Audio Video News

High-speed access is almost universally acknowledged as the most important next step in the development of the Internet. Interactive capabilities, transaction time, and the ultimate resolution of digitally transmitted audio and video are all limited by the speed with which data can be sent.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.image-entertainment.com">Image Entertainment</A> signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Eagle Rock Entertainment that paves the way for 28 music titles to be released on DVD in the coming months. According to Martin Greenwald of Image, "Music DVD is a relatively untapped genre in comparison to the number of motion pictures being released on DVD. Image has recognized a real opportunity and taken the lead in this category of DVD programming. To date, Image has released dozens of music-related DVDs, and we will continue to aggressively explore other licensing opportunities for all types of music programming: pop, rock, jazz, and classical."

Last week, <A HREF="http://abc.go.com/">ABC Internet Group</A> and the <A HREF="http://www.oscars.org/">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</A> launched <A HREF="http://www.oscar.com">Oscar.com</A>, the "official website of the Academy Awards." Beginning on February 9, the day Oscar nominees are to be announced, Oscar.com will present a live video stream of the Academy Awards nominations announcement and the full list of nominees, as well as a history of the Academy Awards, photos, and a synopsis of each nominated film.

Amid a flurry of activity last week, <A HREF="http://www.tivo.com">TiVo</A> announced new agreements with several content providers to help support its new hard-disk-based A/V recording and playback system. As reported during last month's Consumer Electronics Show <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?338">coverage</A>, TiVo and rival start-up <A HREF="http://www.replaytv.com">Replay</A> intend to market digital devices with sophisticated software that finds and time-shifts TV programming, giving viewers more control over selecting and watching television content.

The market for advanced television equipment is growing, thanks to the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A>'s digital TV mandate. But the changeover will be slow. According to a study conducted by research and consulting firm <A HREF="http://www.frost.com/">Frost & Sullivan</A>, industrial users of television equipment are likely to opt for converting their existing gear rather than replacing it during the transition, and they will move to software solutions for their production and editing needs.

Late last week, <A HREF="http://www.hughes.com">Hughes Electronics</A> announced that it had reached an agreement with <A HREF="http://www.primestar.com">PrimeStar</A> to acquire the 2.3-million-subscriber PrimeStar direct broadcast satellite (DBS) medium-power business and Tempo high-power satellite asset in two transactions valued at approximately $1.82 billion. The combination of <A HREF="http://www.DirecTV.com">DirecTV</A> and PrimeStar---along with United States Satellite Broadcasting (USSB), the multichannel movie service that agreed to merge with Hughes last month ($1.3 billion in cash and stock)---makes DirecTV one of the top three television subscriber services in the US.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips</A>, <A HREF="http://www.sony.com">Sony</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.sun.com">Sun Microsystems</A> formally announced plans to collaborate in connecting Sun's Jini technology with the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?317">Home Audio-Video interoperability</A> (HAVi) architecture, which is being developed by several consumer-electronics manufacturers. According to a joint statement, the companies plan to provide a solution that links HAVi-compliant appliances in the home to services provided by Jini technology over a network.