This study conducted in conjunction with Nielsen Entertainment Research showed Home Theater growth as being up to 33% of U.S. households at the end of 2004.

Interesting stat, I wonder what that’ll be like at the end of this year. The growth rate seems to be increasing exponentially.

Supporting the conclusions of the Nielsen Entertainment study, separate published reports by the Consumer Electronics Association estimate that by the end of 2004, 33% of U.S. households owned a home theater system, up from 21% at the end of 1999. Adding to the ownership levels, in an online survey of 2000 adults ages 18 to 65 across the U.S., Nielsen Entertainment determined that a full 75% of current home theater households have true 5.1-channel or greater surround sound installed, indicating the importance of sound to the home entertainment experience.

Source

Fujitsu toda announced its Holiday Savings Consumer Rebate Promotion, offering customers cash incentives to purchase the company’s two most popular Plasmavision 40-series plasma displays. One of them is HD (the 50″, the other is 1024×1024 - buyer beware.)

The Holiday Savings program runs from November 1 through December 31, 2005, offering $500 cash back on the Plasmavision P42HHA40US (MSRP: $4,999) and a $1,000 rebate on the P50XHA40US (MSRP: $6,999).

All purchases must be made from authorized dealers to qualify for the promotion.

You internet deal buying cheapskates (like me) hear that? No Joe from-around-da-corner with one in his trunk - only AUTHORIZED dealer sales.

For more info see http://www.plasmavision.com.

Press Release

Press Release announces a couple of new models coming our way soon.

Of note to me, was the 50″ plasma that will retail at $2700:

The 50-inch Vizio P50HDM has a 1,366×768 resolution, 1,000 ANSI brightness and Faroudja DCDi motion-adaptive de-interlacing that produces 231 billion-color images. The P50HDM’s video processor also features single scan technology for a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, reduced solarization and false contouring along with sharpness improvement, non-linear chroma enhancement, closed color suppression, non-linear scaling and adaptive contrast and color controls. Video connections include VGA, as well as two component and two high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) inputs. The model will be sold at a retail price of US$2,700.

It’ll be interesting to see how these offerings measure up, no doubt. And here is the review: Vizio P50HDM 50 Inch Plasma Review

Press Release
Also at HDBlog

Helping the WAF (wife approval factor) worldwide, Panasonic now offers custom frames for select plasma screens. Look for 8 different styles for select 42 and 50 inch panasonic plasma models.

Frames will be available in gold, black, pewter, mahogany, walnut and antique white, and should retail between $399.95 and $499.95

Browse the various frames at Panasonic.com

Press Release

A store in Joplin, MO has had quite a few items go missing, $44,000 worth to be exact.

The burglars were selective about what they took, the assistant manager said, and they shied away from larger appliances such as refrigerators and stoves.

Instead, the thieves went for televisions, digital camcorders, digital video-disc recorders, car stereos and digital cameras. Stolen were 18 television sets in all, according to the police report.

The projection televisions ranged in price from $1,899 to $4,000. The plasma TVs bore price tags from $1,400 to $3,000, and the liquid-crystal display sets ranged in price from $700 to $1,500.

The most expensive of four digital cameras taken was worth $900.

Six camcorders valued from $330 to $1,050, two car stereos worth a combined $920 and two DVD recorders worth $500 and $460 completed the electronics haul.

18 TVs, and only 6 camcorders, 4 cameras and 2 car stereos. Worth per pound means the TVs were probably quite a bit more of a hassle, but choosy thieves choose HDTV.

Is this a new type of HD-crackhead? I wish them luck catching the criminals.

News Source

Wired surveyed about 2000 peeps and came up with these top choices for gifts:

Top Three Gifts for Early Adopters:
1. Laptop
2. HDTV
3. Digital camera

Top Choices for the Men on your List:
1. HDTV
2. Home theater system
3. Laptop


Top Three Picks for Her:
1. Household appliance
2. Digital camera
3. MP3 player

Three Best Bets for a Grandparent:
1. Household appliance
2. Digital camera
3. HDTV

Three Hot Choices for Kids:
1. MP3 player
2. Laptop
3. Digital camera

Interesting list, and I think the results are right-on. Why? Each top 3 contains an HDTV or home theater system, except for women and children. Why? Because their husbands and fathers already got it on their list.

Trickle down economics at their best.

Full Writeup

Wow, a 1080p DVD player - under 250 bucks!

Well, it’s actually 1080p over component, with a firmware upgrade for 1080p over HDMI. And then there’s the less than stellar review at AVS.

Hmmm.

However, I wonder why I have to buy the player and then upgrade it? Why don’t they just do the upgrade themselves, that makes me wonder a bit.

NeuNeo HVD2085

Spotted at HDBeat

Dell just announced their largest LCD panel - the 37″ HDTV widescreen W3706MC. Pricing is to be $2,299. Unit includes dual analog and digital tuners.

Specs:
— Widescreen high-definition resolution with WXGA (1,366X768)
resolution

— Excellent viewing experience with a 16:9 widescreen aspect
ratio

— Slim profile 4.41 (W3706C) and 3.5 (W5001C) inches deep when
the stand is removed

— Rich visual detail with 800:1 (W3706C) and 8,000:1 (W5001C)
contrast ratios

— Excellent display of 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i resolutions
with video powered by Pixelworks(TM)

— Wall or stand mountable (mounting equipment sold separately)

— Exquisite images in various lighting environments with 500
cd/m2 (W3706C) and 1,100 (W5001C) brightness

— Over-the-air high-definition content with built-in tuners
(ATSC and NTSC)

— Sharp images with 3D Y/C Comb Filter

— Robust connectivity for almost any device that connects to a
TV, including dual HDMI ports, dual composite, dual S-Video,
dual component, TV in/coaxial (NTSC/ATSC), VGA/PC audio;
composite, S-Video and audio connectors added to the side for
easy connection of such devices as digital video recorders and
game consoles

— High-quality audio with two 15-watt (W3706C) and 20-watt
(W5001C) speakers that are stand, wall or TV mountable with
SRS(R) TruSurround(TM) virtual surround sound

Press Release

A new hdtv card for win xp is announced today, and it comes complete with PVR functions.

In addition to delivering high-quality HDTV , ADS Tech’s new Instant HDTV PCI Card is equipped with an analog cable TV Tuner as well, allowing the viewer to switch between HD, standard TV broadcasts and cable TV signals on their PC. Consumers can also archive TV shows to a CD or DVD for playback on their home DVD Player. Instant HDTV can even support video capture, viewing and recording from external video sources such as camcorders and VCRs.

Also comes with:
SnapStream’s Beyond TV Express
electronic program guide
NeroVision Express for dvd-authoring
(NeroVision Express supports True 16:9 Widescreen, Dolby Digital Audio, as well as dual-layer authoring )

remote control
IR sensor
a/v cables

Est street price is $129. Wow, that’s a lot of stuff for 130 bucks. I wonder how well this baby will perform. Time will tell…

Press Release