Audio Video News

Intel Corporation announced on Wednesday that they will invest in a new venture with Revelations Entertainment, an entertainment-development company headed by actor Morgan Freeman and producer Lori McCreary. The deal is based on the formation of a new digital entertainment company called ClickStar, Inc., which will focus on distributing premium movies directly to consumers over the Internet, connecting filmmakers to film fans worldwide.

Chip makers continue to up the ante as computers and television converge. <A HREF="http://www.intel.com/">Intel Corporation</A> has announced the Pentium III, the latest in its famous line of high-speed microprocessors. The new chip, which will replace the highly regarded Pentium II, has been optimized for audio/video, graphics, and data communication with the addition of 70 new instruction codes. It will run at a basic clock rate of 450-500 MHz---fast enough to process high-definition television signals.

After the coming merger of <A HREF="http://www.aol.com/">America Online</A> and media giant <A HREF="http://www.timewarner.com/">Time Warner</A> was announced, the <A HREF="http://washingtonpost.com/"><I>Washington Post</I></A> ran a cartoon in which a man comes home to find every item in his house telling him "You've got mail!" AOL hasn't connected to the toaster yet, but may soon have its hooks in that other staple of American household appliances, the television set.

Last week, interactive television developer <A HREF="http://www.telecruz.com">TeleCruz Technology</A> and <A HREF="http://www.zenith.com">Zenith</A> announced a product development agreement intended to integrate TeleCruz's technology inside Zenith's multimedia television platform. The two companies claim this will result in the first generation of integrated interactive television sets.

Don't forget: April 11-today-is International Louie Louie Day.