CEA “has yet to develop a position” on legislation the MPAA is expected to back in a bid to get the FCC the broadcast flag authority the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., decided the agency lacks (CED May 9 p1), Pres. Gary Shapiro told Consumer Electronics Daily.
With FCC broadcast flag rules invalidated by a sweeping decision of the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. (CED May 9 p1), the unanswered question at our Mon. deadline was whether the debate would shift to Congress and affect a DTV transition bill to establish a hard deadline for return of the analog spectrum.
Heartened when the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., Fri. threw out the FCC broadcast flag order, consumer groups said they expect the MPAA to back a bill to supply the Commission the authority the court said it lacked to issue the regulations. Public Knowledge and other groups that persuaded the court to eliminate the flag warned lawmakers against attaching such legislation to any coming DTV bill imposing a hard deadline for the analog shutoff.
A Brooklyn venture with a presence in London emerged from obscurity Thurs. to say it’s seeking $6.7 million to commercialize a red laser-based HD disc with data capacities that would rival or exceed Blu-ray or HD DVD.
With format unification talks proceeding without a breakthrough compromise, Panasonic Tues. announced plans to establish pilot production of Blu-ray discs at its Torrance, Cal., replication plant and to open an authoring technology center in its Panasonic Hollywood Lab in Universal City.
Accelerating to late 2005 the date when 100% of 25- 36” TV sets must have built-in ATSC tuners isn’t achievable on such short notice, CE makers told the FCC in reply comments in the Commission’s rulemaking (05-24) on whether the DTV tuner mandate schedule should be revised. But broadcasters, who had urged the earlier compliance date on 100% of the sets if the FCC granted CE’s petition to scrap the July 2006 deadline for 50% of such sets to be ATSC-equipped, shot back that CE makers’ references to their 18-month production cycles as precluding a late 2005 deadline “are a red herring.”
Polk Audio is offering radio stations a “special broadcaster incentive price” on its I-Sonic entertainment system, the company said at the Home Entertainment Show in N.Y.C. The package, which features an HD Radio tuner and XM reception, will list for $599, but broadcasters buying by May 5 will pay $299, Polk said. The deal, intended to encourage broadcasters to promote HD Radio in contest giveaways, puts terrestrial stations in the odd position of promoting XM, which many oppose.
Sirius, though a year later to market than its rival XM and with less than 1/2 the subscribers, used various superlatives Thurs. to declare that it was the prime mover in satellite radio.
Tweeter Home Entertainment will spend $25-$30 million to close 19 underperforming stores the next 2 months, the chain said Thurs. as it released 2nd-quarter results. Tweeter said it would cut its work force 6% with the closings and other belt-tightening.
Spurred by successful launch of its Major League Baseball coverage, XM expects 2nd quarter subscriber additions to equal or surpass the 541,140 added in the first quarter, the company told analysts Wed. in its quarterly conference call.