A Fantastic February 2000 For Video Sales

Manufacturers' shipments of video products showed tremendous growth last month, eclipsing the four million unit mark and soaring 22 percent ahead of last February's sales, according to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).Sales of video products were up in every segment, including the largest, analog direct-view televisions. Sales of direct-view sets increased by eight percent in February, putting them three percent ahead of 1999 in the year-to-date, at 2.9 million units. The other television sub-categories enjoyed even greater growth, with sales of TV/VCR combinations increasing by 20 percent over last February and projection TVs surging by 27 percent in both the month and the year-to-date figures.Continuing their record pace, DVD-Video player sales were feverish in February, topping 400,000 units. February's sales bring the year-to-date DVD-Video player sales total to more than 771,000 thousand units, representing an increase of 228 percent over last year. CEA predicts sales of DVD-Video players to surpass 6.5 million units this year.Rounding out February's growth were VCR decks and camcorders. Shipments of VCR decks reached 1.4 million units last month, an 18 percent increase over last February. Camcorder sales were equally impressive, growing by 24 percent during the month. Shipments of camcorders have reached nearly 600,000 units in the year-to-date, a 28 percent growth over the same period in 1999.Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA, stated, ""February's video sales are fantastic. It is tremendous to see that the growth of new and exciting digital products, such as DVD, are complementing, rather than detracting from the sales of traditional analog products. There is a tremendous variety of product available to consumers at every price point, making it a great time to update or upgrade your video system.CEA is a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). CEA represents more than 600 U.S. companies involved in the development, manufacturing and distribution of audio, video, mobile electronics, communication, information technology, multimedia and accessories products that are sold through consumer channels.CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Your Source for Workstyle and Lifestyle Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, product promotion, engineering standards development, market research and governmental and legal affairs support.Source: CEA