Young to Release First Blu-ray Box Set This Fall
Neil Young and Reprise/Warner Bros. Records will release the first of multiple retrospective Blu-ray box sets this fall. The set, announced at a Sun Microsystems conference this week because the discs will use Sun’s Java software, will cover the Canadian singer-songwriter’s early career from 1963-72.
HDTV Prices May Rise on Fuel Costs, Weaker Dollar
High-definition television prices, which have been falling over the past few years, may rise in time for this year’s holiday season, CNNMoney.com reports, citing independent electronics retailers. Higher production costs in China, a weaker dollar and higher fuel costs may prevent HDTV prices from continuing to drop, the Web site says.
Panasonic Prices Newest Blu-ray Player at $699.95
Panasonic said this week that its third-generation Blu-ray player, which it announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, will be priced at $699.95, or $200 more than the second-generation player it released in November. Panasonic, which didn’t disclose the release date for the machine, said its DMP-BD50 model will include the BD Live function that allows users to compete in multiplayer Internet games and download images from the Web.
Paramount Received $29 Million in HD-DVD Agreement
Viacom said this week that its Paramount Pictures filmed entertainment unit received $29 million in first-quarter revenue related to an agreement to exclusively make its next-generation DVDs in Toshiba’s HD DVD format. Higher Paramount revenue helped Viacom boost its first-quarter net income 33% from a year earlier.
Hitachi Unveils 1½-Inch Thick LCD Models
Hitachi last week unveiled its line of 1½-inch thick liquid-crystal display television sets at its annual dealer show. The 10 models range in screen size from 32 inches to 47 inches and in price from $1,799 to $4,699.
Mitsubishi to Provide 11 More HD Scoreboards for PGA Tour
Mitsubishi Electric said this week it will produce 11 more high-definition scoreboards that will travel with the PGA Tour. Mitsubishi made 22 Diamond Vision scoreboards for the tour last year.