[opendtv] 20041220 Mark's Monday Memo
- From: "Mark Schubin" <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Multiple Addresses Suppressed" <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 23:42:33 -0500
- Follow-ups:
- ***The Technology Retreat***, January 26-28 (with a number of
earlier pre-retreat events), at the Marriott Rancho Las Palmas Resort,
Rancho Mirage, California -
- I am delighted to announce that there have been NO CHANGES to
the main program in the last week. So, here's a quickie recap:
- Wednesday morning covers the latest issues associated with
compression (bit-rate reduction), with top talent from Del Rey, Dolby, the
Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern
California (USC), Harmonic, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB),
NBC Universal, Panasonic Labs, Sharp Labs, Tandberg Television, the
University of Arizona, Via Licensing, and Warner Bros. covering everything
you need to know (and THEN some) about the technology, market, and
licensing of AVC (H.264, MPEG-4 Part 10), JPEG2000, and VC-1.
- Wednesday afternoon covers consumer video media, with the
annual technology-year in review, top talent from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS,
Sinclair, and the WB on the networks/broadcasters panel, an update on the
marketplace from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), an update on
content protection from the Motion Picture Association (MPAA), and top
talent from CEA, CEDIA, DirecTV, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), Microsoft, and NBC Universal on the video marketplace panel.
- Thursday morning will cover digital acquisition: tapeless
camcorders, uncompressed HD recording, "control dailies," film transfer for
digital intermediates, lenses, and the latest digital-cinematography
product, Panavision's Genesis.
- Thursday afternoon will cover digital cinema in America,
Europe, and Japan and from such details as optimizing dailies, X'Y'Z' color
space, and MXF packaging to a broad studio perspective. And, with the
recently announced 102-inch plasma panel (see story later in the memo), the
session will close with a consumer-display update so participants can get
an idea of how close the home experience is getting to the theatrical.
- Friday morning delves into the nitty-gritty of post
production, beginning with a Washington update and an explanation of
extended content-control information. Then learn about the sound-editing
workflow on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, how to do digital-intermediate
work on a laptop, and much, much more.
- Friday afternoon will cover standards (SMPTE, MOS, GFX),
signal processing, and file access -- both within a facility and globally.
It will also feature another jaw-dropping presentation on what you didn't
know about wire and cable (the 2004 presentation on why neatly spaced cable
ties might be the worst possible thing you could do for high-data-rate
signals is STILL boggling minds).
- Tuesday afternoon (pre-retreat) offers a choice of two
superb separate-admission half-day seminars: the Advanced Television
Systems Committee (ATSC) "Getting PSIP Right" (just in time for the FCC
PSIP deadline) and Charles Poynton's all-new HDTV & Digital-Cinema Camera
Technology.
Of course, I haven't mentioned the breakfast roundtables, the demo
sessions, or other events. The complete schedule, including more detail on
all of the above, is available here:
<http://www.hpaonline.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=304>
- There are some more breakfast roundtables:
- Loren Nielsen of Entertainment Technology Consultants and
Cynthia Wisehart of Millimeter Magazine will co-moderate a roundtable on
Thursday morning on digital-cinema terminology, preparatory to the
publication of a glossary. They invite suggestions of confusing and
improperly used terms as well as definitions.
- Both Thursday and Friday, Mike Hodson, managing director
of OmniTek in the UK, will moderate roundtables on HDTV, 2K, and dual-link
signal monitoring.
- We now have 23 breakfast roundtables scheduled. I'd like
twice as many (those of you who haven't yet been to a ***Technology
Retreat*** should trust me on this). So, if there's any subject you've
been wanting to spout off on -- or learn about -- consider moderating a
roundtable. Moderators can ask questions instead of answering them -- or
do both. It's EASY! But I do offer the usual two cautions:
1. They start at 7:30 am (but are likely to be well attended from the
start).
2. If you commit to moderating a roundtable, you can change topic up
to the last minute, but, unless you get someone to sub for you, you can't
sit in on anyone else's roundtable the same day.
Those are the only disclaimers. If you're registered for the retreat
and would like a roundtable, just let me know, and I'll confirm instantly.
There is absolutely no restriction of topic (though I'll truncate long
titles), and moderators may be as commercial or non-commercial as they'd
like.
- Speaking of registration, REGISTER! That applies to EVERYONE
-- speakers, panelists, moderators, demonstrators, press, and attendees.
Don't be surprised to find your demo space request rejected because you
failed to register. Recent registrations include representatives of Bose,
Brooklyn College, Fox Technology Group, Ligos, National TeleConsultants,
Quantel, Technicolor Complete Post, THX, Tribune Broadcasting, and Triveni
Digital.
You want networks? We've got ABC, CBS, CTV, CUNY, Discovery, Fox, MTV
Networks, NBC, PBS, Scripps, Starz, Turner, and the WB. You want studios?
