Audio Video News

The annual Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo is increasingly <I>the</I> debut venue for manufacturers of home theater equipment.

Panasonic has announced the introduction of its next generation Blu-ray player, the $499 DMP-BD30. It is claimed to be the first Blu-ray player to support the Blu-ray Final Standard Profile (BD-ROM Profile 1.1). This will enable it to access and play streaming picture-in-picture special features in upcoming Blu-ray titles, as well as audio mixing enabling switching between main- and sub-windows.

No doubt about it, the markets for video projection systems for home theater use is a hot one, and two new companies are preparing to jump into the fire. The first is Accurate Imaging Technologies, which will be launched officially at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week by James Wellnitz, former president and CEO of Vidikron of America, and Bob Rosser, president and owner of custom installation retailer, Ultimate Entertainment.

Rob MacDonald, Senior Vice President of the Primedia High Tech Group, has announced the appointment of Angela Speziale as Publisher of <I>Home Theater</I> magazine, <A HREF="http://www.hometheatermag.com">www.hometheatermag.com</A> and <A HREF="http://www.UltimateAVmag.com">www.UltimateAVmag.com</A>.

For businesses wanting to learn more about the digital TV future, a new report from <A HREF="http://www.phillips.com">Phillips Business Information</A> (not to be confused with Philips Electronics) is stuffed full of juicy information. The report, entitled <A HREF="http://www.phillips.com/PhillipsUK/dtvsummary.htm"><I>Digital Television Broadcasting</I></A>, predicts that DTV "is likely to involve a profound transformation in the consumer's use of the TV set, changing him from a passive receiver of a small number of scheduled programs to an active chooser from a massive range of programming and services, many increasingly available on demand."