilize the SBA definition. The 1992 Bureau of the Census data indicate: there were 9,663 U.S. firms classified as Radio, Television, and Consumer Electronic Stores (SIC 5731), and that 9,385 of these firms had $4.999 million or less in annual receipts and 9,473 of these firms had $7.499 million or less in annual receipts.22 Consequently, we tentatively conclude that there are approximately 9,663 such small retailers that may be affected by the decisions and rules proposed in this Notice.
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Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance Requirements: At this time, it is not expected that the proposed actions will require any additional recordkeeping or compliance requirements. We seek comment on whether others perceive a need for extensive recordkeeping.
Steps Taken to Minimize Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities, and Significant Alternatives Considered: The RFA,23 requires an agency to describe any significant alternatives that it has considered in reaching its proposed approach, which may include the following four alternatives, among others: (1) the establishment of differing compliance or reporting requirements or timetables that take into account the resources available to small entities; (2) the clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance or reporting requirements under the rule for small entities; (3) the use of performance, rather than design, standards; and (4) an exemption from coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, for small entities.
Parties have requested that we consider accelerating the date on which the prohibition of integrated devices goes into effect. We have sought comment on this issue and will examine the effect on businesses and small entities that such a change would entail. We have also sought comment on other suggestions that would facilitate the development of a commercial marketplace for navigation devices. We will consider and examine the effect of those suggestions on businesses and small entities as well. Should commenters disagree with any of our conclusions, we welcome comments suggesting ways in which any perceived burden upon small entities could be mitigated.
Federal Rules that May Duplicate, Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed Rules: None.
[end]
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Footnotes for Appendix
See 5 U.S.C. Section 603. The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. Section 601 et. seq., has been amended by the Contract With America Advancement Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-121, 110 Stat. 847 (1996) (CWAAA). Title II of the CWAAA is the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA). [Back]
5 U.S.C. Section 603(b)(3). [Back]
Id. Section 601(6). [Back]
5 U.S.C. Section 601(3) (incorporating by reference the definition of "small business concern" in 15 U.S.C. Section 632). Pursuant to the FRA, the statutory definition of a small business applies "unless an agency, after consultation with the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration and after opportunity for public comment, establishes one or more definitions of such term which are appropriate to the activities of the agency and publishes such definition(s) in the Federal Register." 5 U.S.C. Section 601(3). [Back]
15 U.S.C. Section 632. [Back]
Id. Section 632. [Back]
U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, U.S. DEPT. OF COMMERCE, 1992 ECONOMIC CENSUS, Table 6 (special tabulation of data under contract to Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration). [Back]
13 C.F.R. 121.201, SIC Code 4841. [Back]
U.S. Census Bureau, 1992 Economic Census, 1992 Census of Transportation, Communications and Utilities at Firm Size 1-123. [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section76.901(e). The Commission developed this definition based on its determinations that a small cable system operator is one with annual revenues of $100 million or less. Implementation of Sections of the 1992 Cable Act: Rate Regulation, Sixth Report and Order and Eleventh Order on Reconsideration, 10 FCC Rcd 7393 (1995), 60 FR 10534. [Back]
Paul Kagan Associates, Inc., Cable TV Investor, Feb. 29, 1996 (based on figures for Dec. 30, 1995). [Back]
47 U.S.C. Section543(m)(2). [Back]
47 C.F.R. Section76.1403(b). [Back]
Paul Kagan Associates, Inc., Cable TV Investor, Feb. 29, 1996 (based on figures for Dec. 30, 1995). [Back]
This category excludes establishments primarily engaged in the manufacturing of household audio and visual equipment, which is categorized, as SIC 3651. See infra for SIC 3651 data. [Back]
13 C.F.R. Section121.201, (SIC) Code 3663. [Back]
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 1992 Census of Transportation, Communications and Utilities, Table 1D, (issued May 1995), SIC category 3663. [Back]
13 C.F.R. Section121.201, (SIC) Code 3651. [Back]
U.S. Small Business Administration 1995 Economic Census Industry and Enterprise Report, Table 3, SIC Code 3651, (Bureau of the Census data adapted by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration). [Back]
13 C.F.R. Section121.201, (SIC) Code 3571. [Back]
U.S. Small Business Administration 1995 Economic Census Industry and Enterprise Report, Table 3, SIC Code 3571, (Bureau of the Census data adapted by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration). [Back]
U.S. Small Business Administration 1992 Economic Census Industry and Enterprise Report, Table 2D, SIC 7812, (Bureau of the Census data adapted by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration)(SBA 1992 Census Report). The Census data does not include a category for $6.5 million therefore, we have reported the closest increment below and above the $6.5 million threshold. There is a difference of 88 firms between the $4.999 and $7.499 million annual receipt categories. It is possible that these 88 firms could have annual receipts of $6.5 million or less and therefore, would be classified as small businesses. [Back]
[end]
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SEPARATE STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GLORIA TRISTANI
In the Matter of The Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices--Implementation of Section 304 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Declaratory Ruling
I support today's declaratory ruling clarifying the application of our navigational devices rule1 to the question of devices that rely on technology licenses that include or require copy protection for content delivered over cable systems. I write separately to emphasize the narrowness of our holding.
Specifically, our ruling in no way authorizes any attempt by providers of services to utilize this ruling to combine technology with copy protection in a manner that interferes with, or unreasonably restricts, a consumer's fair use of copy-protected material.2 "From the infancy of copyright protection, some opportunity for fair use of copyrighted materials has been thought necessary to fulfill copyright's very purpose. . .", Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. 510 U.S. 569, 575 (1994). Congress reaffirmed its support for this principle by enacting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998.3 Today's declaration ensures the financial rewards of copy protection to content owners while protecting citizens from the dispossession of their right to fair use. Based on the record before us and controlling Supreme Court precedent, I believe we have struck the appropriate balance.
[end]
[1]
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Footnotes for Tristani Statement
See Navigation Devices Order, 13 FCC Rcd 14775 (1998). [Back]
See e.g. U.S.Const., Art. I, Section 8, cl. 8 "(To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries"); 17 U.S.C. Section 107 (1988 ed. and Supp. IV)(fair use); Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984)(recognizing fair use in video recording context); see generally Register of Copyrights, Copyright Law Revision, 87th Cong., 1st Sess., 6 (Comm.Print 1961) (noting some limitations and conditions on copyright are essential in the public interest). [Back]
Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860 (1998) (codified as amended in scattered sections of 17 U.S.C.). [Back]
REPORT: HDTV
PUBLISHED BY: Global Industry Analysts
DATE PUBLISHED: 9/1/2003
LENGTH: 204 Pages
About this report:
* Most comprehensive report covering worldwide markets
* Data-intensive research
* Designed to empower the quality conscious executive
* Presented in crisp easy-to-use tables, charts, and text formats
* 19 Companies profiled - Covering Key & Niche Players worldwide
* 206 Exhibits - Market Data, Tables, Shares, Analyses, Trends, etc.
* 204 Pages of original research content encompassing all facets
* 1050 employee hours of research and analyses
* Research assisted and subscribed by many key players worldwide
Please Note:
The delivery time for the hard copy version of this report is between 3-5 business days, as each hard copy is custom printed for the organization ordering it.
Also, the delivery time for the electronic version of this report is between 24-48 hours, as each copy is customized with client specific footers and digital watermarks. GIA uses an outside Digital Rights Controls (DRM) service to protect against copying and abuse of their content.
Clients are provided download links to the report uploaded on GIA's secured servers. The DRM contractor requires 24 hours to upload the settings. The electronic copies will permit unrestricted printing and cut & paste. It works just like a PDF e-book once downloaded. It will only allow one installation on one machine. The report can't be copied. It can only be moved from one computer to another using the "relocate" option.
Titles available via "instant online delivery" are not affected by this and are still delivered to your reading room immediately.
Please Note: Prior to fulfillment of an order, the client will be required to sign a document detailing the purchase terms for a publication from this publisher.
Table of Contents
I. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Industry Overview
Introduction
Current and Future Analysis
Analysis by Geographic Region
Europe - The Largest HDTV Market
US - A Leading Market
Asia-Pacific - An Emerging Market
World Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked
by Growth
World Market for HDTV Capable Sets: Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth
World Market for Integrated HDTV Sets: Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth
Analysis by Product Segment
World Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked by Growth
Market Trends
Set Prices Take Plunge
Numerous Products Launched
Transition to Digital Television
Conversion Leads HDTV Transition
DVB-T Becoming the Global DTV Standard
Global Percentage Share of DTV Standards Employed
Set-Top Boxes Facilitate Digital Transition
STB Market
STB Sales: 1999 & 2004 (Million Units)
Thinner & Widescreen TVs Sell More
Sports Stimulate HDTV Market Demand
HDTV Enters Developing Economies
Export Opportunities for Electronic Producing Countries
Issues
High Cost Overshadows Technology
HDTV Needs Heavy Promotion
Programmers and Cable Operators Must Join the Force
Bandwidth Limitations
Need for Reliable Satellite Services
Distribution - Terrestrial/Satellite/Cable
HDTV Over Cable
HD Signals: Prone to Piracy!
Other Issues of Importance
Need for New Equipment
Impact on communities
HDTV Format
HDTV Standard
Bandwidth Limitation
Illusory Product Identity
Leading Players
Sony
Panasonic
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd
Factors Influencing Growth
Product Knowledge
Program Availability
Distribution - Terrestrial/Satellite/Cable
Receptive Pricing
2. Product Overview
Digital Television
Digital HD Set is all about that Extra Information
HDTV: A New Medium
Viewers Get More from High-Definition TV
User Friendly and Customizable Options
Personalized Features
Catering to the High-End Market
The Premium Segment!
Would It Remain a Pipe Dream Only?
The Technology in Need of a New Identity
Product Definition & Differentiation
High Definition Television (HDTV)
Analog Television Vs. Digital Television
The Transmission Advantage
Higher resolution
Wider image
High Definition Television Vs. Standard
Definition Television
Comparative Study of HDTV and SDTV Features
Product Standards
Digital Format
Standard Definition Vs. High Definition Television
Modulation Techniques
COFDM Vs. 8-VSB
COFDM
8-VSB
HDTV Resolution
Wide-Screen: The HDTV Standard
Super-16 Format
Aspect Ratio, Letterbox and Window Box
MPEG-2 Digital Compression System
Product Technologies
HDTV Display
Evolution of Displays
Display Technologies
CRT Projection Technology
Innovation and Development in CRT
Thin CRTs
Multi-Application Displays(Monitor/TV Combinations)
High Resolution/Widescreen Displays(DTV/HDTV)
Limitations in CRT technology
CRT Still Stands Out Among the Display Technologies
Advanced Display Technologies
Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) Technology
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Technology
Bright Prospect for Advanced LCD's...
LCD Monitors to Outdo CRT Monitors by 2004
Global Shipment of LCD Monitors for 2000-2003
in Million Units
The LCD Technology
Focus Areas of LCD Development
Plasma Display
The Plasma Technology
Electro-Luminescent Displays
Scan Formats
Interlaced Format
Progressive Format
Broadcasting Technologies
DTV Broadcasting Standards
ATSC System
DVB Standard
ISDB-T
Digital Compression
Compression of HDTV
Video Compression Technique
MPEG standards
Transmission Techniques
Digital Transmission Vs. Analog Transmission
Analog Transmission
Digital Transmission
HDTV Products
Projection HDTV
HDTV Projection Display
Integrated HDTV Projection Display
Direct-View HDTV
Direct-View (CRT) HDTV Displays
Integrated Direct-View HDTV Sets
Flat-Panel High-Definition TV Sets
3. Prospective Application Markets
Broadband ASP Models
Mall Kiosks and Mini Theaters
Medical applications of HDTV
Eye Surgery
Brain Surgery
X-rays
Movie Systems
HDTV Equipment for Movie Systems
Cameras
VTR
Telecine
Post-Production
Film Recorder
Display
HDTV Theater and Electronic Distribution
Areas to be addressed
Other Applications for HDTV
HDTV Broadcasting over Internet Facilitates
Distance Learning
4. Pricing and Distribution
Price - A Major Barrier to Even Out
Retailers Need to Push Harder
5. Technological Developments and Breakthroughs
LSI Logic and JVC Jointly Develops a New HDTVxpress
Compressor
Sigma Constructs a New HDTV Chipset...
A New HDTV Broadcasting Technology Enters the Market
Interactive HDTV: The Next Generation Broadcasting
Technology Unveiled
Fox Offers High-Quality Slow-Motion Solution for Images
in High Definition Television
iFire Develops Inorganic Electro-luminescent Display
Rockwell Science Center Launches ProCam1, and CMOS
System-On-Chip Imager
2netFX Brings HDTV Over IP-Links
Asia Global Crossing and Global Access Transmits HDTV
and SDTV Video
3Com, TeraLogic and 2netFX.com Develop IP-Multicasting
of HDTV
Eagle Wireless, Matsushita and TeraLogic Jointly Develop
Interactive HDTV Entertainment Platform
University of Washington Presents Internet HDTV
QuArc Develops Videris Digital Video Core designs
for HDTV Chipsets
HDTV Comes to PC
6. Regulatory Environment
US Regulations
Deadlines Set for Transition from Analog to Digital
Transmission
Digital Tuners in all New TV Sets
"Dual Must Carry" for the Cable Companies
Digital TV Services to Use Standardized Transmission
Systems
Australian Regulations
Parliament Prohibits Subscription Television
Regulation on Minimum Transmission Format for HDTV
All Programs be Transmitted in HDTV Format
7. Product Innovations and Introductions
Thomson Introduces a Range of RCA Scenium High-Definition
Television Products
Thomson Launches RCA Scenium Liquid Crystal On
Silicon HDTV
Thomson Launches RCA Scenium PHD50400 a Widescreen
Ultra-Thin Plasma Monitor
Thomson Offers New RCA-DIRECTV(r) High-Definition Receiver
Fujitsu General America, Inc. Presents the Advanced
P50XHA10 50" Plasmavision Display
Fujitsu General America Inc. Introduces Plasmavision
SlimScreen Monitors For Commercial Use
SHARP Introduces New Line High Definition Plasma TVs
SHARP Offers Widescreen, HD-Compatible AQUOS(tm)
Liquid Crystal Television
Toshiba Launches 15-Advanced Cinema Series
Color Television
Toshiba Introduces the Industry's First And Only 1080p
Projection TV, 57" LCOS Model 57HLX82
Toshiba Unveils Two Widescreen Plasma High-Definition
Displays
Toshiba Unveils MT8 High Definition DLP Home Theater
Front Projector
Zenith Broadens Range and Variety of Digital Display
Solutions for Custom-Installation Home Theater Market
Zenith Introduces Ultra-Thin P60W26 HDTV Monitor
Zenith Unleashes Flat-Screen Direct-View Integrated
HDTV Models
Sampo America Widens the Line of Plasma Video Displays
Sampo America Launches Affordable High-Performance
Plasma Video Monitor
Sampo Unveils Ultra-Thin LCD-TV/HDTV Monitors
MDEA Introduces a Line of Totally Digital
Television Products
ShibaSoku Introduces the Next Standard in HDTV and SDTV
Multi-Format Signal Generators
JVC Presents I'ART PRO HDTV Monitors
Thomson Introduces RCA Scenium HD65W20
Zenith introduces 61-Inch Widescreen Integrated HDTV
for Custom Installation Market
SHARP Unleashes Widescreen HD-Compatible Rear
Projection TV
Hitachi Launches New HDTV Monitors
Samsung Launches new Generation of XGA HDTV-Ready
Projection TV
Sampo Introduces HDTV/EDTV Monitors Based on
Trident's DPTV
Sampo Introduces New Line of HDTV Monitors for the
US Market
Daewoo Electronics Introduces Summus...
Toshiba America Presents a Flat-Screen 16:9 Direct-View
HDTV-Ready Television Set
SHARP Presents Industry's First 28-Inch LCD HDTV Display
JVC Launches a Digital VCR for Recording High
Definition TV
Avid Introduces its First HDTV Finishing System
Panasonic Delivers AJ-HD3700 Recording System
8. Recent Industry Activity
CEA and Cable Operators Enter into Agreement
Hitachi Enters into Strategic Partnership with Visual
Systems Research
Hollywood Studios Support New HD Platform D-VHS(r)
D-Theater(tm) Prerecorded High-Definition Videocassettes
ABC and Zenith Announce Pact for Primetime HDTV Programs
Zenith Forms Alliance with Decisionmark to Provide
Interactive Online HDTV EPG
MDEA Increases Production Capacity at the Mexicali Plant
MDEA Signs a Sponsorship Agreement with CBS Corp.
