DTV Sales Fantastic In February

Factory-to-dealer sales of digital television (DTV) display devices reached their second highest total ever this February by surpassing 22,000 units, according to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). February's sales total of 22,844 units is second only to the December 1999 figures, and brings total sales since the introduction of DTV (in August of 1998) to 178,254 units.February's robust sales represent a 578 percent increase over the February 1999 figure. In the first two months of 2000 alone, sales of DTV displays total 43,852 units. That figure is almost 5,500 units more than the total for the first eight months of 1999.""DTV is off to a strong start in 2000. Programming from the major networks has been helpful,"" said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. ""But, without more and better support from affiliates, DTV penetration will slow. The overall commitment by local broadcasters to provide high definition-originated content has been lackluster at best. To put the DTV transition in the fast lane, broadcasters need to provide more substantial HDTV programming. If broadcasters will provide this type of commitment, we can reach or exceed 50 percent penetration by 2006.""CEA projects that the first 10 million DTV units will be sold by 2003, the next 10 million in 2004 and 2005, and 10.8 million to be sold in 2006.CEA is a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). CEA represents more than 600 US companies involved in the development, manufacturing and distribution of audio, video, mobile electronics, communications, information technology, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services, that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, these companies account for more than $60 billion in annual sales.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, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy. For more information on CES, visit www.CESweb.org, the interactive source for CES news. Source: CEA