Thomson Multimedia Digital Products Lead Way To 2000
Thomson Multimedia (NYSE: TMS) will move into the new century poised to capitalize on its already established digital leadership position. The company plans an extensive array of digital products including the first receiver designed to deliver the Geocast service, a variety of digital television products, continued commitment to DirecTV systems and DVD and a CD Recorder/Rewriter. ""The new year brings us new opportunities and new technologies,"" remarked James E. Meyer, Senior Executive Vice President, New Media Services. ""The past decade was remarkable for both Thomson and the industry. It brought the arrival of digital - and we expect rapid technological developments to continue at this pace. Consumers have bought products such as RCA DirecTV Systems and DVD in record numbers and now that they have experienced digital quality they will clamor for more. Thomson will be at the forefront of providing these products and in many cases, we will be first to bring them to market,"" he added. The Geocast system will be one of many new digital products from Thomson. The company is making a $15 million investment in Geocast Network Systems and will also exclusively develop an advanced digital receiver for the Geocast network. The RCA-brand Geocast home receiver will come equipped with a hard disc drive and digital TV tuner for receiving and storing television programs and Internet data broadcast by local TV stations on the new digital frequencies. Local broadcasters will provide programming to supplement a national service from Geocast. This is the latest Thomson foray into services. The company already has made a significant investment in Gemstar and shipped more than one million Gemstar GUIDE Plus+ electronic program guides in more than 50 TV models. ""We view the electronic program guide as the portal to interactive services,"" said Michael D. OíHara, Senior Vice President, SBU Americas. ""The guide has been so widely accepted we will include it in virtually all RCA and ProScan brand TVs in 2000."" In 2000, Thomson will expand its digital television line to include two direct view models including the industryís first 38-inch set. Both models, the 38-inch version and a 34-inch, will be introduced later in 2000 incorporating the advanced ""Performax"" picture tubes manufactured at the Thomson color TV picture tube facility in Marion, IN. The sets will be priced to bring HDTV to a wider audience. The very popular RCA DTC100 and ProScan PSHD150 digital set top boxes will continue in the line. These units receive all 18 ATSC digital formats, plus HDTV broadcasts from DirecTV and analog transmissions. When paired with a ProScan or RCA digital high-resolution monitor, consumers have an affordable digital TV solution. Thomson will soon add a 27-inch model to its big-screen Hi-Res monitor line as well as additional projection models. The RCA DirecTV Satellite system continues to set records. In 1999, Thomson sold more than two million RCA DirecTV systems and next year is expected to be another record setting year, due to the passage of new satellite legislation. ""Now that consumers in many markets will soon be able to receive local channels, we expect sales to skyrocket,"" said Meyer. The new generation of RCA products will include local channel reception capability and interactivity. DVD is also setting sales records and is expected to exceed the three million mark this year. Thomson will continue to support DVD with new models in both RCA and ProScan brands coming in 2000. The first RCA CD Recorder/Rewriter will be available in April. The dual tray unit, Model CDRW121, suggested retail price of $599, can record from external analog or digital devices and is compatible with Audio CDR or CDRW media.