Audio Video News

Some Pioneer DVD recorders and computer drives need a firmware update before they can be used with new high-speed discs, according to a September 17 announcement from Long Beach, CA&ndash;based <A HREF="http://www.pioneerelectronics.com">Pioneer Electronics USA, Inc</A>. Using high-speed discs without first completing the update could cause damage to both discs and hardware, the company explained.

Infinity Systems has announced a new series of loudspeakers that offer home theater fans a wide range of choices while retaining a consistent look and sonic signature.

DVD has taken off like no other format in consumer-electronics history. At the end of these first five years of stellar growth for DVD, <I>SGHT</I>'s editors rate the good, the bad, and the ugly in "<A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?37">DVD: Five Years and Still Sizzling</A>." More than 55 DVD reviews in one place, with ratings for sound, picture, and content.

Although most consumers think ultra-flat-panel TVs and monitors have a high "cool factor," rear-projection televisions (RPTVs) continue to be very popular. The trend could determine the future for microdisplay makers, as big-screen RPTVs move away from CRTs and toward microdisplay image sources such as LCDs and DLP chips.

The past year has been a boom time for the home theater industry, with business exploding at all price points. From January to May of 2002, DVD-based home theater sales grew by 988 percent during the past year, according to a study by NPD Techworld. One huge growth area has been so-called "home-theater-in-a-box" (HTiB) systems, typically a package with disc player, surround sound receiver, five speakers and powered subwoofer---typically priced at under $1000. Such systems are intended for use with Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS films.

Live sports broadcasts are one of the driving forces for high definition television. On September 5, Samsung Electronics, Sears Roebuck, and CBS Television announced a partnership that will significantly boost public exposure to the format by expanding HD coverage of college football and basketball.

July 2002 wasn't a great month for electronics retailers, but it sure was for some manufacturers who supply them.