We've got Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony/Columbia, Universal, and Warner
Bros. You want broadcasters? We've got (not counting the network-owned
stations) Milwaukee Public Television, Sinclair, Tribune, and Twin Cities
Public Television. You want organizations? We've got AAF, AMPAS, ATSC,
CEA, CEDIA, CPTWG, DoD, FCC, HPA, NAB, NABA, and SMPTE. I'm sure I'm
leaving a bunch out. You want post facilities? Manufacturers?
Universities? Check out the participants here:
<http://www.hpaonline.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=312>
Everyone except press can register here:
<https://www.hpaonline.com/custom/forms/form.cfm?id=95>
Press (recent registration additions include Film & Video Magazine,
Kagan Digital Television, and The New York Times) can register here:
<http://www.hpaonline.com/custom/forms/form.cfm?id=92>
- We've also got two more additions to the demo area: IDX and
Ligos. It MAY already be too late if you'd like demo space, but contact
John Luff at Azcar IMMEDIATELY if you do. Space will be allocated
first-come first-served based on the return of demo-space request forms:
<John.Luff@xxxxxxxxx>
- Personally, I think that learning about the latest in
fiber-optic technology (and the awesome Los Angeles Department of Power and
Water fiber network) is reason enough to stay to the very end of the
retreat, but, in case you don't, DVDO has donated an Anchor Bay DVDO iScan
HD multi-input video processor and scaler with the latest software
upgrades, PLUS all associated video and audio cables -- around a $1500
package:
<http://www.dvdo.com/pro/pro_ishd.html>
Some lucky person who stays to the end will go home with this. You DO
have to be present to win. Many thanks to DVDO and to Peter Putman for
arranging this.
For the rest of you, there are the quizzes. I don't want to reveal
the new top prize just yet, but if you think all-powerful control and soft
& cuddly, you might get an idea. With six half-day sessions this year,
there will be SIX quizzes instead of the previous five.
- The Rancho Las Palmas hotel has sold out for Monday and Tuesday
nights, and they are getting close on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. If
you haven't made your hotel reservation yet, do so IMMEDIATELY! It's not
just room availability. Once the hotel sells out of the HPA block of
rooms, they're under no obligation to honor the HPA rate, promotion code
TR2005 (their cheapest non-HPA rate seems to be about $269 a night). There
IS a backup hotel within walking distance. You can find info here:
<http://www.hpaonline.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=290>
- Weather report: There were subfreezing temperatures this
morning from Maine down to central Florida and as far west as Washington
State. In parts of the northeast, the HIGH temperature today never got out
of the single digits (Fahrenheit), and in Montreal today that would have
been considered warm. I won't even mention the sleet, freezing rain, and
wet snow. Meanwhile, in Rancho Mirage, California, it was a lovely, sunny
70 degrees, with 0% chance of precipitation. Need I say more?
<http://www.w3.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/tenday.html?locid=
USCA0912>
- If you need any more info, you can probably find it here:
<http://www.hpaonline.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=289>
- You have been warned! BE THERE!
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- Number of TVs in homes - This appeared in the Sunday Business
section of The New York Times: "Saturation is probably the number of rooms
in the home, maybe subtracting the bathroom -- but not necessarily," Joseph
Turow, professor at the Annenberg School of Communications at the
University of Pennsylvania. There doesn't seem to be a URL, but that's the
full quote.
You could find out more by asking at the CEA Update session at ***The
Technology Retreat***:
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- Surveys -
- A Comcast survey of 750 TV households conducted by
International Communications Research between November 17 and November 22
found that 49% said "HDTV would be a critical component of their ULTIMATE
home entertainment experience" (which means 51% didn't), and 43% "said they
do not expect to ever buy a standard television again" (which means 57% do):
<http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-1
5-2004/0002633885&EDATE=>
- A Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications study of 828
non-gay and 243 "self-identified gay, lesbian and bisexual adults" found
the latter group twice as likely to own an HDTV and more likely to buy one:
<http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041215/nyw139_1.html>
- A CEA survey of 1000 teens (13-17) found 98% watched TV in the
past 30 days but only 87% used a desktop computer in the same period:
<http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=10634>
- An IDC survey of more than 1200 likely TV buyers found that
they want "a 42-inch HD flat TV priced at less than $2,000 from a major
consumer electronics (CE) vendor purchased at a familiar CE retail store --
but they could live with alternatives in several of those categories":
<http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=pr2004_11_22_142951>
Is it possible for them to get what they want? Ask Roam Consulting's
Peter Putman at ***The Technology Retreat***:
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- The $28 billion cost to cable for implementing the NAB plan -
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) president Robert
Sachs explained in a letter to FCC chair Michael Powell that it was because
an estimated 141 million analog TV sets currently connected to cable
without a box would need one costing between $50 and $200 each:
<http://www.ncta.com/pdf_files/DTVexparte12.15.04.pdf>
In a somewhat related story, Gary Arlen in TV Technology discusses
NCTA's report to the FCC on problems with CableCARD-slot-equipped TV sets.
