CEA Study: Shrinking Difference in Technology Use by Men, Women
When it comes to purchasing and using electronics products, the gap between men and women appears to be disappearing. That's one conclusion reached by a study conducted in early October by eBrain Market Research and published by the Consumer">http://www.ce.org/">Consumer Electronics Association. The study, titled Women, Men & Consumer Electronics, questioned 1000 random households about their involvement with electronics technology.
CEA Supports Music Online Act
The Music Online Competition Act (MOCA) has won the imprimatur of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), according to an announcement made August 8. The recently-introduced bipartisan">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11107/">bipartisan bill crafted by Congressmen Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) intends to insure competition in the delivery of online music—and to preserve music lovers' rights to copy their own recordings for private use.
CEA Survey: Consumers Want Free Content Online
The Consumer">http://www.ce.org/">Consumer Electronics Association has at last quantified common knowledge: An overwhelming majority of Internet users download news stories, product information, pictures, graphics, audio files, and video clips—all for free. Furthermore, Internet users want and expect to continue getting all this content at no cost, and they are opposed to any kind of governmental regulation or interference that will prevent their doing so.
CEA Weighs In On MGM v. Grokster
As the Senate Commerce Committee began hearings on issues related to MGM v. Grokster on July 28, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) president Gary Shapiro issued a masterfully constructed statement reminding the Committee of the stakes involved. Why masterful? Essentially, we are struck by the concision of the CEA argument and its gentle reminder that a significant American industry will be crucially affected by the final resolution of this issue—and not the one that first springs to mind, either.
CEA: "Bright Spots" in Audio Sales
First, the bad news: Sales of stand-alone, two-channel audio products declined in the month of June by 1.8% to $164 million, according to recently published statistics from the Consumer">http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association.
CEA: "Supporting Fair Use Means Better Business"
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has issued a position">http://www.ce.org/shared_files/edm/2007/PolicyPapers/HomeRecording.pdf"… paper on consumer recording rights, which it expects to be a "key issue in 2007." The CEA's position, in brief: "We urge Congress to refrain from limiting fair use and encourage market-based solutions to home recording and digital rights management issues."
CEA: Flat Year Ahead
Manufacturers and retailers don't expect an upswing in electronics sales next year. That's the consensus of members polled by the Consumer">http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association, published in mid-October.
CEDIA 2006 Kicks Off September 14
Even though the calendar year starts January 1 (or, if you're in the electronics industry, with the January CES), many of us still think of Labor Day as the beginning of the year. That's when school always started—or, again if you're in the electronics industry, the week after is when CEDIA's (Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) Expo takes place. As the show has grown over the years, it has also become the kick-off to the important (and, hopefully, lucrative) end-of-the-year sales season, with many companies debuting significant products they hope will make their Q4 profitable.
CEDIA 2009 Day One
CEDIA Expo 2009 was off and running on Thursday September 10. The two large convention floors in Atlanta are packed with displays and products. The focus, of course, is on video, home theater, home integration and, even, centralized vacuum-cleaning systems. Of greatest interest to audiophiles remains the obvious: we all need loudspeakers! (Well, perhaps not the vacuum cleaner systems.) Unfortunately, the buzz on the floor precludes useful auditions and is so great that even the dedicated sound-rooms suffer from excessive noise. So, you will understand that good looks grab my attention.
CEDIA 2009 Day Three
Emerging technology was also a theme at this CEDIA, even apart from the various 3D video schemes. RoomEQ is, of course, not a new concept and Audyssey treated us to an introduction and demonstration of their new Subwoofer Equalizer that uses the AudysseyPro software and of DSX, their technology for adding additional channels (for width and height) to the standard 5.1 and 7.1 configurations. I have a Subwoofer Equalizer in house now and hope to report on it shortly. In addition, DSX has made its appearance in a new generation of preamp-processors (and AVRs) from Denon, Onkyo, and Integra, so I am planning on experimenting with that, as well, using one of the new Integra processors, the all-inclusive DHC 80.1 ($2300).