By December of this year, home-theater-in-a-box systems may be able to record television programs, archive digital videotape on recordable DVDs, and perform other technical feats now possible only with megabuck gear.

Five 'transparent businesses' will emerge from a reorganization of <A HREF="http://www.philips.com/">Philips Electronics</A>' consumer electronics operations, the company announced in late February. "The new organization will allow the businesses to react more quickly to their distinct market conditions and will allow for more flexibility in the structure," a company press release stated.

The swingingest cat of them all is 35 years old this week. Monday, April 12, marks the birthday of The Pink Panther. The urbane feline made his first appearance in the Blake Edwards comedy of the same name back in 1964.

On March 9, <A HREF="http://www.pioneerusa.com">Pioneer New Media Technologies</A> announced the availability of its first DVD-Recordable (DVD-R) drive, the DVR-S101, bundled with DVD mastering software from Prassi Software USA and five blank DVD-R discs. Aimed at the professional desktop DVD market, Pioneer's SCSI-2 DVD-R drive lists for $16,995 and provides a data-transfer rate of 1.428 megabits per second, a data-buffer capacity of 4 MB, and a tray-loading system. Together with the mastering software, this products constitutes the first fully functional DVD-R drive to be offered for sale that allows users to create a disc image file and record on the desktop. "The Pioneer/Prassi bundle provides the DVD-mastering market with the only DVD-R solution available," says Paul Dempsey, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Pioneer New Media Technologies. "This is a powerful product offering that is incredibly easy to use."