Audio Video News

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

The folks who are trying to bring us high definition television are in the process of creating a sub-group whose sole focus will be the promotion of the format. The move comes as the <A HREF="http://www.atsc.org">Advanced Television Standards Committee</A> approaches its tenth anniversary.

Based on DTV-sales data released by the <A HREF="http://www.cema.org">Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association</A>, <A HREF="http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com">Mitsubishi</A> is the market-share leader in digital televisions sold in the US for 1998. According to its own figures, Mitsubishi sold 9639 units, which constitutes 73.2% of all units reported by CEMA to have been sold last year.

Digital television is gathering serious momentum. A strong November for electronics retailers pushed the 2002 total over two million units.

The <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) is reporting that manufacturer-to-dealer sales of digital television (DTV) monitors and sets (monitors with integrated tuners) totaled 117,851 units with $222 million in revenue during July. The CEA adds that these unit sales figures represent a 165% increase over the same period in 2000.

Four major industries banded together last week to focus on the business issues necessary to bring digital TV to the American consumer. More than 300 people attended the fourth DTV Summit, which was sponsored by the <A HREF="http://www.cema.org">Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association</A> (CEMA) in conjunction with the <A HREF="http://www.mstv.org/">Association for Maximum Service Television</A> (MSTV), the <A HREF="http://www.nab.org">National Association of Broadcasters</A> (NAB), the <A HREF="http://www.ncta.com/">National Cable Television Association</A> (NCTA), and the <A HREF="http://www.sbca.com/">Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association</A> (SBCA). The one-day summit featured leaders from the consumer-electronics, broadcast, cable, satellite, and retail industries discussing their latest plans and strategies for the DTV transition.