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Only 443,000 CableCARDs deployed into consumer's equipment

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 30th 2009 at 6:11PM

CableCARD
Here we are about five years after CableCARDs became available and only 443,000 of 'em have been deployed into 3rd party hardware -- you know, like a TiVo HD or a Windows Media Center Digital Cable Tuner. If you think that's a lot, think again, as that is barely 1 percent of the 41.5 million digital cable subscribers in the US. This was according to a report delivered to the FCC by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and really gives credibility to the CEA's claim that the technology is ineffective at its intended purpose. As consumers we know all too well why the currently implementation of the technology is worthless to the other 99 percent of cable subscribers, which is a combination of the fact that 3rd party CableCARD host devices are not privy to all the same features of the cable company's set-top -- like VOD and PPV -- but also because the cable operators do just about everything possible to talk you out of using them. Regardless of the reasons one thing is for sure, CableCARDs have not fulfilled the requirements set by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the FCC needs to stop wasting time and get back to the drawing board.

The CEA asks the FCC if CableCARD is helping to spur competition

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 1:04PM

CableCARD in a box
It's about time someone said something and it's no surprise that it was the Consumer Electronics Association who finally did. You see CableCARDs are the solution that the cable industry came up with to comply with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which stated that consumers should be able to bring their own equipment to the cable party. We of course know that outside of TiVo and a few other CableCARD DVRs like Media Center, no one uses it. Well actually the entire cable industry uses it because the FCC mandated that after July of 2007, that every single newly deployed digital set-top had use a CableCARD instead of the integrated security. This mandate was supposed to encourage the cable industry to support 3rd party CableCARD host devices better, which obviously didn't happen. And so the CEA is doing whatever it can and nudging the FCC with a, "this isn't working, what's next?" What is supposed to be next is tru2way, but we all know how that it is going nowhere, and fast. The CEA says enough is enough, lets bring on downloadable conditional access (DAC) which would replace the whole card thing with a simple download. Of course this alone isn't enough to solve the problem, and until the cable industry agrees to give up complete control of the infrastructure and adopts a two-way standardized protocol like DCR+, no matter what the cable industry does, this entire cycle is just going to start all over again. But hey, it's a start, maybe in another 16 years we'll actually be able to watch HDTV without a set-top-box.

CEA president Shapiro talks DTV transition

by Steven Kim posted Aug 8th 2009 at 8:46PM

CEA's Gary ShapiroWith the analog shutoff safely in the rear view mirror, CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) president Gary Shapiro took some time to talk about the move to our new digital airwaves (and also looked ahead to our 3D futures). All in all, some pretty interesting reading, but he makes a great point in chiding the broadcast industry -- by waiting until the last minute to get onboard the HD bandwagon, broadcasters missed out on what could have been positive market differentiation for their services versus cable and satellite. All's well that ends well, though, and we're just gad the plug got pulled on analog (with few casualties to boot), and we'd like the CEA president should know we celebrated the move.

[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy CEA]

CEA study finds serious consumer interest in Internet-enabled TVs, cool bands like Radiohead and Coldplay

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 30th 2009 at 4:24AM


The CEA is the latest on the Internet connected HDTV bandwagon , stacking up stats in its Net-Enabled Video: Early Adopters Only? study to show 14.5 million consumers are thinking of buying a net-enabled TV in the next twelve months. Finding out more info about what they're watching appears to be the big draw, although as with most surveys, it probably depends on the questions being asked, though we can't dispute stats showing many people are already online while watching TV. Give it a quick glance and you'll see why Yahoo!, Microsoft and Adobe are in such a hurry to be the online gatekeepers of your next display.

Multi-room audio owners are all smiles with their purchase

by Steven Kim posted Apr 14th 2009 at 9:21AM

Sonos multi-room audio system
The growing number of "zone 2" speaker taps on the latest generation of receivers is all the evidence you need that multi-room audio systems are big with consumers. Cynics might argue that 7.1 channels of sound pretty much saturated the living room, but a study from the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) says that people with multi-room audio covering more than two rooms are happy with their setups. A whopping 85-percent of those folks would take the plunge all over again, and with more than half of them using their systems daily, it's easy to understand why. With prices on multi-room audio moving down -- especially with after-market solutions -- we're hoping lots more people jump into this product sector and join that happy 85-percent.

