Audio Video News

Another DVD hurdle is jumped: 10 million DVD-Video players have now officially shipped to market, according to the <A HREF="http://www.dvdinformation.com">DVD Entertainment Group</A> (DVDEG). The announcement was made last week at the annual DVD Forum meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Would a DVDO by another name smell as sweet? DVDO, the company that years ago made waves in the industry by offering a $500 line doubler at a time when line doublers cost $10k and up, is now DVDO <I>Powered by Anchor Bay Technologies</I> (ABT). The parent companies associated with the DVDO brand name seem to come and go, but the constants that remain are remarkable performance and features at reasonable prices. The DVDO iScan VP30 looks to continue that trend.

What's the worst thing that happens to vinyl records during normal use? Taking them out of the sleeve. The resulting surface abrasion and static charge, which attracts every dust particle in sight, cause more damage to LPs than playing them.

Consumer interest in digital video recorders appears to be slowing, according to an August 13 report from <I>Screen Digest</I> magazine.

TiVo and ReplayTV haven't won vast numbers of converts, but those they have won swear by their digital video recorders (DVRs). Also known as personal video recorders (PVRs), these hard-disk&ndash;based devices are revolutionizing TV viewing as we've come to know it, allowing users to skip commercials, play "catch &ndash;up" with programs as they are recorded, perform seamless fast-forward and review, and free them from the tyranny of network scheduling.

The digital video recorder (DVR) is increasingly the pivot on which turns the decision to sign up with cable or a satellite service. It may also forever change the basic business structure of the broadcasting industry.