Filed under: Feature | Tags: 2008, 5 Key Trends, CES, Content, Design, Giorgio Armani Phone, HD, Home Base, Ladybug, LG Voyager, Panasonic, Portable DVR, Slingbox, Slingcatcher, Vestalife, WIRELESS
HDTV
- Warner Bros. announcement’s to go exclusively with the Blu-Ray format caused many to conclude that the death of the HD DVD format was close at hand.
- In addition, Panasonic presented the largest plasma television in the world at 150″. The previous record for world’s largest plasma maxed out at 103″.
Panasonic 150” Plasma
Content Everywhere
- As has been the case for quite some time, the concept of watching content anywhere and everywhere continues to dominate the electronics industry.
- Example 1: Slingbox’s Slingcatcher. The original Slingbox sends streaming content from a user’s home TV to a PC anywhere in the world using a high speed internet connection. The Slingcatcher takes the anywhere mentality one step father allowing users to send content from a home TV directly to another TV in the home OR to a TV anywhere in the world. Imagine watching your home television from the comfort of your hotel room while on a business trip. Set to launch in Q2 2008.
Slingcatcher
- Example 2: Panasonic’s Portable DVR. Panasonic presented a DVR set-top box in partnership with Comcast. Viewers can record content on the set-top box and then take this content to watch on the go. My review of this product is much less lackluster than the Slingcatcher as this adds yet another gadget to my arsenal of gadgetry.
Panasonic Portable DVR
Wireless
- Eliminating messy wire connections from the home audio/video environment was another key them.
- Example 1: Panasonic Home Base. Wireless transmission of HD 1080p video without compression or data deterioration using “beam steering technology.” While on stage, Michelle (in the photo below) records video on a Panasonic HD camcorder while Sakamoto ceremoniously cuts the wires from the back of the television. When the camcorder is placed on top of the home base, the video is wirelessly transmitted to the television and played back in seconds. In addition, video from a Blu-Ray player can additionally be wirelessly transmitted to the television screen. (http://dailymarauder.com/2008/01/09/ces-buzz-panasonic-keynote/)
Mobile TV
- Watching live streaming TV content on a mobile phone.
- Example: LG Voyager
LG Voyager
LG Voyager: TV User Interface
Design
- Across the board, it seems like electronics companies are starting to follow Apple’s lead by offering gadgets that not only perform seamlessly but look absolutely fabulous on a book shelf.
- Example 1: Vestalife’s Ladybug. On the surface, a typical iPod speaker system. Dig a little deeper and you’ll notice that these swivel speakers are gorgeously designed. The speakers turn out to the sides when the iPod is inserted and back together when unplugged. They also have two limited editions design by Element Skateboards. I’ll put this one right next to my Barcelona chair.
Ladybug Classic
Ladybug: Limited Edition
- Example 2: Giorgio Armani Phone. Not quite the iPhone but not bad looking either.
