Barry Willis

William Kennard has resigned as chairman of the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A>, effective January 19, the final day of the Clinton administration. According to Washington insiders, his position may be filled by Commissioner Michael Powell, son of former general Colin Powell, President George W. Bush's newly-appointed Secretary of State.

Although electrical systems and broadcasting standards vary from country to country, visionaries have always imagined that one day worldwide technology would adhere to one set of specifications. That may never happen. The electronics industry's hope that the DVD would become a universal format, the video equivalent of the CD, may be scuttled by Chinese manufacturers seeking to avoid paying royalties to the format's designers, according to several stories appearing in industry publications in the wake of the recent Consumer Electronics Show.

One of the most honored films in the history of the movie business, <I>Ben Hur</I>, will make its DVD debut this coming March, 42 years after its theatrical release. On December 18, <A HREF="http://www.warnerhomevideo.com/">Warner Home Video</A> announced a March 13 street date for the disc. The film has been digitally restored and has a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The suggested retail price will be $24.98.

In a few years, many computer users will have DVD-ROM drives, DVD burners, and Internet connections with sufficient bandwidth to make the sharing and copying of full-length movies a real possibility. The emerging prospect for what some are calling "Napster for movies" has film studios exploring movie downloading and streaming technology, or "video-on-demand."