Samsung's HDTVs to Incorporate Trident's DPTV/Panel
Pro135 Technologies
Panasonic Hands Over the 720p HDTV Mobile Production
Unit to the Ackerley Group
9. Focus on Select Players
Daewoo Electronics Co (South Korea)
JVC (Japan)
JVC Company of America (US)
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd. (Japan)
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Inc. (US)
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (South Korea)
Samsung Electronics America (US)
Sony Corporation (Japan)
Sony Electronics Co. Ltd. (USA)
Toshiba Corporation (Japan)
Toshiba America (US)
Zenith Electronics Corporation (US)
10. Global Market Perspective
World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Geographic Region in Thousand Units
US
Canada
Japan
Europe
Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan)
Latin America
Rest of World
World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by Product Segments
in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
III. GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSES
1. United States
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Leading Players in the US Digital TV Market (2001) -
Percentage Breakdown by Value Sales
Zenith Aiming High
US HDTV Industry: Overview & Outlook
Ambient Market Environment Building Up
HD TV Penetration
CEA and Cable Operators Ready to Introduce
Plug and Play for DTV Sets
HDTV - Boon for Traditional Over-the-Air Networks
A Big War in Personal Video Recording in the Anvil
24P Augments Broadcasting Flexibility
US HDTV Broadcasting: An Overview
US Broadcast Industry Firms up With the HDTV Industry... III-4
Estimated Hours of HDTV Programming
Broadcasters Could Do More
US HDTV Broadcast - Taking Shape
Product/ Service Launches
Comcast Media Center Readies for HD influx
ESPN-HD to Introduce 720p HDTV Format
ESPN Helps in Setting-Up Benchmark for HDTV (2003)
Pan-European TV Plans to Launch a New Channel in HDTV
DIRECTV to Bring-In a HDTV Channel
Video-On-Demand System Goes-On to HDTV Format
Charter Enters HDTV Market
Comcast Introduces HDTV Tier
Market Trends
US HDTV Market Looks Up
HDTV Set Price Continues to Drop
Thomson Slashes HDTV Prices
Makers Subsidize the Cost of Bringing HDTV to Air
Cable Operators Break the Impasse
Electroluminescent Displays Making Inroads into
Lucrative HDTV Market
Increasing Role of Cable TV
Issues
HDTV Industry Yet Un-Standardized!
Equipment Manufacturers Can't Settle on Standard Format
Cross Industry Agreement on Digital Copy Protection
Need for Differentiated Content
Inadequate Local HD Production
Retailers are not doing enough to promote their
HDTV sets
Expensive HDTV Sets Give Consumers Pause
Trouble in Carrying both Digital and Analog Signals
Confusion over Analog & Digital Formats
Battle between Cable Operators and Broadcasters
Stopping Piracy: Customers Don't Seem to Be Happy
Regulatory Environment
2006 - The Mandatory Deadline for Digitalization of
TV Broadcasting
FCC Mandates Over-The-Air Broadcasters Transmit
DTV Signals
FCC Lays Out Labeling Regulations
Factors Influencing Growth
Digital Transmission through Cable System
Market-Share Forecasting for HDTV
Broadcasting for 2008
Program Transmission through Bandwidth Efficient QAM
Market Drivers
Market Restraints
Demographic Indicators
Evolution of the US HDTV industry
Incoherent Efforts
Congress Tough on Digital Transition...
Issues Critical to the Success of HDTV
Program Transmission through Bandwidth
Efficient QAM
DTV Products: Not Yet Truly Digital
Paucity of Killer Applications
Controversy over Modulation Standards
HDTV Gaining Pace
Cable Operators and Broadcasters Reach Common
Ground on Digital Carriage
Major Players
JVC Company of America
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Inc.
Panasonic
Samsung Electronics America
Toshiba America
Zenith Electronics Corporation
Recent Industry Activity
Product Launches
B. Market Analytics
US Market for HDTV: A Current & Future Analysis.Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by Product
Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
HDTV Projection Display
Direct-View HDTV Display
Integrated HDTV Sets
Integrated Projection Sets
Integrated Direct-View Sets
Flat-Panel HDTV Sets
2. Canada
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Industry Overview
Canadian DTV/HDTV Industry Readies for the Transition
Increasing Demand for Set-Top Boxes
Cable Leads the Canadian Telecast Industry
Penetration of Canadian TV industry by Telecast
Type (2001)
Market Trends/Issues
Strong Demand for New Media Product and Services
Canada Backs the 8-VSB Standard over COFDM
HDTV Dominates the DTV Unit Sales
CRTC Frames Market-Driven Policy
Industry Calls for a Positive Business Model
How Digital Canadian Broadcasting is?
Regulatory Environment for DTV Broadcasting in Canada
Subscribers get High Definition Programming from the
DTH Companies
Role of Cable Industry in the Canadian DTV Transition
B. Market Analytics
Canadian Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by Product
Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
3. Japan
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Industry Overview
Government Backs the Industry...
Japan Uses the National Broadcasting Standard
Competitive Analysis
Leading Players in the Japanese HD TV Market(2001)-
Percentage Breakdown by Volume Sales for
Matsushita Electric Industries,Sony,Sharp,and Others
Major Players
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd.
Sony Electronics Co. Ltd.
Sharp Electronic Corporation
JVC
Market Trends & Issues
Less Programs, Yet Price Remains High!
Japanese Choose Widescreen Television
Japanese HDTV Industry - A Prologue
B. Market Analytics
Japanese Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4. Europe
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Analysis by Geographic Region
European Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked
by Growth
European Market for HDTV Capable Sets:Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth
European Market for Integrated HDTV Sets:Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth
Analysis by Product Segment
European Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked
by Growth
Market Trends
The European Digital Terrestrial TV Business Flourishes
Western Europe Leads the World, While Eastern Europe
Remains Sluggish!
Cable Infrastructure Significant for the Development
of Digital Television
European HDTV Market - A Perspective
Regulatory Environment
Simulcasting as a License Condition
B. Market Analytics
European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Geographic Region in Thousand Units
Germany
France
Italy
UK
Spain
Rest of Europe
European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4a. France
A. Market Analysis
Current & Future Analysis
B. Market Analytics
French Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4b. Germany
A. Market Analysis
B. Market Analytics
German Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4c. Italy
A. Market Analysis
B. Market Analytics
Italian Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4d. United Kingdom
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Industry Overview
B. Market Analytics
UK Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by Product
Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4e. Spain
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
B. Market Analytics
Spanish Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by
Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
4f. Rest of Europe
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
B. Market Analytics
HDTV Market in Rest of Europe - A Current & Future
Analysis: Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
by Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
5. Asia-Pacific
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Industry Overview and Outlook
Asia-Pacific - A Huge Potential HDTV Market
Issues
Choosing the Broadcasting Standard
i. Australia
Industry Overview and Outlook
Australia Selects DVB Standard
People Don't Want to Program Themselves
Market Trend/Issues
High Cost: An Impediment to the Digital Conversion
Delayed Commencement for HDTV
Local HDTV Programming and Infrastructure Need
to Develop
Regulatory Environment
Parliament Prohibits Subscription Television
Regulation on Minimum Transmission Format for HDTV
ii. China
Industry Overview
China Outlines the Release of HDTV
Market Trends/Issues
China Prepares for the New Television
HDTV Production Likely to Go Up
China Chooses DVB Standard
Set Price Likely to Come Down
Transition to Witness Analog and Digital TV
Coexist for Decades
China - A Global Supplier of HDTV
iii. Singapore
Market Trends and Issues
Singapore Selects DVB Standard over ATSC System
Singapore Issues five Temporary DTV Licenses
to Tap the HDTV Market
iv. South Korea
Market Trends and Issues
Korea Builds Up Broadcasting Infrastructure
Inadequate Equipment and Human Resources
Major Players
Daewoo Electronics
Samsung Electronics
Product Launches
Recent Industry Activity
v. Taiwan
Industry Overview and Outlook
Taiwan to be Digital by 2005
Global Center for HDTV Development and Manufacturing
B. Market Analytics
HDTV Market in Asia-Pacific - A Current & Future Analysis:
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 by Product
Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
6. Latin America
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Industry Overview
Market Trends/Issues
Central and South American Countries Adopt
ATSC Standard
Other Latin American Nations to Follow Suit
B. Market Analytics
HDTV Market in Latin America - A Current & Future
Analysis: Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
by Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
7. Rest of the World
A. Market Analysis
Current and Future Analysis
Factors Influencing Growth
Market Drivers
Market Restraints
B. Market Analytics
HDTV Market in Rest of World- A Current & Future
Analysis: Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through
2010 by Product Segments in Thousand Units
HDTV Capable Sets
Integrated HDTV Sets
IV. KEY PLAYERS
1. Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
2. Hitachi America Ltd. (US)
3. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (The Netherlands)
4. LG Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
Zenith Electronics Corporation (US)
5. Loewe AG (Germany)
6. Marantz America, Inc. (US)
7. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. (US)
8. Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. (US)
9. Pioneer Corporation (Japan)
10. Princeton Graphics Systems, Inc. (US)
11. Radio Corporation of America (US)
12. Runco International (US)
13. Sampo Corporation (Taiwan)
Sampo America (US)
14. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
15. Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (US)
16. Sharp Corporation (Japan)
17. Sony Corporation (Japan)
Sony Electronics, Inc. (US)
18. Toshiba Corporation (Japan)
Toshiba America, Inc. (US)
19. Victor Company of Japan Limited (Japan)
VC Company of America (US)
EXHIBITS
TABLES
1. World Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked by Growth -
US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and
Rest of World. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through
2010 in Thousand Units
2. World Market for HDTV Capable Sets: Geographic Regions
Ranked by Growth - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific,
Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual Sales for the
Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
3. World Market for Integrated HDTV Sets: Geographic Regions
Ranked by Growth - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific,
Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual Sales for the
Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
4. World Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked by Growth -
HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets. Annual Sales for
the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
5. Global Percentage Market Share of DTV Standards: 2000
6. STB Sales: 1999 & 2004 (Million Units)
7. Global Shipment of LCD Monitors for 2000-2003 in Million Units
8. World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units:
Geographic Regions Independently Analyzed - US, Canada,
Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan),
Latin America, and Rest of World
9. World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units -
Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV Capable
Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
10. World Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the past, present and future perspective by
staging value estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010. A
Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
geographic regions - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific
(excluding Japan), Latin America, and Rest of World
11. World Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the past, present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
12. Leading Players in the US Digital TV Market (2001) -
Percentage Breakdown by Value Sales for Sony, Mitsubishi,
Toshiba, Hitachi, RCA, Panasonic, and Others
13. Estimated Hours of HDTV Programming in the US for the
week ended February 25 - March 2, 2002
14. Market-Share Forecasting for HDTV Broadcasting for 2008
15. US Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units -
Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV Capable
Sets (HDTV Projection Display and Direct-View HDTV Display),
and Integrated HDTV Sets (Integrated Projection Sets,
Integrated Direct-View Sets, and Flat-Panel HDTV Sets)
16. US Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets (HDTV Projection
Display and Direct-View HDTV Display), and Integrated HDTV
Sets (Integrated Projection Sets, Integrated Direct-View
Sets, and Flat-Panel HDTV Sets)
17. Penetration of Canadian TV industry by Telecast Type (2001)
18. Canadian Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated DTV Sets
19. Canadian Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
20. Leading Players in the Japanese HD TV Market (2001) -
Percentage Breakdown by Volume Sales for Matsushita
Electric Industries, Sony, Sharp, and Others
21. Japanese Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
22. Japanese Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
23. European Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked by Growth-
Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain, and Rest of Europe. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
24. European Market for HDTV Capable Sets: Geographic Regions
Ranked by Growth - Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain,
and Rest of Europe. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through
2010 in Thousand Units
25. European Market for Integrated HDTV Sets: Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth - Germany, France, Italy, UK,
Spain, and Rest of Europe. Annual Sales for the Years 2001
through 2010 in Thousand Units
26. European Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked by Growth -
HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets. Annual Sales for
the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
27. European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units: Geographic Regions Independently Analyzed -
Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe
28. European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
29. European Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the past, present and future
perspective by staging value estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the geographic regions - Germany, France,
UK, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe
30. European Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the past, present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
31. French Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
32. French Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
33. German Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
34. German Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
35. Italian Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
36. Italian Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
37. UK Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
38. UK Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and
2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends
across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
39. Spanish Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
40. Spanish Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
41. HDTV Market in Rest of Europe: A Current and Future
Analysis. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
in Thousand Units - Product Segments Independently
Analyzed - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
42. HDTV Market in Rest of Europe- A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
43. HDTV Market in Asia-Pacific: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
44. HDTV Market in Asia-Pacific - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
45. HDTV Market in Latin America: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
46. HDTV Market in Latin America - A 10-Year Perspective.
A comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
47. HDTV Market in Rest of the World: A Current and Future
Analysis. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
in Thousand Units - Product Segments Independently
Analyzed - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
48. HDTV Market in Rest of the World - A 10-Year Perspective.
A comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years
2001, 2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of
growth/decline trends across the product segments -
HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
49. Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales Comparison:
1999- 2001
50. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.: Quarterly Sales
Comparison: 2002-2003(Q1)
51. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.: Annual Sales
Analysis: 2000-2002
52. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.:Contribution to
Sales by Sector: 2001
53. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.:Annual Sales Analysis
by Sector:2001
54. LG Electronics Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales Analysis: 1999-2001
55. Zenith Electronics Corporation: Quarterly Sales Comparison:
2000-2001 (Q1)
56. Zenith Electronics Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:
1999-2000
57. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
58. Loewe AG: Quarterly Sales Comparison: 2001-2002
59. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic Region:
2002-2001
60. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Segments:2000-2001
61. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region: 2000-2001
62. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Segments:1999-2000
63. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region: 1999-2000
64. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Sales
Comparison for First Nine Months: 2002-2003
65. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual
Sales Comparison:1999-2002
66. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Quarterly
Sales Comparison: 2001-2002
67. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Quarterly
Sales Comparison:2000-2001
68. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments: 2001-2002
69. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments: 2000-2001
70. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments: 1999-2000
71. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 2001-2002
72. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 2000-2001
73. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 1999-2000
74. Pioneer Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis: 2003-2002
(Nine months ended, December)
75. Pioneer Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:2000-2002
76. Radio Corporation of America:Annual Sales Analysis:2001-2002
77. Radio Corporation of America:Annual Sales Analysis by
Divisions:2001-2002
78. Sampo Corporation:Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2001
79. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales Comparison: 1999-2002
80. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Divisional Sales Break Up: 2002
81. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Quarterly Sales Break-up: 2002
82. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales Comparison
by Sales Types: 2000-2001
83. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales Analysis by
Sales Type:1999-2000
84. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
85. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Analysis by Product Group:
2001-2002
86. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Comparison by Product Group:
2000-2001
87. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Comparison by Product Group:
1999-2000
88. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region:1999-2000
89. Sharp Corporation:Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region:2001-2002
90. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
91. Sony Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis:2001-2002
92. Sony Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis:2000-2001
93. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Segments:2001-2002
94. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Segments:2000-2001
95. Sony Corporation: Electronics Segment Sales Analysis by
Product Category: 2001-2002
96. Sony Corporation: Electronics Segment Sales Analysis by
Product Category:2000-2001
97. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Geographic
Region:2001-2002
98. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Geographic
Region:2000-2001
99. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Annual Sales Comparison:
2001-2002
100. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Sales Analysis by
Segment:2001-2002
101. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis:2001-2002
102. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Annual Sales
Comparison:2000-2001
103. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Sales Analysis by
Segment:2000-2001
104. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis:2000-2001
105. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Annual Sales Comparison:
1999-2000
106. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Sales Analysis by
Segment:1999-2000
107. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis:1999-2000
GRAPHS
108. World Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked by Growth -
US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,
and Rest of World. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through
2010 in Thousand Units
109. World Market for HDTV Capable Sets:Geographic Regions Ranked
by Growth - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin
America, and Rest of World. Annual Sales for the Years 2001
through 2010 in Thousand Units
110. World Market for Integrated HDTV Sets: Geographic Regions
Ranked by Growth - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific,
Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual Sales for the
Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
111. World Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked by Growth -
HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets. Annual Sales
for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
112. STB Sales: 1999 & 2004 (Million Units)
113. Global Shipment of LCD Monitors for 2000-2003 in
Million Units
114. World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units: Geographic Regions Independently Analyzed - US,
Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan),
Latin America, and Rest of World
115. World Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units -
Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV Capable
Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
116. Estimated Hours of HDTV Programming in the US for the week
ended February 25 - March 2, 2002
117. US Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units -
Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV Capable
Sets (HDTV Projection Display and Direct-View HDTV Display),
and Integrated HDTV Sets (Integrated Projection Sets,
Integrated Direct-View Sets, and Flat-Panel HDTV Sets)
118. Canadian Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
119. Japanese Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
120. European Market for HDTV: Geographic Regions Ranked by
Growth - Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain, and Rest of Europe.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
121. European Market for HDTV Capable Sets: Geographic Regions
Ranked by Growth - Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain,
and Rest of Europe. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through
2010 in Thousand Units
122. European Market for Integrated HDTV Sets: Geographic
Regions Ranked by Growth - Germany, France, Italy, UK,
Spain, and Rest of Europe. Annual Sales for the Years 2001
through 2010 in Thousand Units
123. European Market for HDTV: Product Segments Ranked by Growth -
HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets. Annual Sales for
the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units
124. European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units: Geographic Regions Independently Analyzed - Germany,
