Audio Video News

It's a news two-fer day for TiVo. The company will enable YouTube video clips to be viewed through everyone's favorite DVR. And TiVo has also signed an e-shopping deal with Amazon.

Microsoft and the University of Washington are jointly working on a new video display technology that would more efficiently use the backlight in flat-panel displays, potentially cutting power consumption in these increasingly energy-conscious times.

Sony is now shipping the BDP-S350, a next-generation Blu-ray player that is far slimmer than its predecessor and even comes in a much smaller box. It uses a third less packing material, and what it does use is biodegradable paper. And due to the lightness of both the product and its packaging, shipping it will involve 43 percent less diesel use and other carbon emissions. Proof, were any needed, that I'll do anything for a novel lead.

Two major videogame platforms are broadening their appeal with movie downloads, it was announced at this week's E3 gaming show. Microsoft's Xbox 360 will accommodate downloads from Netflix, while Sony's Playstation Network will launch a download service of its own.

The movie industry's longtime claims of home piracy may have some basis in fact. According to a study by Futuresource Consulting, one out of three American and British consumers surveyed admitted to copying DVDs. The news comes as revenues from DVD sales have moved from a long period of steady increase to the start of a decline.

Now that energy savings are as prominent on consumer radar screens as flat-panel TVs, a set combining both concerns has become inevitable. This week, at a Japanese trade event, Sharp showed the first solar-powered LCD TV. Nope, no U.S. details yet.