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CEDIA (The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) is outraged by the adoption of the unnecessary and harmful regulation regarding the California TV energy efficiency standard the CEC chose to adopt yesterday. Us? We're just amused. Despite continued efforts and data outlining the negative ramifications of the ruling provided by CEDIA and the Californians for Smart Energy coalition, the CEC chose to adopt regulations on the energy consumption of televisions sold in California. This regulation will have a significant negative impact on the sale and installation of flat-panel displays and the businesses in the residential electronic systems industry. Fear not as Audioholics has a solution for manufacturers - implement SCAM.
The economy is dicey and NPD analysts say video game revenue is down 13 percent. But when the going gets tough, Activision Blizzard gets going – with what could be the top grossing entertainment blockbuster of the year, despite all odds. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the most hotly anticipated video game of the year. Some predict Modern Warfare 2 will break records as the top grossing piece of entertainment ever – period, beating out The Dark Knight’s $155 million weekend opener while topping sales of Grand Theft Auto IV.
According to an article at The Smoking Gun, Aaron Siebers, a 27-year-old Blockbuster employee, decided that it would be better to stab himself than go work at Blockbuster Video. While in principle I can sympathize, it was a little odd to see someone actually carry out something like this in real life. Aaron was apparently skateboarding Wednesday afternoon when he fell and ripped his work pants. Since he knew he would be "written up" by Blockbuster for having ripped pants (or for wearing non-standard pants), he decided to stab himself in the leg and show up claiming he had been attacked by three Hispanic males.
There is a lot to be excited about with this new Xbox Live update scheduled... um... sometime (they keep changing it - currently slated for Autumn 2009 which, by my calendar, is right now). Is you are really hooked on social networks, Facebook and Twitter functionality is for you. If you've been looking for a way to stream Internet Radio into your home theater, you'll love Last.Fm. If you are an avid downloader of video content, you'll be excited not only by the 1080p resolution of the new Zune Marketplace, but also the ability to start the video while you are downloading (called Instant Streaming).
Hulu - Its Own Worst Enemy
Tom Andry
— last modified October 26, 2009 12:08
One doesn't have too look too hard to find examples of businesses mismanaged into oblivion. Circuit City's recent inexplicable demise is a textbook example. Is Hulu next? It very well may be and here's why. So why is Hulu their own worst enemy? We all know the reason. Fear. They are afraid of losing advertising dollars. So now their solution is to monetize Hulu through subscriptions? Whatever marketing genius came up with that plan needs to return their degree to the Crackerjack box they got it out of.
Never underestimate the power of Wal-Mart! The retail juggernaut has the power to destroy a product line’s sales by deciding not to sell it - or simply pushing it to the bottom shelf. Wal-Mart recently trimmed down its DVD shelf to free up space for better selling items. Now tremors are being felt across the entertainment industry. But is Wal-Mart contributing to a consumer paradigm shift or simply responding to one?
3D Heart Attack
Tom Andry
— last modified October 01, 2009 08:55
We've been hearing more and more about 3D for the last few years. The real driving force behind 3D has always been to rake in more money. Will people pay a premium for a movie in 3 dimensions? Apparently yes. But for how long? 3D movies have inundated the public consciousness over the summer. Releases such as "Coraline" and "Up" have met with rave reviews while movies like "My Bloody Valentine" made money arguably only because of the format. The public is definitely aware of the format and is willing to pay extra for it. For now.
Two weeks ago, the California Energy Commission released regulatory language aimed at reducing electricity usage of television sets in the state. This news was greeted by modest media coverage, much of it hailing the commission for targeting Californians’ energy consumption. Soon thereafter, it was announced that California’s unemployment rate jumped three-tenths of a percentage point to 12.2 percent in August. What the media – and California’s regulators – fail to realize is that these are not two distinct stories, one involving environmental regulation and the other relating to California’s sputtering economy. Instead, they are two pieces of the same overarching narrative: Government over-regulation of California’s businesses is hurting an economy that is already suffering.
The fight for net neutrality is ON! Soon after the Federal Communications Commission announced it will formalize net neutrality rules – the FCC immediately drew fire from all sides. Republicans in Congress want to pull funding to the FCC while Comcast and AT&T promise an apocalypse of Internet traffic congestion and unsafe service will be the true cost of new regulation.
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