<A HREF="http://www.blockbuster.com">Blockbuster</A>, the world's biggest video rental chain, is coming to grips with the swelling popularity of DVD by revamping its inventory.

The <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) is reporting that manufacturer-to-dealer sales of digital television (DTV) monitors and sets (monitors with integrated tuners) totaled 117,851 units with $222 million in revenue during July. The CEA adds that these unit sales figures represent a 165% increase over the same period in 2000.

In the United States, the government's traditional stance on big business has been to accommodate independent distributors whenever possible. The policy has long been seen as a way of encouraging competition and preventing the growth of monopolies; automakers don't operate their own dealerships, and cable providers typically don't produce their own programming. In general, you can't own the "pipes" and the "water," too.

Pioneering work by companies like TiVo Inc. and ReplayTV has had some measurable results, according to a recent study by the <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A>.