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Live coverage of Thomson's press conference

Thomas Ricker
Updated ·4 min read


RCA-parent company (at least for now) Thomson seems to have pulled themselves away from the magic that is Celine Dion just long enough to conduct a press conference here in Vegas. Can they pull it off without the aid of a Quebecois accent. Most likely, they've been doing it for 40 years as a founding member of CES.

12:57 Sugar Pie Honey Bunch is blasting over the sound system. Is this really necessary? Plenty of room here in a ballroom about a 1/4 the size of most conferences. Hey, it's not Samsung, we can deal.

13:07 Dan Collishaw COO reviewing Thomson innovations for the year. Shopping RCA audio/video to perspective buyers as they have other divisions. RCA small wonder is expected to "redefine the camcorder business" -- cheap, point and shoot. 2007 will bring more choices with connected products.

13:11 Dwight Sakuma RCA's A/V man in the house steps on stage.



New line of MP3 players and iPod accessories and next generation Small Wonder. EZ201 works in low light and holds hours of flash memory -- the ability to add SD card and flip-out display. Powered by 2x AA batteries for 2 hours of continuous use. Connects to a TV, $129, cheap.



13:17 RCA memoryMaker docking station for EX201. Makes a DVD recording with one touch.


13:20 New RCA Gem lineup of MP3 players: Pearl (1GB mp3 player + USB drive and MicroSD slot, 15-hours off AAA battery), Opal (1.5-inch OLED, 15 hours, audio and video), Jet.


The Jetstream, a wireless version of the Jet for sportos, uses kleer technology for 12 hours of playback off a single charge. Lossless transmission of music. Not Bluetooth! It's also BMI calculator and stopwatch.


13:21 RCA DTA800 digital TV Adapter for terrestrial digital ATSC reception on conventional analog TVs. Meant to help consumers with Feb 17, 2009 cutover to digital.


13:23 And here's one for grandma; RCA Full Recording Solution combo DVD recorder, NTSC and ATSC tuner and full-funtion VCR. Yeah, VCR!

13:24 Out of Blu-ray and HD DVD game, they sold out existing product but will wait for the market to play itself out before getting back into it.

13:26 RCA Bookshelf Audio System with universal iPod dock and rip&go functionality. Also announced is the RCA Dual Wake Clock Radio with sliding iPod universal dock. Any button works as snooze for happy slappin' action. However, it must be complicated to use as listlessly flashes 12:00 over, and over, and ...

13:31 Sharon Vernon on stage now from Audiovox who recently puchased RCA's accessories division.

13:32 RCA flat panel solution launching to handle unique needs of flat panel installations. Flat panel cables for component, HDMI, coaxial and more. New, less bulky TV cord replacements and surge protectors for mounting the TV to the wall. All availabe in April.


A step up from RCA are the new Acoustic Research Flat series of cables, cable covers, and interconnects. CES award winners MicroFlat cables, uber thin mm-thick stips for flat cable runs.


AR BlackVault HiFi audio 2.1 speaker system with vacuum tube amp for audiophiles like to call "warm sound." AR4131 for $199.

RCA Laptop Teleceiver, MPC4000, for digital TV on the road. USB connector for PVR off with NTSC, and digital ATSC reception. Weights less than 2-ounces.

Jensen SportFones also announced their JPM3005 with MP3 player built into the headphones. Just 2.2-ounces, with 512MB of flash and zippered carrying case. All for about $70.


13:41 Lisa Castor, Consumer Network Solutions, now up. Three new phones all featuring DECT 6.0 for interference free calls and dedicated bandwidth.

GE InfoLink phone streams data via RSS to the phone's (tiny) LCD display. Choose channels that "best fit your lifestyle." Avaible Q2 $180 with second handset.

New GE 2-in-1 phone for use with fixed landlines or Skype.
full Skype support with the application loaded directly into the phone. $179 and available this spring.

GE Cell Fusion cell-integrated phone with DECT 6.0. Pairs with up to two Bluetooth phones for using the handset over DECT or cell phone network. It also features ush to talk. Available in May with second handset for $180.


Thomson Wireless Music Box for streaming music around the home. When combined with another solution sold by RCA to service providers, the device bridges WiFi, DECT, and music. Works with any DECT handset and andy device with WiFi or UPnP capability.

Man, that was one painful presentation. Not so much the product -- though there's certainly nothing stellar here -- but the fact that everyone simply stood in front of the room reading marketing copy. Ah Well, back to Celine.