Audio Video News

According to figures recently compiled by the <A HREF="http://www.dvdinformation.com">DVD Entertainment Group</A>, DVD hardware and software sales continued on a strong upward curve in the first six months of 2001. In the first half of the year, the DEG reports, more than 5 million DVD players were shipped to retailers (not all have sold through to consumers), bringing the total units shipped since the format's launch to 20.4 million. Just over 3 million players had been shipped by the same time last year.

The digital TV rollout may have more problems than were previously anticipated. A study released July 25 by <A HREF="http://www.trivenidigital.com">Triveni Digital</A> indicates that a majority of the nation's digital broadcasts have transport stream errors that can cause reception problems ranging from "tuner lock-up" to audio sync errors. In addition, a July 26 report in the <I>Los Angeles Times</I> says that new content protection schemes could be incompatible with early generation high-definition TVs.

Mid-July witnessed the introduction of the new RCA Scenium line of digital television products from Thomson Multimedia. The French-American technology conglomerate says the series embodies "the most advanced technologies and the most expressive designs" ever offered to upscale consumers. The new products are claimed to offer exceptional brightness, contrast ratio, and clarity.

In a move the companies are calling a major step toward "realization of the digital home entertainment environment," the <A HREF="http://www.dtcp.com">Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator</A> (DTLA), Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced last week that they have entered into long-term license agreements to promote the all-digital home transmission and display of motion pictures and other video content using DTLA's Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP).

<A HREF="http://www.echostar.com">EchoStar Communications</A> has posted some positive numbers in the wake of its recent announcement of a joint HDTV venture with CBS.

Projectors still rule the high-definition market, but plasma display panels (PDPs) may eventually displace them. Versatility and ease of installation are among the flat screen's biggest selling points, but size limits (the typical plasma screen is 42" diagonally) have hindered their acceptance.