France, UK, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe
125. European Market for HDTV - A Current & Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
126. French Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
127. German Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
128. Italian Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
129. UK Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis. Annual
Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand Units -
Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
130. Spanish Market for HDTV: A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
131. HDTV Market in Rest of Europe:A Current and Future Analysis.
Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010 in Thousand
Units - Product Segments Independently Analyzed - HDTV
Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
132. HDTV Market in Asia-Pacific: A Current and Future
Analysis. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
in Thousand Units - Product Segments Independently
Analyzed - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
133. HDTV Market in Latin America: A Current and Future
Analysis. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
in Thousand Units - Product Segments Independently
Analyzed - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
134. HDTV Market in Rest of the World: A Current and Future
Analysis. Annual Sales for the Years 2001 through 2010
in Thousand Units - Product Segments Independently
Analyzed - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
135. Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales Comparison:
1999- 2001
136. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.: Annual Sales
Analysis: 2000-2002
137. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.: Annual Sales
Analysis by Sector: 2001
138. LG Electronics Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales Analysis:
1999-2001
139. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
140. Loewe AG: Quarterly Sales Comparison:2001-2002
141. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Segments:2000-2001
142. Loewe AG: Annual Sales Comparison by Segments:1999-2000
143. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.:Sales Comparison
for First Nine Months:2002-2003
144. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales
Comparison:1999-2002
145. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.:Quarterly Sales
Comparison:2001-2002
146. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.:Quarterly Sales
Comparison:2000-2001
147. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments:2001-2002
148. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments: 2000-2001
149. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Segments: 1999-2000
150. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 2001-2002
151. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 2000-2001
152. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: Annual Sales
Comparison by Geographic Region: 1999-2000
153. Pioneer Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis: 2003-2002
(Nine months ended, December)
154. Pioneer Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:2000-2002
155. Radio Corporation of America:Annual Sales Analysis by
Divisions:2001-2002
156. Sampo Corporation:Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2001
157. Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd.:Annual Sales Comparison:1999-2002
158. Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd.:Divisional Sales Break Up: 2002
159. Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd.:Quarterly Sales Break-up: 2002
160. Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd.:Annual Sales Comparison by
Sales Types: 2000-2001
161. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.:Annual Sales Analysis by Sales
Type: 1999-2000
162. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
163. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Product Group:
2001-2002
164. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Comparison by Product Group:
2000-2001
165. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Comparison by Product
Group:1999-2000
166. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region:1999-2000
167. Sharp Corporation: Annual Sales Comparison by Geographic
Region:2001-2002
168. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis:1999-2002
169. Sony Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis:2001-2002
170. Sony Corporation: Quarterly Sales Analysis:2000-2001
171. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Segments:2001-2002
172. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Segments:2000-2001
173. Sony Corporation: Electronics Segment Sales Analysis by
Product Category: 2001-2002
174. Sony Corporation: Electronics Segment Sales Analysis by
Product Category:2000-2001
175. Sony Corporation:Annual Sales Analysis by Geographic
Region:2001-2002
176. Sony Corporation: Annual Sales Analysis by Geographic
Region:2000-2001
177. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Annual Sales
Comparison:2001-2002
178. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Sales Analysis by
Segment:2001-2002
179. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis:2001-2002
180. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Annual Sales Comparison:
2000-2001
181. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Sales Analysis by
Segment: 2000-2001
182. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis: 2000-2001
183. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Annual Sales Comparison:
1999-2000
184. Victor Company of Japan Limited:Sales Analysis by
Segment:1999-2000
185. Victor Company of Japan Limited: Geographical Sales
Analysis:1999-2000
CHARTS
186. Global Percentage Market Share of DTV Standards: 2000
187. World Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the past, present and future perspective by
staging value estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010. A
Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
geographic regions - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific
(excluding Japan), Latin America, and Rest of World
188. World Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the past, present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated HDTV Sets
189. Leading Players in the US Digital TV Market (2001) -
Percentage Breakdown by Value Sales for Sony, Mitsubishi,
Toshiba, Hitachi, RCA, Panasonic, and Others
190. Market-Share Forecasting for HDTV Broadcasting for 2008
191. US Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/ decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets (HDTV Projection
Display and Direct-View HDTV Display), and Integrated HDTV
Sets (Integrated Projection Sets, Integrated
Direct-View Sets, and Flat-Panel HDTV Sets)
192. Penetration of Canadian TV industry by Telecast Type (2001)
193. Canadian Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
194. Leading Players in the Japanese HD TV Market (2001) -
Percentage Breakdown by Volume Sales for Matsushita Electric
Industries, Sony, Sharp, and Others
195. Japanese Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
196. European Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the past, present and future
perspective by staging value estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends
across the geographic regions - Germany, France, UK,
Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe
197. European Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the past, present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends
across the product segments - HDTV Capable Sets & Integrated
HDTV Sets
198. French Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by staging
unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010. A
Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
199. German Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
200. Italian Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by staging
unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010. A
Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
201. UK Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A comparative
presentation of the present and future perspective by
staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
202. Spanish Market for HDTV - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future
perspective by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001,
2005 and 2010. A Graphical depiction of growth/decline
trends across the product segments - HDTV Capable
Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
203. HDTV Market in Rest of Europe- A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future perspective
by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
204. HDTV Market in Asia-Pacific - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future perspective
by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
205. HDTV Market in Latin America - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future perspective
by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
product segments - HDTV Capable Sets and Integrated HDTV Sets
206. HDTV Market in Rest of the World - A 10-Year Perspective. A
comparative presentation of the present and future perspective
by staging unit sales estimates for years 2001, 2005 and 2010.
A Graphical depiction of growth/decline trends across the
Learn About High Definition Television (HDTV)
What is Digital Television / High Definition Television?
Digital Television (DTV) has different meanings depending on whether you're discussing production and post-production or distribution and transmission. For production and post-production it means using digital production tools such as cameras, VTRs, switchers, disk recorders, CGs, etc. In distribution and transmission, it means sending the audio and video digitally to its destination.
Digital Television in the United States has meant direct broadcast satellite (DBS) with DirecTV (which bought USSB and Primestar) and EchoStar's DISH network. But that has changed. Both broadcasters and cable headends are starting to send their signals to viewers digitally.
In 1998, stations across the United States began transmitting free over-the-air digital pictures and sound, while retailers began selling "digital television" and "digital television ready" TV sets and VCRs (known as D-VHS). In 1999, the network affiliates (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) in the nations 10 largest cities were scheduled to go on-air in May and 30 largest cities scheduled to go on-air in November (some made it and some didn't). This year, more stations will be going on-air, and the links below will assist you in finding out when stations in your area will be going on-air.
To find out which digital television channels you can receive now, when other channels are scheduled to go on-air, what content they are airing as well as what antenna you will need, go to the TitanTV.com website run by the Decisionmark corporation.
For more help in choosing the correct antenna to receive all your local stations (primarily analog at this point), go to AntennaWeb.org, a service of the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association--the old CEMA).
For more consumer related information, you can go to the DTVweb website,also run by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association--the old CEMA).
The following information is the latest available from the FCC. It is updated fairly regularly:
DTV Stations Presently On The Air (non-experimental licenses)
Summary of DTV Applications Filed
Top 10 Markets' DTV Status
Top 11-30 Markets' DTV Status
DTV Pending CP (Construction Permit) Applications and Granted CPs (Construction Permits)
FCC's General Description of Digital TV
Digital Television Consumer Information, FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (November 1998)
FCC's Hot Topic Area which may have more DTV information
What Digital Television Means To The Viewer:
The Timetable:
Local broadcasters will be initiating DTV service at different times. A station may begin DTV service as soon as it has received its FCC permit and is ready with equipment and other necessary preparations. The FCC has established a schedule by which broadcasters must begin DTV service (absent extenuating circumstances that may affect individual stations). This schedule required that stations affiliated with the top four networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC) in the 10 largest markets begin service by May 1, 1999. Stations affiliated with these networks in markets 11-30 must have begun service by November 1, 1999. All commercial stations must begin DTV service by May 1, 2002, and all noncommercial educational stations must start by May 1, 2003. stations are allowed two six-month extensions just by filing a request. Any additional extensions must be granted by the full FCC Commission.
In November 2001, following the World Trade Center disaster and in consideration of the country's economic downturn, the FCC threw a huge bone to broadcasters with a loosening of the DTV deadlines. Commercial broadcasters no longer have to replicate their NTSC service area by the end of 2004 (and non-commercial stations don't have to do it by the end of 2005). They just have to cover their communities of license, and they'll still retain interference protection.
Stations that already have construction permits for maximized coverage no longer face an operation deadline for the maximization. Broadcasters no longer face deadlines (commercial end of 2003, non-commercial end of 2004) for deciding which of their core (channel 2-51) channels they want to keep after the deadline. Except for the NTSC simulcasting requirements that kick in on April Fool's Day of 2003 (50%, then 75% in 2004, and 100% in 2005), DTV stations need no longer operate outside of primetime. "Financial hardship" may now be an acceptable excuse for missing a deadline.
The FCC "said it would defer to a future proceeding technical issues raised in the on-going proceeding, including the issues of receiver performance standards, DTV tuners, the ATSC PSIP standard, and labeling requirements for television receivers": http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/2001/nrmm0114.html.
HDTV:
For the viewer at home, digital television can mean high definition television (HDTV) in a wider 16 by 9 aspect ratio (today's analog TVs have an aspect ratio of 4 by 3) as well as 5.1 channel Dolby Digital surround sound. HDTV pictures are like looking out a window and are better than any picture that today's analog TVs can produce.
SDTV Multicasting:
Digital Television also means muticasting (or more technically correct-multiplexing) where two or more television programs can share the bandwidth normally used by one analog program. It is technically possible to show two HDTV programs at the same time or one HDTV program and two standard definition (SDTV) programs at the same time, or even four to six SDTV programs at the same time each with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital surround sound. The law requires that at least one channel must be free and the same quality as the analog channel-but not the same program.
(At least not until April 1, 2003 when 50 percent of analog programming must be simulcast on one of the DTV channel programs, then 75 percent on April 1, 2004, and finally 100 percent on April 1, 2005. In theory, analog TV will be shut down in 2006, but that depends on how many people still rely on their analog TVs-which can get DTV with a set-top box)
The new (and expensive) HDTV TV sets will be able to figure out how many programs are on a channel and how to display them on the TV screen so they look the best to you. Incredibly, it is in the specification that a single channel of digital television can have as many as 1,024 different programs, but they don't all have to be TV.
Data Broadcasting (Enhanced Television):
A program can also be non-television data. Using "opportunistic" or left over bandwidth, broadcasters can transmit data over the air. What kind of data? Web content, stock reports, electronic coupons that a computer printer could print out, or even the telephone directory. Each 6 MHz DTV channel can transport 19.39 Mbps (2.42 MBps). That data can be television, non- television data, or a combination of both. At that speed (346 times that of a 56k modem), a program like Microsoft Word could be transmitted within five seconds.
The Future:
Only time and technology will tell what happens with digital television. New services are being thought of every day. Widescreen TVs, flat panel TVs, computers capable of HDTV are here now. Television can only get better.
Seems to me that many who bought into On2, including me, thought that EVD was all about Vp5/Vp6. That without On2's codec an EVD player was simply a DVD. This was stated time and time again on these boards and never refuted by anyone!
Now we know from DAM's e-mail that EVD is about the player's ability to produce a quality picture on an HDTV of 1920x1080i and that VP6 IS NOT NEEDED TO DO THIS! VP6 & EVD IS ABOUT STORAGE (BEING ABLE TO STORE A TWO HOUR MOVIE ON ONE DISK RATHER THAN TWO OR THREE DISKS USING MPEG-2).
So, where do we stand now?
Once Vp5/Vp6 is "ported" onto the E-World chip (which should have happened in December but has to date not been completed), newer EVD machines will have the ability to play disks compressed with Vp6. Since Vp6 is software, could existing EVD machines be upgraded to use Vp6? I certainly don't know but if not, anyone who buys the current model is sure to be disappointed! It might explain why some manufacturers have delayed production of their version of EVD.
To be sure, we are still in good shape here. IMO, no one is going to want to change disks two or three times when watching a HDTV quality movie if it is available on one disk. Secondly, On2 does not charge a royalty for the production of a disk using Vp6 so it is in the best interest of the movie industry to use Vp6. Remember that Vp6 is now the standard in China and will be the standard for HDTV in China as well. As usual with this company, it is a waiting game, but the future bodes well for it's stockholders, IMO. The two pieces of information that will now move this stock (as related to the E-World Contract) is an announcement that Vp5/Vp6 has been "ported" to the E-World chip and that Hollywood is producing movies compressed in Vp6!
As for income, Q1-2004 should contain the revenue that would have been reported in Q4-2003 so we should see a great quarter coming and we have the first minimum royalties payments due beginning April 30, 2004!
That's my take on the latest developments. Seems to me the pps will remain in the $1.20 to $1.50 range until then unless news of another contract is announced. This is probably a buying opportunity but haven't we all heard that one before? LOL!
TOW
> If VP6"is close" why bother with it as H.265 is already nearly the
> standard. Why produce set tops with VP6 if it is not a better product.
> I would really be interested in seeing what Sentivision thought about
> H.265 vs VP6 after a comparative study of the two. Maybe it's just
> something that Sentivision is manufacturing for a specific customers
> needs? Just wondering what is going on with the compression/codec arena
> and where it may be headed. Just seems to be too many choices and not
> enough solid informantion avaliable from any reliable sources. Thanks
> for your response in advance.
============================================================
There are many considerations when picking a particular codec for
industrial use, and perceptible quality is only one of them. Customers
have their needs and requirements, and we try to provide them what they
need. Some customers want H.264, because it provides excellent quality
and is an open standard. Some prefer VP6, because it is
proprietary. There could be many reasons.
Sentivision's strength lies in flexibility -- we have a platform where
you can plug in many codecs. Our STB is also software upgradeable, as
opposed to hardware-only designs from chip manufacturers.
The only reliable source to compare the quality of the codecs is your
own eyes, I'm afraid.
best regards,
--Jan Rychter
CTO, Sentivision K.K.
Navellier thoughts
by: randy_cooper2000 (39/M/Atlanta)
Long-Term Sentiment: Buy 01/21/04 10:25 am
Msg: 60738 of 60765
Okay, I've spent a few minutes digging around on the PR regarding M&A with Navellier from last week.
First, a little on my background. I have started several technology companies and have extensive experience in the private capital markets, M&A and IBs.
My first thoughts when I saw this PR was that ONT was making an interesting move. When you can't get big quickly yourself, buy into the growth. The PR says all the right things to lead me to believe they are looking for more of an M than an A. They are small, no cash horde, and looking for accretive transactions. The PR also said "specifically in the area of multimedia software".
After looking at this a little more though, I think there is more to it. When a small, unproven company wants to buy a larger, profitable company - that is a difficult thing to pull off. The stars have to be aligned if you want to do a no cash deal. Typically, this only works if you are trying to buy a non-core division of a much larger company that is trying to divest itself for focus purposes.
Looking deeper at the PR, the advisors are not your typical IBs that might advise on a deal.
Navellier Dynamic Opportunities fund is a private hedge fund. That means they aren't just shopping deals for the IB fee, they are looking for investments.
