While 2009 presented some difficulties for the industry, it was also a year of many launches and technological novelties. In this article we will analyze the home theater products that some companies launched on the market, as well as the accessories with which manufacturers intend to captivate buyers.By: Héctor Gómez Pérez
This 2010 is a sporting year par excellence: between February 12 and 28 the XXI Winter Olympic Games were held in Vancouver, Canada, and between June 11 and July 11, the XIX version of the World Cup will be held, just to mention two of the most important events.
Sport, and even more important competitions such as those mentioned above, bring people together in bars and clubs to enjoy the broadcasts. But also homes have become meeting places and enjoy not only programs of sporting events, but shows, movies and music, thanks to home theater systems, which every year offer new devices and better audio and video quality.
It would not be uncommon for sales of these systems to skyrocket before June in countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Honduras and the United States, just to mention those in our region who will participate in the orbital jousts of the so-called "King Sport".
We wanted to find out about the main launches of these devices in 2009 and the trends of these systems that over the days have changed the way you enjoy audio and video in homes. For this we have the participation of José Luis Saravia, commercial director of Panasonic Mexico; Koichiro Takunaga, marketing manager for sony home audio and home theater, and finally Michael Samper, president of Audio and Video Export, Denon's authorized distributor for Latin America and the Caribbean.
What's New
Reviewing what was the previous year, we have that Panasonic launched the Blu-ray Theater (model SC-BT205PU-K) and the High Definition Home Theater (SC-PT570PU-K, SC-PT470PU-K and SC-PT170PH-K). As explained by Saravia these products in addition to the power of audio and video quality, offer connectivity options such as SD memory card reader (to view photos or video), interconnectivity capacity through the Viera Link function and access to Internet content with the Viera Cast function (only for the case of Blu-ray).
It is important to note that the Viera Link function allows you to operate all the components of the home theater system, thanks to the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) digital interface.
Below is a summary of the characteristics of these equipment:
- -SC-BT205PU-K: PHL high quality image compressor, 1080p playback capability with P4HD, total output power of 1000 W RMS, USB port for JEPG and MP3 formats, integrated iPod Dock.
- -PT570PU-K: DVD player with Up ConverterHD (1080p), multi-format playback (DVD, DVD-RAM/RW/R, CD-R/RW, WMA, MP3, JEPG, MPEG4, DiVx). Total output power 1,000 W RMS, 5.1 channels, HDMI output and USB port.- Publicidad -
-SC-PT170PH-K: DVD player with Up ConverterHD (1080p), multi-format playback (DVD, DVD-RAM/RW/R, CD-R/RW, WMA, MP3, JEPG, MPEG4, DiVx), total output power 330 W RMS, satellite speaker system (4), SD slot with SD Photo Viewer function, HDMI output, karaoke and two microphone inputs.
- -PT570PU-K: DVD player with Up ConverterHD (1080p), multi-format playback (DVD, DVD-RAM/RW/R, CD-R/RW, WMA, MP3, JEPG, MPEG4, DiVx). Total output power 1,000 W RMS, 5.1 channels, HDMI output and USB port.
Regarding Sony, Takunara mentioned the following models:
-BDV-E300: Blu-ray and DVD player, S-Air ready for wireless option kit, new audio codec (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA Essencial and Sorround Virtual 7.1 ch).
-HT-DDW5500: high quality system that can be played at very high volume, 2 Tall Boy front speakers and 2 subwoofers with 250 mm driver , plus 1 central speaker and 3 surround speakers and receiver system. HDMI Amazing Picture Quality with HDMI Repeater that handles video resolution up to 1080p.
-DAV-JZ8888K: DVD, tuner and sorround system of 5.2 ch. Line selection speaker system, DivX/Mpeg4 video codec for USB and Disc.
For his part, Michael Samper said that the current generation of AVR's (audio/video receivers) of Denon have full HDMI functionality and the One Cable Solution that allows you to connect any device with HDMI connectivity (Blu-ray players, satellite receivers / cable and video game consoles) to the AVR with a single cable, which simplifies the configuration of the systems and guarantees optimal sound and visual quality.
He also stressed that the Denon AVRs have the processing of the latest Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD surround sound formats found in the BluRay. He also said that the most sophisticated have Ethernet connectivity, which allows the AVR to be integrated into the home automation network to listen to music from the Internet or external hard drives, view photos and images from the computer and control the equipment remotely from a web browser.
What is the customer looking for?
On the needs of users, Saravia mentioned that there was a stage in which Mexican users were looking for low-price options, but that they are currently better informed and looking for recognized brands that offer after-sales service, warranty, connectivity advantages and a product with a useful life of many years.
He further said that "the public is looking for two things: mainly to live a cinematic-style experience in the living room of their home, in conjunction with the use of widescreen televisions and secondly to obtain a quality audio system to play music."
Koichiro Tokunaga said his company is directing efforts to meet demands such as wireless solutions for rear speakers and Blu-ray and 3D disc capabilities.
"Nowadays consumers are very demanding when choosing electronic products. When buying a home theater system, they are looking for products with updated technology, with high connectivity, excellent audio video performance and an attractive design," said Samper.
A year to grow
2010 will be a year to carry out the sales projections in terms of home theaters. Sony, for example, plans to launch new models in Latin America from June and budgets a growth of 3% over the previous year. As Tokunaga said: "This growth can be attributed to the growing demand for LCD TV in the region."
Samper said that for this year Denon will launch models with USB and iPod inputs on its front panels and greater networking connectivity. He also spoke of growth between 10 and 20% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Finally Saravia, representative of Panasonic, said that equipment with Blu-ray player are increasingly requested, even his company already offers the first systems with 3D Blu-ray Disc player, technology that according to him will gain popularity in the coming years. On the growth for this year, he said that in Mexico, where he is responsible, the market is expected to consume a figure of more than 250,000 units, "which will be divided between the main Japanese and Korean brands," he said.
