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The Battle Over "Showrooming"

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:25:33 +0000

No less a tech geek than Isaac Newton said that for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. The electronics industry is no exception to this law of physics, and the rise of e-commerce has been precisely mirrored by the fall of brick and mortar electronics stores. Finally, a major retailer has asked manufacturers to help them fight back. Is it too little, too late?

This week, Target sent out a letter to its suppliers asking for a joint solution to the problem of "showrooming." You know what this is -- if you're like most people, you've done it yourself. You go to the store to check out a product, find what you like, then go online to buy it cheaper. Free delivery, no tax, no lugging a big TV into your car or renting a van. You save money and hassle, what's the problem?

If you're Target -- or Best Buy, or Sears, or any number of big retailers with expensive stores and warehousing, paid sales staff and customer service -- well, that is the problem. It's essentially unfair -- how can a retailer carrying all this overhead possibly compete with another that doesn't?

Many consumers feel that's the way the cookie crumbles and the way things work in a consumer economy -- the customer is king, right? But there's more to be lost here than a few big chains. If retailers can't compete, some will go away and there will be fewer places to buy. That means more power to fewer retailers, and that's never been a winning formula for consumers.

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Streaming Video And Its Discontents

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:10:02 +0000

As Hollywood and its associates continue their transition from DVD and Blu-ray discs to streamed entertainment, the word transition is worth remembering. This is still early stage technology and there are bugs. Rest assured there will be more bugs to come.

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OLED -- The Next Big Thing Again?

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:10:02 +0000

There's a new TV technology on the horizon, one that promises better performance and a viable alternative to the growing market domination of cheap and increasingly underwhelming video displays. Is OLED the answer to the market doldrums, or simply a question that nobody asked?

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Is 3DTV Failing?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:10:02 +0000

3D television has been touted as the next big thing pretty much since there's been TV, but now that it's actually on the market, how's 3DTV doing?

A recent announcement from the Digital Entertainment Group says that people who've bought 3DTV feel overwhelmingly positive about their experiences. Being a a trade group of TV manufacturers and content providers, the DEG obviously has its own motivations for reporting lots of happy 3DTV customers. But how happy are they really? Would they buy another one? Recommend 3DTV to friends?

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Best Buy Starts To Scale Down

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:10:02 +0000

There's been tremendous market pressure on big brick-and-mortar electronics stores over the past several years, and now market leader Best Buy is feeling the crunch. In a move that signals a broader company direction that smaller will be better from now on, the chain will begin renting out parts of their big retail stores to other retailers.

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Apple Finally Shoots For The Living Room

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:10:02 +0000

It's probably too bad (and a bit ironic) for Apple that the name "Apple TV" is now attached to a decent but underwhelming set top box that few people actually own. In the coming months, maybe not too many of them, Apple is finally going to go after the television market for real. They'll need a new name for that set top box.

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TV trends to watch in 2011

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:33:48 +0000

With the new year under way, I figured it was an appropriate time to look at four TV trends that I expect to see more of during the nest 12 months. Here goes ...

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Use online sites to stay up to date with the Consumer Electronics Show

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:23:30 +0000

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off Thursday (Jan. 6) in Las Vegas and, as always, it will be THE PLACE to get news about new and forthcoming products. Since televisions are a huge part of the consumer electronics world, the major manufacturers always have a big-time presence. Last year, 3D TV was the talk of the show, and I expect a continued focus on 3D this year, but there will no doubt be exciting new announcements as well.

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Apple TV sales top one million

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:04:03 +0000

Early last week, Apple announced that sales of its new Apple TV units were expected to top one million by Christmas. Assuming their estimates were correct, an awful lot of people now have the devices in hand. And why not? If you want to bring select Web-based content and streaming high-definition video to your big screen, Apple TV is a decent choice.

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3D content is scarce, but options are available

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:17:56 +0000

So, you've invested in a 3D TV, purchased a 3D-capable Blu-ray player and made sure to get glasses for everyone in the family. You have everything you need for some great three-dimensional entertainment ... except the content. That's a common problem. In fact, the lack of 3D content for the home environment continues to be one of the big rubs for early 3D TV adopters.

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