consumer electronics

Barnes & Noble ( BKS ) reported Friday that its new eReader product has sold out of the entire supply for delivery before the holidays. This may be a positive sign for Barnes & Noble in the long run as demand appears to be quite strong, but it is clear that production limitations are restricting sales this holiday season. On Thursday, Sony ( SNE ) pushed back the shipping date for its Daily Edition Reader to between December 18th and January 8th.  

DMN Newswire--2009-11-20-- Trailer Park has significantly expanded its Advanced Content Group, and, concurrently, has named Brett Levisohn as that group's new Executive Producer. Rick Eiserman, CEO, Trailer Park, made the announcement. Levisohn, who will report to Curt Doty, the newly named Executive Vice President of Trailer Park's Advanced Content Group (TPAC), joins Senior Producers Steven Smith and Emily Paul, along with a growing production staff, in that group's expansion.  

In a move designed to increase the reach of independent cinema, IFC Entertainment, one of the leading distributors of independent and foreign films, and Netflix, the world's largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership that gives Netflix U.S. rights to 53 unique titles from IFC Entertainment. Through this agreement select titles from IFC Entertainment's eclectic library of independent films will become available to be streamed instantly to televisions and computers via the Netflix ser

Netflix has always championed independent cinema and has creatively built audiences for films in this genre, and we're excited to give their customers instant access to this wide-ranging collection of independent film   -Lisa Schwartz

 

Impossible , notice the exquisite quality of YouTube's HD. As we mentioned to you earlier this week, YouTube video has been been improved once again, and the company is now calling it "1080p." We're not so sure if it's that same 1080p you've grown to love with Blu-ray discs, but one thing's certain: Streaming video has certainly come a long way since the early 320 x 240 days just a couple of years ago.  

Back on the DVD format, Sony had sometimes made life simple by parking the Digital Copy file, for portable viewing, on the same disc as the movie. Digital Copy editions of Blu-rays, meanwhile, had up until now required a second disc inside the package, a DVD-ROM, to transfer the PSP-compatible bonus copy, over on the computer. But since there's plenty of storage space on a 25- or 50-GB Blu-ray disc (the PSP video file is typically less than a single gigabyte), other factors including the tricky Hollywood  

The original Zune was a pretty weak first effort but the follow-up gets things right. Great audio quality, a sleek design and the best looking screen of any portable device combine to outshine the iPod. The inclusion of an HD radio reciever is a nice touch--and the ZunePass subscription is a good way to sample new music risk-free.  

Sony is hoping that its new online connective service will build brand loyalty and align Sony products. Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty , a top executive said Friday. Executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai said the service, set for launch next year, highlights an advantage that Sony has over rivals like Samsung Electronics Co . and other manufacturers that don't produce their own content.

That’s the kind of combination that I think is not seen anywhere else   -Kazuo Hirai

 

California's ban on plasma-screen televisions could cost up to $50 million a year in lost sales taxes, the Consumer Electronics Association says. Plasma TVs up to 58 inches will be banned starting in 2011 to reduce home energy costs by $8.1 billion. Industry groups have been fighting California's ban on plasma televisions.

The real winners of these new TV energy efficiencies are California consumers, who will be saving billions of dollars and conserving energy while preserving their choice to buy any size or type of TV   -Karen Douglas

 

Jim Zespy, who bought the Chicago office of Southern Records and launched Chicago Independent Distribution late last fall, has followed through on his desire to take advantage of the company's zoning and storefront location to open a record shop. Logan Hardware (2410 W. Fullerton) made a soft launch today, offering a limited selection of new and used vinyl and CDs and used DVDs. Zespy says the shop will stock everything distributed by CID's three dozen or so labels —which include Dischord, Constellation,