Flat or low growth expected

Some major manufacturers of electrical products, particularly audio-visual items, expect flat or limited growth in their fiscal year starting this month, due to a combination of economic and political difficulties, reports The Nation.

They have reshaped their marketing activities, including dumping prices, to match the tough market situation.

Takuya Tanimoto, director of strategic and planning management at Panasonic Sales Thailand, said his company expected sales in its 2009 fiscal year to be flat.

Atlona Technologies, a manufacturer of connectivity solution-based audio-video products, and Wisair, a provider of single-chip-based wireless USB solutions, have made available a wireless USB display adapter set, says PR Newswire.

The Atlona wireless USB adapter set wirelessly transfers PC content to TVs, monitors and projectors. It allows users to view video, Internet content and pictures from their computer on monitors and HDTV displays without the hassle of extra cables.

The wireless USB adapter set features VGA and HDMI outputs with the ability of both outputs being active simultaneously.

Spain's government has still not made a decision on whether to allow broadcasters to offer pay-digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, despite Mediapro's laSexta formally asking for a licence last week, reports Rapid TVNews.

Some audio-visual market sources fear the government will only allocate one pay-DTT licence, to laSexta, repeating the action the government took years ago, when licensing Sogecable's Canal+ analogue pay-TV service was the only one pay-TV service at the time.

Spanish vice-president, Mar'ia Teresa Fern'andez de la Vega, says the start of pay-DTT will require a modification of the law through a real decree from the government or else through a regular law.