Audio Video News

According to recent figures released by the <A HREF="http://www.cema.org">Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association</A> (CEMA) last week, DVD-Video experienced continued growth during the first quarter of 1999. More than 360,000 players were shipped to retailers through March 26, with the <A HREF="http://www.dvdvideogroup.com">DVD Video Group</A> projecting that an additional 30,000 units would be shipped during the last week of March, bringing the quarter's total shipment to 390,000.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.foxhome.com/">Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment International</A> announced that it will enter the DVD market beginning in September with the release of <I>Titanic</I>, followed by a slate of Fox's top film titles. Fox's DVD products will be distributed directly in the international marketplace by the company's subsidiary offices in Australia, Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.

In the film industry as elsewhere, digital technology marches on. Eventually, movies will be downloaded to theaters by satellite, as they are now to many private homes. Film reels delivered by truck will become as anachronistic as excursions through the countryside on steam locomotives. Now, one of Hollywood's oldest and most important film studios has seen the light and formed a division to steer it in this direction.

Money changes everything. <A HREF="http://www.circuitcity.com/">Circuit City</A>, parent company of <A HREF="http://www.divx.com/">Divx</A>, has enjoyed a stock run-up recently due to rumors of a possible equity partnership deal with video-rental chain <A HREF="http://www.blockbuster.com/">Blockbuster</A>. In the deal, Viacom-owned Blockbuster would buy into Divx, considerably strengthening the pay-per-view startup's financial footing and giving it instant credibility in the video-rental market. Blockbuster has more than 600 stores nationwide.

T<I>he staff of </I>SGHT<I> would like to thank reader <A HREF="mailto:davidh@rochester.rr.com">David Henderson</A>, who provided this spreadsheet file in response to an article about room acoustics written by Russ Herschelmann in the March/April 1999 issue. Below are Mr. Henderson's notes for using the file.</I>

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.platinument.com/">Platinum Entertainment</A> and <A HREF="http://www.pioneer-ent.com/">Pioneer Entertainment</A> announced plans to jointly develop and create <I>Animetronic</I>, a series of multiple-format music and video releases that combine Japanese animation with original, new electronic-music compositions. Terms of the partnership were finalized at the Winter Music Conference in Miami by Steve Devick, Platinum president and CEO, and Yosuke "James" Kobayashi, president of Pioneer Entertainment.

Eventually, a few multinational conglomerates will own 90% of the world's businesses. Case in point: Cable companies <A HREF="http://www.comcast.com/">Comcast</A> and <A HREF="http://www.mediaone.com/">MediaOne</A>, already among the largest in their field, made a move in that direction last week when they announced a merger valued at between $53 and $60 billion. Comcast will acquire MediaOne, described by the <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/"><I>New York Times</I></A> as "the sole surviving independent cable company." The resulting company will be the nation's third largest.