Audio Video News

Computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) made good on its <A HREF="http://ultimateavmag.com/news/111705hpbluray">threat</A>, announcing that it will support HD DVD as well as Blu-ray Disc as the next generation optical disc format. HP had previously supported Sony’s Blu-ray Disc format exclusively, but has apparently jumped ship over the Blu-ray Disc Association’s (BDA) refusal to adopt the iHD interactivity layer into Blu-ray’s standards.

HD DVD has missed another deadline, this time the end-of-2005 launch date for Japan. HD DVD’s main developer, Toshiba, said the reason for the delay is that the standards for the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy protection scheme (used in both HD DVD and Blu-ray) are not finalized yet.

The next generation disc format probably can't happen soon enough for Hollywood. Worldwide movie sales on DVD are likely to be reaching their peak, according to a recent report by In-Stat. Online rentals, computer downloads, video-on-demand services and even HDTV were cited as factors.

<B>TiVo Making Headlines: First, The Good News</B>
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Already recognized as a household name, TiVo continues to make news on a practically daily basis, for good and for ill. Starting with the good news, TiVo announced a new spate of Internet powered features for subscribers with a Series 2 DVR connected to a home network, including the ability to share photos, check traffic and weather, listen to podcasts and Internet radio, and even buy movie tickets online right from your television.

In case we needed further evidence of the market domination of portable electronics devices, TiVo has announced that a future enhancement of its Series 2 DVRs will allow users to sync to home-networked PCs and then download recorded programs to video iPods and PlayStation Portable media players. TiVo subscribers will be required to buy the software required to drive this enhancement. Although the price for the software hasn't been announced yet, it's anticipated to be low enough to drive sales.