Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has withdrawn its offer to acquire direct broadcast satellite service <A HREF="http://www.directv.com">DirecTV</A>, according to reports over the weekend of October 27&ndash;28. News Corp. had been in contention for 18 months to buy DirecTV's parent company Hughes Electronics from its corporate owner General Motors.

Long one of the audio industry's most respected equipment makers, Canada's Bryston has made an impressive move into the home theater market with several new products. Notable among them is the 6B-ST amplifier, a three-channel powerhouse capable of 250 watts/channel into an 8-ohm load or a whopping 400 watts into 4.