Audio Video News

The next generation of video projectors will be several magnitudes better than the best ones available now. A hint of things to come was unveiled by Sony Electronics earlier in March, with a public demonstration of its Silicon Crystal Reflective (SXRD) technology. At the heart of SXRD is a high-density fixed-pixel micro display generating over 2 million pixels (1920 x 1080 pixels) of picture data from a 0.78"-diagonal panel with a pixel pitch of 9mm each and an inter-pixel spacing of just 0.35mm.

"Stunning artifact-free picture quality" is the sort of promotional hype that always accompanies the release of any new video product. In the case of <A HREF="http://www.vinc.com">V Inc.</A>'s new Bravo D1, it may be more than hot air. On May 9, the Fountain Valley, CA technology company announced the D1, described as the first DVD player equipped with MPEG-4 playback capability and a digital video interface. The D1 outputs both interlaced and progressive signals, and can scale its output to 480p/720p/1080i.

HP entering TV business? The line between the computer and consumer electronics industry gets blurrier by the day. During the last week of November, computer giant Hewlett-Packard announced that it would begin offering its own brand of large flat-screen TVs. Already in discussions with several Asian manufacturers, HP will deliver both LCDs and plasma display panels (PDPs) under its own name, probably by spring.

A cheaper, better future: New microprocessors from <A HREF="http://www.intel.com">Intel Corporation</A> could revolutionize the market for flat-panel and slim-profile big screen televisions, according to a December 17 <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/17/technology/17chip.html?th">report</A> by John Markoff in the <I>New York Times</I>. Leveraging large-scale integration, the company's chips and design expertise could yield big bright high-definition displays at prices far below today's. In what is perhaps a misquote of Intel executive Richard Doherty, Markoff predicts 50" liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) rear-projection "engines" selling for $1000 by the next winter holiday shopping season.

Ever wonder why your cable rates keep climbing? Take a peek behind the scenes at what cable providers have to pay for programming: With only three months remaining on its current contract, ESPN, the sports network, and Cox Communications are still negotiating future annual affiliate rate increases&mdash;which are currently projected at 20%. Merrill Lynch analysts estimate that Cox pays ESPN (and parent Walt Disney Company) approximately $400 million per year, costs that are passed on to subscribers. Cox is seeking a reduction in fees, a move that could become a model for other cable companies and satellite services. Similarly, Fox Sports Net reportedly asked the Cox organization for a 35% increase for use of its 12 regional sports networks. Affiliate fees account for more than 10% of total annual revenue for big media companies like Disney, TimeWarner, and Viacom, according to <I>The Hollywood Reporter</I>.

Pioneer buying NEC Plasma: NEC announced Friday Feb 6 that it would sell its plasma display panel (PDP) manufacturing business to Pioneer. NEC plans to concentrate its efforts on "network solutions and semiconductors," according to the announcement. The deal, estimated by Japanese analysts at about $379 million, could make Pioneer the dominant player in the hot plasma display market. The company projects that its PDP market share will rise from 14% to 22% as a result.

High-density DVDs&mdash;which would almost double the capacity of today's standard 4.7Gbyte discs&mdash;could become commonplace with the advent of dual-layer DVD burners. Such devices are being introduced by several manufacturers and should begin to arrive at retailers in May.