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DTV sales soar: Digital television products are flying off the shelves, according to statistics presented by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention held in Las Vegas in mid-April. Shipments of DTV products increased more than 124% in January and February of this year, compared to the same period in 2003, reaching a total of $1.3 billion in revenue. During the two months, 853,443 DTV units went from factories to dealers. More than 9.73 million DTV products—defined as "integrated sets and monitors displaying active vertical scanning lines of at least 480p"—have been sold since 1998, CEA spokesmen stated.

Frustrated at the slow pace of the changeover to digital television, a wide range of companies and public interest groups have organized as the Digital Transition Coalition (<A HREF="http://www.digitaltransitioncoalition.org">DTC</A>) to promote the format and to hasten the "return of critical spectrum back to the American taxpayer for use in new technologies," according to an announcement made April 20.

<I>Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Sean Bean. Directed by Peter Jackson. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). 4 discs. Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround, DTS ES 6.1 Surround, Stereo Surround (English). 223 minutes. 2002. New Line Home Entertainment N6504. PG-13. $39.99.</I>