Consumer Electronics Daily News

Peripheral Integrates Aftermarket Amp Into Factory Stereo With Ease

Peripheral Electronics, AAMP of America’s OEM integration division, is now offering the eight-channel PCH8 Line Output Converter (LOC) i, which integrates aftermarket amplifiers into factory car stereos maintaining system integrity while significantly enhancing audio performance.

The PCH8 works with factory multi-channel amplified systems, and accepts two, four, six or eight amplified speaker level channels, converting those channels to a high-quality pre-amp signal. Internal summing lets users group together selected channels, combining different frequencies into one full-range signal. This is extremely important to dealers, allowing them to install a new amplifier without replacing the factory head unit.

Other installer-friendly features include a 12-volt output and turn-on circuit. The circuit monitors speaker level signals and automatically turns on the converter when a signal is sensed. The 12V output can be used to turn on aftermarket amplifiers and processors. A connection jack also lets users add the optional subwoofer control included with every PCH8.

For more information, visit www.peripheralelectronics.com.

Hitachi Preps 320GB Travelstar Hard Drives

Bolstering Hitachi's position as the segment and technology leader in 2.5-inch hard drives, the company today announced volume shipment of new 5,400 RPM notebook hard drives with a maximum available capacity of 320GB.

Designed to support the multi-tasking needs of consumers and commercial users balancing mobile computing and movies, music, photos and games on-the-go, the Travelstar 5K320 features optional Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) for users requiring increased data security and enhanced availability models designed for use in 24x7 environments.

The drives only consume 1.8W of power when reading and writing and their 0.55W low power idle means longer battery life for more "unplugged" notebook time and a longer drive life expectancy.

For more information, visit www.hitachigst.com.

Pioneer Challenges 22 Premier Dealers to Build Demo Vehicles

Following a successful event last spring in Tucson, Arizona, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announced the second annual Pioneer Sound Build-Off. Twenty-two of Pioneer’s Premier nationwide retailers, including the top five that participated in last year’s event as well as the People’s Choice winner, are being challenged to build the best sounding demo vehicle using select Premier-branded audio equipment.

“The Sound Build-Off competition is designed to showcase Pioneer’s high-end Premier car audio components, while encouraging our retailers to put the focus back on the importance of sound quality,” says Larry Rougas, Vice President of Marketing and Product Planning for the Mobile Business Group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “Last year’s event created a buzz among our retail community, causing other Premier dealers across the country to request the chance to show what they can do in this year’s contest.”

Participating dealers are given six weeks to install the provided audio system in their own demo vehicles and will then be evaluated based on International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA) rules.

For more information, visit www.pioneer-usa.com.

CEA's Shapiro Discusses Free Trade at Detroit Economic Club

Hot on the heels of his bout with commentator Lou Dobbs over free trade, CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro addressed the Detroit Economic Club today with a similar message entitled, Technological Status Quo: The Oxymoron of Our Times.

“Change defines our era," Shapiro said. "It is the campaign theme of the remaining leading presidential candidates. But while candidates can only promise to change the world, technology guarantees it. To the Detroit automakers, I say this: The technology industry is your opportunity.”

Citing new CEA research demonstrating increased consumer demand for in-vehicle electronics, Shapiro encouraged the automotive industry to work with consumer electronics manufacturers to develop a uniform, open standard for electronics connectivity within the car.

Shapiro acknowledged the uphill battle facing Detroit in a slowing economy, but asserted that if Detroit reversed its approach and aggressively embraced open standards and free trade, the city could experience an economic rebound.

“Free trade agreements ensure our access to technologies and the creation of new jobs. In the last 15 years, the high-tech boom has added 25 million American jobs, with historically low unemployment,” hen said. 

A complete transcript of today’s speech is available online at www.ce.org.

EA Offers $2 Billion for Take-Two

Video game giant Electronic Arts Inc. has made a $2 billion unsolicited bid to acquire rival game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. However the board of directors of the latter company, publishers of the controversial Grand Theft Auto series, quickly and very publicly called the proposal inadequate this morning.

"After careful evaluation, the Board has determined that EA's proposal substantially undervalues Take-Two's robust and enviable stable of game franchises, exceptional creative talent and strong consumer loyalty," the company said in a statement. "We believe EA's unsolicited offer is highly opportunistic and is attempting to take advantage of our upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most valuable and durable franchises in the industry. Furthermore, the offer values the company at a significant discount to its public peers and does not compensate Take-Two for its intrinsic value and the substantial synergies that the proposed combination would create."

EA's proposal was contained in a letter sent on Feb. 19th by EA Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello to Strauss Zelnick, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Take-Two. The Take-Two Board's subsequent rejection of the EA proposal led to EA's decision to release the letter and bring its proposal to the attention of all Take-Two shareholders, EA representatives said in a statement today.

