Audio Video News

JVC announced a number of new additions to its lineup of video displays at January's CES. But the company showed at an off-site hotel and there just wasn't time to get to it. At a recent event in the Los Angeles area JVC exhibited its new models for dealers and the press.

In late March, Internet-based video-on-demand provider Akimbo Systems announced an agreement that will allow it to offer select titles from HDNet's vast library of HD content to its customers. This is Akimbo's first offering of HD content through its Akimbo Service for Windows XP Media Center Edition.

<B>Blu-ray Movies Scheduled For Release On May 23rd- Will There Be Anything To Play Them On?</B>
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Can there be a format war if neither side shows up? Samsung officially announced this week that its BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc (BD) player will not be released in time for the currently scheduled BD software introduction on May 23rd. The company will now launch the player on June 25th, claiming the delay is necessitated by a lack of software needed for compatibility tests of the players.

<B>Vidikron Vision Model 90</B>
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The first trade show I covered as an A/V Journalist was a CEDIA expo many years ago. The jaw-dropping, three-dimensional images I saw from 720p HD clips on the Vidikron Vision One 9" CRT projector are still among the best these eyes have ever seen. A lot has changed since then. Vidikron is not only out of the CRT business, the company was out of business entirely until being acquired by Runco International in 2002. As a Runco brand, Vidikron has released a steady stream of digital projection products, the latest of which is the Vision Model 90.

<B>HD DVD Player Launch To Synchronize With Warner Software Launch Date</B>
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As anticipated, Toshiba has officially announced it will delay the launch of its HD DVD players to synchronize with the availability of HD DVD software from Warner Bros. Toshiba has been touring the country with HD DVD demonstrations for several weeks in support of the hardware and software launch originally scheduled for March 28th. Warner Home Video, the only studio with titles officially scheduled to support the format's launch, recently announced that it would not be able to make that date with its HD DVD software. Warner is currently scheduled to release three titles on April 18th, and apparently Toshiba will have players ready on that date.