I am glad to be back. It has been a crazy year, and here in the South we are going on our second week of triple digits, crazy heat. In spite of all that, it has been a great year. 

With everyone, including I, wondering how the economy was going to pan out, our organization has been smart, planned well and taken service to a new level. Taking care of our customers and educating them helps them see better value and promotes growth in all of us.

That was the major focus this year for me: education. Not only educating my client but also educating myself. I spend a lot of time thinking I know it all. And while there are a few things I don’t know, the one major focus is that I have to stay ahead of ...Read More

We are nearing an auspicious occasion in all of our lives today.  

Just as our college seniors around the country line up, preparing to walk across the stage to accept their diplomas, filled with pride, excitement and perhaps a wee bit of trepidation, we all line up too — virtually, digitally.  For we, America, are about to cross the stage of history on June 12, transitioning from the analog era to the digital age — turning our “dials” as the graduates turn the tassel on their graduation cap — and we should be just as proud as those college grads who spent the last four (or seven?) years working toward this day.

To some, the “digital transition” ...Read More

Longtime attendees to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) may have noticed some significant changes this year.

Much like the landscape of downtown Los Angeles, which for the second year in a row is home to the annual video game industry trade show, the event continues to evolve. While the location now sports high-rise buildings and new theaters where there was once just pavement patches for parking, the show too has transformed with the times.

But unlike the new City of Angels, the show is just new and different for the sake of being different. Fortunately, some of the video game giants have realized that they can take advantage of this new improved city, notably Nintendo, which staged its press conference at a the new Club Nokia complex and theater. This was welcome relief for those of us in the media used to trekking out ...Read More

“How old is your current fridge?” It’s a good leading question that sales associates often use to point out fancy new features on new high-end models. But if you’re aiming to point out operating costs, a better question might be, “Do you know how much your old fridge is costing you?”

Most consumers don’t know that older fridges and freezers are expensive to run—in fact, they probably consume more energy than any other appliance in the home. A refrigerator or freezer manufactured before 1993 costs more than double to operate than a new ENERGY STAR qualified model; fridges and freezers from the 1970s cost four times more.Together, U.S. households have 44.5 million fridges over 10 years old. These inefficient refrigerators eat up a...Read More

Dave Pedigo is CEDIA' Sr. Director of Technology.

Based on some recent events, the CEDIA technology council decided to conduct a small survey of internal CEDIA staff members.

This is not considered a scientific study but instead a case study that should correlate relatively well to the general public. The survey took place on March 27 at CEDIA HQ.

There were 25 participants who chose to participate in the survey. They were asked to look at two identical displays and answer five questions. The displays were showing the movie “Twilight” playing in 720p via an MP4 download and 1080p on Blu-ray. Both displays were connected using high-quality 5-meter HDMI cables. The participants were not informed which display was Blu-ray and vice-versa as the display on the left was marked “...Read More

Frank DeMartin is VP, Marketing at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America.

We are in the worst recession since the Great Depression. The economic crisis has permanently changed the way we do business as brands and as retailers. We all know too painfully well the consequences for not adapting fast enough to this new reality. Major TV brands like Pioneer and major retailers like Circuit City were unable to react quickly enough to this changing reality.

More than ever, consumers are demanding value — not simply low prices but genuine value. Consumers have seen their net worth plummet over the last year. They are saving more and spending less. The good news is that consumers continue to spend. However, when they do, they require stro...Read More

Part One: The 50,000 Foot Level — How to stay strong and focused.

This is the first in a two-part series focusing on how retailers should tackle their advertising plans when sales are down and times are tough. Part Two will share tactical steps retailers can take to drive immediate foot traffic.

It is common practice for retailers to base their advertising budgets on a percentage of sales (3.5 percent to 4 percent). In a down economy, this can create a never-ending cycle, because decreasing your advertising provides less opportunity to drive traffic and sales, resulting in decreased advertising … and so on. To prevent this cycle, retailers need to set a threshold — the minimum amount you must spend to maintain awareness and drive traffic. Take the time to...Read More

One of Brad Anderson’s greatest contributions to the CE business, said president and CEO-elect Brian Dunn, is that “he looked out for the greater good of the CE industry while shepherding Best Buy.”

Anderson proved that point again last month during his next-to-last earnings call as CEO. In an eloquent affirmation of the industry’s strength and vitality, he robustly challenged naysayers who would suggest that CE’s, and Best Buy’s, best days are behind them.

He ended his statement with a gracious nod to Dunn, who succeeds him as chief executive in June.

Excerpts from Anderson’s address...Read More

I thought a lot about what I would say this month. February has been a tough one. 

A lot of things going on here in the South, and times are tough all over for that matter. I just wanted to take some time to talk about what we are watching and how we are watching it. I was reminded of this when a family member recently passed away and I was looking at old movies and pictures. Crazy what has transpired in the video-content industry. I have a Beta, for goodness sake, in mint condition with old movies taken on a Beta camera. Sounds like the wheel just got invented. 

In the same way in our business we are consistently revamping old technologies and embracing new ones. As people are becoming more nervous and less courageous about risking their hard earned dollars on frivolous items, we see outrageous advances in media stor...Read More

As promised, I had mentioned that this blog would continue to explore the Nature of Color. In this blog, I will discuss how a motion picture is mastered and then converted to various media for theaters and consumer displays. 

The below graphical representation demonstrates basic building blocks of the motion picture mastering process and the process
for conversion to home video.

Marcy Cohen, Sony Electronics senior manager, corporate communications, was in Philadelphia for the opening of the first Sony Style store done in conjunction with industry leader Comcast. She took a moment to write the guest post below: Rick Clancy

Last night hosted a special sneak peek event for local media and VIPs during which Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and the senior VP of Sony retail stores Dennis Syracuse will talk about how this store concept came to be. You may be familiar with our 40-plus Sony Style retail stores in the U.S., but this is our first collaborat...Read More