Ears On

The Consumer Electronics Show doesn't start till next week but news is already leaking out. The first dual-format DVD player, handling both Blu-ray and HD DVD, will be announced by LG. Solving the same problem from another angle, Warner will announce a hybrid disc covering both formats, so you early adopters with single-format players needn't fall on your swords (if other studios fall in line). Perhaps the best news of all is that non-portable audio sales may be recovering after a long period of sitting in their room and moping. November figures from the Consumer Electronics Association show home component sales rising a whopping 54.9 percent, beating the 27.2 percent increase of iPods and other portables.