Recapping slightly on the previous blog there are various products out there that are coming with some sort of cable management system.  These range from simple wall covers to all in one stands etc.  Again as with the range of TV screens there a huge selection of products to choose from – just quickly browse the Internet for them.  First you need to choose either to have your TV free standing or wall mounted.  Then what sort of space is available for the placement of all visual and audio equipment?  Also there is the price to take into consideration.  Our Tectra Twin and Ultima stands both feature brackets that can be used to mount your TV on a wall should you wish to do so at a later date – this has saved you a few quid on the price of a new bracket.  Wall mounting your TV can free up valuable floor space as well as giving you a solid fixing point for that screen.  Combine one of our tilt able brackets (available for most makes and models) with say our Black SPX cable management system and you have a stylish and practical answer to your TV placement as well as representing quality and value for money.  Why settle for an inferior product when you know A2000 Systems sells the best!  

Here at A2000 Systems we are constantly striving to develop new and exciting products, which the public will purchase.  We make and sell a range of both fixed and tiltable brackets for most makes and models of TV screens and these were very good sellers but as this market is very competitive we needed to expand into other areas which we did a few years back with our first range of Cable Management Systems.  With sales of these taking off we didn’t rest and bought out another range of CMS’s which once again proved to be very popular with the public.  We feel that we offer a unique product with our Cable Management Systems and time has proved us right.  Not only do we value our sales but also feedback from you out there.  Our XPC range is noted for its ease of use in assembly (with the magnetised glass front panels) and we took this feature and put it onto out new range of CMS’s.  The SPX range has now replaced our original cable management systems and once again sales have taken off.  We took an original idea and have continually looked at how it can be improved thus saving you time and effort in installing it.  A2000’s product range never stands still and you can be guaranteed that new and improved products are just over the horizon.

Once again I find myself flicking through a magazine looking for inspiration for topics for our Blogs and on one page a small paragraph has caught my eye.  I previously mentioned that if choosing from the huge selection of LCD and Plasma TV’s wasn’t hard enough there was going to be a growth in LED screens making choosing even more difficult.  Forget HD Ready – here is Super Hi-Vision or Ultra HD.  Designed to work on screens of at least 60in and as much 100in, research by the Japanese state broadcaster is based on humans maximum vision capabilities.  Measuring a whopping 7680X4320 pixels (around 33 times bigger than an ordinary HD picture) the research arm of the Japanese broadcaster is trialling a new TV system on a monstrous 450in (boy is that big!) projection screen.  With no existing TV that can show such a huge picture, you can guarantee that Japan’s top TV manufacturers are working on producing one.  One manufacturer already makes a 65 and 73-inch screen (one Japanese manufacturer makes a 103-inch plasma) , you can guarantee that other makers are hot on their heels to make even bigger TV’s.  I feel these will be specialist screens aimed at the avid viewing fan maybe with their own home cinema rather than “Joe” public.

Open up any visual/audio equipment magazine and you are bombarded with a bewildering and massive selection of adverts offering a huge range of TV’s from not only a large selection of retailers but also a large selection of manufacturers.  The technical specifications are also a minefield to the uninitiated.  Whilst most TVs offer “HD ready” some offer “HD Ready 1080p” with even others offering “Full HD 1080p”.  Then there are how many Scarts the TV has and are they RGB as well as the how many HDMI leads it can take.  It seems such a daunting task today to go out and buy a TV as there are so many variables to consider that its sods law you take the time and effect to research then hand over you money only to find that another manufacturer has a superior product.  Even just scanning any magazine will give you more than enough choice to start with – and that’s before you begin looking on the Internet. Gone are the days of just going out there with a pocket full of cash and coming back an hour later with a TV!! 

“During the third quarter, our business did not perform at the level we expected, primarily due to higher than anticipated price declines mainly for LCD TVs. As such, the Company continues to take the necessary steps to correct the issues that have limited our progress in recent quarters. Our ability to effectively reduce costs and improve efficiencies will be crucial in restoring profitability as we prepare for what we believe will be a difficult first half of 2007. We have made some inroads in these areas, and will take more substantial steps going forward,” said Bon Joon Koo, CEO of LG.Philips LCD.

Overall, the Company shipped a total of 2 million square meters of net display area in the third quarter of 2006, a 34% increase quarter-on-quarter, with an average selling price per square meter of USD 1,430. This represents a decrease in the average selling price per square meter of net display area of approximately 3% compared to the end of the second quarter of 2006 and an average decrease of 11% from the second quarter of 2006.

“We saw good progress this quarter with a 12% decline in COGS per square meter in USD, although this was not enough to offset the LCD TV price decline. In addition, our decision last quarter to temporize production, along with an increase in shipments, led to a reduction in inventory turnover levels from four weeks at the end of the second quarter, to over two weeks at the end of the third quarter for large panels,” said Ron Wirahadiraksa, CFO of LG.Philips LCD.

