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LG sells one million 32-inch LCD TVs in Europe, celebrates wildly
We can't say for sure what exactly the model number is (strange, we know), but LG Electronics is apparently pretty awestruck and excited about moving a million 32-inch LCD TVs over in Europe. Reportedly, the set -- which was introduced last April -- is sold in 26 European countries, and with it reaching the one million mark, it sets the LG record for the most of a single set sold since it entered the sector in 1999. A company official was quoted as saying that since its debut, it has sold 100,000 per month, and that the "key was to design a luxurious model specially to meet the refined tastes of European consumers." Hear that, Europeans? Y'all are refined!
DisplaySearch finds some positive news in big screen LCD shipments
As with most industry sectors, there hasn't been an awful lot of incredibly great news flowing from LCD makers. Thankfully, that's changing this month, as a new DisplaySearch release shows the first increase in unit shipments and revenues since September of last year. By the numbers, we're looking at month-over-month growth of 23 percent, with large-area TLT LCD revenues reaching $2.96 billion. Of course, laptop PC and monitor panels still outsold panels for TVs, but not by a huge margin. As for the company breakdown in terms of overall LCD revenue, Samsung was predictably atop the pile with a 30.2 percent market share, while LG Display followed with 26.8 percent. For the rest of the figures, just give that read link a tap.
Toshiba overtakes Sony in UK TV market, looks forward to 2009
As Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and the rest jockey for position in the overall sales rankings, Tosh is the one that's surprisingly gaining ground. Shortly before naming a new incoming CEO, the company's managing director of Toshiba UK (Andy Bass) stated that things are looking up for the outfit's TV and PC monitor sales. While speaking at the firm's annual product preview, Bass noted that "12 months ago, [Toshiba's] TV business was at the lowest point ever, at just 3.4 percent." That said, 2009 is actually looking to improve, and already it has overtaken Sony for second place in the UK PC monitor and TV marketplace. The only one left to pass is Samsung, but we don't see anyone leapfrogging it for a long, long while.
Panasonic aims to skip over low-pricing e-tailers, focus on "value adding" distributors
We've already heard that Best Buy is aiming to spruce up its entire home theater department while undercutting Walmart, and now we're hearing that Panasonic individually is looking to stores more like Best Buy to sell its products. In a rather bizarre move, Panny is reportedly aiming to "tighten distribution" of its products by ditching dealers who add no value (and sell cheap) and sending more product to retailers who are willing to "implement Panasonic's stricter marketing policies and programs" (and sell high). Without getting caught up in the minutiae, what this essentially means is that it'll be harder for independently informed consumers to find Panny products on the cheap, but it'll be easier for the technologically illiterate to find Panny dealers surrounded by informed CSRs and information packets. It's possible that the company is simply trying to improve its image and appeal only to a certain class of people, but for those of us smart enough to do our own research beforehand, it looks like we'll be shopping other brands. Your loss, Panny.
Best Buy aims to match Walmart's HDTV prices while sprucing up stores
If you thought the death of Circuit City would lead to even higher prices at Best Buy, you're obviously not considering the Bentonville powerhouse in your calculations. Since the downfall of one of America's most well-known electronics retailers, Best Buy has now refocused on rivaling Walmart, who has done quite a lot over the past year or so to become a serious venue for buying new HDTVs. Granted, most of Walmart's offerings boast labels like VIZIO and Emerson, but that's beginning to change. In a new piece from the Wall Street Journal, incoming CEO Brian Dunn asserts that he's planning to "match" Wally World's famously low prices while making Best Buy stores more of an "experience." How exactly it plans to lower TV margins while sprucing up retail space is beyond us, but maybe it's looking to those $150 Monster-branded HDMI cables to pick up the slack.
