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To: CPAMarty who wrote (28248)	1/19/1998 4:12:00 PM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

> Mitsubishi's U.S. Unit Has Plans To Stop Selling Tube Televisions > > January 19, 1998 > > By EVAN RAMSTAD > Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL > > Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. will stop > selling tube-based television sets in the U.S. later this > year to concentrate on projection, digital and flat-panel > units. > > In doing so, the unit of Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. > conglomerate will become the first major manufacturer to > devote all of its resources to advanced sets and abandon > the screen technology that has been standard since the > invention of TV in the 1920s. > > The company said its decision was influenced by the > declining profitability of so-called direct-view TVs with > diagonal screen sizes of less than 36 inches, as well as > a desire to stake out a leading role in digital TV. > Production of the standard televisions will cease in > March, though because of inventory, some stores may still > have models in the fall. > > "We will no longer have to subsidize these poor or > negative margins in direct-view TVs, and we're making the > transition to digital TV faster," said Bob Perry, > director of marketing for the Norcross, Ga.-based > company. > > Mitsubishi holds just a 3% share of the U.S. TV market, > selling high-quality, premium-priced sets through 1,000 > dealers. However, it is the top seller of projection > units, the most lucrative and fastest-growing niche of > the TV business, representing 917,000 of the 24.5 million > sets sold in the U.S. last year. > > Mitsubishi executives, along with many in the TV > business, believe that the ultra-clear digital > transmissions that are just beginning from broadcasters > are best experienced on larger screens. The company this > summer will begin selling a 73-inch rear-projection TV > that displays high-definition digital signals at a price > expected to be between $8,000 and $11,000. Its > top-of-the-line 80-inch rear-projection analog TV now > costs $9,000. > > In addition, Mitsubishi is betting that plasma > technology-based flat TVs, just a few inches thick, will > succeed small direct-view TVs when costs fall. It just > started selling a $10,000, 40-inch flat TV in Los Angeles > and will roll out the product, along with a 46-inch > version, nationally later this year. > > Mitsubishi's move surprised dealers, which weren't > expecting such a significant change so early in the move > to digital products. Mitsubishi TVs account for 60% of > the sales at Weathers TV & Appliance in Edmond, Okla., > and "a fair portion" of those are direct-view units, said > owner Scott Weathers. He has ordered Sony and Hitachi > direct-view sets to replace his supply of Mitsubishi > units. "It certainly was disappointing, but I don't think > I fault them, given the quality of their projection > systems," said Mr. Weathers. > > To help dealers cope, Mitsubishi's Mr. Perry said the > company modified its schedule of financing promotions to > drive sales through the next few months, particularly > before the Winter Olympics next month and the World Cup > soccer tournament in June. > > The company will lay off about 300 people from a > manufacturing plant in Braselton, Ga., when direct-view > TV production halts. It will continue producing wireless > phones at the facility. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi is studying > an expansion of its projection TV plant in Mexicali, > Mexico. >

To: CPAMarty who wrote (28248)	1/19/1998 9:25:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

Digital TV in Canada. Thanks Marty....................................... dbsdish.com Digital TV coming soon to a screen near you ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Digital TV coming soon to a screen near you High-definition, wide-screen TVs and access to U.S. signals are set to arrive later this year By CHRISTOPHER GULY For The Financial Post ÿOTTAWA - While 1997 saw the widespread introduction of digital video through the increasingly popular DVD (digital video disk) player, 1998 will witness the beginning of a movement toward digital television. ÿAlready, Calgary-based Shaw Communications Inc. has made digital TV available for its cable customers in Calgary and Toronto, and recently announced plans to purchase as many as 400,000 digital set-top boxes from Chicago-based General Instrument Corp. for subscribers over the next four years. ÿIn late November, to help pave the way for digital TV, federal Industry Minister John Manley said Canada would adopt a standard giving the green light to television broadcasters to begin replacing the existing analogue (NTSC) service with DTV. But it will take two full years before people living in major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver will begin seeing digital television broadcasts. ÿPart of the reason for the delay is to allow the U.S. to be first off the mark when it rolls out DTV to U.S. households in major markets later this year, says Michael McEwen, who served as chairman of Canada's Task Force on the Implementation of Digital Television, which recommended adoption of a DTV standard. ÿ"We've strategically placed ourselves behind the Americans, so we can learn from their mistakes, but we don't want to get too far behind them," says McEwan, a media consultant who recently served as senior adviser to CBC president Perrin Beatty. ÿBut in real terms, there won't be much lag time before most Canadians see DTV. Anyone receiving a U.S. analogue TV signal will be able to receive the digital version once it becomes available south of the border. ÿIn fact, the Canadian digital TV standard follows the ATSC A/53 Digital Television Standard adopted by the Advanced Television Standards Committee of the U.S. ÿThe Europeans have their own standard, known as Digital Video Broadcasting/Television. Unlike the differences between NSTC and Europe's PAL standards for analogue broadcasts, where you can't watch a PAL video on a North American VCR or use your Canadian TV set to, say, watch programs in Britain, the European standard is expected to be more compatible with the North American DVT standard. ÿHowever, even if Canadians have standards and signals, no one will be able to watch digital television without the right appliance. The new picture format offered by DTV not only provides high-resolution, but it also features wide-screen presentation. ÿIn fact, one of the directives made by the Canadian task force calls for all digital pictures transmitted to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio (the ratio of the width of the screen to its height) for wide-screen display as opposed to the 4:3 aspect ratio found on standard TV sets. ÿAs they unveil their TVs this year, manufacturers will be saying the cinematic experience offered by DTV is best suited to wide-screen, high-definition television sets. ÿAt the recent 1998 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, such industry giants as Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Sony Electronics Inc., Zenith Electronics Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric of America unveiled their HDTVs, which will start appearing on retail shelves in time for Christmas. ÿAs with any introductory consumer product, however, don't look for any deals. Units will be selling for up to $5,000 in Canada. ÿFor now, an HDTV will be more of a luxury than a necessity; you will have to view digital television using a set-top box. ÿAs newer technology comes along, it may be possible to upgrade your viewing experience simply by purchasing software, instead of a new TV. The national DTV task force has recommended that the broadcasting industry consider developing software programs similar to those used in upgrading computers. ÿDigital television will provide clearer and crisper pictures. Its debut will also be something of a prophecy fulfilment for futurists: the arrival of the long-awaited 500-channel universe. The technology allows broadcasting signals to be compressed; digital television can squeeze six channels on one analogue channel. ÿThat's good news for TV viewers, who, on average, spend more than 23 hours a week in front of the set. And it's good news for Canada's television broadcast industry, which already generates some $5 billion annually and is almost guaranteed to increase that with the larger playing field DTV will provide.