Retailers have been seeing return rates as high as 50% on digital home control products using proprietary communications systems, making the effort to automate everything in the home a failure for many. Consumers either couldn’t figure out how to get the products to work or they didn’t work as claimed. The new devices are much more dependable and are installed only by professional ESCs rather than being bought at retail stores. Their price tags are intended for the luxury CEDIA market and they have been designed to be very easy to use once set up. A device to hold all your DVDs, CDs, home videos, photos and downloads and play them at several locations in your home might cost $25,000. But prices are dropping, and eventually such devices will be seen in more average homes.
Consumer Electronics in Australia – A new research report on consumer electronics down under has some findings that should prove interesting to those in other countries. Products covered were all aspects of video, home audio and cinema, computers, cameras, camcorders, portable players, mobile phones, in-car systems and navigation systems. Although Australia has long been thought of as a quick adopter of new technology, that was no longer the case in 2006. The country lagged behind Japan, South Korea, France and the UK in that area. The report found that although middle-Australians are interested in a variety of individual appliances, they do not aspire to the “digital lifestyle.” They are confused by convergence: the country’s switch from analog to digital TV takes place this year but movement to the new technology has been slow. Consumers are confounded by the choices of widescreen TVs and which disc format to purchase. Electronic items which offer mobility seem to have the most consumer support – portable computers and the iPod phenomenon being uppermost. Both audio and auto manufacturers are producing devices that allow for iPod integration as a result. Sales of DTVs and PVRs show that consumers are placing more emphasis on time-shifting TV programming.
LG Launches Two Home Theater Systems – Korean electronics giant LG Electronics has introduced two new home theater systems which were personally tuned by audio legend Mark Levinson. The AP3133 is a hi-def system with medium-height multi-driver floor standing speakers, a center channel speaker, surrounds and a powered sub. It features a 7.1-channel AV receiver with 150 watts per channel, Burr-Brown 192K/24bit DACs, multi-input HDMI switching and 1080p upscaling, HD Radio capability, and Audessey Auto Room EQ Adjustment at $4000. There is also an option of a LG Blu-ray & HD DVD player. The LHT888 has more decor-conscious design, with multi-driver speakers in parabolic housings on tapered pedestals. It has a 700 watt 5.1-channel DVD receiver with 1080p upscaling, HDMI output, LG SIMPLINK multi-device control, and multi-format playback compatibility. It is $599 and comes in a single box with all required cables provided.
