Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PCSS who wrote (36043)	11/9/1998 3:36:00 PM
From: Elwood P. Dowd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

IBM up on higher target, PC focus Analyst sees tough competition from Compaq, Dell By Tiare Rath, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 3:16 PM ET Nov 9, 1998 Also: Tech Repor NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- A report on International Business Machines fueled energy into some computer stocks Monday after two analysts raised their price targets for the company. Steven Milunovich, of the investment firm Merrill Lynch, said Monday he's bumping up IBM's (IBM) 12-month price target to $180 a share from $165 a share. The analyst met with IBM's personal computing executives, who reported they expect their PC business to improve after a tough year. Brown Brothers Harriman analyst William Milton Jr. also raised his price target, pushing it up to $160 a share from $150 a share. IBM shares picked up 1 to 150 15/16. Also having a positive day was Dell Computer (DELL), which got kudos from Milunovich as well. Dell shares gained 13/16 to 66 1/2. But the positive news couldn't buoy every tech stock in an otherwise down day on Wall Street. See Silicon Stocks and Market Snapshot. The Goldman Sachs Computer Hardware Index ($GHA) fell 0.1 percent following earlier gains Monday. Contributing to the decline were computer-makers Apple Computer (AAPL), down 1 7/8 to 36 3/16; Hewlett-Packard (HWP), off 7/8 to 62 3/8; and Gateway 2000 (GTW), down 1 15/16 to 57 11/16. While IBM reiterated its commitment to the PC market, Milunovich said Dell has a better PC focus. Dell's image as a leader in service and direct sales also frustrates IBM executives who think IBM's services are superior, Milunovich reported. IBM faces stiff competition. "Even if IBM has better products, a debatable point, many customers will give the benefit of the doubt to Dell or Compaq (CPQ) because they specialize in PCs," Milunovich wrote in a note to investors. Also one to watch: Compaq will likely announce a new computer direct-order program for small- and medium-sized business markets Wednesday, according to Bear, Stearns analyst Andrew Neff. Compaq stock fell 3/16 to 31 13/16.

To: PCSS who wrote (36043)	11/10/1998 7:09:00 AM
From: Steven N	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 97611

Early digital TV companies get foot in door By Robert Lemos, ZDNN November 9, 1998 3:29 PM PT Despite forecasts of slow growth in the digital TV market, companies are announcing products in attempts to grab early market share. Announcements today included specialized chips that allow digital TV signals and interactive content to be picked up on personal computers and set-top boxes. Semiconductor newcomer TeraLogic Inc. and old hand Panasonic Industrial Co. separately unveiled plans Monday for products that will merge digital TV technology with that of the PC. $7,000 for an HDTV -- and nothing to watch. The trend is expected to continue, said Richard Doherty, director of market research for new-media technology researcher The Envisioneering Group. "We expect that there will be far more people receiving digital TV signals through their PCs rather than digital devices, like an HDTV," he said. Cougar on terra firma? TeraLogic, a startup formed in 1996, has placed a lot of PC technology in its prototype chips to merge PC interactivity with the TV. The "reference platform" highlights the company's TL850 graphics processor, code-named Cougar, that can handle not only all 18 new digital TV formats, but interactive content as well. Set-top boxes based on the platform could display e-mail, electronic program guides, Java-based content, and of course, Web pages. Monday's announcements follow a similar one by startup Broadcom Corp. The reference platform gives interested set-top box manufacturers a head start in creating their own products using TeraLogic's chip, while supporting the OpenCable initiative, an alliance of cable companies that ensures that next-generation digital cable architectures work with each other. "TeraLogic's open architecture strategy is in line with that of the Open Cable project," said Laurie Schwartz, vice president of advanced platforms and services for the industry association in a statement. But while TeraLogic has the support of computer industry giant Sun Microsystems Inc., set-top box maker General Instruments Inc. and interactive software maker PlanetWeb, no final contracts have emerged, pointed out Doherty. "They are a serious contender," he said, "but there is a very tough thing in this industry about having concrete orders." The Cougar chip is TeraLogic's second entry into the set-top box market, following its TL750, which will ship "millions" of units this year, said Kishore Manghnani, TeraLogic's vice president or marketing. Digital TV in the PC Panasonic Industrial, meantime, has gone the other way, looking to display the TV on PCs. The Japanese company announced its own digital TV entry -- a dual-board option for displaying digital signals on the PC. The two boards can receive all 18 formats approved by the Federal Communications Commission as well as today's standard analog NTSC format. The product was developed in conjunction with Compaq Computer Corp. and will initially be sold directly to PC manufacturers. "We expect to accelerate high-definition and digital TV in [the U.S.]," said Ash Chabra, group manager for Panasonic Industrial, in a statement. Envisioneering's Doherty believes TV-on-PC technologies such as Panasonic's will initially dominate the digital TV market, shipping more than 100,000 units in the first year -- as compared with about 12,000 digital TVs. "These announcements are only the first," he said. "There are a handful or two more in the works."