In one, "the pins in the CableCARD slot inside the TV bend when you try to
insert a CableCARD, due to a solder-temperature error in the manufacture of
the TV set," but the manufacturer had "no plans for a recall of this DTV,
so the issue has to be handled by a technician in the field":
<http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/tuning_in/Feature_Arlen.shtml>
FYI, NCTA's 33-page year-end overview on the state of cable is
available. Figures are generally for the end of the third quarter of 2004.
It shows broadband data service available to 91% of homes that could (or
do) subscribe to cable ("homes passed") and 19.4 million cable-modem
subscribers. There were 24.3 digital-cable subscribers. It notes 17 HD
cable networks out of a whopping 390:
<http://www.ncta.com/pdf_files/NCTAYearEndOverview04.pdf>
- Telephone-line video - The December 19 issue of the SCRI Insider
Report has a long story on the subject from Thomson Financial/Dialog.
Access requires filling out a survey:
<http://www.scri.com/sub/sc_newscur.html>
I can't reveal too much at the moment, but don't be surprised if you
can hear all about this, too, straight from the horse's mouth, at ***The
Technology Retreat***. BE THERE!
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- July 1 -
- This week I've listed 118 advertised TVs 36-inch or larger. Of
those, 37 (31%) have integrated DTT-reception capability.
- See also the ads section for inexpensive non-integrated sets
that are HD and/or widescreen.
- TV sets that would require DTT-reception circuitry starting 2004:
- RCA 36V430T 36-inch TV @ Best Buy $399.99
- Sony Wega 36-inch TV @ Royal $549
- Toshiba 36E60 36-inch TV @ Royal $298
- RCA ZA46 46-inch projection TV @ Royal $397
- Toshiba 50A60 50-inch projection TV @ Royal $428
- Sony 53S65 53-inch projection TV @ Royal $498
- Sony 61S75 61-inch projection TV @ Royal $598
- Toshiba 61H60 61-inch projection TV @ Royal $618
- Sony 65S65 65-inch projection TV @ Royal $849
- TV sets that would require DTT-reception circuitry starting 2005:
- RCA 25-inch TV @ Royal $98
- Daewoo DTQ27U4SC 27-inch flat-screen TV @ Best Buy $199.99 AR
- JVC AV27530 27-inch TV @ Sears $199.99
- Magnavox 27-inch TV @ Radio Shack $199.99
- Magnavox 27MS3404 27-inch TV @ Circuit City $199.99
- Mystery brand 27-inch TV @ Circuit City $159.99 AR
- Sony 27S45 27-inch TV @ Royal $144
- Toshiba 27A34 27-inch TV @ Target $199.99
- Toshiba 27H50 27-inch TV @ Royal $139
AR - price after mail-in rebate
- Devices that would require DTT-reception circuitry in 2007:
- ESA ET413E 13-inch TV @ Circuit City $59.99
- "Famous Maker" 13-inch TV @ Royal $58
- Magnavox 13MT143S 13-inch TV @ Circuit City $79.99
- Advent Q1435A 14-inch flat-screen TV @ Best Buy $84.99 AR
- "Famous Maker" 19-inch TV @ Royal $78
- Sylvania 6420FE 20-inch flat-screen TV @ Best Buy $119.99
- Symphonic ST423E 23-inch TV @ Best Buy $99.99 AR
- "Famous Brand" VCR @ Royal $34.99
- Mystery brand DVD/VCR combo @ Radio Shack $79.99 AR
- ESA E4000 DVD/VCR combo @ Circuit City $71.99
- GoVideo DV2140 DVD/VHS combo @ J&R $89.99
- Mystery brand DVD/VCR combo @ Radio Shack $79.99 AR
- Sylvania DVC845E DVD/VHS combo @ Best Buy $79.99
- Centrios EDW8020 DVD recorder @ Circuit City $149.99
- Cony DVD-R1100 DVD+R/RW recorder @ J&R $169.99
- GoVideo VR3939 DVD-R/RW recorder @ J&R $249.99
- Magnavox MRV640 DVD+R/RW recorder @ Best Buy $179.99
- Mystery brand RV4000 VCR/DVD recorder combo @ CompUSA $199.99 AR
- Panasonic DMRE55S DVD recorder @ Circuit City w/$15 GC $249.99 BS
- Samsung DVD-R100 DVD-R/RAM/RW recorder @ J&R
- Toshiba DR2 DVD-R/RAM/RW recorder @ J&R $249.99
AR - price after mail-in rebate
BS - price "before savings"
GC - price includes gift card of amount shown
- Devices that would require dual DTT-reception circuitry in 2007:
- SuperScan SSF420DR 20-inch TV/VCR/DVD combo @ Sears $229.99
- Devices not covered by the mandate but using analog TV broadcasts:
- Mystery brand 3-inch LCD TV @ Radio Shack $99.99
- Casio EV570C 2.5-inch LCD TV @ Circuit City $99.99 AR
- Casio TV-980 2.3-inch LCD TV @ Best Buy $79.99
- Memorex MKS8502 5-in. TV/AM/FM/CD karaoke @ Circuit City $79.99
- Mystery brand 3-inch LCD TV @ Radio Shack $99.99
- Singing Machine STVG513 5-in. TV/AM/FM/CD karaoke @ Circuit
$79.99
- Sony D-FJ200 AM/FM/TV/weather/CD Walkman @ DataVision $69 AR
- Sony D-NF400 AM/FM/TV/weather/CD Walkman @ DataVision $74
- Sony D-NF600 AM/FM/TV/weather/CD Walkman @ DataVision $129
- Sony D-NS707F AM/FM/TV/weather CD Walkman @ DataVision $99
- SuperSonic TV/CD/AM/FM boombox @ Macy*s $15 w/$60 fragrance buy
AR - price after rebate
- The IEEE Broadcast Symposium - Doug Lung discusses it in TV
Technology and quotes from a paper by Charles Einolf and Victor Tawil that
"It is possible that impulse noise, in many locations, may render the
low-VHF channels undesirable for digital television":
<http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/On-RF/Feature_Lung.shtml>
- May 1 -
- The FCC did not update its lists this week.
