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

To: DiViT who wrote (37810)	12/15/1998 9:21:00 AM
From: Robert G. Harrell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Strong DVD sales MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY - news) today reported record financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal 1999 year, which ended November 28, 1998. According to Chairman & CEO Richard M. Schulze, Best Buy reported a 106% increase in net earnings to a record $54.4 million or 52 cents per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 1999, compared to $26.4 million or 29 cents per share, for the comparable quarter last year. For the first nine months of fiscal 1999, net earnings increased 275% to a record $114.2 million or $1.10 per diluted share, compared to $30.4 million, or 34 cents per share for the same period last year. ''Strong sales of technology products, such as DVD, DBS, digital cameras and cellular telephones, as well as entertainment software, contributed to our record sales and earnings,'' Schulze said. ''Increased efficiencies year-over-year have allowed us to improve product in-stock and inventory turns to capitalize on these sales trends. Consumer confidence combined with hot technology products and great deals kicked off what should be a strong holiday season at Best Buy.'' <snip> biz.yahoo.com

To: DiViT who wrote (37810)	12/15/1998 10:05:00 AM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

ESS starts Internet unit, seeks partners in Asia semibiznews.com A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 a.m., 12/15/98 FREMONT, Calif.--ESS Technology Inc. here today launched a new business unit to develop products for Internet applications with the help of joint-venture partners in Asia. "During the last few years, ESS has developed and accumulated core technologies in digital audio, digital video, and communications," said Fred S.L. Chan, CEO and founder of ESS Technologies who will head up the new business unit. Chan said his company has established leadership in PC audio and digital video, and it recently launched a new V.90 modem communications product. "These technologies, along with our relationships and sales channels in the PC market and the Asian consumer market, are the core assets of the company," Chan said. ESS Technology's existing PC Products and Consumer Products groups will continue pursuing their markets while the new Internet unit looks for joint-venture partners in Asia to offer "components, systems and applications to service the many aspects of the Internet," Chan said. "These new products and business opportunities will include complete systems, Internet Service Providers (ISP), Internet Content Providers (ICP), and E-commerce," he explained. "We will choose joint venture partners with complementary strengths to enable us to expand our business in these exciting areas."

To: DiViT who wrote (37810)	12/15/1998 10:47:00 AM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

OpenCable Standard Inches Toward Reality From the Semiconductor pages of Electronic News: December 7, 1998 Issue By Peter Brown Anaheim, Calif.--Set-top box manufacturers are making a concerted effort to move to the OpenCable standard in a bid to bring to the consumer electronics market a new revenue-generating machine. This thrust ties directly to other digital moves taking place in the television, PC and satellite markets. Proof of this trend emerged here at the Western Cable show last week where a variety of technologies and products that comply with the emerging OpenCable standard were introduced, including a chipset from VLSI Technology. VLSI is focusing its Vista '99 product plans toward OpenCable and has introduced a two-chip set for the back end that, combined with its front end terrestrial, cable and satellite chips, enables one of the first commercial OpenCable set-top boxes. The combination chipset is set to begin sampling in 1Q99 with volume production planned for 3Q99 priced under $30 in volume quantities. In addition, many OpenCable prototype boxes and modules are in development from other companies that could also help give the standard a needed push. The OpenCable standard basically would require consumers to go out to a local retail store and purchase a set-top box that has specific algorithms and instructions that each cable company would conform to. After purchasing the box, a consumer would then have only to connect the cable wires to the box. Portable Set-Top Boxes Even if the consumer changes location or goes on a business trip or vacation, the box could be taken with the user and plugged immediately into another cable outlet at a different location, giving that individual the ability to receive cable. For the cable companies this is potentially a huge benefit because it would lower their cost of materials. No longer will cable companies have to continually purchase and upgrade set-top boxes for numerous users to have in their homes for a relatively small fee to the cable subscriber. This will in turn enable cable vendors to move those funds elsewhere and to improve areas of concern, these typically being customer support and the ability to carry all the demanded cable channels. This also will allow cable companies to plan ahead with their programming including offering features such as video-on-demand and CD-quality music channels along with the regular programming. Implementation of other data services, such as interactive advertising and digital cable, would also be made easier through the standard because everything would all be planned ahead of time as well as upgradable. "OpenCable has to expand our business in North America where we have not had much of a presence at all," said Amar Kapadia, product marketing manager at VLSI Technology. VLSI is one of the set-top box manufacturers that are focusing on OpenCable as a potential high revenue generator for the company. If the standard takes off, it could mean a potential continuous source of revenue for chipmakers and consumer electronics manufacturers making the boxes for the cable companies. Waiting On A Standard So far, however, only one draft of the OpenCable standard has been accepted although there are indications that there will be additions and updates in the near future. Meanwhile, based on a 0.20-micron process, VLSI Technology's OpenCable chipset consists of the VES6200 and VES2750 chips that serve as MPEG-2 transport demodulation system control and audio/visual decoding for the set-tops. The VES6200 features an ARM7 thumb microprocessor core running at 108MHz and incorporates a digital encoder compatible with PAL/SECAM/NTSC color broadcasting standards. The chip also supports IEEE 1394 interface, which is an OpenCable specification. The VES2750 adds the transport demultiplexing to the chipset needed to transport the signal from the front to the back end.