NDOF is run by Frank T. Troise, formerly of SoHo Capital. Prior to Soho, he was CEO of The Market Channel (TMC). The Market Channel Company provides a leading Web-based financial streaming media service to the global investment community. TMC's streaming media platform provides the most compelling, convenient and cost effective channel for the origination, aggregation and distribution of proprietary rich audio and video content and services, between the portfolio manager and the institutional investor. TMC is partnered with Yahoo!NetRoadshow, a leading provider of Internet broadcasting solutions and tools to the financial services community. Combined, TMC and Yahoo!NetRoadshow have produced more than 1,100 multi-media presentations for clients.
Should also be mentioned that an initial investor in TMC was Building 2 Investments - a Japanese accelerator fund.
So you have:
1) an "advisor" that is really a hedge fund
2) run by a guy that has a background in streaming video
My conclusion is that ONT is going bear hunting. NDOF is working in an advisor role to help ONT locate a strategic acquisition target. It will be a company much larger than ONT and profitable (or paying large royalty fees for a codec - i.e. would be profitable once integrated with ONT) that is viewed as an underperformer.
I would suspect this relationship was developed with one concrete target already in the sights and possibly more. Should they succeed in courting and performing DD on a target, I think NDOF would make a large investment into ONT to support the acquisition of the target.
But all this furthers the question - What type of companies could they be looking at? The PR specifically says "multimedia software". It further quotes "We are at a stage now where we believe that we can offer customers an end-to-end solution for multimedia software beyond the codec, player and servers that we build now". Okay - I'm confused. End-to-end solution? What other part beyond "codec, player, and servers" is there? Delivery or hardware would seem the only further extensions. But the PR says "software".
Hoping this little discussion will get some minds thinking out there of potential targets.
Regards,
CES Eclipse
From EDIGlong
PostID 296297 On Monday, January 12, 2004 (EST) at 10:26:03 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.calweb.com/~doncheri/Eclipse.htm
The eclipse is compatable with all units above 2000 series
The unit has a power plug and a data plug (not shown on the mockup)and can be mounted anywhere in the car.
Just plug it in and it appears on the Aux. controls of the eclipse radio head unit.
Record songs with 5 minute readback capability from your CD changer or from the satelite radio reciever.
Edit your songs on your computer.
Songs appear in a file format.
Burn all your CD's to your computer and transfer to the eclipse unit.
Uses ID-3 tag support
Have a unit for different music types or people.
Shipping now and available March and beyond.
There is a built in hard drive unit AVX2494
and a unit that uses removable memory sticks such as the CD8454 that will play MP-3.
The hard drive unit and the memory stick units are for the overseas market
The removable hard drive unit made by EDIG is for the U.S. market.
Toyota owns 35 percent of Eclipse by Fijutsu-10
On2 Technologies To Demonstrate New Products At 2004 International CES
Tuesday December 30, 8:30 am ET
Texas Instruments DM642, Equator VP6 Hi-Def Release, Platypus VP6 and Videoconferencing App Among Early 2004 Rollouts
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation, (Amex: ONT - News) today announced that it will demonstrate new VP6-based products during the 2004 International CES in Las Vegas from January 8 to January 11, 2004. The products will be shown at On2's suite in the Luxor Hotel. Interested parties can make appointments by calling (646) 256-0029 or (917) 589-4845, or by emailing sales@on2.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
Among the products on display will be the new Texas Instruments DM642 chip running On2's VP6 codec. On2 will also show its new high-definition VP6 decoder running on the Equator BSP-15 processor.
Platypus LLC will demonstrate their new Internet videoconferencing application. The Platypus system uses VP6 to enable quality videoconferencing, especially in lower bandwidth environments. Platypus's unique client-server offering enables users to communicate in real-time, even if the users are behind firewalls. The Platypus products are built on standard protocols to ensure compatibility with the VoIP offerings that are beginning to be rolled out by the major carriers and cable companies.
To learn more about the 2004 International CES, visit http://www.cesweb.org.
About On2 Technologies, The Duck CorporationOn2 Technologies (Amex: ONT - News) is a leading technology firm at the forefront of video compression. The Company revolutionized video encoding with the creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen, video compression and streaming technology (TrueMotion® VP4/VP5/VP6). On2 licenses its high quality video codecs for use in set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices and wireless applications. In addition, On2 offers a suite of products and services, including high-level video encoding, customized technical support, and consulting/integration services. Located in New York City, the Company has an office in Clifton Park, NY, and operations in Cambridge, UK. On2 may be reached at 21 Corporate Drive, Suite 103, Clifton Park, NY 12065 or info@on2.com or sales@on2.com.
http://www.ittiam.com /
Ittiam Systems (Bangalore) is well-positioned to tap this market. Started by the ex-CEO of TI India, Ittiam focuses on DSP, has licensed MPEG-4 technology to global companies and is presently collaborating with DivXNetworks to bring DVD-quality video to consumer electronics and portable devices by year end.
http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/nea/200310/coin_269254.html
Also, the following is from ...
http://www.edigerati.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=46
1. The first of our new business developments involves a major consumer brand combining our MOS-powered personal audio and personal video platforms utilizing a derivative of our Odyssey 1000 form-factor. The expected consumer release date is late spring 2004 at which time the OEM and specifications of the device are scheduled to be revealed.
2. Another agreement calls for an OEM-branded consumer version of our personal video platform featuring a 7'' LCD screen. This new video product is expected to reach consumers in early Fall 2004, through a major OEM's retail and e-tail site. The branding OEM and device specifications are scheduled to be revealed upon the consumer launch of the product.
EDIGlong ...
Glad to see and hear the latest about ECLIPSE HD1213 ... looks like the long wait will be worth it !! Don't know if you saw this before ... dated 1-8-04, so I think you were busy that day !!
''We're thrilled to have ECLIPSE join us as a partner,'' said Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO, SIRIUS. ''The addition of ECLIPSE represents potentially tens of thousands of new in-dash headunits. Plus, they are recognized as being the premier brand for independent retail specialists such as Car Toys and The Good Guys. Having ECLIPSE as part of our team reinforces SIRIUS' belief in the power of retail brands, and the strength of the independent retail channel.''
''We're stepping up behind SIRIUS because we believe they are the premier brand in satellite radio,'' said Ray Windsor, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ECLIPSE. ''Since we represent the premium brand in mobile electronics, partnering with SIRIUS is a natural.''
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-08-2004/0002085658&...
Really appreciate all the work you and Sunpoop did ... SIRIUS !!
NEWe.LONG
Front Page nytimes January 13, 2004
Fast Gaining in Technology, China Poses Trade Worries
By STEVE LOHR
o high-technology companies, China has been a land of seemingly pure promise in recent years. Not only is it a fast-growing consumer market, but it has also become a low-cost workshop for assembling technology products for American, European and Japanese concerns.
But as China moves to expand its own technology industries, the government has taken unusual steps that are leading to new trade tensions with the United States, according to Silicon Valley executives, trade experts and United States officials. These measures include efforts to develop Chinese software standards for wireless computers, the introduction of exclusive technology formats for future generations of cellphones and DVD players - even tax policies that favor computer chips made in China and sold in the Chinese market.
"The issue here is what path will China take as it develops its technology industries," said Bruce P. Mehlman, a former technology policy official in the Bush administration who is the executive director of the Computer Systems Policy Project, an industry group. "Will it take a more global, market-based approach, or will it try to change the rules and disadvantage others?"
Concerns over China's strategies intensified last month when it announced that foreign computer and chip makers that want to sell certain kinds of wireless devices in the country would have to use Chinese encryption software and co-produce their goods with a designated list of Chinese companies.
Foreign computer makers, led by American companies, have protested the decision. In addition to their concern about the separate standard, foreign companies are worried about the possible loss of intellectual property if they are forced to work with Chinese companies that have the potential to become competitors.
The quarrel over technical standards compounds the friction over a longer-standing dispute on tax policies. The semiconductor industry is protesting a Chinese tax that is as much as 14 percent higher on imported computer chips than on those designed or manufactured in China, whether by domestic or foreign companies. The higher tax rate applies to chips used in products sold into the Chinese market but not to exported products.
The American chip industry contends that the tax is discriminatory and will force companies to do more advanced manufacturing and design work in China, skewing investment and trade patterns. It also argues that the differential tax on imports violates World Trade Organization rules that a nation's tax policies must not discriminate against imports. The industry is pressing the Bush administration to file a complaint with the W.T.O. by March unless China modifies its policy.
"This tax is one of the measures that is underpinning China's semiconductor strategy, but we think it violates the W.T.O. rules," said George M. Scalise, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association.
Chinese officials insist that they are firmly and irrevocably committed to developing an outward-looking market economy, particularly since China joined the W.T.O. in November 2001. "We want to introduce foreign competition to help release the potential of our people and our economy," said Tian Jun, counselor for economic affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Washington. "It's a pretty open market in China."
Mr. Tian said that American concerns on technology issues were mostly misunderstandings, matters that could be resolved with further discussions - or actions China had every right to take as a sovereign nation. "Chinese companies are working on their own technology and their own standards,'' he said, "but we are targeting the world market."
Some Chinese practices may not conform yet to world trading rules, he added, but those will eventually fall away as China moves toward openness. "We don't focus on short-term trade quarrels," Mr. Tian said.
So far, China has shown little interest in addressing the grievances of American technology companies, according to industry executives and government officials. It responded to complaints about the wireless encryption standard by giving companies until June to comply, and has offered no indication that it plans to back off on enforcing its own standard.
The impact is likely to be greatest on devices that permit short-range wireless, or Wi-Fi, connections to the Internet, which have become popular for use in homes, offices and coffee shops. The need for improved security for such data communications is widely recognized, and a group from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is working on it.
"Having a different standard from the rest of the world fractures the market," said Ann Rollins, director of technology and trade policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, whose members include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, I.B.M., Intel, Microsoft and others. "The implications of this are dangerous going forward."
The wireless encryption step, according to industry executives and government officials, is part of a broader trend of China going its own way in developing technology standards. It is a movement that promises to increase trade tensions beyond Bush administration complaints about China's surging trade surplus and its tactic of keeping its currency fixed against the dollar, giving it a competitive advantage in selling to the United States.
"Standards have become the new battleground, unfortunately," said Phillip J. Bond, under secretary of commerce for technology policy. How the issues of standards will play out is uncertain. The wireless encryption standard, if unchanged and mandatory, could prompt a trade challenge from Washington. "That is both a trade concern and standards issue," Mr. Bond said. "This looks much more like a government regulation than a standard."
Encryption codes for communications have often been regarded as a matter of national security and thus rightfully determined by governments. Over the years, the United States has also tried to control computer cryptography standards.
But the American critics of China's wireless encryption standard contend that Wi-Fi communications, which typically extend no more than a few hundred feet, are a purely commercial use and not a national security concern.
Given its huge consumer market and an economy in rapid ascent, trade experts say, China will increasingly have the power to influence standards in technology, just as Britain set standards in the 19th century and the United States in the 20th century.
Today, the principal international standard-setting organizations have representation from many countries, including China, but American interests often carry the greatest influence.
"We are accustomed to the United States being the biggest market and the technology leader, so the standards have largely been American standards," said Clyde V. Prestowitz, president of the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington and a former trade negotiator. "But China is going to be the biggest in the world for a lot of things. If the Chinese have the biggest market for cellphones, DVD players, computers and other things, they will have a lot of power to set technology standards."
China's effort to develop its own technical standards for the next generation of DVD's appears to be an effort to avoid hefty royalty payments to patent-holding corporations in Japan, the United States and Europe. About half of the world's DVD players are now made in China.
The new discs will hold four to five times the digital video and audio data of those currently on the market. The next-generation discs and their players will not be widely available until at least 2005, but the world's largest electronics, computer and entertainment companies are already battling over whose technology will become part of an industry standard.
The Chinese standard, called EVD, appears to be "more an escape hatch around the patent pools of the established companies than a technology breakthrough," said Richard Doherty, president of the Envisioneering Group, a technology consulting firm.
Yet the Chinese standard is less than completely indigenous. For example, the video compression software for the standard comes from On2 Technologies, a company based in New York. After more than a year of negotiations, it won out over software offerings from larger rivals like Microsoft, Douglas A. McIntyre, On2's president, said.
Indeed, a significant restraint on China's freedom to set standards is that it is not yet a wellspring of technological innovation. To become a leader in innovation, analysts say, China needs to work closely with and learn from the leading American companies - and that would suggest cooperation on standards as well.
The Chinese have, in fact, adopted roughly 8,000 international product standards, but they have also created 20,000 national product standards. "China has national standards that are basically what we would say are regulations," said Oliver R. Smoot, president of the International Organization for Standardization, a federation of national standards bodies based in Geneva. "It's totally different from the U.S. approach, which is for producers to write a document and call it a standard. Then, people are free to adopt it or not."
The question, Mr. Smoot said, is how China will proceed as it becomes an increasingly prominent player in the global economy. "What most people would like,'' Mr. Smoot said, "is for China to join in and we all roll forward together."
MP3 Players Add Storage, Shrink Size
Creative, Rio, Sony, and others offer portable players that let you listen longer.
Anush Yegyazarian, PC World
Monday, January 12, 2004
Apple's recently announced IPod mini may be getting plenty of attention, but it's not the only new digital audio player making a splash. Many of Apple's rivals on the PC side used last week's Consumer Electronics Show to announce music players with features and price tags similar to the IPod Mini's.
Archos, Creative Technology, Philips, RCA, Rio, Sony, Aiwa, and Samsung are among the companies touting new and recently released digital audio players.
4GB to Go
If a flash memory MP3 player just doesn't hold enough music for you, but a 20GB to 60GB jukebox feels too heavy, you're in luck: 4GB versions of Creative's MuVo2 and Rio's Nitrus players are on the way, upping capacity from the 1.5GB of earlier models.
You can already buy Creative's product on its Web site, and the unit should be in stores this quarter in the familiar square package.
Rio's player, at about 2 ounces, is the lightest in this class (most units weigh about 3.5 ounces). It will be available later in January, both online and in retail stores. It retains its predecessor's wedge-like, slim profile.
The two products should each cost about $249; both support USB 2.0 for faster transfer and play back WMA or MP3 files.
Philips and Samsung are each getting their foot in the door of this portable player class. Both entries are square-shaped, 1.5GB players that support WMA and MP3 formats.
Philips is readying its hdd060, due to ship in February and priced at about $200.
Samsung's Yepp YH-800 is scheduled to ship in April and has a suggested retail price of $299. You'll be transferring your music faster with the Samsung unit, though, because it supports USB 2.0, while the Philips sticks with USB 1.1.
Samsung will follow up the YH-800 with the YH-860, scheduled to ship in June at a suggested retail price of $320. This unit has a 2GB capacity and adds an FM tuner and recorder.
More to Come
Thomson RCA will follow its existing 1.5GB Lyra with a 2GB model, the Micro Jukebox RD2762, scheduled for release in late spring. That $229 unit will feature an FM tuner from which you can record, and it will support USB 2.0.
Sony doesn't have a hard drive-based product in this class, but it competes with its new Hi-MD players. The family consists of four new models ranging in price from $199 (for the MZ-NH600D) to $400 (for the MZ-NH1). These new units use high-capacity 1GB removable mini discs and support the ATRAC3plus format. The SonicStage 2 software that comes with the system also supports more familiar formats, including WMA, MP3, and WAV. The players will all read standard mini discs, so you don't have to move your older music onto the new format.
The entry-level MZ-NH600D is a standard player. As you move up the models, you get additional features like AM/FM/TV/weather tuners, a microphone, LCD remotes, and USB cradles. All of the units are scheduled to become available in April, along with the new 1GB discs, which should sell for about $7 each.
Bigger and Better?
Archos is delivering a 20GB player that maintains a fairly compact size, rivaling the 1.5GB and 4GB players above. The Gmini220 is expected to be available by the end of January and priced at about $350. The black-and-silver unit weighs just 6 ounces, can read CompactFlash media, and supports USB 2.0.
In February, Philips expects to release a competing product, the $349 hdd120, also with a 20GB capacity.
Thomson RCA will have its own entries in March, with capacities of 20GB and 40GB. The silver 20GB Lyra Jukebox RD2850 should sell for $349, while the black RD2854 should cost $449. Each unit weighs about 5.5 ounces, has a built-in FM tuner and recorder, and supports USB 2.0.