- The NAB's list of stations has not been updated and still has
1344 stations in 211 markets:
<http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/issues/digitaltv/DTVStations.asp>
The November/December issue of NAB's "Destination Digital TV,"
however, lists 1356 stations in 211 markets as of December 5:
<http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/Issues/digitaltv/DDTV/1204.pdf>
- Here are some major upcoming U.S. DTT-transition dates:
- 2005 February 1 - Fully implement PSIP (come to the ATSC seminar at
***The Technology Retreat*** to learn how)
- 2005 July 1 -
- 100% of TVs 36-inch and larger with analog tuners require
DTT-reception circuitry
- 50% of TVs 25- to 35-inch with analog tuners require
DTT-reception circuitry
- "Broadcast-flag" restrictions go into effect
- ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations in the top-100 markets must
transmit full-power DTT
- 2006 July 1 -
- 100% of TVs 25-inch and larger with analog tuners require
DTT-reception circuitry
- All stations must transmit full-power DTT
- 2006 December 31 (as of now) - Last day of analog TV broadcasting
- Three out of four programs on the PBS HD channel are reportedly
upconverted standard-definition:
<http://www.freelists.org/archives/opendtv/12-2004/msg00272.html>
- Electronic Engineering Times has a story on the head start that AVC is
gaining over VC-1 if only based on shipping products:
<http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=54800092>
To find out anything you'd care to know about AVC, VC-1, the
standards, the licensing, and the products, come to the compression and
standards sessions at ***The Technology Retreat***:
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- According to a story in today's New York Times, domestic theatrical
cinema attendance fell by 2.25 percent this year after dropping 3.8 percent
in 2003:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/movies/20box.html?oref=login>
- International H/DTV news:
- There were just under four million Freeview households in the UK as
of September 30:
<http://www.revolutionmagazine.com/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=ViewNewsArticle
&ID=230583>
More than a million UK households have more than one Freeview receiver
(and almost 25% of the 660,000 receivers sold between July and September
were to homes that already had one). Analog switch-off is now said to be
in 2012:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4094931.stm>
Freeview reportedly grew 13.3% in the third quarter; Sky grew 0.8%:
<http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2004/12/15/cnfreev
15.xml>
- BSkyB will reportedly support both 720- and 1080-line HDTV:
<http://informitv.com/articles/2004/12/14/skyhdtvplans/index.shtml>
- New York Times "Circuits"-section columnist David Pogue would like to say
how far people should sit from HDTVs:
<http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/technology/circuits.html>
He welcomes comments here:
<http://forums.nytimes.com/top/opinion/readersopinions/forums/technology/dav
idpoguescolumns/index.html>
- Samsung has a 102-inch 1920 x 1080 plasma panel:
<http://www.eet.com/sys/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=55800804>
- Based on figures from CEA, sales to U.S. dealers of non-H/DTV television
sets for the first 47 weeks of 2004 were still down 5.6% from the same
period in 2003. My ten-week running average was down 5.2%.
Sales of so-called "Digital Televisions" for the 47th week were
149,205 units and for the first 47 weeks 3,925,966.
"Digital Televisions" (most of which are HDTV displays without
DTT-reception capability) accounted for about 15.7% of the TVs (not
counting plasma or direct-view LCD) sold to U.S. dealers through the 47th
week this year, a slight DROP from the previous two weeks. It may be worth
noting here what that means. About 84% of the non-plasma,
non-direct-view-LCD TVs sold through the 47th week this year were still
plain non-H/DTV direct-view TVs with picture tubes. Even with LCD and
plasma, about three of every four TVs being sold are plain non-H/DTV
direct-view TVs with picture tubes.
To qualify to CEA as a "Digital Television," a display need only be
capable of dealing with at least 480p; it need not be capable of either
receiving digital signals or displaying them. Devices actually capable of
receiving DTT signals are still a small fraction of those numbers.
- Ads for set-top DTT receivers: I'm aware of only the two DirecTV-brand
models at Good Guys.