Giorgio Armani Phone
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
News Corp.’s Fox Broadcasting is said to have sold all but one of the 63 30-second commercials that it plans to run during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. The Super Bowl is described as the “last bastion of mass marketing, with incredible reach.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/business/media/11adco.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin 1/11)
CBS will see growth in 2008 in “every single division,” says chief Les Moonves. “We haven’t seen any evidence” of an economic downturn, he adds. Also, while the Hollywood writers strike “is bothering me a great deal,” Moonves says, it likely will be over “in the next few months.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN1021842020080111 1/10)
Weinstein Co., the movie studio run by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, is entering an interim deal with the Writers Guild of America. The agreement mirrors the pact that the union signed last week with United Artists, the independent company headed by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner. (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-weinstein11jan11,1,6253882.story?ctrack=4&cset=true 1/11)
Hollywood A-list actors are becoming involved in trying to end the Writers Guild strike. George Clooney is volunteering to set up a “mediation panel” including himself and other industry bigwigs; Tom Hanks is urging an end to the walkout in an effort to “save” the Academy Awards. (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/exclusive-george-clooney-offers-to-set-up-strike-mediation-panel 1/10)
Time Warner, News Corp. and cable companies are among sector players getting some early Wall Street support in the new year. Time Warner is called the “best idea” for the entertainment industry in 2008; News Corp. “continues to invest in its growth assets.” (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/columns/street_talk/e3iba4068e544a5fb6c613efe083685802e 1/11)
Time Warner is arranging $2 billion in three-year, unsecured financing to repay debt that will be coming due, according to a regulatory filing. The proceeds will primarily go to repay short-term loans. The company may also use the money to make acquisitions. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQWxHWUQ8uFY 1/10)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Sources claim that Apple is close to finalizing deals with at least four of the five major Hollywood studios to allow both movie rentals and sales via iTunes, reports BusinessWeek. (http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/01/apple-close-to.html 1/7)
The advertising program many accused of invading the privacy of Facebook users will eventually be a good tool, says the site’s founder/CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” airing Sunday. The Beacon ad model will be “a really good thing.” (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/10/60minutes/main3697442.shtml 1/10)
Preview of the Interview
Microsoft is said to be contemplating if it should make last year’s informal offer to buy Yahoo official by going public with its bid. Also: Yahoo and Microsoft are said to be in a bidding war for eBay. The story may not make sense because eBay has a larger market cap than Yahoo. (http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/Could+Microsoft+(MSFT)+Buy+Yahoo+(YHOO)%3F/3255883.html 1/10, http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/Yahoo+(YHOO)+Rumored+To+Be+Acquiring+Ebay+(EBAY)/3256626.html 1/10)
Google is rumored to be making a “500 pence-per-share” bid for Yell Group, the publisher of the United Kingdom’s Yellow Pages phone books. Yellow Book, the largest independent yellow pages publisher in the United States, accounts for about half of Yell’s sales. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=avayeIpBCeIQ 1/11)
News Corp. says it isn’t making an offer for Monster.com, calling a report on the SeekingAlpha blog untrue. SeekingAlpha reported that News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch sent a letter to the board of the online-recruitment company with a $4.8 billion bid. (http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20080110-000731-0922 1/10)
Flip.com, Conde Nast’s social-networking site for teenage girls, is changing directions after a not-so-successful launch. The site is being “reshaped” as a Web application for other social networks, starting with Facebook. Conde Nast says Flip.com won’t see “massive layoffs.” (http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/01/10/conde-throws-the-switch-on-flip 1/10)
Filed under: WIRELESS
The Wireless Innovation Alliance, a group that includes Google and Microsoft, is accusing broadcast-industry lobbyists of interfering with U.S. regulators’ tests of mobile Internet devices that operate on unused television airwaves. Broadcasters have “confused the testing process.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a23yXOgz7eho 1/10)
Filed under: GAMING
David Jaffe, creator of “God of War,” is joining calls by other industry insiders for a single game console. “We have it with DVD, we had it with VHS. We have it with televisions (in the sense that — for the most part — every TV is capable of broadcasting the same signal). So what do we lose by having it for game consoles,” Jaffe writes. (GameDaily BIZ 1/10)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
High-end electronics took a break from their usual home residences to make in-car appearances at this year’s International CES, with companies such as Clarion displaying new laptop/GPS hybrids designed for in-car use. “It’s important to our customers,” said Ford’s Jim Buczkowski about the new trend. “They see their vehicle as an extension of their home.” (USA TODAY 1/8)
Am I the only one that finds the idea of so many available audio/video distractions in a car a bit creepy?
For those who hate to leave their bed, Leggett & Platt displayed at 2008 International CES a sleep solution that includes all the latest electronic equipment — and can elevate itself to attack snoring problems. The bed, which will cost $20,000 to $50,000, comes equipped with wireless Internet connectivity, an iPod dock, a surround-sound speaker system, LCD projector, dual temperature controls and DVR capability. (
Associated Press/ClipSyndicate 1/9 (The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Associated Press 1/10)
And I thought separate temperature zones in a car was a good idea. If only I had $50K sitting around. . .
Several companies are following the lead of Nintendo’s popular motion-sensing Wii console with a bevy of new products. JVC recently displayed a large TV controlled by a series of hand movements. (CNN/Associated Press 1/10)
