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Hollywood Teams Up with Storage Makers

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As DVD and Blu-Ray disk sales continue dropping and services of the Ultraviolet variety come and go, Hollywood now looks at storage makers Western Digital and SanDisk for new anti-piracy initiatives.

secure filmWarner Bros. 20th Century Fox, SanDisk and Western Digital are forming the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA)-- a group aiming to "create and license solutions" allowing users to purchase (and play) HD movie files on HDDs, USB drives and SD cards.

"Project Phoenix" (working title) will allow users to organise, store and move HD media across multiple "SCSA-optimised" devices, with the UltraViolet standard (and other cloud-based services) providing further online backup.

The SCSA plans to sell content through online distribution services, physical media and kiosks in retail outlets, and hopes to have its solutions available for licensing later this year. But are digital films (and, by extension, customers) in need of even more DRM measures?

Go SCSA Announcement (Marketwatch)

Draper Europe Acquires Awning Manufacturer

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DraperDraper Europe AB acquires Tvaakersmarkisen, one of the largest awning makers in Sweden as well as a maker of window shades and venetian blinds.

“Awnings are a popular window covering in Europe, due to the high cost of energy,” according to Goran Peterson, MD, Draper Europe AB, “so this was a natural fit for Draper.” Peterson adds, however, there “more than awnings in Draper Europe’s plans.”

During the second half of 2012 Draper Europe will also begin to make interior and exterior window shades using Draper’s proprietary hardware system.

Read more...

Cisco Wants Out of STBs?

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If one is to believe the New York Post, Cisco wants to sell its Scientific-Atlanta cable STB business, as it is moving the video business entirely towards cloud-based Videoscape technology.

Cisco STBThe likely buyers? Private equity firms looking for a low-cust purchase, a NY Post suggests.

Cisco bought S-A back in 2006 for nearly $7 billion-- but NY Post sources claim S-A is currently going "under pressure" following the Q4 2011 earnings report. The company did recently sell a key manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico to one of its contract manufacturers.

In reaction to the NY Post, the company denies all rumours in a blog post titled "Cisco Committed to Set Top Boxes." Quoting CEO John Chambers, the blog says "in terms of set top boxes, we [Cisco] are very much committed to this marketplace." However Chambers also points towards plans involving moving from IP-based STBs to the cloud (if not hybrid solutions).

The STB market has gone through a lot of changes recently-- from long-time Cisco competitor Motorola Solutions getting bought by Google to the rise of video-on-demand solutions of the Netflix kind. Over here Cisco supplies the Virgin Media TiVo box and has an exclusive arrangement with ONO in Spain.

Go Cisco Thinking Out of the STB Biz (NY Post)

Go Cisco Committed to STBs

The Largest Exhibitors at ISE 2012 Are...

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Samsung ISEAs ISE grows bigger, many exhibitors consider increasing their stands. While re-signing for 2013 ISE, Digital Projection increased its stand size almost 3X. Sony, Barco, Sennheiser, AVC Group, Sharp and Optoma also increased their floor space for 2013. But the real news is Samsung who will jump 25% to 1000 sq. m.

Exhibitors will now grow their stand footprints, in conjunction with an ISE priority system that ranks exhibitors so one with higher priority can choose its stand location and size before another. And this selection process will change the face of the show.

Which exhibitors at ISE 2012 took the most space? Click below and see...

Go ISE 2012 Top 10 in Floor Space

GfK: CE Spending to Surpass $1 Trillion in 2012

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According to GfK and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), global CE spending will reach over $1 trillion for the first time in 2012, growing by 5% Y-o-Y.

CEIn comparison, CE spending for 2011 totals $993 billion.

"Despite slowing growth in developed markets, robust growth in emerging markets, particularly Emerging APAC (Asia Pacific) and Central & Eastern Europe (including Russia), has helped sustain global spending in 2011 at the relatively healthy level of 8%” GfK remarks.

So what will customers want in this year and beyond? Mobile and connected devices, as consumers all over the world demand for the shiniest in technology.

Go Global Consumer Tech Device Spending to Surpass $1 Trillion in 2012 (GfK)

CES 2012 Will Go Green

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The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announces CES 2012 will not only be the "coolest" tradeshow but also be the greenest, with the adoption of several new sustainability practices.

CES 2012For the first time this year for this year attendee badge holders will come from recycled vinyl show banners, which the CEA will collect at the end of the show to recycle even further. The CEA is also pushing for signs made from recycled materials (such as reusable cardboard) while collecting magnetic, vinyl and cardboard show signs for repurposing.

All TechZones will also use recyclable carpet, and the CEA plans to cut print production by at least 50% of where it was 5 years ago.

Taking place in Las Vegas on January 10-13, the show will host a Sustainable Planet (showcasing the latest eco-friendly products) and a GoElectricDrive TechZone (showcasing electric vehicles, energy storage devices and charging solutions).

Go Greening CES 2012

The Returning Costs of CE Returns

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No one doubts customer returns are a big issue for both retailers and manufacturers. According to Accenture, purchase returns represent 2-3% of all CE sales in the US, or around 5-6% of manufacturer spending.

AccentureThis means returns in our industry are bigger than those some other industries...

The analyst also estimates US customer CE returns will total $16.7 billion in 2011-- and only 5% of returns are due to defective products, while the remaining 95% covers either product frustration or buyer's remorse.

In other words, customers are returning perfectly good purchases at retailer and manufacturers' expense. And while the study covers only the US, we're sure the situation is at least roughly similar on our side of the pond.

Being in metrics and logistics itself, Accenture suggest the further use of metrics within the retail sphere-- keeping track of what customers are returning (and keeping!) in order to plot supply chain changes.

Other suggestions include the improvement of return/repair networks, the encouragement of customer feedback, more accurate advertising and more spending on customer service, all in order to spend less on returns.

As the gift-giving season is but a few days away, it should pay to make customers happy-- in the hopes they keep US happy in return!

Go Accenture: A "Returning Problem" Study