- The ads - DataVision's ad said they offered instant rebates "on any
plasma or LCD TV," but the rebate was mentioned on only two models, so I've
included it on only those models. The Epson integrated TVs were referred
to as "fully HDTV compatible" in the Ken Crane's ad.
- Best Buy (HD disclaimers only):
- Advent HT2751A 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $379.99
- Mitsubishi WD-52525 52-in. 16:9 integr. proj. DTV w/$300 GC $3499.99
EJ
- Mitsubishi WD-62525 62-in. 16:9 integr. proj. DTV w/$400 GC $4299.99
EJ
- Panasonic PT-50LC14 50-inch LCD projection TV w/$200 GC $2799.99 EJ
- Panasonic PT-60LC14 60-inch LCD projection TV w/$300 GC $3499.99 EJ
- Panasonic TH-37PD25U/P 37-inch integrated 16:9 plasma DTV $2499.99
- Philips 30PW8402 30-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $749.99 EJ
- Philips 30PF9946D/37 30-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1999.99 EJ
- Samsung HL-P5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV w/$300 GC $2999.99 EJ
- Samsung HL-P6163W 61-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV w/$400 GC $3799.99 EJ
- Samsung LT-P227W 22-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1499.99 EJ
- Samsung TX-P2764X 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $449.99
- Samsung TX-P3071WH 30-inch 16:9 integr. CRT DTV w/$100 GC $999.99 EJ
- Sony KDE42XS955 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $5499.99 EJ
- Sony KP51WS520 51-inch 16:9 projection TV w/$100 GC $1699.99 EJ
- Toshiba 46H84 46-inch 16:9 projection TV w/$100 GC $1399.99 EJ
- Westinghouse W32701 27-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $999.99 AR EJ
- Westinghouse W33001 30-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $1499.99 EJ
- Zenith E44W46LCD 44-inch wide LCD proj. TV w/$200 GC $1999.99 EJ
- Zenith P42W46X 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2299.99
AR - price after rebate
EJ - price includes Elton John 4-DVD set
GC - price includes gift card of amount shown
- Circuit City (HD disclaimers only):
- Audiovox FP1500 15-inch 4:3 LCD TV $399.99 BS
- ESA PDP4294LV 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV 1999.99
- Hitachi 50VS810 50-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $3699.99 BS
- Hitachi 60VS810 60-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $4399.99
- Magnavox 51MP392H 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1099.99 BS
- Panasonic CT27HL14 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $549.99
- Panasonic CT30WX54 30-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $999.99 BS
- Panasonic TC32LX20 32-inch widescreen LCD TV $3299.99 BS
- Panasonic TH37PD25U 37-inch integrated 16:9 plasma DTV $2499.99 BS
- Panasonic TH42PD25U 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2999.99 BS
- Panasonic TH42PX25U 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $5499.99 BS
- Panasonic TH50PX25U 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $6999.99 BS
- Philips 27PT8302 27-inch 4:3 CRT direct-view TV $499.99
- Samsung HLP4663W 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $2999.99 BS
- Samsung HLP5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3299.99 BS
- Samsung HPP5071 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $6499.99 BS
- Samsung LTP266W 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1999.99 BS
- Samsung TXP3064W 30-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $799.99 BS
- Sharp LC13S1UB 13-inch 4:3 LCD direct-view TV $449.99 BS
- Sony KDF55WF655 55-inch wide integrated LCD projection DTV $3299.99 BS
- Sony KLV21SG2 21-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499.99 BS
- Sony KP46WT520 46-inch 16:9 projection TV $1499.99 BS
- Sony KP51WS520 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1699.99 BS
BS - price before savings
- DataVision (New York Times, no disclaimer):
- BenQ PB6100 DLP projector $999
- BenQ PB7220 DLP projector $2199
- Canon LV-S3 LCD projector $999
- Canon SX50 projector
- Kreisen LT-30FMP 30-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499
- Mitsubishi HC3 projector $1499 AR
- Mitsubishi SL4U LCD projector $1199 AR
- NEC VT47 projector $995
- NextVision 3020 30-inch TV
- Optoma 732H DLP projector $1099
- Optoma H30 DLP projector $1299
- Optoma RD50 50-inch widescreen DLP projection TV $1999
- Panasonic PT-50LC14 50-inch LCD projection TV $2799
- Panasonic PT-60LC14 60-inch LCD projection TV
- Panasonic TC-14LA2 14-inch 4:3 LCD TV $499
- Panasonic TC-17LA2 17-inch 4:3 LCD TV
- Panasonic TC-20LA2 20-inch 4:3 LCD TV $899
- Panasonic TC22LH30 22-inch 16:9 LCD TV $1499
- Panasonic TC-32LX20 32-inch widescreen LCD TV
- Panasonic TH-50PX25U/P 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Pioneer PDP-5045HD 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Samsung DVD-L1200 12-inch widescreen DVD/LCD combo
- Samsung HL-P4663W 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $2999
- Samsung HL-P5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3299
- Samsung HL-P5085W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3999
- Samsung HL-P5685W 56-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $4599
- Samsung HL-P6163W 61-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3999