OLED market set to skyrocket in 2011, says DisplaySearch
You've seen the prototypes tucked away in trade show corners, and you've seen the demise of existing generation technologies -- it doesn't take an industry expert to realize that the door is wide open for OLED to walk through. According to a new report from -- who else? -- industry experts, the OLED lighting market is set to boom in 2011, with OLED revenues expected to surpass PMOLED displays in the 2013 / 2014 time frame. Specifically in the OLED TV market, manufacturers are scrambling to assemble large-screen OLED TVs that are even close to affordable, and estimates we've personally heard put those on the market just after the next decade begins. Clearly, the biggest hindrance from OLED domination right now is the prohibitive pricing, but once those XEL-1s are given away inside King Size cereal boxes, we'll really be onto something.
Peek finds that Costco customers greatly prefer lifetime subscriptions
We're not about to say "we told you so," but Peek's own David Madden has contacted us with a detail so telling that we simply had to pass it on. In an effort to understand whether the email-only handheld really would sell better if not hamstrung by monthly fees, it has been offering it up in two forms at Costco. A "$44 + monthly fees" package and an all-inclusive "Peek-for-life" bundle that sells for $399. So far, a whopping 70 percent of sales have been for the lifetime Peek, despite the fact that said bundle is a Benjamin more expensive than Peek's own one-day lifetime sale earlier this year. He also goes on to say that this pricing strategy (the no monthly fees one) "may yet be vindicated," hinting that the model could become a permanent option in the future. Oh, and we told you so.
Analysts hem and haw on future Blu-ray success
The CEA had expected that sales of Blu-ray decks would reach around 5.7 million units this year, and while some may quickly assume that this whole economic crisis may sideline that forecast, many analysts are saying that it could actually help matters. On one hand, it's easy to assume that potential BD buyers will opt to simply hold tight to their funds, but on the other, many may justify the purchase of higher-end in-home electronics given that they'll be spending less time out on the town. Tim Alessi, LG Electronics product development director, confessed that he was "still in agreement with the CEA's estimates that Blu-ray decks have the potential to double this year to roughly 5.7 million units. Jonathan Zupnik, Sears audio/video/TV DMM, stated the following: "As we are hearing the opening price point is already flashing $149 - it needs to be $99 to really get things going. Even with that, as long as the movies are over $20 that will continue to keep things at a relatively slow pace. The consumer is used to [disc prices of] $13.99 at launch and picking through bins at $3.99." We totally hear you, Mr. Zupnik.
D-BOX rumbles to best ever quarter in terms of sales
The major news outlets seem to think there's some sort of "recession" going on, but those with cash are still spending like it's 1999. D-BOX, the outfit famous for its rumbling theater seats and corresponding Motion Code system, has just reported its best ever quarter in terms of sales, notching revenues of $1,227,340 for the third quarter of its 2009 fiscal year. Sales increased some 29 percent year-over-year, and it's hoping to keep the momentum going with its comparatively affordable hybrid GPH-120 system ($2,999; available summer 2009) for gamers who love to rock. And to think, most of us laughed this company off. Kudos, D-BOX.
Futuresource predicts 100 million Blu-ray Discs sales in 2009
Futuresource Consulting has produced some rather controversial predictions before, so it's not at all surprising to find that it was this firm that forecast a whopping 100 million Blu-ray Disc would be sold in 2009. As we wait for BD sales to exceed DVDs in 2012, we're told that consumers are on pace to purchase in excess of 100 million Blu-ray Discs across the US, Western Europe and Japan this year. Mai Hoang, Senior Market Analyst, even concluded that in America, BD has moved from "early adopter phase through to early majority," noting that in the US last year, BD video retail sales increased some 320 percent to 24 million units. Couple that with rampant growth in the UK, and that 100m figure seems just a wee bit more believable. Of course, it's not like these guys really have any accountability in any of this, but at least these conjectures will lead to some pretty fiery discussions, right? [Warning: PDF read link][Via Joystiq]
LG looks to boost market share to 10 percent with low-end phones
Here's a concept: sell cheap, low-margin phones while the economy is in the dumps in order to grow market share. Brilliant, right? Believe it or not, that's the idea that's being pushed around at LG headquarters, as the company has revealed a goal of increasing its global handset market share to at least 10 percent during this year. The company does expect profits to shrink over the course of 2009, but it's still hoping for a high single-digit percent profit margin on mobiles, against 11 percent in 2008. According to Skott Ahn, President and CEO of Mobile Communications at LG: "Developed markets will definitely suffer some contraction, but there's a chance for growth in first-time buyers in emerging markets." So, what does LG really have to do to hit 10 percent? Maintain its sales volume at 2008's level, which was moving some 100.7 million across the globe.
