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To: BillyG who wrote (27940)	1/10/1998 12:41:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Round Rock, Texas-Based Dell Packs DVD into New Computer Line Jerry Mahoney 12/09/97 KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News Copyright (C) 1997 KRTBN Knight Ridder Tribune Business News; Source: World Reporter (TM) From: Austin American-Statesman, Texas. ROUND ROCK, Texas--Dec. 9--More than a year after the technology became commercially available but in time for this holiday season, Dell Computer Corp. has incorporated DVD systems in its Dimension XPS line of desktop computers for consumers and small businesses. The promise of DVD , or digital video disc technology, is improved sound and video for movies and games requiring huge amounts of memory. The technology packs about 5 gigabytes of memory on a special compact disc -- more than five times the memory of standard CDs. Games are the biggest application of the technology now. Once equipment that can write on the DVD discs is priced more reasonably, small businesses can use it to store volumes of information and data, said Bill Peterson, marketing director for Dell's Dimension products. The Round Rock company didn't venture into DVD last year because first-generation DVD drives do not read standard CDs, such as music or game discs. That technology, known as "backward compatibility," is available in the new drives. Dell's new Dimension XPS computers come with a Hitachi GD-2000 DVD -ROM drive, and Dell is marketing the systems with Altec Lansing satellite speakers and a subwoofer. Peterson said the system can be adjusted with the mouse to simulate surround sound. Dell is packaging the system on its Dimension XPS D300, with a 300MHz Pentium II microprocessor for about $2,900. The package does not include any DVD software. The DVD drive is expected to cost about $300, and could be added to existing Dimension computers as an upgrade for standard CD-ROM drives. The Altec speakers cost about $183, Dell said. Compaq Computer Corp. introduced a second-generation DVD system on its Presario earlier this fall. It uses a different method of decoding the DVD data. DELL, Visit Austin 360, the World Wide Web site of the Austin American-Statesman, at austin360.com

To: BillyG who wrote (27940)	1/11/1998 11:14:00 PM
From: CPAMarty	Respond to of 50808

Steady wins race techweb.com; Richard Walace Christmas 1997 was supposed to have been a watershed event in consumer electronics, riding the promise of the digital video disk. But the roadblocks in DVD's path-including production delays and the late emergence of Divx, a potential DVD killer-kept it from making much headway. Also something of a non-starter, despite Microsoft's backing, was Web-TV. The existing product was over a year old by Christmas, and the Web-TV Plus release barely made it to store shelves in time for the holiday selling season. Similarly, Web-TV's dozen or so competitors were pretty much no-shows. Even PCs, which have become a perennial holiday heavyweight, had a lackluster season. Into this uncertain market climate, hundreds of new consumer-electronics products debuted last week at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Strong showings were put in by digital cameras, in-vehicle information/navigation systems and all manner of digital TV-based home-theater equipment. Retailers are hoping that next Christmas, the product pipeline will be filled with enough innovative, competitively priced products to make the season a blockbuster. But consumer-market experts tell us not to count on it. They note that in recent years, the seasonal cycles that have characterized the consumer-electronics industry have been replaced by a pattern of steady, if less spectacular, demand. To some degree, the phenomenon has already been experienced by the PC industry, which logged respectable home-PC sales last year despite a slow yearend. Such a market shift could profoundly affect system builders' design and manufacturing operations. The one-shot Christmas silver bullet will be replaced by a longer window for product acceptance. But steady rather than cyclical demand could mandate more design spins and design turns. And, as products become increasingly complex, manufacturers can expect longer technology-absorption cycles, longer product cycles and soaring product-development costs. If you're a chip or board maker who thinks the consumer-electronics market is slowing down, better look again. Copyright (c) 1998 CMP Media Inc. New Search \| Search the Web You can reach this article directly here: techweb.com