- Samsung HP-P5071 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV
- Samsung LTN-406W 40-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV
- Samsung LTP-227W 22-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1499
- Samsung LTP-266W 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1999
- Samsung LTP326W 32-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV
- Samsung LTP-468W 46-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV
- Samsung LTP-1545 15-inch 4:3 direct-view LCD TV $599
- Samsung LTP-1745 17-inch 4:3 direct-view LCD TV $699
- Samsung LTP-1795W 17-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $899
- Samsung LTP-2045 20-inch 4:3 direct-view LCD TV $899
- Samsung SP-P4231 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499
- Samsung SP-P4251 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2699
- Sharp LC-15B6U6 [sic] 15-inch 4:3 LCD direct-view TV $599
- Sharp LC-20SH1U 20-inch 4:3 LCD direct-view TV $799
- Sharp LC-26GA4U 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1799
- Sharp LC-30HV6U 30-inch 16:9 LCD direct-view TV $2399
- Sony KD-30XS955 30-inch 16:9 integrated direct-view DTV $1399
- Sony KD-36XS955 36-inch 4:3 integrated direct-view DTV $1699
- Sony K[D]E-37XS955 37-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $4499
- Sony K[D]E-42XS955 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $5499
- Sony K[D]E-50XS955 50-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $6999
- Sony KDE-55XBR950 55-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Sony KDE-61XBR950 61-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Sony KDF-50WE655 50-inch widescreen integrated LCD projection DTV
- Sony KDF-60WE655 60-inch widescreen integrated LCD projection DTV
- Sony KDF-70XBR950 70-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV
- Sony KDL-32XBR950 32-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV
- Sony KDL-42XBR950 42-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV
- Sony KE-42M1 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3499
- Sony KLV-21SR2 21-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499
- Sony KLV-23M1 23-inch direct-view LCD TV $1799 VD
- Sony KLV-26HG2 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $2499 VD
- Sony KLV-32M1 32-inch widescreen LCD TV $3499 IN
- Sony KV-32HS510 32-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $1299
- Sony KV-34HS420 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $1599
- Sony KV-34HS510 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $1999
- Sony KV-34XBR910 34-inch 16:9 direct-view CRT TV $2499
- Sony VPL-HS51 LCD projector $3499
- Syntax TV-LT27HV 27-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1249
- Syntax TV-LT30HV 30-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1499 AR
- Toshiba TDP-S20U projector $999
- ViewSonic N2000 20-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV $599 AR
- ViewSonic N2700 27-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV $1299 AR
- ViewSonic M3020 30-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV
AR - price after mail-in rebate
IN - price includes installation
VD - price includes VCR/DVD combo
- Dell (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Dell 19-inch widescreen LCD TV $799
- Dell 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499
- Dell 30-inch widescreen LCD TV $1999
- Dell 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2299
- Dell 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2999
- Dell (New York Times, no disclaimer):
- Dell W1900 19-inch widescreen LCD TV $849
- Dell W2600 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1520
- Sony PFM-42X1/B 42-inch plasma TV $3240
- Epson (no disclaimer necessary):
- Epson 47-inch widescreen integrated proj. DTV/printer $2699 AR
- Epson 57-inch widescreen integrated proj. DTV/printer $3199 AR
AR - price after mail-in rebate
- Fry's (Los Angeles Times, some HD disclaimers):
- Mitsubishi WD-52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $3299
- Mitsubishi WS-55315 55-inch 16:9 projection TV $1499
- Mystery brand 27-inch widescreen LCD TV $899
- Toshiba 62HM84 62-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3399
- Good Guys (Los Angeles Times, appropriate disclaimers):
- DirecTV satellite/ATSC receiver/decoder $299
- DirecTV HR10-250 satellite/ATSC receiver/decoder/TiVo PVR $999
- JVC HD61Z575 61-inch widescreen D-ILA projection TV $4499
- LG KU17WDVD 17-inch widescreen LCD TV w/DVD player $1099
- Mitsubishi 50-inch plasma TV
- Mitsubishi LT3040 30-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $2999
- Mitsubishi WD 52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $3499
- Mitsubishi WD 62825 62-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV/PVR $5999
- Mitsubishi WS55315 55-inch 16:9 projection TV $1799
- Samsung HLP4663WX 46-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $2999
- Samsung HLP5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $3299 BS
- Samsung LTP266WX 26-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1999
- Samsung TXP3075WHXF 30-inch 16:9 integrated direct-view CRT DTV $999
- Sharp LC20B6US 20-inch 4:3 LCD direct-view TV $1099
- Sharp LC37G4U 37-inch widescreen LCD direct-view TV $4999