CEA rails on California's proposed TV energy standards, rings doomsday bell

by Darren Murph posted Apr 10th 2009 at 10:54PM

Oh, brother -- you had to see this coming, didn't you? Soon after details of the California Energy Commission's proposed TV efficiency standards leaked out, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has fired back a shocking press release in order to sound the alarm and get people in opposition. According to its "research," setting arbitrary limits on television electricity usage will end up costing California $50 million annually in state tax revenue and will destroy some 4,600 jobs in the TV sales, distribution and installation business. In the CEA's eyes, this proposal "eliminates consumer choice and will remove 25 percent of televisions from the market." Naturally, all of these assertions pay no attention whatsoever to the environment, and while we won't bother with inserting any politics here, we'd advise hitting the read link just to see what blatant bias looks like in its purest form.

CEA study finds interest growing in 3D

by Darren Murph posted Feb 23rd 2009 at 6:01AM


Believe it or not, marketing goes a long way. According to a new joint study conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Entertainment and Technology Center at the University of Southern California, interest in 3D (at least in America) is on the rise. The research found that within the past 12 months, nearly 41 million US adults have reported seeing a 3D movie in theaters, and of those, around 40 percent admitted that they'd prefer to watch a movie in 3D versus 2D. We're struggling to determine whether to focus on the fact that over half would actually prefer the 2D version, or whether it's a good thing that the pro-3D crowd is as high as 40 percent. At any rate, the study also found that 16 percent of consumers are interested in watching 3D movies or TV shows within their home, while 14 percent are interested in playing 3D video games. Ready for the most amazing statistic? Over half of those polled said that having to wear special glasses or hold their heads still while watching a 3D TV program would have "no impact on them purchasing a 3D set for their home." Hmm.

[Image courtesy of TheAge]

CEA worries DTV delay could cause a converter shortage

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 5th 2009 at 9:51AM


In one of what's sure to be many opinions on the now-inevitable DTV deadline shifting from later this month to June, CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro pledged support for a successful transition, including devoting part of an upcoming event to DTV education, but worries how the change may affect retailers and manufacturers. Since they had planned their reserves and resupplies around a transition this month, he apparently sees a scenario where we could have plenty of DTV converter coupons, and no boxes to buy. Honestly, we think he may be overestimating our initiative, since most (or at least the 39%+ that won't still switch this month anyway) unprepared will hit the snooze button until it becomes entirely mandatory, and the total number of homes that require a digital TV box isn't going to suddenly go up, so there should be plenty to go around, right?

What recession? CEA sees the Super Bowl selling 2.6 million HDTVs

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 30th 2009 at 4:16PM


Despite the economy, it looks like a lot of people love their in-laws, with things looking good enough for a Consumer Electronics Association survey to indicate 2.6 million HDTVs will be sold as a result of the Super Bowl (are you ready?), up from the two million predicted last year. For the year the group sees sales rising to 29.8 million (out of 34.5 million total digital TVs), topping 2008's tally by a good three million, mostly because prices have continued to drop. Probably due to that price factor, plasma TVs are expected to make up only 10 percent of the year's sales. Still not buying an HDTV for the Super Bowl? Don't worry, there's always March Madness, the Oscars, World Cup, World Table Tennis Championships, the day after next Tuesday...

Thanks to Black Friday sales, Blu-ray players should outpace the CEA's expectations

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Dec 5th 2008 at 9:05PM


News flash folks; when price of adminission to the latest technology drops, more people adopt it. This is at least according to the recent post-Black Friday CEA Web Cast -- that our friend Mari with Zatz Not Funny attended. According to the CEA, the sales of sub $250 prices of Blu-ray players was finally brisk enough that the CEA expects that more than 2.75 million units (previous expectation) will be shipped during 2008. Of course this doesn't mean that anyone is actually buying movies, but it's a good first step right?

