March, 2007 | HD TV PROFESSOR

Month: March 2007

Cable Goes Local for HDTV

March 30, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

During the lead-up to the SuperBowl, we saw lots of local cable companies get in beefs over rebroadcasting the HD programming from local network stations. As I mentioned at the time, it makes sense to me that the owners of the local stations ask to share in the revenues earned by the cable companies for those rebroadcasts. But what if the cable companies didn't rebroadcast the local stations at all?...

It Joost Gets Better!

March 29, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

I'm fortunate to be one of the beta testers for the new Joost IPTV service. This is the system that was originally known as "the Venice Project", created by the original inventors of the Skype Internet phone service. Joost keeps growing and getting more polished. The number of channels has been expanded, and includes a variety of programming. Much of it is admittedly aimed at a somewhat younger (and apparently...

RP HDTV Post January Gains

March 28, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

In a press release, the display market research firm Pacific Media Associates (I work for this company) reported that in January rear projection HDTV unit sales increased 1.5% over December's sales figures. That may not seem like much, but compare it with the 20% drop in sales of flat panel HDTVs: LCD and plasma. Texas Instruments' DLP technology remained dominant, expanding its share of the rear projection market to 70%....

Philips Bails on Plasma HDTV

March 27, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

A couple of weeks ago, the CEO of Philips Consumer Electronics stated that the company is phasing out its plasma HDTV products worldwide except for North America and Australia, and will just focus on LCD TVs. It is worth noting that Philips also was a player in the LCoS rear projection market for long time before abandoning that technology completely. It is worth noting that Philips thinks that it can...

Down with Wires!

March 26, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

A couple of weeks ago, Motorola announced the purchase of Amimon, Inc., a company that has created a wireless high-definition interface that it calls "WHDI". Now, Motorola is big in wireless connectivity, but we think of it as a cell phone company. Why is it getting involved in HD? The fact is that wireless connectivity offers a huge boost in the ease of use and lowers the cost of installation...

A Computer for Your HDTV

March 23, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

One of the problems with an HDTV is that you can't record high definition programming with most digital video recorders (DVRs). There are a few models on the market, but most are tied to cable or satellite service. If you want a DVR for over-the-air broadcast HDTV, one of your best bets at this point is to set up a computer running Windows Media Center Edition. This can be an...

Plasma HDTV Stays Aggressive

March 22, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Three years ago, the average 42" high-definition plasma television sold for more than $5,000. Today, you can buy five of them and have money left over. Earlier this month, VIZIO announced a 42" plasma HDTV that sells at an everyday price of $999.99. That's a price point that we've seen in loss-leader promotions and close-outs, but this is dramatic for a regular price. The VP42HDTV is sold through Costco, and...

Feds Help with DTV Transition

March 21, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

In February 2009, transmission of analog television broadcasts will stop. By some accounts, this will mainly affect the 78 or so million TVs in US households that receive over-the-air (OTA) signals. The NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) has been charged with implementing the rebate program that will help pay for digital tuner conversion boxes that will be needed to view digital broadcasts on existing analog sets. In the initial...

Pocket Projectors Get Brighter

March 20, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Could your next cell phone be an HDTV? It's possible, given the advances in light sources for small projectors. As demonstrated at CES by a number of companies, the lighting packages are getting small enough to include in a typical "smart phone" housing. Earlier this month, Osram Opto Semiconductors announced a new six-LED package that could be used to create brighter and more colorful tiny projectors. The solid state white...

New Pioneer 1080p Plasma HDTV

March 19, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Pioneer has announced a new 50" plasma HDTV monitor intended for professional markets. The PDP-5000EX appears to be the pro version of the PRO-FHD1 consumer model that came out last fall. According to a Pioneer press release, the panel uses a deep waffle rib structure that increases the amount of phosphor available for a brighter image and less light leakage to adjacent pixels. The set includes HDMI, DVI, component, and...

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