- Sony KDF55WF655 55-inch widescreen integrated LCD projection DTV $3299
- Sony KE42TS2 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3999
- Sony KLV-21SG2 21-inch widescreen LCD TV $1499
- Zenith C27V36 27-inch 4:3 direct-view CRT TV $499
BS - price "before in store savings"
- Gracious Home (New York Times, maybe no disclaimer necessary):
- Sharp 20-inch 4:3 LCD TV $1099.99
- Harvey (New York Times, no disclaimer necessary):
- SharpVision LC26GD4U 26-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV $2299
- Howard's (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Panasonic PT43LC14 43-inch LCD projection TV $2299
- Panasonic PT47WX34 47-inch 16:9 projection TV $1199
- Philips 42PF9936 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2399
- Sony KE32TS2 32-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2499
- Sony KP51WS520 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1599
- Sony KP57WS520 57-inch 16:9 projection TV $1899
- Toshiba 42HP84 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $4299
- Toshiba 51H84 51-inch 16:9 projection TV $1599
- HP (no disclaimer):
- HP pl4245n 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3999.99
- J&R (am New York, no disclaimer):
- Westinghouse W33001 30-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $1599.99
- J&R (New York Times, no disclaimer):
- Akai PDV42S10 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $1799.99
- Epson PowerLite S1+ projector
- Optoma H30 projector w/screen $999.99
- Panasonic TH-37PD25U/P 37-inch integrated 16:9 plasma DTV
- Panasonic TH-42PD25U/P 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV
- Philips 42PF9936 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $6999.99
- Philips 50PF9966 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $5499.99
- Philips 62PL9774/37 62-inch LCoS projection TV $2499.99
- Samsung HLP5063W 50-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV
- Samsung HL-P6163W 61-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV
- Sony KDF-70XBR950 70-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV
- Sony KDL-32XBR950 32-inch widescreen integrated LCD DTV
- Toshiba 32HL84 32-inch widescreen LCD TV $2699.99
- ViewSonic PJ501 LCD projector $769.99
- Westinghouse W32001 20-inch 16:9 direct-view LCD TV $549.99
- J&R (Village Voice, no disclaimer):
- LG RU-52SZ61D 52-inch 16:9 DLP projection TV $2499.99
- Ken Crane's (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Epson LS-47P2 47-inch 16:9 integr. proj. TV/printer w/CD-R/RW $2698 AR
- Epson LS-57P2 57-inch 16:9 integr. proj. TV/printer w/CD-R/RW $3198 AR
- LG DU-42PY10X 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $4498
- Mitsubishi 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection TV $3498
- Mystery brand 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $1798
- Panasonic TH-42PD25UP 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2998
AR - price after mail-in rebate
- Paul's (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- Panasonic TH-42PD25UP 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $2995 ELN
ELN - price "even less now"
- Radio Shack (no disclaimer):
- Magnavox 17-inch LCD $699.99
- Ultimate Electronics (Minneapolis Star Tribune, HD identifications
only):
- Apex AVL2076 20-inch widescreen LCD TV $498.95 AR
- Magnavox 42MF7000 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $1998.95
- Mitsubishi WD52525 52-inch 16:9 integrated projection DTV $3499.95
- Panasonic PT43LC14 43-inch LCD projection TV $1999.95
- Panasonic PT47WX34 47-inch 16:9 projection TV $998.95
- Panasonic TC26LX20 26-inch widescreen LCD TV $1999.95
- Panasonic TH42PX25 42-inch 16:9 integrated plasma DTV $4999.95
- Philips 23PF9966 23-inch 16:9 LCD TV $1499.95
- Philips 55PL9774 55-inch 16:9 LCoS projection TV w/stand $2499.95
- Samsung SPP4251 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2699.95
- Sony KP46WT520 46-inch 16:9 projection TV $1349.95
- Zenith P42W46XH 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2299.95
AR - price after mail-in rebate
- Video & Audio Center (Los Angeles Times, no disclaimer):
- LG RU 15LA61 15-inch 4:3 LCD TV $597 BS
- LG RU23LZ21 23-inch widescreen direct-view LCD TV $1497 BS
- LG RU42PX11 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $2497 BS
- LG RU42PZ61 42-inch 16:9 plasma TV $3797
- LG RU50PZ61 50-inch 16:9 plasma TV $5997 BS
- LG RU52SZ30 52-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $2397
- Sony KF42WE610 42-inch 16:9 LCD projection TV $2197
BS - price "before savings"
- DVD news:
- According to CEA, sales of DVD players to U.S. dealers for the first
47 weeks of 2004 were down 3.3% from the same period in 2003. My ten-week
running average was down 10.2%. I guess it's real -- DVD-player sales have
peaked. VCR sales were down 63.9% for the first 47 weeks.
- Circuit City advertised DVD movies this week for $4.99 each.
- Sunday's New York Times Arts & Leisure section took an interesting
perspective on piracy; it rated the quality of bootleg DVDs:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/movies/19lee.html>
The story quotes Darcy Antonellis, senior vice president of worldwide
antipiracy operations for Warner Brothers. Guess where she's been heard.
Right! At ***The Technology Retreat***! BE THERE!
