Audio Video News

The third corporate makeover in three years begins April 1 at <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/">Sony Corporation</A>. The electronics and media giant announced March 30 that it will create a new top-level management group to be called the "Global Hub," with responsibility for coordinating all of Sony's vast empire, including entertainment, electronics, games, and financial and Internet services. "We'd like to make it a highly efficient group headquarters," explained Sony chairman Nobuyuki Idei.

Michael Powell, the newly appointed chairman of the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A>, announced March 29 to the House Telecommunications Subcommittee that his agency will soon begin reviewing ownership caps on broadcast television and other forms of media.

Twenty-five years of research and development by Canada's Energy Speaker Systems have culminated in the company's new Veritas series loudspeakers. Refinements have been made in every aspect of their design, from driver materials and cabinet construction to power handling and dispersion.

Audio and video retailer <A HREF="http://www.tweeter.com/">Tweeter Home Entertainment Group</A> announced last week that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Big Screen City, located in the greater San Diego and Temecula, CA areas. Big Screen City is a four-store specialty consumer electronics retailer with annual sales over $15 million, and has been in business in the San Diego market for 20 years. The companies say that they expect to complete the transaction on or about May 1, 2001.

Last week, the <A HREF="http://www.hrrc.org">Home Recording Rights Coalition</A> (HRRC) issued a statement condemning the encryption of terrestrial broadcast television programming, which the organization says will threaten established home recording rights. The HRRC made its comments in a letter sent to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell in response to issues raised in a letter sent to Chairman Powell last week from members of Congress. In its letter, the HRRC expressed concerns that television programming producers may decide to provide content only to channels with strong copy protections.

R<I>ichard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonia Moreno. Directed by Jack Arnold. Aspect ratio: 4:3 (full-screen). Dolby Digital 2.0. 80 minutes. 1954. Universal Home Video 20760. NR. $29.98.</I>

Bucking a proposal by the film and television industries to incorporate a non-recordable digital transmission standard, <A HREF="http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/">Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America</A> (MDEA) announced in mid-March that, later this year, it will introduce high-definition television sets equipped with IEEE 1394 ("FireWire") connectors. The official timetable for the delivery of the new products, and a schedule of projected retail prices, will be announced in May.