LATEST ADDITIONS

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.directmoviesonline.com/">Direct Movies Online.com</A> announced the debut of its website, which the company claims provides "near-DVD-quality" streaming video on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis. The company says that DMOL was created to address the demand for an increase in the quantity and quality of streaming video content available to consumers via broadband Internet access.

H<I>ank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Cary Elwes, Angus McFadyen, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, John Turturro, Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Robbins. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 134 minutes. 1999. Touchstone 18288. R. $24.95.</I>

H<B>ome Entertainment 2001</B> (formerly The HI-FI Show) is heading back to the heart of New York for the first time in five years. Described as "a unique hands-on event where attendees will see and hear the newest and the best in home audio and home theater," HE 2001 will take place May 11&ndash;13 at the Hilton New York.

Last week, in a statement coinciding with the International Broadcasting Convention taking place in Amsterdam, <A HREF="http://www.equator.com">Equator Technologies</A> and <A HREF="http://www.snellwilcox.com">Snell & Wilcox</A> announced that they have developed what they describe as the world's first end-to-end, optimized digital video platform enabling low-cost consumer products to deliver "better-than-VHS-quality" video at sub-megabit bandwidths. The companies claim that the newly developed technology, which they have dubbed "VHS-plus/Megabit-minus," will be available near the end of 2000.