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Television manufacturers are realizing that technology alone does not sell products, but that how technology translates into consumer benefits is an important part of making a sale. Consumers want things simple, and manufacturers are designing products that are visually appealing and have the features that consumers want. Philips is introducing products that automatically lower the volume on noisy commercials., The color TV business for 1994-95 can be viewed from several angles that boil down to two basics: keep the customer satisfied and keep the product sold. One way to [...]

Industry participants paint a bright future for home theater and its growing consumer constituency We consider home theater a room-by-room proposition. Packaged deales have always outsold individual items. Consumer demand [...]

A list of computer accessories suppliers starts with Allsop Computer Products and ends with SL Waber. Not an exhaustive directory, this list gives company names, products and prices plus comments from executives of each company. For instance, Fellowes Manufacturing produces 220 SKUs of multimedia storage equipment, glare filters and surge protectors priced from $4 to $160. Phil Krater, divisional director, says the company maintains depth in each product category., HFD's second annual directory of computer supplies, accessories and peripherals manufacturers reveals several interesting developments: more players are in the business this year (Coast and Lebo are two examples); some [...]

Office superstores continue to successfully sell personal computer accessories and supplies at average profit margins of 45%. An Electronic Industries Assn/Consumer Electronics Group survey revealed that total factory sales of all electronics accessories totaled $894 million in 1992, up $51 million from 1991. Most home office stores are carrying more SKUs in 1992, including Staples Inc, which carries more than 250 SKUs., Personal computer supplies and accessories continue to evolve as a category, sold separately or in conjunction with computer hardware, in mass merchants, superstores and other retail venues. Office superstores are [...]

A war is raging among personal computer suppliers. In recent months, Compaq and Dell have slashed prices on existing machines and introduced new low-priced systems, while IBM and Apple have [...]

CHICAGO--The home computer market took several giant steps forward at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show as more than a dozen vendors capitalized on falling component prices and increasing consumer demand [...]

LG Electronics, which acquired a 57.7% interest in Zenith Electronics Corp. in 1995, announces plans for joint ventures with other US electronics companies. The merger with Zenith gives LGE, a South Korean company formerly called Goldstar, access to advanced television technology. Also, Zenith is part of an international consortium setting standards for digital electronics., ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. - LG Electronics has decided that its efforts to build its image in the U.S. will go a lot smoother if it associates itself with some established [...]

Digital Video Disc (DVD) systems are being unveiled at the 1996 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. The systems will allow playback of digital films and music and will eventually be capable of storing large amounts of computer data. Thomson Consumer Electronics plans to ship DVD systems under its RCA brand during summer, 1996, starting at $499. Toshiba America Consumer Products plans to offer two DVD players, also shipping during summer, 1996 and retailing at $599 and $699. The industry is optimistic about the technology; Thomson expects to sell five million units by the end of 1999., Las Vegas - Three letters can concisely describe the 1996 Consumer Electronics Show: DVD. No fewer than four major companies revealed details of their plans to launch DVD players before [...]

Retailers of direct satellite TV (DSS) are optimistic about its future, and are preparing for the next step in marketing the product to a new level of consumers. Sales of DSS in 1994-1995 have been good, and very profitable given the high prices of such systems, but retailers acknowledge that the price will have to drop in order to attract a new wave of less-affluent consumers. They contend that DSS is considered a separate category now, and recent financing offers have helped pick up sales of the product in time for the holiday season., New York--Digital satellite TV is one of the hottest businesses this season and retailers expect it to stay that way. Beyond this year, however, the future gets a little unclear: [...]

The compact disc-based 32-bit video game systems will not remain top market sellers for as long as the cartridge-based 16-bit systems because they are more expensive and the technology is developed at a faster pace in the mid-1990s. The 32-bit machines are $300 to $350 per unit compared to the 16-bit machines which were $100 to $150 per unit. Personal computers are also competing for a share of the market as their graphics improve., New York--CD-based, 32-bit video game systems, as exemplified by the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, are expected to thrive for the next few years, although they may not last as [...]

Tandy Corp's Incredible Universe has opened a 100,000-sq-ft superstore in Westbury, Long Island, NY. The store will compete with regional giants such as Tops Appliance City, Nobody Beats the Wiz and P.C. Richard and Son. New Yorkers, which are accustomed to haggling over prices at competing stores, will find prices clearly marked on merchandise at Incredible Universe. If the no haggling sales environment is successful, Incredible Universe will open another store in Elizabeth, NJ., NEW YORK--The Incredible Universe touched down here for the first time over the weekend, and the question must be asked, will New York ever be the same? Most industry sources [...]

NEW YORK--With the last of the long-awaited new gaming systems now being shipped, things are finally looking up for the sluggish video game business. This month, Sony launched its PlayStation [...]

Primestar small-dish-based satellite television service will be offered at RadioShack stores as part of a test of the service. The firm's main competitor is RCA Digital Satellite System. Primestar offers its customers 90 channels of programming with a lifetime warranty program. Retail clerks explain the service and signs customers up at $30 to $40 per month, which results in per customer commissions for the Radioshack., Fort Worth, Texas - the satellite TV competition continues to heat up. Beginning this week, customers can order Primestar's small dish-based satellite TV service through more than 200 selected RadioShack [...]