Steelseries partnering with Best Buy, credits WoW for growth
We've heard before about World of Warcraft strutting up the PC gaming market before, but could this game also be holding up the PC game accessories market? Seems that way for Steelseries -- they're the makers of the WoW mouse that we've mentioned (the one that might not be quite kosher with Blizzard's Terms of Service, use with caution). They've just recently inked a deal with Best Buy to carry some of their products (including the WoW mouse), and World of Warcraft played so much of a part in the deal that CEO Bruce Hawver credited Blizzard's MMO with creating his "high-quality gamers": "The way I used to pick up the phone after school, now, kids log into World of Warcraft and chat... Online gaming might cost $14 to $18 a month – less than a single movie visit for two people."It does follow -- if WoW is one of the only reasons left for people to spend money on PC games, it does seem that it would be one of the only reasons for them to spend money on gaming accessories. High-end mice and keyboards use to be the domain of the FPS player -- guys like Fata1ity pimped their own lines and all the mice bragged about their resolution and ease of use. But the PC market has changed, and MMOs are the game of the day now -- everything is about squeezing function into as many buttons as possible and reaching this 11 million player group roaming around Azeroth. If Steelseries and other accessory manufacturers want to sell their products, they've got to try and sell them to us.
DisplaySearch shows slight LCD TV shipment decline in Q4 2008
Not that we didn't see it coming, but it's still somewhat deflating to watch the dream die. Preliminary DisplaySearch numbers are showing that LCD TV shipments slipped year-over-year for the first time since this style of tracking began, though on the bright side, the decline was but a meager two percent. More specifically, shipments slipped from 8.9 million units in Q4 2007 to 8.7 million units this past quarter. Things look a touch grimmer when viewing all TV shipments, as those fell seven percent in North America to 10.7 million units in the same period. The crazy part? Shipments of plasma TVs increased 28 percent quarter-over-quarter and 10 percent year-over-year, and all the while, we're seeing PDP makers jump ship like the end is near. Ah well, more statistics and figures await those that love 'em in the read link below.
Poll: Are you happy being a Blu-ray early adopter?
Even with some Blu-ray players checking in below $200, we'd still argue that those jumping ship to BD are early adopters. Or, at least some of the earliest. All things considered, are you happy with your decision to step up and support Blu? Do you now think upscaled DVD would've been enough? Do you wish you had jumped earlier? We reckon future success has a lot to do with how jovial existing supporters are, so we'll be interested to hear your opinions. Fire away! %Poll-26302%
RIM selling gobs of BlackBerrys, profits just so-so
Just under a week ago, we found that RIM had sold its 50 millionth BlackBerry, and while that's all fine and dandy, Wall Street only cares about what you've done for it lately. Thus, traders were none too pleased to hear Research In Motion suggest that its fourth fiscal quarter earnings would come in at the low-end of expectations despite anticipating a higher-than-forecast number of new subscribers. So, what's it all mean? In simple terms, it appears that RIM's making less off of each phone sold, with Todd Coupland of CIBC Capital Markets surmising that the firm may simply be selling more of its lower-priced devices. And honestly, that makes perfect sense given the economy. Still, we can think of much, much darker places for RIM to be in than this, and these days, just coming out in the black is a victory.[Via Wall Street Journal]
Netflix breaks the 10 million subscriber mark, keeps on truckin'
We can't say the economic crisis has been too kind to every industry, but it's been a best friend to Netflix. As consumers divert their out-on-the-town dollars to sit-on-my-arse-and-watch-Netflix dollars, the by-mail and streaming movie rental company is just breaking records left and right. After closing a stellar 2008 with 9.4 million customers, the company has today announced that the 10 million mark has been crossed. For those struggling with basic math, that means that it has added 600,000 net subscribers since January 1st. So, where does Netflix go from here? Into every nook and cranny it can, of course, so don't be shocked to see Watch Instantly creep onto your next HDTV, set-top-box, Blu-ray player or portable microwave. Seriously, it could happen.