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- Satellite news: Multichannel News has a report on the three "mosaic
channels" to be launched by DirecTV. One will have five or six news
channels on screen at once, with viewers able to select audio or fill the
screen with just one. The full story requires a paid subscription:
<http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA488965.html?display=Breaking+News>
To get more information you COULD subscribe to Multichannel News. Or
you could ask DirecTV's Bob Plummer about it at ***The Technology
Retreat***:
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- PVR news: According to the latest DTV View report from Lyra Research,
"Hooked Up: A Cable-TV User Survey," a higher proportion of Time Warner
Cable subscribers (21%) use PVRs than do any other cable subscribers -- AND
a higher proportion of those PVR users use cable-provided PVRs instead of
stand alone (76%). Number two in using PVRs are Adelphia subscribers
(14%). Number two in the proportion of PVR users using
cable-company-provided PVRs is Comcast (50%):
<http://www.dtvview.com/DTVPress.nsf/a6df7dce4a0ca65f85256d160061e4eb/67d41b
a24bdffd8285256f660068cd92?OpenDocument>
- End-of-an-era department: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and
the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) today announced that they have
reached agreement to end their formal affiliation and that CEA has decided
to withdraw from its sector affiliation with EIA, effective Jan. 1, 2005:
<http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=10638>
Want to ask about CEA or its predecessors (CEMA, RETMA, RMA)? Try CEA
vp Brian Markwalter at ***The Technology Retreat***:
<http://www.hpaonline.com>
- Upcoming Dates (DTV and non-DTV):
- January 3-6, Las Vegas, IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking
Conference <http://www.ieee-ccnc.org/>.
- January 6-9, Las Vegas, Consumer Electronics Show
<http://www.cesweb.org/>.
- January 8-12, Las Vegas Convention Center, International Conference
on Consumer Electronics <http://www.icce.org/>.
- January 11-13, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort, California,
SCTE Emerging Technologies Conference <http://et.scte.org/>.
- January 15, KABC, Los Angeles, STE VSB seminar
<http://www.ste-ca.org/>.
- January 25, Rancho Las Palmas Marriott, Rancho Mirage, California,
NABA Technical Committee meeting
<http://www.nabanet.com/calendar/default.asp?action=view&EventId=379>.
- ***January 26-28, Rancho Las Palmas Marriott, California, ***The
Technology Retreat*** <http://www.hpaonline.com>.
- *January 26-28, RAI, Amsterdam, Integrated Systems Europe
<http://www.iseurope.org/>. Go only if you can't possibly make it to
***The Technology Retreat*** <http://www.hpaonline.com>. Then you can go
to the Systems Integration Expo in Orlando March 7-12
<http://www.nscaexpo.org>.
- January 28, Wokefield Park, England, International Association of
Broadcasting Manufacturers conference
<http://www.theiabm.org/index.cfm?RecordID=80>.
- January 30-February 2, Crowne Plaza Ravinia, Atlanta, SMPTE Advanced
Motion Imaging Conference and VidTrans
<http://www.smpte.org/conferences/vidsm.cfm>.
- February 17-19, Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, California, CEA
Summit <http://www.ce.org/events/event_info/default.asp?eventID=WS05>.
- February 21-22, New York and London, Collaborative Conferencing
Summit <http://sites.securemc.com/folder4073/>.
- February 25, 1750 K Street NW, Washington, D.C., ATSC Forum
<http://www.atsc.org/technicalmeetings.html>.
- March 7-11, Hyatt Regency San Antonio, Texas, CEA Winter Technology
& Standards Forum
<http://www.ce.org/events/event_info/default.asp?eventID=WTS05>.
- *March 7-12, Orange County Convention Center, Systems Integration
Expo <http://www.nscaexpo.org/>.
- March 23, KQED, San Francisco, VSB seminar
<http://www.lns.com/sbe/archive/sbenov04.html>.
- March 28-31, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, SURA/VIDe
2005 <http://www.vide.net/conferences/spr2005/>.
- April 3-5, Moscone Center, San Francisco, NCTA: The National Show
<http://www.thenationalshow.com/ncta2005/ncta2005/public/enter.aspx>.
- April 16-21, Las Vegas Convention Center, NAB 2005
<http://www.nabshow.com/default.asp>.
- May 22-27, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, SID International
Symposium 2005 <http://www.sid.org/conf/sid2005/sid2005.html>.
- May 28-31, CCIB, Barcelona, 118th AES Convention
<http://www.aes.org/events/118/>.
- May 30-June 3, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary,
SAIT/WABE Broadcast Training Seminar <wayne.watson@xxxxxxx>
<http://www.wabe.ca/>.
- June 4-10, Las Vegas Convention Center, Infocomm 2005
<http://www.sid.org/conf/sid2005/sid2005.html>.
- June 28-30, Javits Convention Center, New York, Entertainment
Technology Alliance Summit <http://www.etaexpo.com/register.html>.
* - new or revised listing
TTFN,
Mark
PS Permission is granted to forward this or any other Monday Memo. Next
week's memo might be late.
Confused about something in the memo? Please first check out the second
post-script to the January 5 memo here:
<http://www.digitaltelevision.com/mondaymemo/mlist/frm02052.html>
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