Four electronic on-screen television programming guides will be available in 1996. StarSight is the only guide that is available in stores in Jul 1995 for $150. VideoGuide will be introduced in Aug 1995 and sell for $100. Both products charge $5 per month in subscription fees. Guide Plus will be introduced in early 1996 and TV Guide On-Screen is available in Jul 1995 for cable television boxes and will be available in satellite boxes soon. There is no subscription fee for TV Guide On-Screen or Guide Plus., No fewer than four electronic on-screen TV programming guides will be available next year. For their market, they're banking on a huge, information-hungry audience of cable and satellite program subscribers [...]

Radio Shack should become the largest US retailer of the RCA Digital Satellite System (DSS) by late summer 1995, when it plans to have the system available at all of its 6,600 stores. The chain will stock the units at about 2,000 stores where there is most demand and take orders at the other locations. DSS products were introduced to the market in fall 1994, and more than a million units have been sold since then., FORT WORTH - By late summer, Radio Shack expects to have the RCA Digital Satellite System available to all its customers throughout its 6,600-store chain - making it the single [...]

The 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will host the best new video game companies, including 'next generation' systems. Sony Computer Entertainment of America will introduce its new PlayStation CD-based game system in the US. There will be about 420 electronic entertainment companies at the E3, many of which will be showing the new trend in CD-based systems that is expected to soon dominate the market. Sega of America and Nintendo of America will each introduce new systems at the show., LOS ANGELES - The big video game system makers are going to Electronic Entertainment Expo, 0r E3, this week to show off what they claim is the next generation of [...]

Retailers are divided about the impact of an increasing number of small-dish Direct Broadcast Satellite television products coming to market. A number of DSS platforms will be introduced by 1996 including systems from Thomson, Uniden and Toshiba. One industry source observed that product differentiation will be required to support many DSS systems on the retail level. An electronics retailer noted that the quality of programming will ultimately decide the success of DSS consumer sales., With at least five suppliers of Thomson's Digital Satellite System plus a pair of competing Direct Broadcast Satellite platforms all expected to be operating next year, the issue may well [...]

SECAUCUS, N.J.--Ted Inoue, Mike Nakamura and Michael Aguilar are minding their Ps and Qs. Panasonic and Quasar, that is. The three executives head up Matsushita Consumer Electronics Co., or MCEC, [...]

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Cal.--Leo Dardashti's mission--aside from having a good time making a living--is to devise clever ways to help people put their stuff away. For the better part of [...]

The Nebraska Furniture Mart has opened its 102,000 sq ft Mega Mart facility in Omaha, NE. The Mega Mart features an expanded selection of electronics and appliances as well as prerecorded video, audio CDs and whirlpool baths. The store also functions as an entertainment complex with a food court, children's entertainment area and live stage performances. The Mega Mart is divided into four distinct areas for computers, electronics, appliances and audio., OMAHA, Neb.--Look out, Incredible Universe! And, for that matter, watch out, Walt Disney! Here comes Nebraska Furniture Mart's Mega Mart, a 102,000-square-foot facility which opens this Friday and is largely [...]

Vendors and analysts in housewares, textiles, furniture and consumer electronics present opinions on how the pending merger of R.H. Macy & Co. and Federated Department Stores will affect their industries. Some housewares suppliers prefer Macy's operating system, but are optimistic about Federated's strengths. Furniture makers generally look forward to the merger, while home textile suppliers have mixed reactions. Consumer electronics vendors also hold mixed opinions on the merger., NEW YORK--For months, home furnishings vendors watched and waited as the drama of the impending merger between Federated and R.H. Macy & Co. unfolded. Now that their union is virtually [...]

Large-screen televisions, with diagonal screen sizes 25 inches and above, are a rapidly growing segment of the consumer electronics market. Consumers purchased 8.8 million large-screen TVs in 1993, up from 7.3 million in 1992, and sales are expected to grow 17% in 1994. Large-screen TV product lines from several manufacturers, along with marketing strategies, are discussed., With 25- and 27-inch direct-view screen sizes plus various projection systems leading the way, sales of larger-screen color televisions in 1994 appear to have nowhere to go but up. The [...]

RCA Corp is planning to produce the Digital Satellite System (DSS) which will enable consumers to receive direct satellite broadcasts from satellites built by Hughes Space and Communications Co. Programming will be offered through GM Hughes Electronics Corp's DirecTv and United States Satellite Broadcasting. The system will include a dish antenna, remote control and receiver/decoder. RCA expects the sale of satellite equipment to improve sales of its home theater equipment., INDIANAPOLIS--'The whole world is watching you.' Sony's legendary Akio Morita made the remark to an RCA executive at an industry meeting earlier this year. He was commenting on the Digital [...]