Sight and Sound
Both Philips and Samsung are also releasing new devices that offer both video and audio playback.
Available midyear, Samsung's YH-999 will run on Microsoft's Portable Media Center platform and should put your videos, still pictures, and music in the palm of your hand. The device has 20GB of storage and a 3.5-inch color TFT LCD so you can see and hear music and video in a variety of formats, including WMV at 700 kpbs and 320-by-240 resolution. The unit weighs about 8 ounces and measures 3.8 by 4.2 by 0.8 inches. Pricing has not yet been set.
Philips opted for a smaller package for its KEY019 multimedia device. This compact unit is just a little bigger than a standard USB thumb drive and comes with both a video camera and a 2-megapixel still camera; it can also store and play MP3 files. It has 128MB of RAM, which enables you to capture up to 24 minutes of continuous MPEG-4 at 360-by-480 resolution, and a small LCD lets you frame your shots so you know what you're capturing. The downside: The unit connects via USB 1.1. Devices should be on sale in May for about $249.
Get Flash
Aiwa, now a subsidiary of Sony, is readying two new lines of audio players, including the Pavit series, which will feature the company's proprietary Pavit USB flash drive. The removable drive will allow users to shuttle MP3 music between Aiwa Pavit players and any USB-enabled device such as PCs and laptops. Pavit drives will support USB 2.0, and can be used as stand-alone storage to save documents or shuttle them among systems.
Most of the Pavit line will make its debut in April, according to Aiwa. The new models include the ruggedized AZ-RS128 MP3 player, the headphone-based AZ-FS128 MP3 player, and the water-resistant AZ-BS32 shower stereo (scheduled to ship in May). The MP3 player and headphones will come with a 128MB Pavit drive, and the shower stereo will include a 32MB drive.
The company is also introducing two hard disk drive-based players, each priced at $239. The line is called Giga Pavit and will include the sporty and water-resistant HZ-DS2000 and the ultrathin HZ-WS2000 MP3 player that is about the size of business card and weighs less than 3 ounces. Both models will include a 2GB hard drive and will not be compatible with Aiwa's Pavit drives, despite the Pavit name in the series title.
See PC World's ongoing CES coverage.
HP, Dell back Blu-ray technology
By Ed Frauenheim and Richard Shim
CNET News.com
January 12, 2004, 5:27 PM PT
PC giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell have lined up behind a blue-laser optical disc technology backed by Sony and others, the latest development in a simmering DVD format battle.
Last week, HP and Dell said they are supporting the "Blu-ray Disc" format, which uses blue laser light to squeeze more than four hours of high definition video onto a single-sided disc.
"HP believes Blu-ray Disc is the most consumer-friendly technology choice for the next generation of removable storage," John Romano, HP senior vice president, said in a statement.
Blue-laser drives are considered a successor to today's red-laser DVD drives. Blu-ray Disc technology allows for up to 27GB of storage on a single-sided disc, compared with 4.7GB for current DVDs.
Additionally, Blu-ray Disc backers are working on a dual-layer disc that can hold about 50GB of data.
A new DVD format is needed because of the emergence of high definition television (HDTV) displays, which offer greater picture quality than current televisions, according to Mike Fidler, senior vice president of Sony of America.
But as with recordable DVDs, a format war is brewing over which technology will become the industry standard.
NEC and Toshiba have developed a blue-laser format called HD-DVD. In November, the steering committee of the DVD Forum industry group approved a preliminary version of the HD-DVD specification for read-only discs.
But the technology from NEC and Toshiba faces competition from the Blu-ray Disc format, which is promoted by a group of 10 consumer electronics company "founders," including Sony, Hitachi, Philips and Samsung.
Sony's Fidler said that the support of Dell and HP should help to boost Blu-ray's chances of becoming the dominant DVD rewritable and recordable format.
"It's important to have the IT world engaged in the development of Blu-ray," said Fidler. "They have the power to drive adoption from a marketplace standpoint."
The support of Dell and HP helped to establish the DVD+RW format as a strong competitor to the DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD-RAM formats.
Fidler added that products based on the Blu-ray Disc format are not likely to be available in the United States until late 2005.
Digitimes EVD drives displayed at CES -
LSI Logic estimates one million to four million units to be sold in China this year
Michelle Cheng, Silicon Valley; Adam Hwang, DigiTimes.com [Tuesday 13 January 2004]
http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article1.asp?datePublish=2004/01/12&pages=A4&s eq=13
Nine Chinese manufacturers displayed EVD (enhanced versatile disc) drives at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week in Las Vegas.
Beijing E-World Digital Technology, the China-government-sponsored consortium that developed the EVD standard, began cooperating with US-based LSI Logic in 2003 to transfer LSI's encoding/decoding technologies based on LSI's DoMiNo architecture.
According to LSI's prediction, China's demand will exceed one million EVD drives, and might reach four million, in 2004. JiangSu Shinco Electronic Group sold over 100 units at 1,998 yuan (about US$240) in a trial promotion last week. SVA, Skyworth and others have also begun launching EVD drives under their own brands in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Most of the companies plan to launch products around Chinese New Year on January 22, with prices around 1,550 yuan (about US$186).
More than 400 Chinese-language movies are available in EVD format. In addition to the domestic market, Chinese companies plan to export EVD drives to other Asian countries such as Singapore
DVD Player Goes High-Def
V's upcoming Bravo D3 will deliver HD video on standard DVDs.
Eric Dahl, PC World
Monday, January 12, 2004
LAS VEGAS -- High-definition video may soon be available on standard DVDs. A $350 DVD player, coming later this year from V, Inc., will be the first to use Microsoft's Windows Media Video 9 compression codec and the HighMAT format to deliver HD video on standard DVDs.
The Bravo D3 Home HD DVD Media Player is designed to provide an alternative to pricey blue-laser optical devices. Unveiled last week at the Consumer Electronics Show here, it is scheduled to ship in the second quarter.
The device runs on a Sigma Designs EM8620L processor and can decode MPEG2, MPEG 4, and WMV 9 video and play it back at high-definition resolutions up to 1080i (interlaced) using a component video or DVI output. In addition, the Bravo D3 can decode WMA 9, WMA Pro, WMA lossless, Dolby Digital, MP3, MPEG1/2, and MPEG 4 AAC audio.
Who Needs Blue Laser?
The Bravo D3's most intriguing feature is its capability to handle high-definition video--a first in a device with such a low price.
Most proposals for storing high-definition video center around new blue-laser optical formats. LG Electronics used CES to display its LG-XBG420, a high-definition video recorder that supports both Blu-ray removable media. Toshiba, meanwhile, has a prototype video recorder based on High Definition/High Density DVD (HD-DVD). The format is a competitor to Blu-ray and is being developed by Toshiba and NEC under the DVD Forum.
The Bravo D3 takes a different, less expensive approach, using WMV 9 to store high-def video on standard DVDs. The question is: Where will this high-definition content come from?
PC users got their first taste of high-definition Windows Media Video in June 2003, when Artisan released special-edition DVDs of the movies Terminator 2 and Standing in the Shadows of Motown. These DVDs included bonus DVD-ROMs, which stored high-definition transfers of the two films for playback on high-end PCs. The D3 won't be able to play those DVD-ROM discs: Those PC-targeted high-definition transfers produce video bit rates that can bog down even high-powered PCs.
Sites like BWMfilms.com, CinemaNow, IFilm, and Movielink are beginning to build up a base of downloadable high-definition video that will work with V's new player. Users can burn that content onto DVDs that will work with the D3, or they can use Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker 2 to create their own high-definition content.
See PC World's ongoing CES coverage.
From: TURTLEHARD on Agora - IFE Contracts
Well let me first say, since I haven't commented on any of it yet, I think the PR's so far this week have been borderline insulting. There is plenty of Putnamese in them. I'm feeling very uneasy about CES.....not necessarily about EDIG.....but I was looking for more concrete info.....but hey the show isn't over yet right.
Anyway I was feeling this way so I decided to do a little DD and see what I could find to make me feel better. Well I called APS and spoke to Ray. Here are the highlights of what he told me.
Alaska Airlines Exclusivity ends in less than 30 days. So I assume Jan 31st, he may have even said the end of the month exactly but I don't remember, all I remember is less than 30 days.
Currently the player is available on 24 flights daily.
They are finally working through logistical problems with the players. Mainly, cleaning recharging, etc.....they hired some company to take care of it, Rockwell something or other. They also adjusted the carrying bag sizes, it was originally 1 bag of 10 now its 2 bags of 5........all in all, normal startup issues.......but nothing, technical etc so I was very happy.
There are three studios involved now............Fox, Buena Vista (Disney), and Time Warner.
As far as a Full Rollout, its not a question of if, merely a question of when, they need to finalize a price that both can agree on so they both make money. Not a bad problem again.
Now you may be reading this going, yeah well none of that is really new, you told us all this the last time you reported back about calling them. Well here is the JUICY STUFF!!!!!!!!!
There are 3 signed contracts for Rollout, NOT BETA ROLLOUT! They said just the other day they finished a beta test of some sort on one of them. Now my mouth started to water so I decided to ask him about size. I asked bigger or smaller than Alaska. He said, 1 is a smaller airline.......the other two are to quote him ''Much much bigger''. So whoever has that list of airline sizes needs to look up that food chain from Alaska and see what names we have. He also said they are very close to signing with a company that flies corporate jets.
Then I asked about what other things were going on, Amtrak greyhound etc. He said they have received calls from the military, and get this, Bill was supposed to fly to Singapore this week to meet with a cab company over there. But instead he went out to CES because there are some airlines with booths at the show.
Now when I asked about will they be announcing this stuff etc etc........he said he didn't really think so because they have basically zero incentive because they are a private company. Instead he said we would DEFINTELY hear from the airlines. Which in my mind is better anyway! But he said there would be some exciting things in the next few weeks regarding the product.
Almost forgot, asked him if he saw the new Microsoft player as a challenge he said no because that as well as all the other things on the market are open systems. So they will never be able to get Hollywood backing.
Also asked about the wireless email and Internet features that other IFE systems have.........he said that it would be addressed in the next version, which is in the works. So then I asked if this new version was part of the 3 rollouts, he said no, its been mentioned to them as a future upgrade.
So although........now 1/8/04 at 3:40pm CES is a bust. The show isn't' over, and even if it is, we only have less than 4 weeks to wait for info on the Digiplayer.
Applications in set-top boxes ...
After DVD players, pundits see set-top boxes with DSL connections as another possible application of H.264/AVC, Windows Media video and DivX codecs.
According to Bhuva, ITTIAM's partners are working on set-top box solutions, which are expected to be the primary convergence device of the near future.
Friend, or foe ?? ... I don`t know !!
ITTIAM and DivXNetworks partner to deliver DivX Certified™ solutions for Portable Digital Video products
Agreement will bring highly anticipated DivX Certified™ devices to market for holiday season
Bangalore, India and San Diego, California, USA. June 26, 2003
ITTIAM Systems and DivXNetworks, Inc., the company that created the revolutionary, patent-pending DivX® video compression technology, today announced a partnership to deliver solutions that will enable DivX Certified™ digital still camera (DSC), digital video camera (DVC) and portable products in time for the 2003 holiday season. The target platform for this range of digital video products is the TMS320DM270™ from Texas Instruments, an official DivX Certified partner company. In the future, solutions will be available on a wider range of platforms depending on the application and market demand.
DivX video, which offers DVD-quality at 7-10 times greater compression than MPEG-2, is the world's most popular MPEG-4 compatible video compression technology with over 85 million worldwide users. ITTIAM will work with the team of video engineers at DivXNetworks to design solutions to power a variety of portable video products with full encoding and decoding capability for all versions of DivX video. A wide range of DivX Certified consumer electronics devices including portable video players, DVD players, digital still and video cameras, and set-top boxes are scheduled to hit the market in 2003.
"ITTIAM's proven expertise in creating high-performance, cutting edge digital video solutions for DSP systems makes them an excellent partner to help DivXNetworks meet the overwhelming global demand for DivX Certified CE devices," said Shahi Ghanem, president and chief operating officer at DivXNetworks, Inc. (www.divxnetworks.com). "Millions of DivX users around the world are anxiously awaiting the release of DivX Certified devices and CE manufacturers are rushing to meet this demand in time for the holiday season. Our partnership with ITTIAM will help ensure that CE manufacturers can create high-quality DivX powered solutions in the fastest possible timeframe. In fact, we already have the first customer for this partnership."
ITTIAM Systems is a digital signal processing company singularly focused on creating world-class DSP systems and IP in media processing and communications. ITTIAM has deep expertise in video technology and in building digital media systems. This ranges from video players, cameras and network cameras to video conferencing. ITTIAM's video technology has been licensed to world-leading semiconductor and equipment manufacturing companies around the world.
"This is a partnership with tremendous potential," said Srini Rajam, chairman and chief executive officer of ITTIAM Systems. "The world renowned DivX video compression technology and ITTIAM's expertise in video systems and products are perfect ingredients to produce solutions far ahead of the competition. We are looking forward to the immediate opportunity during this year's holiday season as well as the vast long-term market potential through this partnership."
"ITTIAM's video products have been licensed by customers across Europe, Asia and North America," said Rohit Bhuva, vice president of business development for ITTIAM. "With DivXNetworks, we aim to reach out to a whole new set of appliances and consumers".
"We are pleased to work with ITTIAM to provide comprehensive streaming media solutions to our customers," said Tom Kelly, business manager, streaming media group, Texas Instruments. "ITTIAM's strength in customized reference design solutions for digital video products enables developers using TI DSPs to build more powerful and innovative streaming media applications, ultimately lowering development costs and offering time-to-market advantages."
The DivX Certification program for consumer electronics devices includes a full DivX software development kit as well as rigorous certification testing for visual quality and performance standards. Official DivX Certified partners receive marketing, sales and engineering support focused on helping third party development and OEM partners create DivX Certified consumer electronics solutions such as DVD and portable players, set top boxes, PVR and digital video and still cameras. For more information on DivX certification process, visit www.divxnetworks.com/certified.
About DivX
DivXNetworks is a consumer-focused video technology company positioned at the center of multimedia convergence. The company's core offering is the DivX ® video codec, the world's most popular MPEG-4 compatible video compression technology with over 85 million users worldwide. Often called "the MP3 of video," the patent-pending DivX video technology offers DVD-quality at 10 times greater compression than MPEG-2 files, enabling full length films to easily fit on a CD or be delivered over broadband connections. DivX video technology powers a range of applications that span the convergence value chain, from a secure IP-based video-on-demand solution to next-generation consumer electronics products and video software applications. DivXNetworks is headquartered in San Diego, California, with satellite office in Los Angeles, San Jose, Taiwan and Japan. For more information, visit www.divxnetworks.com.
About ITTIAM
ITTIAM Systems Private Limited, headquartered in Bangalore, is a technology product company singularly focussed on digital signal processing systems in media and communication. The company operates through its network of offices and representatives around the world. ITTIAM's customers include Fortune 100 companies and are distributed across U.S., Europe, Japan and Asia. For more information, visit www.ITTIAM.com
SUNPOOP --SH Mtg summaries
PostID 297503 On Friday, December 05, 2003 (EST) at 2:55:05 AM
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A few of us arrived early. Early enough to have a coffee clatch in the parking lot....Ediglong, jdtiii (the nit picker) Edigokie (whom I will trounch at golf tommorrow) myself and two or three more who I apologize for not naming since my notes are in the car and I am not going downstairs to get them....Hitachi was there.... Anyway we did our normal Edig speculation on what would transpire at the meeting with jdtiii being honestly negative and not too enthused. We all went inside and saw that the meeting was not very well attended. In fact a room 1/4 that size would have been sufficient. Maybe 1/3 of the amount of attendees from last year...
I was in error when I previously posted EDig would NOT be at the CES ''ala'' RP. Of course ''RP Speak'' was a little foggy on that subject...EDig will have no booth but will have a display, about the size of the prior booths at the CES in the middle of TI's booth, manned by EDig people. TI wanted and invited EDig to be there to showcase the products that are being produced with TI technology. To me that is a heckova a deal. More exposure that EDig ever got from its own booth with TI pushing and I do mean pushing EDig and its technology.(and its free) In fact RP, after the formal meeting, emphasized that TI has sent EDig many customers and is still doing so. TI gets inquirees about certain technology and replies to those queries ''we don't do that but the company you wish to talk to is EDigital'' Call them.......I was't going to the CES this year but I am now and will meet with D'inki (Ediglong) to do our normal harrasment of all and with the express purpose of checking out the HP booth.....
