Audio Video News

It's hot and muggy in New York City. Fortunately, I'm spending most of my time indoors at the Consumer Electronics Association's second annual CEA Line Shows being held across 34th Street from the Empire State Building. This event is designed to give manufacturers of consumer-electronics products the opportunity to exhibit their latest wares in one venue, drastically cutting the cost of putting on separate line shows as they used to do when the economy was booming. It's a great idea that I heartily support.

Thinking of signing up for Verizon's FiOS fiber optic TV, internet, and phone service? The company now offers a new incentive: You can get the service on a month-to-month basis, with no contract and no termination fee.

A fixture of consumer electronics retailing in Southern California is closing its doors. Ken Crane's will shutter its six remaining stores and liquidate merchandise within 60 days, having already closed four others in January.

AT&T is considering a cutback in its rollout of next-generation U-Verse TV, internet, and phone service to homes in its service area. The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T is blaming the specter of increased regulation from the Federal Communications Commission, which recently voted 3-2 to pursue net neutrality rules.

It's now been a year since the DTV transition hit its (more or less) final deadline of June 12, 2009. That was the end of analog broadcasting and the start of a bright shiny new age of digital television. Now the researchers are abuzz with intel, most of it predictable.

Look out, iTunes. You may be about to get your most formidable competition yet with the persistent rumors that Google is preparing to launch a music download and streaming service in October.

Sonic Solutions' RoxioNow, which supplies the technology underlying Best Buy's CinemaNow and Blockbuster's online service, will add DTS to its platform.