Pricing, Channel Changes Are Applauded

By Greg Tarr On Mar 12 2012 - 4:01am

NEW YORK – A recent spate of vendor-driven unilateral pricing policy directives to better manage lowball retail sales and price promotions of higher-end TVs and other home entertainment products were met mostly with applause by observers from a broad swath of the CE industry.

 

 

Details On New Policies

By TWICE Staff On Mar 12 2012 - 4:01am

• Samsung told TWICE it has implemented a unilateral pricing policy that will set minimum pricing levels (at or below MAP) at which indicated products should be sold. Under the terms, retailers are free to set their own selling prices, but those who sell below the prescribed UPP limits will be subject to “a schedule of penalties.” The program affects all ES6100 series LED/LCD TVs and up, all E550 plasma series TVs and up, ES6000 and E6500 Blu-ray players, E6500 and E6730W home theater systems, HW-E550/1 soundbars and DA-E750/1 and DA-E670 docks.

LG Tips Off Final Four Sponsorship

By Greg Tarr On Mar 12 2012 - 4:01am

ENGELWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – LG Electronics said it will once again be a corporate sponsor of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in New Orleans next month.

For the third consecutive year, the company will host a number of fan events providing hands-on opportunities with LG’s TVs, major appliances and smartphones.

May: Training, Demos Answer Price Competition

By Greg Tarr On Mar 12 2012 - 4:01am

SAN DIEGO – Dennis May, hhgregg CEO, told a DisplaySearch Flat Panel Display Conference audience that he thinks OLED display technology slated for market later this year will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary in its impact on the overall CE business, and that his chain will continue to rely on educating consumers to fuel future growth.

“OLED will move us into an environment where the customer wants to upgrade,” May said. “It will take some time. It is a more evolutionary nature, but it is a product well done.”

Sanduski Sees Growth Ahead For Big LCDs

By Greg Tarr On Mar 12 2012 - 4:01am

SAN DIEGO – Despite trends showing U.S. consumers continue to seek value above frills when making big-screen purchases, Jim Sanduski, Sharp’s strategic product marketing VP, said his company is well positioned to capitalize from changes in today’s market.

“Price aside – there is an opportunity for the consumer to super size their primary TV from today,” Sanduski told an audience attending the DisplaySearch Flat Panel Display Conference at the Hard Rock Hotel here.

Wireless HD Solutions Vie For Acceptance

By Greg Tarr On Mar 26 2012 - 4:01am

NEW YORK – An increasingly popular trend in U.S. households over the past several years has been to network big screen TVs and home entertainment systems with mobile PCs, tablets, smartphones and televisions located in other areas of the home.

The easiest way to accomplish this in most settings is wirelessly, but current 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi technology lacks the bandwidth for robust, uncompressed Full HD 1080p video and high-resolution gaming, particularly in settings where multiple streams may be running at one time.

Optoma Adds 2 SSI-Based Projectors

By Greg Tarr On Mar 26 2012 - 4:01am

FREMONT, CALIF. – Optoma recently unveiled a pair of EcoBright shortthrow DLP projectors based on a lamp-free Solid State Illumination (SSI) technology.

The new EcoBright models, which will be available to schools for evaluation in March, include the ZW210ST (WXGA resolution) and EcoBright ZX210ST (XGA resolution), which carry suggested retails of $1,499 and $1,399, respectively.

Designed for classroom applications, the projectors offer short-throw designs and are constructed for heavy-use environments.

Panasonic Unveils Six FullHD Camcorders

By Greg Tarr On Feb 13 2012 - 6:01am

SECAUCUS, N.J. – Panasonic has slated six 1MOS FullHD 1080 digital camcorders for its 2012 lineup, highlighted by a model with 3D capture and 2D-to-3D up-conversion capability.

All six models offer compact body designs, 1MOS FullHD 1080 image sensors, ultra-telephoto zoom lenses and Panasonic’s optical image stabilization (OIS) system.

The new models include the HC-V700, HCV700M, HC-V500, HC-V500M, HC-V100 and HC-V100M. Pricing will be announced later.

Samsung Adds Screen Dreams App

By Greg Tarr On Feb 28 2012 - 10:39pm

PHILDELPHIA — Screen Dreams, the distributor of photographic and fine art stills and videos that can serve as flat-panel wallpaper, screensavers and electronic galleries, recently signed up Samsung to carry its first-ever paid TV application on 2010/2011 model Samsung smart TVs and Blu-ray players.

The Screen Dreams app can be purchased through the Samsung Apps Store at $2.99 and allows consumers to access and stream famous works of art, world-class photography, as well as Screen Dreams exclusive Fireplace and Aquarium video content.

GoPro Ships Next-Gen Hero2 Video Camera

By Greg Tarr On Nov 7 2011 - 6:01am

HALF MOON BAY, CALIF. — GoPro recently introduced the next generation of its popular go-anywhere 1080p HD video camera – the HD Hero2.

The latest edition is said to be twice as powerful as the original GoPro HD Hero model and which is available now through www.gopro.com and at leading retailers including Best Buy.

The HD Hero2 carries a $300 suggested retail, records FullHD 1080p video, and captures 11-megapixel digital stills at up to a 10 photos per second rate.