I hit RP about HP and he flat refused to answer one way or the other about EDig's involvement. I did throw some other questions to try to get around ''RP Speak'' and while this is just pure conjecture on my part, ''everthing fits''.
RP did emphasize and re-emphasize that companies the magniture of HP or Gateway will NOT acknowledge anywhere on the product anyone else but themselves. The IPOD being a great example. I did not know it until today but the IPOD has a great percentage of the unit made by other companies, WHO WILL NEVER BE ACKNOWLEDGED. (in fact FF did say that EDig tried to get its name somewhere on the Gateway player but Gateway flat refused and (verbatum) ''you want our business you do it our way''.
Again talking privately with FF, I tried ''smoozing'' a bit but could get nothing factual about the 2 OEM's that he stated ''will be bigger than anything we have ever been involved with'' and that ''we are in advanced negotiations with as we speak'' I guess I lost my touch at ''smoozing'' but I did get something very significant from him, at least to me, in that I said ''in the past we have heard about this OEM and that OEM etc...with no business ever quite coming about.'' In his candid opinion did he feel this was more of the same? A definite NO to my question, I then asked him if he knew or felt the signing on the dotted line to do business with these OEM's was, (1) so-so (we are just talking or in the beginning stage of talks to see if we can do business), or (2) serious but not near an accord, or (3) ''very close'' and most likely will happen. His answer was a very positive #3. In fact he said it was in the hands of the lawers right now and he acted a little frustrated when he said that. ''You know those guys, every letter, word and paragraph has to be examined, written and re-written. Sent back and forth...etc...'' I got the impression what he was talking about was fairly close to being ''a done deal''
I was wrong in my thoughts about the need for the latest financing. It wasn't to ''pay the bills, keep the doors open or the lights on'' It wasn't to defray operating costs and it wasn't for what I thought it was for, ''to front manufacturing costs to get products to market.'' EDig has far bigger irons in the fire than we know of. Both FF and Rp stated the major reason for the financing was to have enough on the books to satisfy potential, (perhaps 1 ??) customers that the company (verbatum) ''will be around a while.''
There was no definitive news on the 3rd quarter earnings until F10 is shipped and that will happen this month. However perhaps the entire order (4,000 units) will be not be finished shipping until the 1st. couple of weeks in Jan 04. Disappointing, so I don't think this will be a ''wizz bang'' quarter.
However, FF STRESSED, that ALL, ALL, the business they are involved in now are ''LONG TERM'' relationships, meaning the products will have demand and strong sales throughout the entire year, not just at holiday times. FF says if it doesn't meet that criteria they will not do it.
I am getting pooped, its late, I have much more to say, will try to gather thoughts and do more tomorrow. Just to finish it up however, our nit picking, doubtling thomas, jdtii was swayed over to the positive side after spending at least a half an hour with RP and asking him everything in the book he could think of... As we walked out of the metting, (we were the last two beside EDig personell in there) he indicated that he was much happier and very much convinced he had a winner..
My personal opinion was one of great optimism. Of course you all know I have never been negative about EDig but just couldn't quite put my finger on what manner of success, and when, EDig would have. While FF and RP gave the usual platitudes during the formal part of the meeting afterwards they both spoke more candidly and with much enthusiasm. The meeting was not full of ''maybes'' or ''we have contacted this or that OEM and we could possibly do business with them''. It was of a quiet confidence, expressed strongly, as if they knew what they couldn't tell us was in fact ''signed, sealed and just about delivered''
This was 180 degrees off of last years meeting and while FF was not forthcoming factually you could see in his demeanor that he ''proud as punch'' in what he had to say to us.
Frank
Here is the source for the 8 figure OEM I alluded to in my post...
Good Luck to all...
Regards...Gilgamash...
Subject: RE: Small addition to reports of SHM -SUNPOOP
From SUNPOOP
PostID 299524 On Saturday, December 13, 2003 (EST) at 6:17:52 PM
Response To: rstring PostID 299518
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The 8 figure revenue figure was derived by me. However is was from the conversation I had with FF after the meeting when I had him in a corner and we were talking with no one else around.
I asked him what he meant by ''huge''. His and RP's word exactly describing the ''advanced negotiations with the two OEM's'' He would not give me a figure but I kept pressing him by walking him ''''up the ladder''.
I said I thought ''huge'' would have to mean much more than just doubling our current rate of around 1 million a quarter. He nodded, and then I asked if it would be safe to say at least 5 million and his reply was ''more''.....
My eyes lit up and I pushed a little further and said 8 figures.....He said ''I can't comment on that''...I then pushed as hard as I could and asked him if it were possible that we could expect that kind of revenue figure from these 2 OEM's in the near future if the deals went through and he said ''yes''..
That's how I got my info on the subject..
From sunpoop
PostID 305629 On Saturday, January 10, 2004 (EST) at 9:50:42 PM
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Sentinal states, ''no offense to sunpoop but its all hearsay until it becomes official'' Hearsay, Hearsay???? Talking directly to the man that is doing it all, who KNOWS it all, so close I probably gave HIM the flu and sentinal calls an answer to direct questions by me to FF ''On a scale of 1 to 10 how far along are the negotions with this ''huge'' OEM'' and his answer to me was a confident ''9''. I then asked him how sure was he that this would come to fruition and he replied ''positive'' THAT IS HEARSAY ?????????????????
AND CASSANDRA..... can that person take a statement of fact and spin it completely 180 degrees....ihub post 58182
She states ''Falk kept a potential customer waiting for an hour talking to sunpoop and Dinkie??? THAT IS ABSOLUTE FALSE READING OF MY POST... FF was constantly looking around for his appointment. He kept looking at his watch wondering where the guy was...Steve Ferguson dropped by twice asking FF where the guy was?? He didn't know either. If cASSandra thinks for a moment he wouldn't have broken off our conversation if the gentelman had arrived she is showing less intelligence than even all of know she has..The conversation ended when Steve Ferguson tapped FF on the shoulder and pointed to him standing in the next booth. FF IMMEDIATELY LEFT... It turns out FF's appointment was mistaken as to where he was to meet FF...HIS FAULT..
cASSandra: why did sp and dinkie keep him ''cornered'' if he told them he only had 3 minutes??? What a crock of crap..
FF's appointment was to meet him in the exact spot we were standing, TI's booth, NOT THE ONE NEXT TO It...as she implies.
She also asks ''did FF give proprietary info'' He gave us no names, no time schedule but an area of business and on a scale that we have not been told of or even hinted at. If I were to tell you what he said now it would set off an avalanche of posts and questions and other communications to not only FF but to other people. Not smart.....In fact FF knew he spoke out of turn when he said to both of us, Dinkie can confirm this, ''Please do not take any action on this, I wouldn't want to be responsible if anything goes awry''...meaning don't jump into the stock market on what I just said....I assured him I would not.....
She also alludes to ''turning away business''. We were told that at the SHM...EDig has no room for any ''start up projects'' especially those that are brand new with no relationship to the platforms we have currently perfected. We are concentrating on those....We have put all those on the back burner. In fact in a direct question by me to FF about why we weren't in the HP player he stated, exact words, ''We have had discussions with HP on that subject and were given time frames by HP that we could not meet. We were right in the middle of the Gateway project with everyone at EDig working on it. They had given us a time frame also that we had to meet'' We had to say no to HP but we still have MULTIPLE projects underway with HP''
We also are turning away any business that does not meet our criterea of being a ''HOMERUN'' We have perfected platforms that we can ramp up to a customers needs quickly without reinventing the wheel.
As far as the ITTIAM, Walter is the source of info for that one. It was prominately displayed and Walter practically took it apart showing Dinkie what it was...He was at the showcase of the product the entire time and not only talked to us about it but was showcasing it to anyone that came by. That was what he was there for...He certainly was not talking about someone elses product. The info was from Walter and we DID NOT ASK FF about it, we simply got into other areas so quickly and deeply that we forgot...My fault. This is the Divx/TI conection....
Would someone who is still able (I have been personna non gratta for a long while on that board) post this as a reply to her misinterpertations at the least and outright deliberate obfuscations of what I said....
Thanks....Frank
New TVs Are Easy to Admire, Tougher to Comprehend
By Rob Pegoraro
LAS VEGAS
It is becoming harder to buy a television set than a personal computer. The unheralded side effect of the digital transformation that promises to bring TV sets new levels of quality and performance is that they've become much harder to decipher.
These things were once commodity items that anybody could buy based largely on brand and price, but the evidence on the show floor at the Consumer Electronics Show here indicates that they're all shifting painfully back into the status of "exclusive" products, each with a unique mix of innovations, limitations and, most of the time, higher prices.
This tension between creativity and commodity is part of this industry's way of life. A product can't be born without creativity, but it can't be a success until it hits commodity status. In between, it's a mess for consumers to sort out.
That's the story behind three big stories of this year's CES: flat-panel digital televisions, digital video recording and wireless media networks.
Consider the first, those lust-worthy LCD and plasma screens, at sizes as big as 80 inches (in the form of a Samsung prototype that occupied its own wall in the company's sprawling booth). Choosing between LCD and plasma may be easiest decision; you won't find plasma sets under 40 inches or so. Then brace yourself as you contemplate these and other features: ATSC tuner; CableCard compatibility; and DVI, HDMI or FireWire connectors.
In (more or less) English: Does the set include a digital tuner for over-the-air broadcasts, can you pop in a card issued by your cable company to tune in digital broadcasts without a cable box, and which of three different kinds of digital inputs does it include?
For my money, the optimal answers are yes, yes, HDMI and FireWire. (Fortunately, a more troubling "feature," the government-mandated copy-protection "broadcast flag" copy-protection scheme, seems unlikely to show up on many sets until next year.) The catch: A set meeting those requirements will still run you more than $3,000.
For relief from that kind of cost, new "microdisplay" technology may offer a cheaper way to a thinner set. On Thursday, Intel announced a major venture into developing chipsets for one kind of microdisplay, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), with a goal of making a 40-inch set possible for under $2,000 by next year.
In comparison, manufacturers I talked to didn't expect LCD sets to get past 30 inches for that price in that time frame, even with aggressive pricing from such new entrants as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Westinghouse and Daewoo.
(If $2,000 is still too pricey, there will be plenty of traditional cathode-ray-tube high-definition sets. But few vendors here bother to exhibit them or talk about them.)
Whatever TV technology you buy, you will face a bewildering array of options. Your next TV may include a built-in digital video recorder, WiFi wireless networking or, in the case of two sets by Epson (yes, the printer company), a built-in photo printer.
Recording the shows you watch on the digital television may constitute another headache. The industry, not having settled a three-way format war in recordable DVDs, has already moved on to a two-way format war in high-definition recordable DVDs.
Most manufacturers, including the likes of Sony, Panasonic, Philips and Samsung, back a format called Blu-ray, but the "official" standards-setting organization, the DVD Forum, has anointed an incompatible technology, HD-DVD. This is the industry at its squabbling, feudalistic best.
"The products are in some cases inherently complex, but in other cases unnecessarily complex," Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said at a luncheon Friday. He cited a WiFi router whose convoluted setup "reduced grown computer scientists to tears" -- and caused a quarter of these devices to be returned.
The biggest surprise at this show was how many manufacturers are working on wireless systems to share a computer's collections of music, photos and often videos with a home theater. But while these devices might make life a lot easier they also might make our stereos act like that WiFi router.
Microsoft unveiled a number of initiatives to help users get their photos and songs off the computer. It's developing software to smooth media sharing in Windows and in the special Media Center edition of the operating system, and it's revising the copy controls in its Windows Media file format to allow buyers on songs on such sites as Napster (news - web sites) to broadcast their purchases to other machines in a home network.
Microsoft also is working on software to run a family of paperback-sized "Portable Media Centers" that would store copies of the entertainment collected on Media Center PCs for viewing outside the house. It has plenty of company in that effort. For example, Sony has its own proposed home media network, complete with a "LocationFree" tablet display to allow Web browsing from the couch. (Several manufacturers are working on a less ambitious but more immediately useful kind of networking -- wireless surround-sound systems that don't require you to snake wires across the living room to reach the rear speakers.)
The bright spot in all this confusion is that it leaves room for creativity -- the best LCD or DVD recorder may wind up coming from some firm in Taiwan or China nobody's heard of. And all the while, prices continue to drop. It takes a while, but sooner or later just about anything you can see on the show floor here winds up in the likes of Target and Wal-Mart at prices that normal human beings can stomach.
Living with technology, or trying to? E-mail Rob Pegoraro at rob@twp.com.
CES report from EDIGlong
From EDIGlong
PostID 305897 On Sunday, January 11, 2004 (EST) at 10:49:40 PM
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Subject: The shock and awe
From EDIGlong
PostID 305772 On Sunday, January 11, 2004 (EST) at 3:08:12 PM
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The shock and awe of experiencing a ride in Sunpoop's car have stabilized although there may be flashbacks from time to time.
Sunpoop picked me up a t the airport and we made our way to the CES and were in the door as it opened. After walking around a bit we found the TI booth which was near the front entrance of the Central hall.
The Odyssey was displayed in a case along with the Alaska Airlines IFE DigEplayer. I will post pictures later.
The booth consisted of 3 large sections and in the middle of the third section was a table set up to display EDIG products.
Walter Pfeffer, who is the customer Tech Support Test Supervisor was there to explain and demonstrate the new Idiom Video player and a Gateway DMP-X20
More on the Idiom player and Eclipse in a later post.
As we were listening to Walter describe the player we turned around and there was Fred.
Sunpoop has known Fred and many of the main players of EDIG for many years he was able to initiate a very interesting conversation with our CEO.
Mr. Faulk was looking for someone who was supposed to meet with him and he informed us that he had to leave in abut 3 minutes so not wasting another second we began an interview process that continued on for at least an hour.
The person that Fred was to meet was found later to have waited at the wrong booth. Fred ready to leave at a moments notice when this other person showed up but there was a lot of noise, many people and the meeting just didn't materialize.
So not to waste Fred's time we continued our interview.
We asked if there were going to be any further announcements and he explained that there are projects in the works and negotiations were about complete but they were not going to be completed until all the I's were dotted and T's crossed. He was very pleased with the meetings he, Atul, and Steve Ferguson were having and expects great things but cannot publicly announce anything that would jeopardize negotiations.
JoJo and Steve Ferguson will be working on Pr's to be announced at the proper time.
They are working with project managers and decision makers so the new projects are not based on wish lists. Future announcements will be based on completed negotiations.
We asked if we were involved with PortalPlayer and was confirmed and again later by Atul.
Because of a massive effort to get Gateway and our IFE device we did not have time to work with HP but now that our major projects are complete we are ready to bring on many new projects based on the successful completion of the Gateway player and IFE device. Some of the new projects could result in very large deals being made in other industries.
No numbers or names were ever given.
He did say that we would smile if we saw the numbers he was talking about.
.
All of our new contracts will be dependent on the benefits to EDIG and production costs will be borne by our new partners.
Many new devices will be developed by Cornice using chip sets designed by Texas instruments. The combination of chips and Cornice drive in conjunction with EDIG technology will result in a device that uses few chips and will be very price competitive.
We work with DivX in that we develop products that use DivX and we use EDIG technology to secure the content.
When asked how he feels about EDIG on a scale of 1 to ten he said that he felt that we were a "9".
The meeting broke off when the missing person finally showed up. The crowd was much too large to just randomly wander about and try to find someone. The best Fred could have done is exactly what he did and that was to stay in one place.
I am very proud to be invested in this company. The management, engineers and staff are very dedicated to the success of the company and lessons learned over the past years are about to pay off.
Ill have more to write as I post pictures.
========================
Ittian Picture
http://www.calweb.com/~doncheri/Itt.htm
Subject: Short blurb from on the CES from a dying man
From sunpoop
PostID 305488 On Saturday, January 10, 2004 (EST) at 1:01:53 PM
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I finally found my way back to the airport from the State Line where EDiglong's directions took me. Don't EVER go anywhere with him if is reading the map....
Anyway, I picked up something, probably the flu. My ears are blocked, my eyes are fuzzy, my throat is an absolute pain center and we won't talk about my nose....
