Osaka, Japan-based Funai Electric announced earlier this month that it will release a line of inexpensive 4K televisions in the North American market this fall, in time for the region’s major selling season. The company expects this year to be the year when 4K UHD TVs hit it big and they want to be ready to grab market share with their lineup.
Brands
Soundcast Acquired by Private Equity Company
Soundcast, a marketer of primarily wireless outdoor speaker products, announced on Tuesday that it has been acquired by Hancock Park Associates, a private equity company out of Los Angeles, with offices in Houston and Denver. The announcement says that the new owners have also appointed The OAC Group “to manage and run Soundcast.”
It was a surprising development for a company that’s had a bumpy ride through its history… [Read more…] about Soundcast Acquired by Private Equity Company
Hitachi Jumps into Wireless Speakers Biz
Hitachi America, Ltd. announced on Tuesday that it has entered the wireless speaker business with three self-contained wireless speaker systems using Qualcomm’s AllPlay technology. According to Hitachi, their new hardware/software “smart media” platform makes it simple for consumers to stream any local or cloud-based media from any type of device via Wi-Fi.
Learn more about Hitachi’s new wireless music system… [Read more…] about Hitachi Jumps into Wireless Speakers Biz
Bad Omen? Beats Wins Round 1 of Monster vs. Beats
Judge Agrees with Beats, Transfers Case to Home Turf in LA
We first told you about Monster, LLC and CEO “Head Monster” Noel Lee filing a lawsuit against Beats, LLC alleging fraudulent practices back in January, in a post that was titled in part “Risky Business.” Perhaps now Monster is getting a taste of the riskiness of taking matters to court as they have lost their first battle, on the first issue – where the case would be heard.
Learn more about why the judge found against Monster, and for Beats, on this first issue… [Read more…] about Bad Omen? Beats Wins Round 1 of Monster vs. Beats
Savant Offers App for Apple Watch
Savant, a leading home control & automation company, announced today that it is making an app available for the Apple smart watch – called, logically enough, the Savant App on Apple Watch. Since Savant is one of the only home automation companies to base their control systems on the Apple operating system, it only makes sense that they would be one of the first in the tech business to offer an Apple Watch app.
See more on Savant’s Apple Watch App… [Read more…] about Savant Offers App for Apple Watch
Sources Say Toshiba May Write-Down Profits in Past 3-Years of Financials
Last month, Toshiba Corp. warned the financial markets in Japan that they were launching an internal investigation into “possible problems” with its accounting. The stock exchange’s reaction to the announcement was swift, with the company’s stock price having its biggest one-day drop in value in more than a year. Now unnamed sources are telling the media that the company will have to restate its profits…for a three-year period.
See how hard Toshiba’s profits will be hit… [Read more…] about Sources Say Toshiba May Write-Down Profits in Past 3-Years of Financials
ELAC Returns to N. America w/New Speakers Designed by Andrew Jones
Company Opens New S. California Design Center
German speaker manufacturer ELAC announced today that it has returned to the North American market with a new line of speakers, a new U.S. design center and – perhaps most significantly – a new Vice President of Engineering, the highly respected Andrew Jones. The company plans to launch their new ELAC Debutâ„¢ speaker line at the upcoming T.H.E. Show Newport in Irvine, CA at the end of this month.
See more on this surprising, multi-faceted announcement… [Read more…] about ELAC Returns to N. America w/New Speakers Designed by Andrew Jones
Onkyo Sets New Global Strategy Focused On Portables & Headphones
Osaka, Japan-based Onkyo Corporation says it has set a new global growth strategy that will focus on launching portable music players and headphones, thanks largely to resources it received in its acquisition of Pioneer’s home AV division. In an interview appearing in Japanese media, Onkyo President Munenori Otsuki said the world is entering “the age of portable music players.”
See more on this surprising shift of direction from a significant audio industry player… [Read more…] about Onkyo Sets New Global Strategy Focused On Portables & Headphones
Kaleidescape Hires Reps
We’ve been hearing for weeks about an effort by media server marker Kaleidescape to quietly hire sales representative companies around the country. Not quiet anymore, Kaleidescape officially announced today that it has augmented its direct sales force with a group of eight independent sales representative companies.
See more on this widely anticipated development… [Read more…] about Kaleidescape Hires Reps
Nortek’s AVC Segment in Q1: Less Loss, But Sales are Still Sliding
Nortek Inc. released their fiscal first quarter results this week and they were mixed at best. The company showed a sales increase to $572.7 million, up 4.5% over the $547.8 million booked in the first quarter of 2014. However, the company saw its net losses increase from $8.6 million last year to $13.9 million in the quarter this year. And when it comes to Nortek’s AV businesses, sales in the quarter declined another 9.5%, although the loss attributable to this segment did show some improvement to less of a loss.