Buena Vista Home Video, a division of Walt Disney Company, has generated $1 billion annually by carefully marketing its video tapes of Disney classics, according to Buena Vista's Pres Ann Daly. The firm markets its tapes through video stores, department stores, supermarkets, mass merchants and warehouse outlets. Frequently an impulse purchase, the videos sell best in retail outlets where they are carefully displayed and accompanied with explanatory information., BURBANK, Cal.--A great product and solid merchandising are two of the key ingredients in the 'magic formula' that has made Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV), North America, the undisputed champion [...]

The market for personal information products is developing into several distinct segments, and several products are being introduced in each segment. Electronic notetaker/communicators are the newest and smallest category, but new models are expected to enter the market in 1993. Hand-held computers are aimed primarily at business users, while personal organizers have a broader consumer appeal. Electronic book players see the educational market as their strongest market niche., Personal information products, also known as personal digital devices, appear to be evolving into several subsets with widely differing applications, and target audiences, in mind. Palmtop computers, like Hewlett-Packard's 95LX [...]

Sales of Apple Computer Inc's Performa product line have been high for the four months since Oct 1992. Orders for the Performa 600 and 600CD models have exceed expectations, and backlogs are expected through Feb 1993. The Performa 400 is considered the best seller in the line, although sales for the higher-end 600 and 600CD models may have been affected by the supply shortages. Retailers and consumers believe the Performa computers offer good value and price.

Products introduced at the 1992 Comdex-Fall show may have an impact in the consumer electronics market that could foreshadow events at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show held in Jan 1993. Significant products introduced at Comdex include American Telephone and Telegraph Co's Personal Communicator 440 personal computer, Panasonic Co's KX-P4451 laser printer and Maxell's computer memory cards., LAS VEGAS--The nation's largest trade show, Comdex/ Fall, has come and gone for another year, leaving in its wake a scad of new hardware and software, peripherals and services, and [...]

Multimedia computing is still new to consumers, with many CD-ROM software titles available for children but few for adults. Sales largely depend on exposure; retailers and consumers must see the system to understand how it works and what it can do. Double-speed disk drives are improving the quality of video, and lower prices are making multimedia systems more accessible to consumers. A complete multimedia system now retails at about $2,500., Multimedia computing is poised to take off, but it will take some time before it fully penetrates the consumer market. That's the general consensus among industry insiders, in the wake [...]

The popularity of two megabyte high density (HD) computer floppy disks dominates the market. Priced not much higher than double density disks, the HD has four times as much capacity. The 3.5-inch HD diskette has captured 61% of 1992 sales in its category, and the 5.25-inch HD diskette accounts for 49%. Marketing plans are presented for Kao Infosystems Co, Maxell Computer Products, TDK Corp, Memorex SA and other companies., Industry predictions over the last year that 2MB high-density computer floppy diskettes would eventually dominate the market have come true, to the point that all previous formats have been virtually [...]

The multi-billion dollar computer peripherals market continues to expand as it moves towards consumer and away from industrial channels of distribution. Computer retail suppliers are stocking their shelves with modems, printer ribbons, keyboard drawers, scanners and surge protectors in an order to retain customer business. A list of companies and their peripheral products is offered., The personal computer supplies and accessories/peripherals market, a multi-billion dollar business, continues to grow at a rapid pace as it shifts from industrial to consumer channels of distribution. Everything from [...]

SR Superstore Inc a nine-store home appliance and office machine chain based in Shreveport, LA, considers personal computers to be one of its top-selling categories. By introducing the Wang EXEC Series of user-friendly computers with preloaded software, the retailer has boosted sales and reduced returns by 60%. SR claims market dominance in the Shreveport area and aims to increase PC sales to 10% of overall volume in 1992., SHREVEPORT, La.--SR Superstore Inc., a fast-growing electronics/appliance chain based here, is finding the personal computer a top-selling category among its home office offerings. Three years ago, this 48-year-old operation took [...]

IRVINE, Cal.--AST Research Inc. will begin shipping its first home/small office computers to select retail accounts this fall, joining fellow industrial heavy-weights IBM, Acer and Wang in pursuit of the [...]

LOWELL, Mass.--As Wang Laboratories Inc. enters into a strategic business relationship with IBM, its Personal Computer Systems division has begun shipping its first mass market computers and is preparing for [...]

CHICAGO--Personal computers are becoming entrenched in all channels of distribution, including consumer electronics. Prices continue to fall and suppliers seek a broader audience. Meanwhile, an increasing number of PC-knowledgeable consumers [...]

The Tide is 'High' for Floppies High density computer floppy disks, both 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch, are the hottest sellers among various formats currently available, and various types of data cartridges, [...]

Personal Copier Sales Up for 3rd Straight Year Personal copier sales were up for the third year in a row in 1990, and these compact machines are finding a multiplicity [...]

Fuji 11-Disk Pack, Unit For New Drives Bow ELMSFORD, N.Y. - The Computer Media Division of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. has launched its latest '11th disk' promotion as well [...]

HFD: How big do you see the home office/home computer market becoming? PAUL EDWARDS: There are 22 percent more people who say they are working at home this year than [...]

BEAVERTON, Oregon--At a Winter CES that had IBM exhibiting for the first time, Emerson Technologies demonstrating multimedia capability and Memorex Computer Supplies unveiling its first hardware, a computer manufacturer virtually [...]