Barry Willis

MPAA lawsuits: Online movie pirates could soon be receiving subpoenas if they don't cease and desist, according to a November 4 announcement from the Motion Picture Association of America (<A HREF="http://www.mpaa.com">MPAA</A>).

It's hard to find home theater-related products on the convention floor at the twice-per-year Audio Engineering Society (<A HREF="http://www.aes.org">AES</A>) gathering. It was therefore a treat to discover a fascinating cinema sound system at San Francisco's Moscone Center during the society's recent meeting there, October 28&ndash;30.

The much-discussed convergence of computers and home entertainment took a big step toward fruition with an October 12 announcement by Microsoft Corporation. Touting new products, new software and a website, Windowsmarketplace.com, for those eager to learn about digital entertainment, Microsoft also launched its own online music store. The announcement included the debut of two new logos&mdash;"Designed for Windows" and "PlaysForSure"&mdash;that the company hopes will assuage any doubts about the reliability of the new products.

Better late than never. Years after mandating a changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting, the Federal Communications Commission (<A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov">FCC</A>) has launched a campaign to inform consumers about the benefits of the new format.