Audio Video News

DirecTV subscribers will soon be able to enjoy the kind of digital television performance that cable subscribers can only dream about. On August 7, <A HREF="http://www.sony.sel.com">Sony Electronics</A> announced the SAT-HD200 set-top box (STB), an advanced DirecTV high-definition receiver with multiple format modes, keyword search, a favorite channel list, 20-event reminder, and an electronic programming guide. Subscribers with Digital Visual Interface (DVI) enabled high definition monitors will be able to receive uncompressed wideband high-def programming encoded with Digital Content Protection (HDCP) technology.

<I>Voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes. Directed by Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish), DTS. 91 minutes. 1996. Buena Vista D23315. G. $29.99.</I>

How much does it cost to include a digital tuner in a new TV? If you ask members of the <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA), they'll tell you as much as $250 at retail. The <A HREF="http://www.nab.org">National Association of Broadcasters</A> (NAB), on the other hand, estimates that the cost is closer to $15. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Investors are singing the blues over cable giant <A HREF="http://www.comcast.com">Comcast</A>, which on Thursday, July 25 reported a net loss of $209.6 million for the second fiscal quarter. That number compared unfavorably to the company's $35.2 million profit for the same period a year earlier. Comcast has been hammered by investment losses&mdash;$538.3 million, more or less&mdash;including stakes in AT&T Corporation and other high-tech companies.