Altec Lansing releases 'large screen' iPod system

Altec Lansing is bringing out a compact iPod video entertainment system that will play music, videos or DVDs - provided you have the kit that plugs into it.

The portable InMotion iMV712 is aimed at anyone that wants to watch video on a screen larger than the inbuilt iPod screen.

It has an 8.5-inch high resolution LCD screen surrounded by speakers, which Altec Lansing claims gives concert-like sound. It uses a four-inch subwoofer the company says its SFX (Stereo Field Expander) boosts the sound, giving the user the impression that the speakers are further apart than they actually are.

It's comes with an iPod dock, but other mp3 or media players can be plugged into it using the Aux jack. Camcorders or DVD players can be plugged in via an RCA connector, and it comes with a wireless remote.

“As the popularity of Internet-based video and digital music skyrockets, consumers want new iPod accessory products that amplify the entire entertainment experience,” said Robert Heiblim, Altec Lansing’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Online music hits a "turning point"

The decision by EMI and Apple to drop the hated Digital Rights Management (DRM) from online iTunes tracks is expected to help push sales of global music downloads to $2.7bn this year.

That’s a 62% increase over 2006, but slim pickings when you think that predicted sales are expected to hit $6.6bn by 2011. It means that the music labels will start to see profit from online music sales – and maybe we’ll hear less bitching from them about file sharing and illegal downloads.

According to Strategy Analytics, author of the Online Music: Global Market Forecast report, the big rise in online sales (almost 800 million tracks and 43 million albums were downloaded last year, making sales of $1.23bn worldwide) is not yet enough to offset the drop in physical sales, but it expects the next 12-18 months to become the “turning point for the music industry”.

"The music labels are finally starting to see digital sales having a positive impact on the bottom line," said David Mercer, VP and Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "This year will likely be the turning point for the music industry, and a return to overall revenue growth."

Part of the reason for this rapid growth is because iTunes, which is responsible for the bulk of online music downloads, will be able to sell tracks that will work across a range of devices, such as mobile phones.

Martin Olausson, director of Strategy Analytics' Digital Media Strategies service, said the move by EMI and Apple means iTunes can be positioned "to sell content not only for its own devices but for all connected devices - both in the online and wireless domains".