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The year 2001 wasn't a good one for <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics NV</A>. On February 8, the Dutch electronics giant reported a massive $2.26 billion (2.6 billion euros) loss for the year, blaming slowing demand for both finished consumer goods and raw semiconductors. Philips is one of the few companies with an equal presence in both markets.

Are bulk discounts and revenue sharing arrangements with suppliers illegal? A group of independent video dealers thinks so. The dealers have teamed up to sue <A HREF="http://www.blockbuster.com/">Blockbuster Video</A>, the industry's undisputed leader, over what they claim are "illegal practices" that they contend have caused many of their colleagues to go out of business.

A former graphics-chip manufacturer has been in a feeding frenzy lately, buying a stalled personal video recorder company and a relatively unknown specialty electronics maker. <A HREF="http://www.sonicblue.com/">Sonicblue, Inc</A>. has acquired <A HREF="http://www.replaytv.com/">ReplayTV, Inc.</A> and <A HREF="http://www.sensoryscience.com/">Sensory Science</A>, maker of dual-deck VCRs and combination DVD player/VCR units, and the distributor of Loewe television sets, a German-made high-end brand.

Three decades ago, Alvin Toffler coined the term future shock to describe the malaise caused by the increased pace of new technology and information. Consumers of home-entertainment electronics experience some degree of <I>future shock</I> with every new technology: high-definition television, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and all these new surround-sound formats.