Audio Video News

AT&T says it will become the first Internet provider to block pirates from using its network. The promise emerged two weeks ago at the Digital Hollywood Summit.

Now here's the kind of of re-release I think we can all get behind. It's no secret at all that longtime DVD demo favorite, Luc Besson's <I>Fifth Element</I>, was released early on Blu-ray in a transfer that was shockingly poor. Sony is essentially admitting it was wrong (excuse me, I think I just saw a pig fly by my window), and is re-releasing <I>Fifth Element</I> on Blu-ray on July 17th and is offering an replacement program for people who bought the original Blu-ray Disc.

Comcast has become the first cable operator to announce that all subscribers will have to pay a few bucks a month more for CableCARD-capable boxes, whether they opt for a new box or not.

Whatever the HD DVD people are doing with their voodoo dolls, it seems to be working. Blu-ray is enduring its first defective-product scandal, with discs breaking out in spots.

In what could be a major blow to HD DVD in the format war, DVD rental giant Blockbuster announced that it will expand rental of Blu-ray Discs exclusively into 1,450 stores by mid-July. Blockbuster will continue to rent HD DVD discs online and in the 250 stores in which it has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs since late last year. For a running total, that's 1,700 exclusive Blu-ray stores and 250 stores stocking both formats.

With new brands nipping at its heels, Sony will create a special line of LCD DTVs for non-specialty discount retailers including Wal-Mart and Target. It's quite a departure for the longtime king of TV brands.

Talk about news stories of ironic proportions. On Monday the HD DVD Promotional Group trumpeted record sales of standalone HD DVD players three weeks into an agressive marketing campaign that featured major advertising support and $100 in-store rebates on players. According to the press release, 150,000 standalone HD DVD players have been purchased by consumers, representing 60% of the dedicated player market.