Tesla tidbits: new retail stores, Model S prototype, extended warranty
Last we heard, Tesla was reevaluating some business decisions as it sought to become a thriving, profitable enterprise in 2009. In a lengthy newsletter sent out to over 60,000 subscribers today, CEO Elon Musk has laid out a torrent of news. Most notable are the imminent openings of retail locations in Chicago and London's Knightsbridge district, with four other locations slated to open before the year's end. Additionally, a street-drivable prototype of the Model S four door sedan will be unveiled on March 26th, with production scheduled for 2011. We're also informed of updates on the Smart car / Daimler partnership, a few new interior options for the Roadster, a battery replacement program and the new extended warranty. Chances are, Tesla owners have already digested all of this, but those looking in from the outside should certainly have a peek at the full letter just after the break.
DirecTV Q4 aftermath: focusing on "middle market," receiving praises from everywhere
Make no mistake -- DirecTV had an amazing, if not unbelievable, fourth quarter of 2008. After reporting numbers that blew just about everyone away yesterday, analysts have been quick to pump out laudatory remarks. Sanford Bernstein's Craig Moffett noted that the satcaster "continued to defy gravity," and he suggested that "one could make a case that DirecTV has, at least so far, been as little impacted by the recession as any company in America." As for the company itself, it's looking to target "the middle market" going forward, which is a departure from its usual tactics of aiming straight for the higher-end. The outfit's CEO Chase Carey is anticipating Q1 2009 ARPU (average revenue per user) to grow around 2.5 percent, which makes sense given the upcoming price increases. Needless to say, DirecTV is on track for a very solid '09, and if you're interested in hearing more from both sides, just hop down to the links below.[Thanks, Vanbrothers]Read - DirecTV CEORead - Analyst reactions
DirecTV records a monster Q4, adds 461,000 new net subscribers
Say what you will about the economy, but don't dare touch an American's television. Clearly bucking the trend is DirecTV, who managed to slip into rarefied air with outfits like Netflix by recording an absolutely marvelous Q4 2008. Beating analyst expectations by a solid mile, the satcaster added an amazing 461,000 new net subscribers in the quarter, with 301,000 -- the most in over three years -- coming in the US. DirecTV Latin America picked up the other 160,000, while a 1.47 percent churn rate was the lowest in nine years. In case you're scouting more good news, the company saw increased revenues in Q4 of 9 percent, while net income did slip 5 percent to $332 million. Of course, that may help explain the forthcoming price hike -- clearly it can charge more and get away with, so why not?[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
Vodafone reports 14 percent rise in revenue
Things may not be entirely awesome for most operators these days, but at least Vodafone's making some cash in this cash-strapped market. According to its most recent quarterly results, the outfit has notched a 14 percent increase in revenue, which was helped by the weak pound and exceptional sales in India. More specifically, it realized sales of £10.47 billion ($14.9 billion) compared to £9.16 billion ($13.06 billion) a year prior. Also of note, Voda was thanking data revenue profusely, as said category rose over 25 percent on an organic basis. Nevertheless, the good news prompted it to raise its expectations for the next quarter, which ain't happening too often these days. All the minutiae is parked in the read link.