HDMI spec could see update to better handle stereoscopic 3D

by Darren Murph posted Nov 18th 2008 at 3:14AM

Like it or not, 3D is making a beeline for your home. It may be subtle, but companies are toiling behind the scenes to make sure the third-dimension becomes a reliable revenue stream in the future. Speaking of those companies, a number of HDMI proponents are currently estimating that the HDMI specification will eventually be updated to make it ready to handle the most robust stereoscopic material Hollywood can offer. As it stands, the current HDMI 1.3 spec should be able to handle first-gen material, but eventually, backers want it to support 120Hz rates for HD and multiple 3D views. 'Course, that change is "a long, long way off" according to Steve Venuti, president of HDMI LLC, but a CEA working group has already been established to "update the standard that defines an uncompressed video interface referenced in turn by the HDMI standard." We've got an eerie feeling we'll be sporting 3D goggles for an uncomfortably large swath of time at CES 2009.

CEA launches YouTube digital transition PSA contest, winner gets a home theater

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 25th 2008 at 1:31AM


Think you know how to inform people about the digital transition in three minutes or less? The Consumer Electronics Association is sponsoring a contest with country band Whiskey Falls (yes, that's what we think when we think DTV, country music), offering a flat screen HDTV, Blu-ray player and surround sound system to the maker of the best video demonstrating how to get family and friends ready for the analog shutoff coming in February. Head over to the dedicated YouTube channel to check out the entries, and Whiskey Falls promo asking for entries after the break. Voting opens December 1 with a winner selected December 10, any questions?

[Via CE Pro]

Continue reading CEA launches YouTube digital transition PSA contest, winner gets a home theater

CEA gets official with smart antennas

by Steven Kim posted Apr 13th 2008 at 8:26PM

CEA gets official with smart antennas
We've talked about "smart antennas" before in the context of DTV converter-box coupons. We're pretty big on the idea of self-aligning OTA antennas -- when you consider reports of HDTV misunderstandings, anything that reduces the knowledge necessary to get HD signal into the home is a good thing, in our book. Enter CEA-774-A, which puts forth standardized testing for these magical antennas that self-align for optimum reception like some DTV dowsing rod. We're hoping that these smart antennas get some sort of special CEA-standardized designation to differentiate them from standard multi-directional antennas, perhaps even a special color code along the lines of those already in use by the CEA.

CEA rolls out "Convert Your Mom" DTV campaign

by Steven Kim posted Apr 7th 2008 at 7:42AM

CEA rolls out The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has tapped Florence Henderson (a.k.a. Carol Brady) to launch its "Convert Your Mom" DTV transition campaign. It's true that awareness of the digital switchover is spreading; but we also know that there's a big difference between being aware and knowledgeable. And we're all familiar with how preparations The spots will encourage baby-boomers to help older family members make sense of converter boxes, antennas and other gear necessary to keep the health TV glow burning in the living room. And seriously, how could anyone not help Mrs. Brady? As the HD intelligentsia class, we encourage EHD readers to pick up the cause (some of us have already done our part). Even if the person you overhear at the local big-box store isn't family (or even a Brady), try to lend a hand. No need to launch into HD-esoterica (which we love), just keep it simple and ease them into DTV.

Survey shows consumers aren't apt to trash analog sets post-cutover

by Darren Murph posted Apr 2nd 2008 at 10:55AM


Granted, almost half of OTA-only households in America (48-percent, to be precise) are planning on picking up a digital converter box in order to get a few more years of life out of their old set, but for those taking other routes -- like spending their stimulus checks on a new flat-panel -- it seems as if tossing 'em in the garbage is a last resort. According to new research from the Consumer Electronics Association, fewer than 15 million NTSC-only TVs will be removed from homes through 2010. Of those, 95-percent will be resold, donated or recycled -- or so the owners say. We can also remember a time when Salvation Army accepted bulky, inefficient CRT computer monitors with open arms, but trying to hand one over today can be a lesson in futility depending on the store. All in all, we figure it's easy for respondents to voice good intentions, but shortly after these sets become useless in the OTA realm without a DTV converter, we have our doubts about the vast majority of them dodging the dump for very long.




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