I picked up Don at the airport early Friday, (I found it myself WITHOUT his directions) and we went straight to the CES. We arrived early an intended to reconoiter any company's booth that might be connected to EDig. Our first stop was TI's booth where Walter from EDig was there. Don has developed a good relationship with him so we started talking. He told us a few ''techie'' things which Don is more able to recount than I. (if he can find the computer) An ''Ittiom'' video player made by EDig for the Indian market (which we did not know of prior to this) was on display. It's essentially an IFE but no security, just a player and doing well in India.
I was hoping to see FF or RP and lo and behold we turned around at 10:26AM and FF was standing in aisle. Talk about fast moving, we hit on him before he had a chance to see us and run.(The word was out on us...from the lips of JO JO Platt, ''I been warned about you two. Never be in a corner when I see you coming.'' By the way some people at EDig do read the posts on Agora and ihub and are very familiar with our names.
He told us we had 3 minutes since he was here to meet a potential customer. We started talking and he was very open and friendly. In fact he was downright upbeat with that look in his face of the ''cat just finishing off the mouse''.
We ''cornered'' him for over an hour and hit every topic of EDig interest. (It turned out the company he was meeting thought he was supposed to meet FF in the next booth and had been standing there for over an hour, waiting) Much to our benefit.
I cannot go into minutia right now, I just don't feel up to it. I can tell you HP was never in the picture for its player. Discussions were had but EDig was right in the middle of getting the Gateway player out, had time constraints and couldn't perform for HP. However, the relationship with HP is still very viable and EDig is working on ''multiple'' projects with them as we speak. Also HP was ''NOT'' one of the ''huge'' OEM's referred to at the SHM.
I asked him about the status of those and his face literaly ''lit'' up. The one OEM is at a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 in final negotions. This is up from the same question I posed to FF at the SHM which at that time was 6 - 7. FF did give us proprietary information which I believe he never intended to do and which I will not pass on right now. He was just so excited that he slipped a bit. His words that I feel comfortable in passing on were ''I almost can't believe the numbers from this customer, If they are even half of what we are discussing EDig will be ''big time''.
Some of you may discount what you read from Don and myself saying ''where's the beef''. You had to be there, get FF talking, which he was very inclined to do, see the excitement and the honesty of his replies to know truth was evident there.
He had been in private meetings for two days. Meetings that had been called for by potential customers, NOT set up by him. EDig is now well known in the CE world and we are turning awy business. As FF put ''We are no longer ''cold calling'' hoping...we are on firm footing, up front with how to structure our business and get paid for EVERYTHING WE DO UPFRONT.''
I have to go....there will be more, much more, when Don and I get together and check our notes. There will also be pictures, many of them, including our products prominately displayed in the Microsoft booth. The connection here is something Don can explain more than I but it is quite a powerful statement.
FF says EDig is ''ramping up'' In the past we had peaks and valley's. Hard work, finished projects, then stand around for a while until the next one. No longer. It is becoming a steady stream going up the the ''Bell Shaped Curve''
In just talking about one piece of business and there are many now, if this major OEM is signed, and FF says he just about certain it will be. (we are talking about an offshoot of the IFE) then we will know of it and perhaps a major bump in the PPS, however with what we found out yesterday I am becoming more convinced that Lawyerlong's expectations are probably right on and mid 2005 will see an entirely different EDigital, a very successful one.
Guys, EDig has a ''LOT'' going for it right now. Substantial and verified business.
Perhaps we have all had expectation set too high. Waiting for that big PR and big bump. Personally I am fully convinced we are going to satisfy even the most jaded shareholders among us, just not tomorrow but no too far down the road....
More,,,Frank
the crowd has been stunned into silence......eom
Delirious for Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio has jumped nearly 60% with the turn of the New Year. Sure, Sirius recently inked some good-looking deals with pro sports, and they hit the 200,000-subscriber mark in early December. But take a peek beneath the hood and you'll find a company that is still losing $100 million per quarter and trading at an absurd-looking premium.
By Seth Jayson
January 5, 2004
While the rest of the market greeted the New Year with a yawn, shares of Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) surged over 20% on Friday, leading the Nasdaq in volume at 237 million shares, or about four times its average volume. (That's almost a fourth of the entire company changing hands in one day.) For the week, Sirius jumped almost 60%. What's going on here?
At first glance, you might be tempted to call this a short squeeze, but with less than 7% of the float sold short, there must be something else at work here.
I believe the scientific term for it is: kookiness maximus.
Fools, remember that XM (Nasdaq: XMSR) is the leader in satellite radio. With around 1.2 million subscribers, XM has six times as many paying customers as Sirius. Nearly everyone attributes the lead to XM's nine-month head start over Sirius.
But lately, Sirius has been making headlines with important but -- to Foolish eyes -- expensive sports deals with the NBA, NHL, and NFL. Sirius also has agreements to provide Satellite radio systems as OEM options in Ford (NYSE: F), DaimlerChrysler, (NYSE: DCX), and BMW automobiles.
There have been some rosy projections for satellite radio over the holidays, and for growth in the year 2004. At least one industry watcher, SkyWaves Research, predicts that Sirius will report an increase of 95,000 subscribers for the fourth quarter of 2003.
Sounds pretty good, huh? Ready to jump on the bus before it leaves the station? Before you do, let's take just a brief peek under the hood.
Siriusly scary finances
Let's begin with a reality check: Sirius is a firm that closed last Friday with a market cap of $3.8 billion, but has recorded just under $8 million in sales for the first three quarters of 2003. Sirius has been going through cash like the proverbial drunken sailor (somewhere around $90 million per quarter), and has posted quarterly net losses well north of $100 million for the past several quarters.
In fact, a trip through the Sirius's financials makes for some of the spookiest reading this side of Stephen King. The quarterly losses were actually accelerating at a horrific clip, as the company's net red ink has almost doubled every year since 1999, before flattening a bit this year.
Want a couple more chilling numbers? In Q3 '03, the cost of customer service and billing was $2.2 million. That expense alone ate up more than half of Sirius's $4.3 million in revenues. Call me a cynic, but I have doubts about a business that has to cough up $0.50 on its way to charging me a dollar.
I worry even more when it costs that business $12 to convince me to pony up that buck. (The third quarter's sales and marketing plus "subscriber-acquisition costs" totaled $53 million, more than 12 times revenue.) And there are plenty of other bills to pay at Sirius. As Count Floyd might have said, "That's some scary stuff, kids."
The life vest keeping Sirius afloat has been the issuance of new stock. The company that finished 2002 with well under 100 million shares now trades nearly one billion stubs.
Back in August, Tom Jacobs took a look at the two companies and pointed out that while Sirius had more cash -- due to that huge stock offering in early 2003 -- it was also burning that cash more quickly.
85 years of commercial-free bliss
The key to Sirius' survival (note: I said survival, not success) will be increasing its subscriber base. As of Dec. 9, Sirius had reached a self-described milestone of 200,000. Subscribers pay $13 a month. Do the math, and you'll see that the current pool of paying listeners will contribute a paltry $31 million next year. (And remember, this is the main source of incoming revenue. Advertising is negligible at a network that aims to be commercial-free.) Incremental increases in subscriptions may do little to offset current cash burn, but they might at least convince the Street that it's worth holding onto its shares.
But you should expect the price to fluctuate. To put some perspective on things, let's take a look at the current valuation. We'll back out an estimated $500 million in cash and assume that Sirius had a huge holiday season. If we estimate 250,000 current subscribers -- the number that SkyWaves Research claims Sirius may attain by early January -- Sirius's $3.8 billion market cap values the company at $13,200 (or 85 years of service) per subscriber. If Sirius could wave a magic wand and suddenly have 2.5 million subscribers by tomorrow morning, it would still be priced for over eight years of service per client. How rational does that seem?
The only plausible reason for last week's feeding frenzy may be the nod of approval Sirius got from fund manager Barbara Marcin on Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street. With all due respect to Ms. Marcin, this Fool believes that Sirius presents a seriously wonderful opportunity to ignore the Wise. The odds look better at the track.
Jan 08, 2004 Sirius Gets Serious: Unveils New Satellite Radio (And Video) Apps, Rapid Subscriber Growth
by Paul J. Gough
Sirius may still be the No. 2 player in the nascent satellite radio marketplace, but it's definitely trying harder. As a result, the spunky digital radio provider had big growth in 2003 and is unveiling new technological enhancements that could accelerate its growth in the future.
During Wednesday's session of the tech-heavy annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sirius announced it had grown 772 percent in the past 12 months, from 30,000 subscribers at the end of 2002 to 261,061 on Dec. 31. As expected, Sirius had its most serious growth during the holidays, to the tune of 100,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter alone.
The news caps a banner month for Sirius. Last month, Sirius snagged a deal with the National Football League to carry play-by-play of regular season games and audio from the NFL Network. And a flurry of releases during the day boosted news and commercial-free music programming and gave a hint of the future, including real-time traffic and weather information for its on-the-road subscribers and a partnership with Delphi to deliver in-car video.
"2003 was a breakthrough year for Sirius," said Joe Clayton, president and chief executive officer of Sirius. "We made remarkable progress in many areas, even adding to this growing marketing opportunity called satellite radio. The potential market remains huge and it's expanding every day." Clayton spoke during a news conference Wednesday at the CES.
While the bulk of satellite radio services had been centered on automotive users, during the past year Sirius showed that it was looking for subscribers in other places. Sirius now offers portable and boombox audio that allow subscribers to take programming and commercial-free music out of the car and into their homes, workplaces, the beach, or anywhere else they want to go.
On Wednesday, Sirius confirmed that it would go forward with plans to deliver streaming video to vehicles, using the existing, low-profile antenna and a deal with Delphi. While details remain sketchy, Sirius said it plans to offer multiple channels of video. It's a concept that Sirius first publicly discussed last year, when Clayton said in the MediaDailyNews (Aug. 7, 2003) that Sirius was being asked by automakers to offer in-car video.
Sirius said it was able to gain subscribers in part by a wider product line, offering more than just in-car satellite radio and having products on the shelves with major retailers in the holiday season. And to be sure, robust subscriber projections didn't hurt either Sirius or XM on Wall Street. Both companies' stock prices have risen in recent weeks, and Clayton pointed out that Sirius' stock was the fifth most actively traded stock on the Nasdaq. It also plans a new advertising campaign and promotion in February, which would also feature three months free with a new one-year subscriber.
"That makes the effective monthly fee of about $10," said Mary Pat Ryan, head of marketing at Sirius. The monthly subscription fee is normally about $12.95 a month.
Sirius will also begin offering a traffic- and weather-enhanced product that would provide localized information for drivers.
fwiw--F-10 was previously signed up to be a XM radio mfgr. presently XM is beating the tar out of Sirius.
January 8, 2004
Sirius Radio short of subscriber goal
By NADJA BRANDT
BLOOMBERG NEWS
Satellite-radio broadcaster Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. had 261,061 subscribers at the end of 2003, well short of the 2 million it has said it will need by next year to generate enough revenue to pay for its operations.
New York-based Sirius lowered its 2003 subscriber forecast in October, saying it no longer expected to reach a goal of 300,000. Sirius is competing with market leader XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., with 1.36 million subscribers.
Sirius' slower subscriber growth reflects in part the success XM has had in getting car companies such as General Motors Corp. to offer satellite radios as a factory-installed option. Sirius has a distribution agreement with Ford Motor Co., although Ford hasn't started installing Sirius radios in its cars.
"Ford has its own internal issues," John LaForge, portfolio manager at First Albany Capital, said yesterday.
yepp 999--no cornice see specs
http://www.samsung.com/DigitAll/GlobalExhibition/Exhibition/ICES2004/ppk/YH999/ppk_YH999_over.htm
Chinese firm sees magic in mini drive
By Ed Frauenheim
CNET News.com
January 7, 2004, 2:34 PM PT
URL: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5136905.html
China-based GS Magicstor unveiled a 1-inch hard drive that can hold up to 4.8GB of data, the highest capacity yet packed into a drive that small, according to the company.
The hard drive maker on Wednesday said its new series of 1-inch drives, which also come in 2.2GB, are targeted at consumer electronics devices.
"By using the same, current technologies available for the high-volume hard drive production, the Magicstor 1-inch HDD (hard disk drive) is able to meet today's increasing demands for high-capacity handheld electronic devices such as the digital cameras, PDAs, laptops, MP3 players, handheld digital video players, and other portable consumer electronics," Magicstor CEO David Wu said in a statement.
The company said it is also developing an even smaller 0.8-inch drive that can be used in cell phones.
The market is slowly heating up for small disk drives, which are finding their way into products such as music players. The drives offer cheaper storage than competing flash memory technology. Research firm IDC has predicted that the market for 1-inch drives will grow from about 750,000 shipments in 2003 to 1.5 million this year. That's still a small fraction of the overall market for disk drives.
But a number of companies are competing in the mini drive arena. Toshiba plans to unveil a hard drive that measures less than an inch across. Hitachi and start-up Cornice make 1-inch drives. Hitachi's 4GB 1-inch drive is at the heart of Apple Computer's latest iPod music player. Cornice recently announced a 2GB 1-inch drive.
sent--there will be: Posted by: Sentinel
In reply to: None Date:12/18/2003 5:48:40 PM
Post #of 57568
Subject: Webcast summary
From LawyerLong
PosTID 300962 On Thursday, December 18, 2003 (EST) at 5:19:27 PM
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June 2005 is looking pretty solid to me at this point.
The Webcast portends a great deal of excitement in the next year or two. But first, what the bashers will look at as bad news. FF did not state the except number of shares which will be registered in the S3, although did state that it appeared the number needed would be much lower than the maximum. Second, revenues for Q4 will only be about $700,000, (though Q1 will be $1.5 M - $2 M) so this and the S3 may hold the pps down for a while. On the other hand, some insTItuTIons are parTIcipaTIng in the registraTIon (?) so interest at these levels is beginning to take place.
The rest of the news was almost too good to keep up with and I may have errors here. The number of projects moving to the finish line seems to have increased exponenTIally.
Fujitsu has showcased the product which includes EDIG's technology to their distribuTIng organizaTIon and it met with great enthusiasm. They expect to pre-sell the enTIre iniTIal order and will most likely iniTIate follow-on orders in early 2004.
Agreement in principle and expect to close a deal with a MAJOR CONSUMER BRAND combining audio and video with the 01000 form factor. Will be available to consumers in late spring 2004 - OEM and specs revealed at that TIme. Who is the major consumer brand?
Agreement in principle and expect to close a deal with a new major OEM for a consumer version of the digEplayer to reach consumers in early fall 2004 . Product will be available by e-tail and retail - name revealed at launch. Who is the new major OEM?
Agreement in principle and expect to close a deal with the world's largest flash-based OEM (?) for an MP3 player based on micros in a personal audio platform. Arrangements similar to the prior Asian-based OEM deal. I have notes about a 1.8 HDD and the Cornice Storage Element (Cornice SE) . Fred spent some TIme talking about Cornice. Who is this OEM and what is the Cornice/EDIG product?
We also have a separate agreement with the EXISTING Asian OEM for another product which will be unveiled at CES - further details in early January. EDIG has been working with Cornice for several months on this. Another product ???
The revenue/royalty potenTIal to EDIG ranges from several hundred thousand to several million annually. In most cases there will be a 3-6 month lag between the release of the product and the beginning of receiving ongoing/cumulaTIve royalTIes.
EDIG is currently working on press releases with OEMs and partners to be released in conjuncTIon with the CES. EDIG products will be displayed in the TI BOOTH AND in the BOOTHs of other companies at CES. Other PRs are also being planned.
Consumer Electronics Players Now Include PC, Chinese Firms
BY PATRICK SEITZ
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Amid the aisles of flat-panel TVs, digital radios, smart phones and personal video recorders, the talk at this year's Consumer Electronics Show is likely to focus on increased competition from PC makers and low-cost Chinese manufacturers.
The annual CES officially gets under way Thursday in Las Vegas. Already the nation's largest technology trade show, this year's event is the biggest yet.
The four-day show will feature more than 2,300 exhibitors sprawled over 1.3 million square feet of convention space. Last year's show drew 2,230 exhibitors and used 1.2 million square feet.
The Consumer Electronics Association, the show's organizer, expects more than 110,000 attendees from 110 countries. CEA spokeswoman Lisa Fasold says this show should beat last year's attendance of 117,000, based on a record number of people who have preregistered.
The 2004 CES will see the launch of HD Radio, the digital upgrade to analog AM and FM local broadcasts. HD Radio claims to greatly improve audio quality, and it will enable stations to broadcast text to in-dash displays. JVC, Kenwood, Panasonic and Philips are among the companies making the digital radio receivers. (See related story, A4.)
