InFocus will cut front-projector line to 11 SKUs from 29 by year-end 2002 as it seeks to sharpen focus on own brand as well as on those acquired in buying Proxima and Ask, Home Entertainment Product Mktg. Mgr. Brian Carskadon said. InFocus and Proxima will be marketed in U.S., while Proxima and Ask are used in Europe, he said. InFocus, which had combined 39 SKUs after buying Proxima in 2000, has struggled for much of year with high inventory and is expected to post 3rd quarter financial results today. InFocus will continue building projectors both in U.S. and at former Ask plant in Norway, but has shifted production of 3 low-end models to Flextronics factory in Malaysia. While Texas Instruments’ Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology continues to account for 56% of InFocus’s projectors, and LCD is in 44%, company is moving toward “a more even balance,” Corp. Mktg. Vp Nelson Platt said. Plasma display panels (PDPs) remain on InFocus’s “radar screen,” Carskadon said. While InFocus hasn’t disclosed product plans, PDP is likely to be smaller than 42W it showed at Infocomm trade show in June, he said. Company also is continuing to pursue liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) microdisplay technology through investments in Three-Five Systems and Zight (formerly Colorado MicroDisplay), Carskadon said. LCoS probably will be deployed as InFocus enters home theater market late this year because of its ability to deliver high resolution. As it restructures brand strategy, InFocus also will expand OEM business, although that will be capped at 20% of annual revenues, Platt said. InFocus’s OEM customers include IBM, Shanghai General Electronics, Toshiba.

Audible.com is offering $50 rebate for new and existing users of Franklin Electronic Publishers’ eBookMan multimedia content device when they sign up for flat-rate AudibleListener Program. Service provides spoken audio downloads. Franklin Worldwide Sales & Mktg. Vp Bob Gartwaite said more than 25% of eBookMan owners have already downloaded audio content from Audible.com, and rebate offer will introduce new eBookMan users to its audio capabilities as well as provide savings on spoken word titles. EBookMan is sold at retailers including Amazon.com, Best Buy, J&R Electronics.

Microsoft was IBeam’s top unsecured creditor at $1 million. Internet broadcaster filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month, listing $118 million in assets, $41.9 million in debt. Microsoft invested $10 million in IBeam in 1998 in exchange for 5 million shares and Sony added $2 million for 1 million shares. In filing for bankruptcy protection, IBeam agreed to sell assets to Williams Communications for $25 million. Williams received 49% stake in IBeam in June in exchange for $20 million cash, $10 million in services. Williams was 2nd largest creditor at $747,772, followed by Broadwing Communications, $390,000; Tonic 360, $240,075; NEC, $212,390. Netscape Communications, whose parent AOL Time Warner invested $5 million in company, was owed $205,629. IBeam had struggled financially for much of year, posting $380.7 million loss in 4th quarter ended Dec. 31 and freezing hiring as it reduced capital spending for year to $15 million from $55 million. It also was hampered by slow sales from joint ventures with SES Astra in Europe and Pacific Century Cyberworks in Asia.

Despite rumors of cancellation, Comdex computer trade show will be held as scheduled Nov. 12-16 in Las Vegas, spokeswoman for organizer key3media told us. Plans for company’s other conventions around world also remain in place, she said. Comdex shows are planned for Tel Aviv in Dec., Norway, Greece and France this winter, Saudi Arabia in April, Egypt in May -- www.key3media.com.

Best Buy is bringing NetFlix DVD rental service to its brick-and-mortar storefronts. Co-branded service will be offered nationally in Best Buy, Sam Goody, Suncoast, On Cue and Media Play outlets. Move follows online rollout last month of co-branded Netflix service on 5 Best Buy Web sites.

Philips overall consumer electronics operations would have been profitable for 3rd quarter if not for U.S. losses, senior Philips executives told financial reporters Tues. Royal Philips CFO Jan Hommen, responding to questioner, said “we have a number of activities in consumer electronics that are doing quite well,” but U.S. market has been “the main problem.” He said Philips had “a very focused program” in place to address problems and had installed new management, studied retail positioning, reviewed production and all supply chains: “If we can solve the U.S., we have a very profitable business in consumer electronics.”

Ubi Soft Entertainment will publish Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for Game Boy Color to coincide with movie’s DVD release this fall under agreement announced Tues. with Disney Interactive. In separate announcement, Ubi Soft said it would develop gaming titles for PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and GameCube based on Bear in the Big Blue House TV series under license agreement with Jim Henson Co. Ubi Soft has 4 years to develop games based on show’s characters and environments, and exclusive publishing rights for 3 years thereafter.

DVD+RW Alliance has new member: Houston-based Snapstream Media, whose PVS software enables PC to function as hard-disc personal video recorder.

PC keyboards and mice compatible with Microsoft’s XP operating system will be sold by Memorex. Company said line would include 3 keyboards and 4 mice, some using wireless RF or optical RF technology. Wireless keyboard and mouse bundle will sell for $59.99 in Nov.

Sharp Electronics had 86% share of worldwide market for LCD TVs in 2nd quarter as industry shipments rose 170% to 146,000 units, according to market researcher DisplaySearch. Sharp was followed by LG Electronics/Zenith (5%), Panasonic (3%), Sony (2%) and Sanyo (1%), DisplaySearch said. Sharp has been especially aggressive in marketing Aquos LCD TVs, recently cutting price across line of 10-20” models with first size moving below $1,000 for first time. LCD TV revenue rose 220% in quarter to $152 million, it said. Industry will hit 753,000 units and $630 million revenue by 2nd quarter 2003, DisplaySearch said.