“We are now at a crucial inflection point. Without additional measures relating to product mix, cost, and productivity, we will not be able to deliver value to our shareholders. In the coming months, LG.Philips LCD will take the required actions in these areas to better respond to a new reality on pricing, demand and competitive pressures. We are confident that we have at least taken the right first steps – maintaining healthier inventory levels, reducing costs at an expedited rate in Q3, and aligning ourselves in a more substantial way with our customers – and management remains committed to do what is necessary to generate acceptable returns.”

I can remember in the late seventies / early eighties when more and more households were purchasing video recorders.  Then it was a battle between VHS and Betamax – which VHS ultimately won in terms of sales.  Buyers of Betamax recorders maintaining the superior quality of their machines.  The first machines were huge chunky affairs with buttons only a strongman seemed to be able to operate but once again after time these recorders shrunk in size and increased in features.  With the advent of the DVD player and then the recordable DVD player it seem the writing was on the wall for the old VHS machines but alas even today VHS recorders are still available (I wonder if anyone still buys them?).  Now it’s a battle between DVD’s and Blu-Ray players, which are being used as an integral part of that home cinema experience.  As peoples AV set up gets bigger they are increasing looking for a solution on where to place all this equipment and A2000 Systems has an ever increasing range of products which can answer those requirements.

The 20^th July 2009 marked the 40^th anniversary of man walking on the moon. It was a fantastic achievement back then and if it were to happen to day would still be viewed as incredible.  Looking back the technology seems really basic but was cutting edge at the time.  I can just about remember when my parents went from having a black and white television (which if I remember right was massive) to a colour screen (same wood effect style with about 4 button/dials) Then with the advent of the CRT screen it seemed that picture and sound quality had reached a pinnacle.  Also the amount of channels and programmes that were available increased again on an almost weekly basis.   Now there is a huge (and some say bewildering) selection of screen types and sizes out there with people making a choice between Plasma and LCD. Recently just when consumers thought that things had settled down along comes improved LED technology to give us even more choice which will expand as manufacturers take advantage of this medium. With most of the products we use in our daily lives seemingly being superseded on a regular basis I wonder how long it will be before we venture back there?

I am going to go back to a subject of one of my very early blogs – so apologies if you’ve heard it all before.  Whilst manufacturers of products like digital cameras, laptops, mobile phones etc bring out products in a variety of colours the makers of LCD’s and Plasma’s don’t seem that adventurous when it comes to TV’s.  I know black and silver are the tried and tested finishes for screens (seemingly since the year dot) but no one seems to want to take the plunge and bring out a TV in a more exotic colour.  Even flicking through a magazine I have come across at least 5 colours that I think would look really nice – manufacturers and the public will probably disagree with me.  I know it will boil down to personal taste I just wish at least someone would make that leap and bring something more colourful out.  Its not just TV screens that need a change but also things like Blu-ray/DVD/Hi-Fi equipment that’s may benefit from a splash of appropriate colour.  Again nothing too in your face just something other than black or silver (or combination of both!)

I’ve just been browsing through the August edition of a well-known gadget/gear magazine and am amazed at the range of products that are reviewed within its pages.  These range from the usual latest technology (digital cameras, TV’s, mobile phones, etc) to items like fashion shorts!!  There is even a page dedicated to retro items, which can be a real blast from the past – there is a review of a radio-controlled car from 1979, which now can command an online price of £1000!!  This got me thinking about whether that retro look can make a come back and still be a seller today.  One cycle manufacturer tried this a couple of years back with an updated version of a bike from the seventies – whilst keeping the basic shape it didn’t have some of the quirky (and looking back to the original some might say dangerous) features that made it what it was.  I know looks play a big part of recapturing that spirit of a product from a previous generation but some objects cult status weren’t built on looks alone.  It’s sometimes the little details that people remember that make an object a retro/cult classic and if manufacturers are to try and recreate that they need to look at the bigger picture.

When I first started writing some of the blogs for A2000 I thought it would be a bit difficult. The main question I asked myself was what do I write about. After the first 4 or 5 I found that most of the time they would write themselves. Sometimes it can be difficult thinking of a subject matter but once this is out the way it all comes flowing out. I always try to cover a variety of topics which hopefully you the public have not only taken time to read but that it has made you think or given you ideas. I feel that by writing these blogs it gives me an opportunity to put across the products that we design and manufacture here at A2000 Systems. It also gives you the public the chance to give us valuable feedback not only the subjects that I have touched upon but also give us your ideas and views. We also can use this format to keep you informed of developments in our ever-increasing product range. Here at A2000 we like to here back from not only satisfied customers but also from people who may be thinking of purchasing one of our products. At the end of the day all feedback is gratefully received.