"Our all-cash proposal is a unique opportunity for Take-Two shareholders to realize immediate value at a substantial premium, while creating long-term value for EA shareholders," Riccitiello said. "Take-Two's game designers would also benefit from EA's financial resources, stable, game-focused management team, and strong global publishing capabilities."

Grand Theft Auto is one of the industry's top franchises, having sold more than 65 million units to date. Over the past year, Take-Two has continued to expand its owned intellectual property portfolio, with two new franchises established - BioShock, one of the highest rated games of all time and winner of numerous "Game of the Year" awards, which has sold over 2 million units to date - and Carnival Games, a casual game for the Wii, which has sold over 1 million units to date.

Multiband Acquires Assets of US Install, LLC

Multiband Corporation, the nation's largest DirecTV installer for multi-unit housing, has acquired the assets of Minneapolis-based privately-held U.S. Install, LLC, a national home theater and video surveillance installation company. Multiband has created a new division, called U.S. Install and will integrate the purchased assets into existing operations.

U.S. Install is contracted nationally with a network of installation providers who collectively have more than 11,000 employee installers nationwide. Their client list includes a variety of retailers and consumer electronics product manufacturers, for which U.S. Install provides end-user commercial and residential installations. Multiband will utilize existing sales, marketing, and operational resources to service current U.S. Install customers, and gain new customers by increasing U.S. Install's operational capacity.

"Since we completed the acquisition of a controlling-interest in Michigan Microtech, we have gained a significant, highly skilled base of technicians," says Jim Mandel, CEO of Multiband. "The acquisition of U.S. Install's assets gives us the relationships to efficiently utilize this network to support commercial and residential consumer electronics installation. As a result of the increasing sophistication of consumer electronics devices and the growing demand among consumers for integrated solutions, we believe this area represents a significant revenue opportunity."

LG Halts Laptop Sales Over Faulty Battery After Fires

LG Electronics Inc. has ceasd sales of a new line of laptops after the battery inside the computer reported malfunctioned and melted, the AP reports.

The malfunction is at least the second known incident involving a battery in the LG laptop -- the first incident occured in South Korea with a battery that reported exploded after overheating -- though the company did not announce plans for any sort of recall.

According to the AP report, the electronics manufacturer has stopped producing the laptop model involved in both incidents, and an investigation shows that the likely cause of the problems was an external shock to the battery already under an extremely high temperature.

For more information, click here.

Onkyo Latest to Officially Drop HD DVD

Onkyo Corporation is ending it's plans for future HD DVD development and production of players, the company announced this week.

The company has distributed and sold approximately 2,000 units of the HD DVD players in the selected markets due to the growth of the large screen display market and high demand for home entertainment media.

However, "[a]s Onkyo manufactures HD DVD players with core parts supplied by Toshiba, it will be difficult for Onkyo to continue its further development and production of HD DVD players. Despite this decision, Onkyo will continue to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Onkyo HD DVD players," the company said in a statement.

For more information, visit www.onkyo.com.

TWICE, CES Daily Publisher Selling Off Magazine Business

Reed Elsevier, the parent company of This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE) and the CES Daily at International CES, is selling the publications and dozens of others as part of a move to unload its print business, known as Reed Business Information.

The announcement comes on the heels of Reed Elsevier's $4.1 billion offer for risk management company ChoicePoint, and is part of an overall shift from print publications to online and workflow solutions, according to Forbes Magazine.

Private equity firm Apax Partners has already expressed an interest in Reed Business Information, and analysts expect Reed Elsevier to net more than $1.6 billion. Apax recently announced a similarly enormous media buy, when it purchased U.K.-based B2B publisher Emap (publisher of Retail Week and Broadcast magazines) for more than $1 billion.

For more information, click here.

Two Distribution Amps From Gefen Now Shipping

Gefen is now offering two new distribution amplifiers for component video systems. The 1:4 Component/Audio CAT-5 Distribution Amplifier and the 1:8 Component/Audio CAT-5 Distribution Amplifier both enable the delivery of component video to multiple displays. Each solution is equipped with RCA (left/right) analog and digital (S/PDIF and TOSlink) audio inputs, offering an easy method of sending both audio and video to four or eight remote locations from a single source.

According to Gefen, the 1:4 Component/Audio CAT-5 Distribution Amplifier transmits four component video signals with high definition resolutions to 1080p up to 1000 feet in distance. Audio is delivered alongside the video in both analog and digital formats. The amp is equipped with four RJ-45 outputs, which provide a link to four receiver units that can be placed up to 1000 feet from the source using CAT-5 cables.

The 1:8 Component/Audio CAT-5 Distribution Amplifier operates with the same functionality and features but with a distribution to eight displays. Audio and video are delivered to their remote destinations over just one CAT-5 cable making this a useful and cost-effective method of delivering high definition audio and video throughout multi-room locations.

For more information, visit www.gefen.com.