Audio News for November 25, 2006

Blu-ray Marketing Campaign – A core group of Blu-ray Disc supporters including Panasonic, Sony, Philips and Pioneer, are working with an Austin-based advertising agency in using the power of HDTV and other advertising and marketing initiatives to reach target audiences during the holiday shopping season. The group has produced a 30-second spot shot in hi-def that debuted last week. The commercial uses movie clips and animation and an announcer describing the various benefits of Blu-ray technology. An expanded print campaign of four pages now runs in lifestyle magazines and AV print magazines, and an online segment runs on web site such as CNET, ESPN, Wired, Google and Yahoo! Advocates claim that Blu-ray format is now supported by over 170 Hollywood studios, consumer electronics manufacturers, gaming companies, computer makers and music companies. Up to 50 GB of storage capacity, up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, 1080p resolution and realtime interactivity are other features of Blu-ray.

DTS/Nielsen Research on Importance of Surround Sound – DTS, in conjunction with Nielsen Entertainment Research, did an online survey of 2000 adults from 18 to 65 across the U.S. It showed that home theater systems featuring surround sound will continue to have solid growth and drive a majority of home audio sales. The Consumer Electronics Association estimate that by the end of this year about 38% of households (42 million) will own a home theater. That is up 21% from January 2000. Close to 30 million home theater households now possess five or more speakers for true surround sound, and 74% of those planning to upgrade to hi-def consider surround sound important when deciding what HDTV equipment to purchase.

Awareness of DTS and surround sound in general has grown among HT owners along with the growth of hi-def displays.  Close to three-fourths of standard DVD users are aware of Blu-ray and HD DVD. By the end of 2005 there were 21.6 million households with HDTV sets in the U.S., according to Jupiter Research. The number of HD-receiving households will reach close to 75 million by the end of 2010, which is 63% of total households. The Nielsen study revealed that more than half (54%) of DVD owners and 79% of surround sound owners consider high quality sound as the most important special feature on DVDs. Consumers who own HT systems believe that sound quality is actually as important as video quality. 60% of HT and surround sound owners were aware of DTS. Surround sound owners purchase 30% more DVDs than the general DVD consumer population – a 10% increase over last year’s study.