Fasold says four product areas are getting the most preshow buzz: digital TVs, including flat-panel plasma and LCD TVs; mobile electronics, such as the latest portable entertainment systems; home networking; and wireless technologies.
Rapid sales growth and consumer excitement over flat digital TVs are drawing new competitors into the market. Many have familiar names from other areas. PC makers Dell Inc. (DELL) and Gateway Inc. (GTW) are making waves with lower-cost sets. Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) is expected to announce its entry into the TV market at the show.
Plus, you can soon expect to see TVs bearing such well-known brands as Epson, Motorola, NEC and Westinghouse.
Chinese manufacturers are boosting efforts to take a big chunk of the TV market as consumers upgrade from analog to digital sets. Thomson SA, (TMS) the French company that sells RCA brand products in the U.S., entered into a joint venture with China's TCL International Holdings Ltd. in November to make TVs and DVD players. The combination of RCA and TCL makes them the world's largest TV maker.
In October, Motorola Inc. (MOT) linked with China's Proview International Holdings Ltd. to make TVs.
PC makers and the Chinese manufacturers threaten to cut into profit margins for traditional consumer electronics companies such as Sony Corp. (SNE) and Panasonic products maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., (MC) says Marge Costello, editor and publisher of Consumer Electronics Online News.
The PC makers pose the most immediate threat, she says.
"There's a great deal of concern that computer companies are going to destroy the margins in the consumer electronics industry. There's a lot of fear," she said. "The concern is they will use these categories as loss leaders."
Direct sellers Dell and Gateway have undercut consumer electronics firms on flat-panel TV prices.
Computer companies have tried to make inroads into the consumer electronics industry before, but now they have a new strategy that's likely to take them further, Costello says.
"In the past, they tried to sell people on using computers in their living rooms and watching TV on 15-inch screens," she said. "What's different now is that the computer industry is going into traditional consumer electronics categories rather than imposing computerlike categories on the consumer electronics industry."
The PC industry's presence at the show includes speeches by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates, Intel Corp. (INTC) President Paul Otellini, Dell CEO Michael Dell and HP CEO Carly Fiorina.
Intel is expected to announce its entry into the "liquid crystal on silicon" chip category, Costello says. LCOS technology is used for high-resolution TV displays.
Intel's new thrust would provide competition for Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) which builds chips for a competing technology for making high-res displays. It's called DLP, or digital light processing.,
Companies use the CES to introduce new products and technologies and to raise their profiles.
Three companies that fit the latter category include Cobra Electronics Inc., (COBR) Daewoo Electronics Corp. and Epson America Inc. (Epson) Cobra, Daewoo and Epson each has leased prime exhibit space for large booths off the main entrance to the convention hall.
Chicago-based Cobra, best known for its radar detectors and two-way family radios, is expanding into GPS satellite navigation products. That's a market dominated by Garmin Ltd. (GRMN)
Last year, Cobra introduced its first GPS products -- handheld devices for hikers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts. Now, Cobra is jumping into the auto and marine markets for GPS products, where Garmin leads.
Cobra's big presence at the show is designed to send a message that Cobra is expanding into new areas, says James Bazet, the firm's chief executive. "We've got some showcase products and we're expecting a lot of traffic in our booth," Bazet said.
South Korea's Daewoo has a large exhibit at the show to let the industry know that it intends to be a major force in the digital display market by 2007.
"This is a very good opportunity to show all of our technologies to the customers," said Chul Lee, chief executive of Daewoo's U.S. unit. Daewoo will be showing off a full line of LCD, plasma and rear-projection TVs, he says.
Epson also intends to make a splash at the show with a large booth in prime real estate. The Japanese company best known for printers and digital cameras is pushing into the digital TV market. It will unveil two categories at the show: rear-projection TV sets and home cinema projectors.
Epson wants to extend its brand into the home entertainment market, says Rajeev Mishra, director of Epson America's home entertainment division. He says the new products aren't a stretch for Epson because it already sells business projectors and makes microdisplay LCD panels for other projection TV makers.
iBiquity Digital and Consumer Electronics Industry Partners Make History with Launch of Commercial HD Radio(TM) Receivers
Wednesday January 7, 12:02 pm ET
HD Radio Products from Kenwood, Panasonic, and JVC Debut in First Quarter of 2004
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- International Consumer Electronics Show -- iBiquity Digital Corporation, the sole developer of HD Radio(TM) technology, along with Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Shapiro and executives representing consumer electronics manufacturers (JVC, Kenwood, Onkyo, Panasonic and Visteon), broadcasters (Beasley Broadcast Group, Greater Media and National Public Radio) and retailer (Ultimate Electronics), today announced the formal launch of commercial HD Radio products during a media conference at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
"CES brought you a first look at this promising technology in 2001. Today marks a historic moment for the radio broadcast and consumer electronics industries," said Shapiro. "The transition of the world's last major medium, AM and FM radio, from analog to digital is now fulfilled with the availability of HD Radio receivers for consumers."
Robert Struble, president and chief executive officer, iBiquity Digital Corporation noted, "HD Radio receivers are for sale. We look forward to continuing to work with our industry partners on a seamless transition to HD Radio, much in the same way the television industry moved from black-and-white to color in the 1960s and 70s."
Struble continued, "At the same time, this announcement does not represent a conclusion of our efforts; it's simply the beginning of a new phase. We will continue to execute with the same focus and determination in licensing additional AM and FM radio stations across the country and further developing the HD Radio system to include capabilities like store-and-replay, on-demand services, a `buy' button, Surround Sound and a host of services that cannot even be imagined today."
In what may be the biggest change to radio since the introduction of FM in the 1940s, iBiquity's award-winning HD Radio technology transforms today's AM and FM radio by transmitting digital audio and data alongside existing analog signals, allowing listeners to enjoy CD-quality sound on FM and FM sound quality on AM with no static, hiss, pops or fades. The technology provides a platform for integrated wireless data services that, combined with display screens on HD Radio receivers, will deliver listeners a variety of additional information via scrolling text such as song titles, artist names, traffic updates, weather forecasts, sports scores and more. Nearly 300 radio stations in over 100 U.S. markets across 38 states have licensed HD Radio technology.
Several of iBiquity Digital's industry partners participated in today's launch announcement and commented on the significance the event:
Milford Smith, Greater Media: "We strongly believe that HD Radio represents the future of AM and FM radio, and to underscore our commitment to this technology, we have already begun to transition all of our stations to HD Radio."
Bob Demuth, Beasley Broadcast: "Over the last few months, we have begun broadcasting in HD Radio on several of our stations across the country, including local radio station KSTJ-FM. We have been extremely pleased with the feedback that we are receiving from these stations and feel that listeners will be dazzled by the great sound quality that HD Radio delivers."
Mike Starling, National Public Radio: "There is no question that HD Radio will deliver an immediate improvement to the AM and FM listening experience, but we are also enthused by its ability to support the long-term needs of radio. For example, we are working with Kenwood, iBiquity Digital and Harris Corporation on our `Tomorrow Radio' project, which will leverage HD Radio technology in order to broadcast multiple programs on the same station frequency, thereby delivering more choice for our loyal listener base."
Dan Petersen, Kenwood: "Kenwood was the first consumer electronics manufacturer to be licensed by iBiquity, and we are taking orders at this show from retailers for the KTC-HR100 HD Radio Tuners with availability later this month. We are proud of the role we have played in launching HD Radio consumer products and look forward to participating in the development of future generations of HD Radio products."
Rob Lopez, Panasonic: "The HD Radio introduction further exemplifies our commitment to providing consumers with the very latest that consumer electronics has to offer. And, with Panasonic's new CQ-CB9900U integrated HD Radio/CD receiver, users will find everything to receive HD Radio broadcasts included in the single-DIN size CD receiver."
Aaron Novak, JVC: "HD Radio represents an exciting breakthrough, particularly for the mobile environment in which radio plays such an important role. JVC is committed to HD Radio as evidenced by our single-DIN model that we are showcasing during CES 2004 for delivery this spring."
Bill Whikehart, Visteon: "As a recognized leader in automotive electronics, Visteon is particularly excited about the opportunities to integrate HD Radio's data capabilities with the telematics features of the 21st century automobile. Our OEM partners are equally encouraged by these possibilities, and we continue to work with them to get HD Radio offered on future vehicles."
Don Milks, Onkyo: "As a long-term leader in home entertainment systems, Onkyo was among the first companies to integrate digital technology into the home environment with such innovations as our Net-Tune(TM) receivers. We look forward to bringing HD Radio technology into the digital living room with several new models and an innovative plug and play add-on module approach."
Dave Workman, Ultimate Electronics: "This past Monday, Ultimate Electronics sold the nation's first HD Radio receiver to a consumer in our Cedar Rapids, Iowa store. Judging by the enthusiastic reaction to the first HD Radio sale, we look forward to a positive response from consumers to these products."
HD Radio was recognized as an honoree in the Software/Embedded Technologies category during the Innovations 2004 Design and Engineering Showcase held in conjunction with the International CES. HD Radio products and demonstrations will be available at the iBiquity Digital Booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall 1-4, #4619) through Sunday, January 11 and in iBiquity Digital's partner's booths (Alpine, Delphi, Eclipse, JVC, Kenwood, Panasonic, Personal Telecom, Sanyo, Texas Instruments, TBK and Visteon).
About iBiquity Digital Corp.
iBiquity Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio technology in the U.S., which will transform today's analog radio to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris, Texas Instruments and Visteon. iBiquity Digital is a privately held company with operations in Columbia, MD, Detroit, MI, Redwood City, CA and Warren, NJ. For more information please visit: www.ibiquity.com.
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Press Release Source: Texas Instruments Incorporated
Texas Instruments Brings the Digital Revolution to Consumers
Wednesday January 7, 9:04 am ET
Visit TI at CES in Booth #9011 to Experience Smarter, Friendlier and More Feature-Rich Products
DALLAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Helping manufacturers realize smarter, friendlier and more feature-rich products, Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE: TXN - News; TI) will exhibit the latest developments in enabling technologies for applications ranging from home theater to portable media and automotive to communications at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth #9011. (See www.ti.com/ces2004 ).
Highlights:
-- In Booth 9011, TI will feature a digital living experience that gives
customers a hands-on understanding of the breadth of consumer
offerings TI enables throughout the whole home and beyond. Some of
the TI-enabled end equipments demonstrated includes DLP television,
DVD audio, digital radio, digital still cameras, set-top boxes, IP
phones, cell phones, DSL wireless router, wireless LAN and digital
automotive products, as well as streaming media solutions for
networking entertainment devices.
-- Demonstration stations will provide OEMs with a technical deep dive
into TI's signal processing expertise that helps define today's end
equipments. TI products featured in the booth include:
-- For digital radio applications, several HD Radio(TM) ready
receivers will be shown, including the first one at retail, and
all of which are based on the industry's first single-chip
processor for HD Radio technology. In addition, for the Eureka
147 Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard, several radios
will be on display, including handheld radios, portable radios,
tabletop radio and a hi-fi tuner.
-- The latest portable digital media players and reference designs
for portable audio and infotainment will be available,
showcasing leading-edge capabilities enabled by TI silicon.
-- Enhanced codecs for streaming media applications, such as WMV9
and H.264, on TI platforms and demonstrations of actual
consumer products for streaming video and audio will be a focal
point.
-- For automotive applications, TI will showcase 1394 technology
in the car, simultaneously transmitting multiple video and
audio streams over Plastic Optical Fiber. Multimedia
applications supported include DVD, gaming, security camera and
navigation unit.
-- TI will show how FireWire(R) makes connecting entertainment
equipment a simple and easy task. As a high-speed, wired
backbone, FireWire is designed from the ground up to support
streaming audio/video with simple, one-cable plug-and-play
connectivity. Featured in the demonstration will be true HD
recording over FireWire, which is the only way to add HD
recording devices to a High-Definition system.
-- DLP(TM) technology continues to expand as the technology of
choice for manufacturers of home theater/home entertainment
systems and for large screen TVs. Demonstrating technology
enhancements that allow greater range of design and product
differentiation for TV customers, the group will show new
customer DLP TVs and affordable, high quality digital front
projectors for the home.
-- TI presents the latest broadband innovations in 802.11 wireless
networking, streaming media, DSL and Voice Over Wireless LAN.
Experience hands-on demos that reveal how the technology is
evolving to enable the latest consumer applications.
-- Solutions for audio applications, including digital audio
amplifiers, audio DACs, ADCs, codecs, digital interface
receivers, clock generators and USB audio products will be
showcased.
-- For video and imaging applications, TI will demonstrate
products with the latest features and advancements available in
portable, fixed and infrastructure video/imaging, based on TI's
digital media processors.
-- TI will demonstrate its strengths in wireless technologies and
digital consumer electronics (digital cameras, MP3 players,
camcorders) while helping customers bring new features and
capabilities to cell phones and other portable and converged
multimedia electronics.
-- TI products featured in suites at the Las Vegas Hilton include:
-- For audio applications, TI will show a new high fidelity stereo
headphone amplifier that drives 1.5 W into 32-ohm speakers from
+/- 12V. Also customers can listen to a class-D subwoofer
solution for LCD applications as well as cost effective stereo
solutions that operate from a USB connection from a notebook or
desktop PC -- without a power cord. (Suite #C950)
-- TI will demonstrate the latest in point-and-shoot digital
camera technology including high resolution video and in-camera
editing functions. (Suite #HD373)
-- For mixed signal video applications, TI will demo the
TVP5150/5146, ultra-low- power NTSC/PAL/SECAM video decoders
with sync detector. (Suite #HD373)
-- Customers will see how to create an enhanced listening
experience for multiple listeners with MultEQ(TM), an
innovative and cost effective approach for mass-market home
theater products. (Suite #C1750)
-- TI will highlight demonstrations on consumer streaming media
solutions with full rate video and audio encode/decode. (Suite
#HD360)
TI has four experts scheduled to speak at CES covering the following
topics:
-- "Value Propositions: Pitfalls and Success Stories" at the Embedded
Linux Consortium on Thursday, 1/8/04 at 10:30 a.m. in the North Hall.
See David Mandala, OMAP systems software technical program manager.
-- "Linux Goes to Market: Designing Successful Embedded Linux Products"
on Thursday, 1/8/04 at 1:30 p.m. in the North Hall. See Tim Ricker,
senior Linux technologist for TI.
-- "The Wireless Home & the Connected Consumer" at the Digital Hollywood
Forum on Saturday, 1/10/04 at 10:30 a.m. in the North Hall. See Tom
Flanagan, director of TI's worldwide broadband strategy.
-- "Chips, Microprocessor & Optical Technology Define the Future of
Entertainment" Saturday, 1/10/04 at 3:00 p.m. in the North Hall. See
Chris Schairbaum, worldwide business manager for TI's Portable Audio
and Infotainment group.
Photo iPod closer?
By Macworld staff
Portalplayer has announced plans to launch PortalPlayer Photo Edition - an upgraded version of its chip/firmware combo that powers the iPod, perhaps paving the way for a Photo iPod.
Michael Maia, vice president of sales and marketing at PortalPlayer, told EE Times: "The software development kit lets a portable device launch an application when connected, while it does tricks like adding music to slide shows or managing photos by editing, rotating and cropping, and red-eye correction. It also makes it possible to synch slide shows, photos and music."
PortalPlayer CEO Gary Johnson added: "The platform makes it possible to build an entertainment device enabling you to carry with you all of your personal content."
Jupiter Research analyst Avi Greengart said: "As a standalone device, a personal digital photo album would appeal to only a limited audience. But personal music players are already a huge industry that's rapidly becoming digital with higher and higher storage densities, so adding photo functionality builds on that."
And it would appear that iPod fans would relish the capacity to be able to display photos on a colour screen. Following the release of the Belkin card reader for iPod In October, 21 per cent of Macworld readers voted that the next update to the iPod should be a colour screen.
PortalPlayer dominates the music jukebox market and claims that its chips and firmware drive 80 per cent of the systems on the market. According to EE Times, the PortalPlayer solution is used in models built by Alpine, Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Philips, RCA, Rio, Samsung and Yamaha.
The Photo Edition platform will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
The software package supports picture manipulation features like editing, rotating, cropping and red-eye correction. It can also allow users to add music to slide-shows. "All these features handily replicate functionality provided on the desktop by Apple's iPhoto", suggests The Register.