Audio Video News

A business model pioneered by <A HREF="http://www.netflix.com">Netflix</A> during the dot-com era appears to be one that consumers love. An increasing number of retailers are adopting it, including movie-rental giant <A HREF="http://www.blockbuster.com">Blockbuster</A>, with its "<A HREF="http://www.filmcaddy.com/home-v1.asp">Filmcaddy</A>" service, and retail chain <A HREF="http://www.walmart.com">Wal-Mart</A>, which launched its nascent DVD rental program in late October.

Michael Fremer sets up the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?56">B&W CM Series surround speaker system</A> in his audio/video room and gives them a complete workout. MF comments, "What B&W chose to do with the CM Series is blend good looks, high build-quality, and typically rich 'British sound' into an affordable package."

<I>E.T. the Extra Terrestrial</I> makes its first appearance on DVD on Tuesday, October 22. It will be available in three versions: widescreen and pan&scan Limited Collector&rsquo;s Editions at $29.98 and the Ultimate Gift Boxed Set at $69.98. All three editions include both the original 1982 version and the 2002 release, the latter including a number of alterations and updates.

Set-top box (STB) maker Scientific-Atlanta reached its lowest stock price in almost four years on Friday, October 18, after posting quarterly results well below expectations. The company's stock closed at $11.45, a drop of 14%, making it one of the biggest losers on the New York Stock Exchange that day.

An agreement signed October 17 by <A HREF="http://www.panasonic.com">Panasonic</A> and <A HREF="http://www.cablelabs.com">CableLabs</A> will make Panasonic the first manufacturer to build digital television receivers capable of directly accepting high-definition signals from cable providers.