HD HOME CINEMAS

02.20.2009 — Elite Screens is leaving the specialty A/V furniture business, the Calif.-based company announced.

It will no longer carry its SolaraHome products, enabling it to dedicate more resources to its own factories and screen products.

Elite Screen has begun liquidating its existing stock of SolaraHome seating.

Here's part of the statement from Dave Rodgers, marketing manager for Elite Screens:

"Elite Screens specializes in projection screens and has resolved to dedicate all of its resources toward doing what it has excelled at — the manufacturing of quality projection screens to meet the demand of its vast network of clientele in distribution, online resellers, CI/CE, pro A/V and international."

02.19.2009 — As expected, Best Buy laid off 250 employees at its headquarters today. However, it also announced the creation of 210 new positions at the Richfield, Minn. home office for a net loss of 40 jobs.

The apparent contradiction reflects a shift in focus. Instead of working toward opening new stores, Best Buy says it is now looking at enhancing existing stores and improving online sales, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

Many of the eliminated positions were related to new-store development and many of the new positions are designed to sync with the new focus, according to Best Buy spokesperson Susan Busch.

The 250 terminated employees will be able to apply for the new positions, Busch adds, although they are able to work for another 30 days.

"We will be providing more information to our employees about the new store operating model in the weeks ahead," Busch says. "The store changes are less about staff impacts and more about shifting labor dollars to where the customers are."

Today's layoffs come on the heals of 500 workers voluntarily being laid off in January. The voluntary layoffs were effective Feb. 12 and resulted in a 13 percent reduction in the company's workforce.

Best Buy, the No. 1 electronics retailer in the U.S., recently saw its top competition, Circuit City, go out of business.

February 20, 2009 | by Steve Crowe

3DFusion (3DF) will debut its 3DFMax, a stereoscopic glasses free, broadcast ready 3D display, at the Digital Signage Expo. (via EngadgetHD)

The 3DFMax, built upon the Philips WOWvx 3D solution, is believed to be the first 3D broadcast ready display.

Unfortunately, no specs such as resolution, contrast, pricing, etc. have been announced.

3DF seems to be on the right track with its 3D technology as nearly 75 percent of consumers would recommend 3DTV. Consensus seems to be, however, that 3DTV won’t catch on with glasses on your face while watching Chuck flop in 3D or those promos during the Super Bowl.

If you happen to be at the Digital Signage Expo in Vegas (Feb. 25-26), stop by booth 1813 to see 3DFMax in person and let us know what you thought.

February 20, 2009 | by Chuck McKenney

Strong holiday sales made Vizio the second best selling flat panel TV brand in the U.S, new research shows.

Samsung remains the top-seller, followed by Vizio, Sony and Panasonic.

“The demand for Vizio products has never been stronger,” stated Laynie Newsome, Vizio Co-Founder and VP Sales & Marketing Communications. “Even during times when tier one competitors drop their prices (and lose millions of dollars in the process) the American Consumer clearly recognizes Vizio as a preferred consumer electronics brand.”

The news comes on the heels of Vizio’s decision to stop manufacturing plasma TVs. Pioneer is leaving the TV market completely.

“The current sales environment is obviously difficult for all television makers due to the slowdown in consumer spending; retaining position and achieving growth in these challenging times is an accomplishment,” says Riddhi Patel, principal analyst at research firm iSuppli.

Vizio increased holiday sales (November 24 - December 31) by 52 percent over 2007 levels.

February 19, 2009 | by Steven Castle

Home energy management will increase significantly over the next four years, and the number of U.S. households with a smart meter will grow to over six million by 2012, according to research firm Parks Associates.

“Over one million smart meters have been deployed in the U.S.,” said Bill Ablondi, Parks’ director of Home Systems Research. “Utilities see the benefit of upgrading the grid, and consumers are growing more conscious of their energy consumption. Add in incentives from the government, and you have three strong drivers that will boost deployment and innovation in this market.”

The projection of 6 million smart meters is far less than the 40 million cited by Google as a market for the search titan’s prototype PowerMeter. “I interviewed a number of utilities deploying smart meters, smart meter firms and firms providing software to utilities. All agreed at least in general with the forecast of some 6 million smart meters (not AMR meters) deployed by 2012,” Ablondi responded via email. “There are announced plans to deploy at least 25 to 30 [million] smart meters. However, some like the CenterPoint deployment in Houston, will only begin next month. Also, many of the meters will go into commercial accounts where the payback is bigger. Do the math: 30M times $200 to $300 each, installed ... $6B to $9B. Most of this will not be covered by the $11 billion in [stimulus spending for a smart grid].”

Parks Associates reports that more than half of U.S. households are taking steps to conserve energy, the impact of which has broad implications for everyone from appliance end electronics manufacturers to venture capitalists. Already, a strong majority of U.S. builders recognize energy-efficient amenities as the most positive influencers in selling a home, Parks says.

“The Obama administration has made the development of energy-efficient technologies and alternative fuels a priority,” Ablondi said. “There will be opportunities for manufacturers in smart appliances, utilities investing in Smart Grid technologies, and start-ups developing innovative energy solutions.”

The Parks Associates’ project, “Residential Energy Management: Opportunities for Digital Systems and Services,” analyzes the market, current and future deployments, and consumer preferences. Due to be released in third quarter, it includes an online survey of 1,500 U.S. households regarding their use and awareness of smart meters.