Audio Video News

Consumers apparently paid no attention to the habitual summer slump that affects electronics dealers, according to sales statistics released August 15 by the <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA).

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.cbs.com/">CBS</A> and <A HREF="http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com">Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America</A> (MDEA) announced that they have entered into an agreement by which MDEA will sponsor high definition coverage of the semi-finals and finals of the 2001 US Open Tennis Championships. It is the third consecutive year MDEA has sponsored CBS's HDTV coverage of the US Open. According to CBS, this year's coverage will feature the HD primetime broadcast of the Women's Final on Saturday evening, September 8.

In a tactic intended to keep its top-level products moving in a sluggish economy, Zenith Electronics Corporation has announced a significant price reduction on its high-definition f 60-inch Plasma Display Panel (PDP), the DPDP60W. Originally announced at a suggested retail of $27,999, the PDP will actually debut at $24,999, according to a mid-August press release.

<I>Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 127 minutes. 1993. Columbia TriStar Home Video 52317. R. $29.95.</I>

<A HREF="http://www.ti.com">Texas Instruments</A> continues to push the envelope of high definition video. On August 8, the Dallas-based technology company announced a new version of its HD-1 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). The semiconductor chip is the heart of TI's Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, considered by many to be the best choice for creating high-quality images.

Direct broadcast satellite service <A HREF="http://www.echostar.com">EchoStar</A> is serious about acquiring <A HREF="http://www.directv.com">DirecTV</A>, its larger competitor, by acquiring Hughes Electronics, a subsidiary of General Motors. Hughes operates DirecTV. On August 5, EchoStar announced that it had proposed an all-stock transaction valuing Hughes at $32 billion based on EchoStar's stock closing price on August 3.

Is your enthusiasm for home theater bigger than your available space? Love great sound but hate stacks of amplifiers? Check out Mordaunt-Short's new Declaration Series System 500 THX select home theater speaker system. The legendary British loudspeaker maker has recently returned to the US with several high-performance lines.