Audiophile of the 21st Century –
Accordingto an “Audio Consumption Study” released by the Consumer Electronics
Association there has been an increased consumer enjoyment of audio
content – including music and movies. More then 90% of adults online
reported listening to music in the past year. The CEA said the study
findings demonstrate that consumers have not lost their appetite for
audio as part of their daily content diet, and the rise of audio
consumption means increased opportunity for the industry and consumers.
The total average value of devices used in the primary listening room
of the home was $1500 and 87% percent of online adults reported being
satisfied with the quality of their home audio listening experience.
Sound quality, volume range and integration into the home decor were
“satisfaction drivers.” Dissatisfied respondents included those who
spent about half the average cost on audio components, those whose
listening was mainly PC-based, and those with wiring issues.
CES Pres Addresses U.S. Communications Policy – CEA
President Gary Shapiro delivered a speech last week to the Federal
Communications Bar Association in which he characterized “the U.S.
communication forest” as “growing, robust and stunningly beautiful.” He
talked about the government-industry partnership which has given the
U.S. the world’s best HDTV standard and resulted in Americans already
owning over 16 million HDTV products. He said the broad array of
technology and communications offerings expands almost daily.
However, Shapiro suggested six goals to further improve national communications policy:
1. Every American should have broadband access.
2. We must complete the shift to digital.
3. We must encourage competition among alternative media providers.
4. We need an open standard among technology providers to allow consumers choice in which products they buy.
5. We must protect consumer rights to manage content and to timeshift it.
6. We must protect the First Amendment and …resist any content
regulation no matter how offensive we may find some content.
Korean Dowry Change – South
Korean society is both very traditional and yet fully wired. Marriage
dowries are still the tradition, but they’ve gone high tech. Decades
ago dowries consisted of cotton blankets, mattresses and so forth –
taken by the bride to her new home. Today it’s home theater systems and
giant plasma displays.
